MAVS NEWS:

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://thesmokingcuban.com/cooper-flagg...t-critique


Here's the story on Flagg's workout.

[Chicagojk]

Tim MacMahon on Cooper Flagg and his visit with the Dallas Mavericks:

“I’m told Jason Kidd sees shades of another Duke guy in Cooper Flagg, a guy who J-Kidd shared the Rookie of the Year Award with, Grant Hill… Cooper Flagg is really gonna have a chance, especially early in the season when Kyrie Irving's out, to play a point forward type of game. He's gonna have the ball in his hands a lot, and J-Kidd thinks he can facilitate.”

(via
@ESPNNBA
)

[Winter]

The SI Cover article on Cooper Flagg

https://www.si.com/nba/cooper-flagg-the-next-stage

[F Gump]

What if the best PG prospect in the draft -- and the most NBA-ready one -- is actually Cooper Flagg?

Would we then think there's a huge hole in the roster? Or does the thinking and planning shift considerably?

PG - Flagg, Exum, Williams, [Kyrie]
SG - Klay, Christie, Hardy?

Re-sign Kyrie to a resized deal, of course. Re-sign Exum.

Then I'm back to just one complementsry move to finish up. Trade Martin and Powell (and maybe Hardy too) for Ball (mostly to clear roster room and land below A2). Powell out, with Kai then signed to replace him. Leave slot 15 for a cheerleader or a development reward. I wonder if that's all it takes where you're good to go.

[Winter]

All those would be reasonable moves I think if that's what you had. For me at least.

I'm not sure about the lineup though. AD, Lively, PJ, Flagg, and Klay looks a little slow and lumbering (although it may not be... I'd have to see it). To me, it looks better with PJ out, CF slotted in his place, Klay and possibly Ball or Williams.

Actually there are several lineups in there. Kidd has his hands full.

[DallasMaverick]

All those would be reasonable moves I think if that's what you had. For me at least.

I'm not sure about the lineup though. AD, Lively, PJ, Flagg, and Klay looks a little slow and lumbering (although it may not be... I'd have to see it). To me, it looks better with PJ out, CF slotted in his place, Klay and possibly Ball or Williams.

Actually there are several lineups in there. Kidd has his hands full.

I seem to remember that he typically spends a good portion of the season tinkering with lineups.

[DanSchwartzgan]

The SI Cover article on Cooper Flagg

https://www.si.com/nba/cooper-flagg-the-next-stage

Nice read...especially as a parent.  It would be so cool to watch a child or grandchild do superhuman things at a young age like that.

Mannix spent a good bit of time around Cooper and the family and advisors for that story.  I mentioned Kevin O'Connor's podcast the other day.  He said when Mannix was done with all of that that Mannix said he could actually see Dallas moving on from AD and embracing the Flagg era.  It wasn't anything anyone said by any means.  Just a feeling Mannix said he got.

That's when the podcast conversation turned to AD trades (mainly NY and Indy).

[cow]

Flagg's handle isn't where it needs to be in order to be a primary facilitator. Anything beyond a few dribbles is going to leave him vulnerable against the elite defenders in the NBA. That's not saying he can't improve in that area.

[KillerLeft]

Flagg's handle isn't where it needs to be in order to be a primary facilitator.  Anything beyond a few dribbles is going to leave him vulnerable against the elite defenders in the NBA.  That's not saying he can't improve in that area.

Yeah, agreed. 

You tell me you see him with the ball in his hands a ton during his time in the league, and I have no trouble getting there. I expect it, even, the way the game is being played these days. 

You tell me you expect that a lot in year 1, I immediately give up any hope of contention this year. If that's the plan, trade AD this summer for sure, and seriously consider not hamstringing yourself with Kyrie, imho. I'm not even saying that would be a bad way to go, necessarily, only...I'm personally excited to see how quickly a #1 pick can get up to speed when he's on an actual good team trying to actually compete. The trade off for not making the rookie the center of everything is that he gets access on and off the court to real, live, successful professionals, which I'd wager is a more effective tool than any level of coaching. With a couple of good moves and some luck, he might even experience 1-3 playoff series, including some high-leverage games and situations. That, to me, is the FASTEST way to develop the kid, not a waste of his time. 

But, it doesn't work if it depends on him being the MAIN, featured offensive player, full-time, starting on day 1. Luka couldn't even do that, and he looked more comfortable playing offense as a rookie in the NBA than anyone I've ever seen. 

Flagg has dominated at every level, so far. My goal, personally, would be to ensure he experiences as little failure next season as possible. They probably won't win a championship, but if you start him with things he has a shot at doing at a professional level, he could be successful right away, and the team could be good. Most importantly, his success could directly contribute to the team being good. 

They need a PG.

[cow]

They need a PG.

Agreed, but I hope we don't spend any valuable assets on one.  We need to go the opposite direction to collect assets for the rebuild that is coming 3-4 years from now and hopefully with a new GM in hand.  By then, we should have a much better idea of what Flagg needs around him, though it should be a much easier task since Flagg is a two-way player unlike our GOAT and our Gone Too Soon.

I'd be perfectly happy with a year of Chris Paul, or to a lesser extent, Westbrook.

[KillerLeft]

Agreed, but I hope we don't spend any valuable assets on one.  We need to go the opposite direction to collect assets for the rebuild that is coming 3-4 years from now and hopefully with a new GM in hand.  By then, we should have a much better idea of what Flagg needs around him, though it should be a much easier task since Flagg is a two-way player unlike our GOAT and our Gone Too Soon.

I don't hold such a pessimistic view. 

For one thing, I'm not 100% sure the Luka trade is going to look AS bad as we think it will, given some time. I think we can be critical of the return, or of the strategy, except I get the strategy, and have said a million times I can understand the team wanting to be out from under Luka. Shams said just this week that Davis is worth 4-5 picks right now, today, so I don't kill the Mavs for just getting the one pick, honestly. Harrison is probably among the biggest believers in Davis that exist, so we can safely assume that if some people think he'd be worth 3-4 and others believe he's worth 4-5, Harrison is probably in the latter camp. That means, in his mind, he valued Luka at 6 unprotected picks in the deal. We don't have to agree with the assessment of either Luka or Davis, but I think it's a little more defensible from that POV. 

And, Davis IS really, really great when he plays. Sure, "when he plays" is part of the conversation, but it officially is with Luka, too. Count me in the camp that believes Luka's health and conditioning will trend downward in the coming years, not upward. 

The biggest issue I see with the idea they can't contend this season (other than injury concerns with Davis) is the idea that the roster would be set right now, if only Kyrie was healthy. I think he's an iso-scoring guard, and I think the team needs a guy who thinks in terms of play making...which brings us to the conversation we've been having about Flagg playing point forward on day 1. For some, "yeah, let's try that" is apparently a viable way forward from here, but I think that would be a huge mistake, personally. 

You say "but I hope they don't spend any valuable assets on one." I can't agree to something so binary. I agree that selling good assets for someone really OLD would be a mistake, if that's what you mean. But, for someone in their mid-to-late twenties? I don't see the problem, truly, especially since the "valuable assets" we're discussing are suddenly not locks for meaningful roles here, meaning (as I see it) that NOW is the time to cash in, or you risk having to sell lower on them later (when the reduced roles knock some of the shine off of them) or worse - losing them for nothing. I flatly don't think there's a role here for Gafford much longer, and I don't think there's nearly enough meat left on the bone for BOTH PJW and Naji Marshall, now that Flagg is here. 

Obviously, I hope they get a good deal for a good player, and I'm not saying they should give anyone away for something less than what those guys could do for you in the short term, but in a general way it makes a ton of sense to me to reposition the the salary structure so that not ALL of your good players are forwards and centers. Even Klay Thompson is basically more 3 than 2 these days, imho. The only guard on the roster I'm truly comfortable with (including Kyrie, who'll be an older player coming off of a major injury at some point, probably much later than we're assuming around here) is Christie, and I think he's probably a bench player still at this point. 

The roster is ridiculously lopsided. Something MUST be done about that before we can talk seriously about this team and whether or not they're any good, or even whether or not they should try to be.

[KillerLeft]

I'd be perfectly happy with a year of Chris Paul, or to a lesser extent, Westbrook.

I would LOVE a year of Chris Paul. Love it.

[cow]

And, Davis IS really, really great when he plays. 

I wish this was true, but it isn't.  He is all-time great when he is great, but that's not every game and we've already witnessed duds with AD wearing a Mavericks uniform.  Tack on how often he is injured and it just makes it really hard to rely on him.  

I'm not really being pessimistic here.  I think the Mavs will try to compete this year and they could end up in the play-in again or a bottom seed.  I don't see them being a contender, I just think that's asking too much of Kyrie who will miss  time and then be coming off of a major injury.  We then need to incorporate a rookie into the rotation who should average a ton of minutes so growing pains.  With the current construction, the time to compete would be the season after next.  I hope that doesn't happen either to be honest, but that has more to do with the likelihood of Nico being around and depreciating AD's value further.  No matter what you think of the Luka trade, doing that means that Nico is in a win now mode with a team that really isn't ready.  But given the trades Nico pulled off, he could do even more damage to the post-Kyrie/AD Mavericks and that's what terrifies me most.

So yes, PG is a need.  I just don't love anyone who might be available to invest assets into acquiring them.  I'd  rather cheap out for the next year or two and offer a 40-year old CP3 or Westbrook a 1+1 than any of the other trade options floating around.  If PJ, Lively , Gafford, or, to a lesser extent, Klay is going out, I want draft capital coming back along with whatever is needed from a salary matching perspective.

[KillerLeft]

I wish this was true, but it isn't.  He is all-time great when he is great, but that's not every game and we've already witnessed duds with AD wearing a Mavericks uniform.  Tack on how often he is injured and it just makes it really hard to rely on him.  

Agree with the injury concern (obviously). I think with Davis and his greatness, one really does need to think defense first. He is consistently great on that end. What he's NOT is a "go to guy" on offense, to your point. That's why you can't build a winning team around him as the focal point. But, Cooper Flagg changes my outlook on that. More so if they can get the kind of table setter I have in mind. That would make "offense by committee" an actual viable path, to my thinking. Davis, Flagg, PJW, Naji Marshall, Thompson, Christie...any/all of those dudes can be offensive threats on any given night, provided the style of play isn't set up to be heliocentric. And, with Luka gone, it isn't. The trouble is that they haven't (yet) replaced him with anything resembling an offensive system.

[SleepingHero]

Flagg's handle isn't where it needs to be in order to be a primary facilitator.  Anything beyond a few dribbles is going to leave him vulnerable against the elite defenders in the NBA.  That's not saying he can't improve in that area.

He handled himself just fine against team USA before the summer olympics. 

And that was before his freshman year at Duke. He's improved since then.

[Chicagojk]

Big season for Anthony Davis. Can he stay healthy and amplify our center(s) playing power forward. I don’t think Davis is good enough to be a number 1 on a championship team. I don’t think A healthy Kyrie is either. The question is can Flagg be a #1 and if so how quick. If Davis fits, he and Kyrie can be a top #2 options in the league. Even if Flagg is not a true #1 for a few years. The Mavs have a chance to be a deep team with elite #2’s. Is that enough to win a title? First step is to see if AD can play with centers and really allow the centers to shine.

[DanSchwartzgan]

Big season for Anthony Davis.  Can he stay healthy and amplify our center(s) playing power forward.  I don’t think Davis is good enough to be a number 1 on a championship team.  I don’t think A healthy Kyrie is either.  The question is can Flagg be a #1 and if so how quick.  If Davis fits, he and Kyrie can be a top #2 options in the league.  Even if Flagg is not a true #1 for a few years.  The Mavs have a chance to be a deep team with elite #2’s.  Is that enough to win a title?  First step is to see if AD can play with centers and really allow the centers to shine.

It feels more like AD, Kyrie and Flagg would all be #2’s (at least this early in Flagg’s career).  So, can three really good “Robins” (and depth) beat teams that have a Batman?  In some ways isn’t that Indy?  Siakam isn’t a #1.  I’d argue Halliburton isn’t either (except maybe in the final seconds of a game).  They really don’t have a third “Robin”, but are very good 3-5.

[Chicagojk]

It feels more like AD, Kyrie and Flagg would all be #2’s (at least this early in Flagg’s career).  So, can three really good “Robins” (and depth) beat teams that have a Batman?  In some ways isn’t that Indy?  Siakam isn’t a #1.  I’d argue Halliburton isn’t either (except maybe in the final seconds of a game).  They really don’t have a third “Robin”, but are very good 3-5.

Good point.  Hopefully Flagg and a healthy Davis are also guys who outplay their stats too.  So maybe it is possible.  Mavs need to clean up their roster some.  I do t consider this next year a contending season, so this will be an important evaluation year.  I think the team disagrees that they are not a contender this upcoming. Year.  They may be good to just below contending.   I just don’t think they can get there as is with Kyrie out.

[cow]

He handled himself just fine against team USA before the summer olympics. 

And that was before his freshman year at Duke. He's improved since then.

A scrimmage is a little different than being the primary initiator of an NBA offense for season.

[Chicagojk]

A scrimmage is a little different than being the primary initiator of an NBA offense for season.

Yes his handle is still a little loose.  Although a lot to like.  His passing is what is really promising.  Right now not much Luka magic but he just makes the right play often.  Exiting to see him in a pick and role plays.  Both as a pick guy and with the ball.  I think he can do either and really cause damage.