Effort and not putting up with Dray's dirty bull s***. JJ might have settled on a new favorite role player based on these closing lineups.
I think Cuban is right - Maxi is a big who can move his feet extremely well on defense. Combine with smarts and willingness to do the dirty work and he's surpisingly valuable I have no idea why his jumper has just disappeared. He might be the Lakers #1 center if he could hit 3's again. He might still be going forward - JJ plays a switch heavy scheme. So in the 4th quarter I could see JJ going with Maxi and Smart with Luka/Lebron/AR. When Lebron goes into 4th quarter defense mode you have both him and Maxi will be tough for defenses to score on
his problems in dallas the past couple years were a) forgetting how to shoot, and b) health. the first seems mental, but that shot is super flat, so it's never going to be great. the health, i fear, is the one that is going to disappoint people. he's barely been able to stay on the floor, so relying on him is dangerous. i'll take it for now, though!
I would pay attention to that Maxi screen instead of just Kennard - just wipes out Kennards guy on these off ball screens. If only he could get his 3 points shot he's like having another sneaky good Marcus Smart out there
He'll definitely be a key piece in the playoffs. I think he will be the most trusted center by JJ in crunch time. Hope he continues this good play and arrives at his peak to April
Maxi has given us some really good minutes the last few games, but if we're relying on him to be a key piece in the playoffs we are in trouble. At this stage of this career, he should only be an 11th-ish guy that surprises you with his competence when he's forced to play due to injuries.
Of course. But IF he's healthy same as our whole TEAM there's the "possibility". Size, toughness, moves his feet, sets picks, knows what he's doing out there. 10 minutes a game might be just the rest one or two other players combined might need to stay fresh enough to be better themselves. This roster now is in no way shape or form as ridiculously bad and dysfunctional as it's been made out to be. IF it's all there. It's all about heath now, same as other teams, and some of them going through the same **** now too. Depends what's happening in May-June. 10th man sounds just fine.
As our third string big I can’t complain about Maxi at all. I thought we might be able to move him as an expiring but since no one was letting go of their three and D wings I’m fine with keeping him for the season.
He’s clearly healthy and feeling like his old self again, knock on wood. Has gotten better as the season’s gone on and JJ giving him some minutes. LMAO at the forward leaning Rock of Gibraltar “charge” he attempted to take. Was a block but he rocked the guy with all the momentum backwards flat on his a**. Who then got all indignant about it as if “they” don’t do that to the guys attempting it all the time.
The fact that a 34 year old Maxi Kleber stands out just by playing with some toughness and energy is more an indictment of the rest of the roster than an indication that he's actually a good player at this stage of his career.
Or I guess you can look at his nice play 34 or not that does help cynically instead. Sorry Maxi no attaboy for you.
He's honestly a really good player when he's on - sort of like DFS just always in the right place and his ability to switch on defense is really good I mean he stood up Monk who was getting hot and that's a hard thing for any center to do. I could see a situation in the playoffs where the center rotation becomes Hayes/Maxi I'm very tempted to call him JJ ace in the hole he's waiting to use against good teams but until he starts hitting 3's just can't
