There are times when athletes find themselves at a crossroads. They can feed into rumors and allow bitterness to fester, or they can use it as fuel to increase their value to levels neither management nor fans believed possible. It appears Dallas Mavericks forward Christian Wood is intent on taking the latter route.
In the aftermath of one of the most hectic and potentially most impactful trade deadlines the NBA world has ever seen, the Mavericks roster remained the same as it was in Wednesday's road win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Wood was one name floated around as a possibility to be moved, and he did not take kindly to fans voicing their support over those rumors.
“Got to watch y’all disrespect like I haven’t been efficiently HOOPING all year .. using it as motivation,” Wood Tweeted.
The team had already turned the league upside down when they acquired Kyrie Irving over the weekend, but there was speculation that Dallas could have been looking for upgrades elsewhere as well. The notion that Wood's own ample contributions- 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game- would not align with the Mavs' championship aspirations is insulting, yet probably unsurprising to a player who has been underestimated since before his career even began.
Wood was at one time projected to be a first-round selection in the 2015 NBA Draft, but was left undrafted and utterly devastated. He needed a minute, but eventually made many NBA scouts and executives regret passing on the versatile scorer. The 27-year-old has fit the modern big-man game well, knocking down nearly 38 percent of his 3-point attempts for his career (37.5 this season). When healthy on the court, Wood has unquestionably been a reliable option Luka Doncic could turn to for some needed relief.
Wood has come off the bench most games and has continued to do so since returning from a fractured thumb injury on Monday. Resentment could build over a reduced role and trade chatter, but he has shown multiple times how effective he can be when skeptics are at their loudest.
The Mavericks are obviously taking a gamble on Irving. Betting on Wood to rise in the face of that skepticism seems like a safe wager in comparison.
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