Patrick Dumont

"Tough decisions are never easy, and part of leadership is looking at risk and looking at all the factors of a decision and being willing to act at that time and look to the long term and not only think about the short term or how it may be may be received immediately – but to think about the long-term benefits and what it may allow you to achieve if given all the right considerations.

"And I think for us, going into the trade deadline last year, we were not competitive. If you recall, we were not a playoff-bound team, and we were able to do some things to reconstruct the roster and enable the team to become very competitive. And after the trade deadline last year, we actually had the best record in basketball, which was a big accomplishment. And we got to the championship games, and we didn't win. And so we had to decide, how do we get better? What can we do to improve our team? And so we looked at our trajectory during the season and realized that we did not get better. But the teams that we competed against – some of which which we beat – did get better. And ultimately, when you look at the Eastern Conference – after we were to get through the Western Conference, if we're so fortunate – you would have to beat some very formidable teams, including one that we lost to, which actually got better.

"So, this was a decision about the future. If you look at our roster today and who we have, we feel like we position ourselves to be incredibly competitive against the best teams in the NBA. And if you're a fan of basketball – I'll just throw that out there – you have Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, Anthony Davis and either Daniel Gafford or Derrick Lively as your starting five. That's going to put fear into a lot of teams in the league if we can get going, right? And so the objective was how do we create a roster for the future that allows us to be the most competitive team?"

Dumont has largely been slammed for this answer, but he's in a no-win situation here. The trade looked bad at the time and looks worse now. The problem is the trade, not Dumont's explanation.

Specifically, people have pointed to Dumont emphasizing the "future" and "long term" when trading a superstar for a lesser star who's six years older. Even Nico Harrison acknowledged Dallas was looking at a 3-4-year window!

But, in context, I don't think Dumont contradicted Harrison.

When he says long-term, I think Dumont means come the playoffs in whatever years this new core sticks together, as opposed the day the trade was made. The Mavericks didn't win the press conference. They could (theoretically) win the trade, but that was always going to be determined later.

When Dumont says future, I think his point is not to be backward-looking onto the 2024 Finals run. As impressive and enjoyable as that run was, the Mavericks' goal wasn't to maintain that 2024 team. That moment has passed. The goal is to assemble a team that can win a championship in the future.

Like everyone else, I believe that would've been best-achieved by keeping Doncic. But I just don't find Dumont's stated logic here so ridiculous.

Want to be mad at Dumont? Look to when he used Shaq – rather than Dirk Nowitzki – as an exemplar of work ethic.

Cooper Flagg

Projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg left Duke's win over Georgia Tech today with a painful-looking ankle injury. However, X-rays were negative, and Duke coach Jon Scheyer said – while he doesn't expect Flagg back for the rest of the ACC tournament – he hopes Flagg will return for the NCAA tournament.

That sound you hear is the Wizards, Jazz, Hornets and Pelicans breathing sighs of relief.

Paul George

Paul George is consulting doctors on his groin and knee injuries, with a procedure possible, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.

Following the Joel Embiid path, which included a similar report, it's hard to see George playing again this season. At this point, the 76ers should prioritize George's long-term health. They can tank just fine without him.

On the pod, we covered whether George is washed up or still has more in the tank once he gets healthy.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Striking stats from Zach Kram of ESPN:

"1. The Thunder have outscored opponents by 12.6 points per game this season, which is on pace to break an NBA record that has stood for over 50 years. The current mark is 12.3 points per game by the 1971-72 Lakers, who famously won 33 games in a row.

2. While that margin of victory is a regular-season record, history suggests that level of dominance should translate to the playoffs. The previous top five teams in point differential -- the 1971-72 Lakers, 1970-71 Bucks, 1995-96 Bulls, 2016-17 Warriors, and 2023-24 Celtics -- all coasted to titles, with a combined 71-12 record in the postseason. None even faced a Game 7 en route to the championship."

If you, like me, were wondering about the 2015-16 Warriors who blew a 3-1 lead in the Finals, their average margin of victory ranks just eighth all-time (not counting this year's Thunder and Cavaliers).

On a certain level, I understand doubting the Thunder. They haven't done it before, and they have vulnerabilities.

But if picking a different team to win the championship this year, you should understand just how much that is bucking the basic historic trend.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Excellent article from Fred Katz of The Athletic on how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander developed and hones his unique weaving/accelerating/decelerating game.

Mikal Bridges

What a night for Mikal Bridges!

Bridges hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Knicks a 114-113 win over the Trail Blazers yesterday, capping a 33-point performance and answering some questions about what New York would do without Jalen Brunson.

It'd been three years since someone scored 30+ and made a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer with his team trailing. Cam Johnson did it in a 2022 Suns-Knicks game (in which Bridges also played… for Phoenix).

Oliver Miller

Former NBA center Oliver Miller, known for his rotund frame, died at age 54.

Nicknamed "Big O," the 6-foot-9 Miller frequently weighed above 300 pounds during his nine-year NBA career. A quote former teammate Mark West attributed to Charles Barkley: "O could be an All-Star if he learned two words: I'm full."

Miller was relatively nimble for his size and a good passer with soft hands. But conditioning issues haunted him through stops with the Suns, Pistons, Raptors, Mavericks, Kings and Timberwolves. Miller peaked as a starter on the dreadful expansion Raptors.

His career began with more promise, the No. 22 pick in 1992 by Phoenix. In Game 5 of a best-of-five first-round series against the Lakers his rookie year, Miller had 17 points, 14 rebounds, seven blocks and two assists – allowing the Suns to continue their playoff run, which culminated in the 1993 NBA Finals.

T.J. McConnell

On the pod, Nate noted just how frequently T.J. McConnell drives to the basket – once every 1:33 he's on the court.

That leads the league (minimum: 10 minutes):

Zion Williamson stands out as a big on the guard-dominated list.

Alex Sarr

Nate wondered the last center to have a true shooting percentage as bad as Wizards rookie Alex Sarr's (47%).

Sarr's is the worst since Kendrick Perkins in 2014-15 (minimum: 1,000 minutes).

Of course, the NBA has a friendlier offensive environment than it did a decade ago. Sarr's true shooting percentage is the worst relative to league average since Marcus Camby in 2010-11.

Nate's guess on the pod was pretty close. After Camby and DeSagana Diop, the next-most-recent center with such a poor relative true shooting percentage was Ben Wallace in 2007-08.

-Dan Feldman