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00:00 What do you think of the two trades?
00:06 Well, I liked them.
00:08 I mean, it's just--
00:09 Yeah, no, we had three goals coming in here.
00:12 We wanted to get bigger.
00:13 We wanted to add to our depth in the front court
00:15 and then also get some scoring punch out of the front court.
00:18 So those were our three goals, and we
00:20 feel like we accomplished those.
00:23 What did each one of those guys bring individually?
00:26 Before I answer that question, I do
00:27 want to take the time to thank the guys that we had.
00:31 Rashawn Holmes was a professional.
00:33 Didn't get a lot of opportunities,
00:34 but he was always ready.
00:36 And then the other two, Seth Curry,
00:39 he chose to be here because he was a free agent.
00:43 And so I think that's important to acknowledge him.
00:45 Again, another professional.
00:47 He was great, great for us.
00:50 Again, another guy who didn't get a lot of opportunity.
00:54 And then Grant Williams, another free agent
00:57 that chose to be here.
00:57 So I think it's important to thank him
00:59 for his contributions to the team.
01:02 So now, what was your question?
01:04 In terms of what those guys bring individually?
01:07 Yeah, I think if you look at PJ, I
01:11 think the biggest thing about him is he can score.
01:14 I mean, I think a couple of weeks ago, he might have 40
01:17 points or something like that.
01:19 He can get--
01:19 Thank you.
01:20 He can get high.
01:21 He can shoot.
01:22 He can create.
01:24 So it's just versatility, but also rim protection.
01:29 He can block shots, and he's big.
01:31 He can play four and five.
01:33 So I think that's the thing that he's going to bring to us.
01:37 When you look at Gafford, big time rim protection,
01:41 adding depth to our front court.
01:43 I can just imagine him and Luca, him and Kai, and pick and roll,
01:47 and what that's going to bring.
01:49 With a player like PJ, when you're trying to assess him,
01:52 when you're viewing him, is he a Mavericks fit?
01:55 This season, some of his stats are down
01:58 from where they have been, three-point shooting, block
02:01 rate.
02:03 How much, when you're trying to assess him,
02:05 do you see that as being circumstantial?
02:07 And how do you see him adapting or improving next to Luca?
02:12 Yeah, great question.
02:13 Well, I think when you have really good guards,
02:15 you get really good shots, and it makes it a lot easier.
02:17 So I think you just try to envision
02:20 what their skill sets are, what they do,
02:22 and then you imagine them, hey, you're
02:24 playing with one of the best guard--
02:26 excuse me, the best guard in the league.
02:28 What are your shots going to look like now?
02:30 And you're going to have more space, more time.
02:33 And so I think that's going to be an advantage to him.
02:36 Will those guys be ready for the game with Oklahoma City?
02:40 We're hoping so, but a lot of it will depend
02:42 on physicals for both teams.
02:45 When you look at those guys in terms
02:47 of being puzzle pieces of the rest of the team,
02:50 it looks like it gives Jason more versatility
02:53 in terms of the different types of defenders.
02:55 Yeah, well, that's the whole thing.
02:57 When you say add depth, that's really--
02:59 it's versatility.
03:01 And the other thing, we've been injured a lot this year.
03:04 So when you talk about adding depth,
03:06 it's like when you're injured now, it's like, OK, well,
03:08 we can go.
03:10 We still have some guys that can go and pick up the pieces
03:13 and not worry about, oh, he's injured.
03:15 We got to rush him back.
03:17 It's like we have more depth now.
03:19 So we feel like we can match up with anybody.
03:22 Mid-January or so, you guys were 7,500,
03:25 sitting pretty despite the injuries.
03:27 How much did the losing of the last couple of weeks
03:30 contribute to this?
03:31 Or do you think you could have done some of the--
03:35 Well, I think what we added was what we needed anyways.
03:38 So I don't think--
03:39 just adding depth, getting bigger,
03:41 I think that's always going to help you.
03:43 And a guy that can score, that's always
03:45 going to help you in any year.
03:47 So I think regardless of if we were winning more or not,
03:50 I think we would have tried to accomplish the same things.
03:53 We know our team, so we knew what we needed.
03:55 How important is it that these are both players, 24, 25,
04:00 who fit the age timeline of a lot of the current players?
04:04 Yeah, great question.
04:05 For us, I'm always thinking long-term and short-term.
04:10 So you got to make sure that you're prepared for now,
04:12 but also the future.
04:14 And I think they both provide that.
04:17 Is there a chance you guys are not done in terms
04:20 of the timeline?
04:22 Well, you guys know me.
04:23 I've been here, what, 2 and 1/2 years?
04:26 You can answer that question.
04:29 If there's a chance to make our team better,
04:31 we're going to do that for sure.
04:32 There's no doubt about it.
04:34 Appreciate it.
04:34 All right, Nico, appreciate it.