Summer League Game 1: 7pm CST on ESPN

[KillerLeft]

I was not clear.  I was more curious about your willingness to give Nico a blank slate.  If we picked where we were supposed to and were staring at a short window with little hope and then nothing in the future, would still have this same overall attitue.

I'm not giving him anything. I have no control over the situation. The people with the power to hire or fire at that level of the team don't even know you or I are alive, my guy. All I feel I can do is decide whether to follow the team or not. 

To answer your question...I'm not sure. I think I'd still be pretty happy with the idea that PJ and Gafford were extended. I guess it would've depended on what else happened this summer, but it's possible I would've reinvested even without Flagg. Can't know for sure, but to your point, Flagg really, really helps with that.

[mvossman]

Also..."if?" No disrespect, I'm really asking: Do you an expect an imminent announcement that he's been fired? If so, when? Next week? Christmas Day? The All Star Break? The beginning of next summer? Pertaining to the public outcry, I'd say he has survived. Past tense. He's going to run this basketball team for another season, at least, and I'm not sure his seat is currently any hotter than any other GM's. He's probably not as secure as Brad Stevens or Sam Presti, but I'll bet his job is safer than Cronin's, whomever Vivek's puppet is in SAC, etc...maybe even the Ainges. Talk about failed plans...

There was speculation about Nico getting fired in the future.  I was not thinking in the context of getting fired right now because that is obviously not going to happen.  I simply meant that without Flagg he is very likely getting fired in the next couple of years when the Luka trade shows to be an epic failure.

[fifteenth]

To be clear, I'm not arguing for Harrison to be fired or not. I'm just saying that I'm over the shock of the Luka trade, I'm over the PR disaster that followed, and I'm back to judging each individual move (and the state of the team in general) on its individual merits, with no expectation of something happening that I can't make happen. 

I actually think the team is in great shape in some key ways, and that's enough to create my usual preseason excitement. 

Good to see you around, pal!

That makes sense. I think the team is pretty good shape too, but probably not for this season, right? I'm thinking this a "play cooper a lot and trade some players" season. Is that accurate, you think? Seems like the roster quite imbalanced, and featuring a rookie doesn't usually win games.

[KillerLeft]

That makes sense. I think the team is pretty good shape too, but probably not for this season, right? I'm thinking this a "play cooper a lot and trade some players" season. Is that accurate, you think? Seems like the roster quite imbalanced, and featuring a rookie doesn't usually win games.

I think that's the worst case scenario...and it's a pretty good scenario. 

I think in the best case scenario they're the 4th seed, and there's a spectrum of possibilities in between.

Meanwhile, they're still accumulating good players on contracts that will (hopefully) fit, both within the team structure and in the future trade market, and time is passing, moving us closer to unlocked future draft capital. It's really not a bad place to be.

[F Gump]

I want to see Nico fired.

Mine is not a "revenge for the Luka trade" mindset, but rather the belief he is not good at the things that a GM needs to be EXCELLENT in, to out-perform his competition in such a challenging business. Being the 30th best or even the 20th best GM in the world is not going to be good enough.

In particular, I think he is a very poor negotiator, failing to understand how to (and why to) win at the margins. He does not appreciate the difference between getting a pick, and giving one, and the utility of having picks later. In addition I think he is an awful evaluator, tending to see (and add, or pay) players through the lens of what he wishes they will be, rather than who they are (and who the rest of the NBA thinks they are, should there be a need to move on from them). He fixates on doing the deal by any means, and has no sense of the need to find a way to do it at a price that is helpful and advantageous.

His approach to fans, and ability to deal with the fanbase, is terrible. He has no communication skills with the public, nor does he perceive the need for that on behalf of the franchise. He's in a people business, but is clueless.

I also think he has the outlook that he does not want to be surround by excellence, perceiving that as a threat, instead of embracing people who are smarter and more skilled than him. As as result, the Mavs ceiling is his own personal ceiling, and no one is smart enough to know it all at an expert level. See Smith, Casey.

It is a detriment to team building to have the decisions made by a poor evaluator and negotiator. The Mavs need to demand excellence from their front office. Nico needs to go.

[ThisIStheYear]

Nico won’t get fired unless AD continues to be Street Clothes, Luka comes back with a strong season, and the Lakers are better than the Mavs. All three are highly likely (I’d bet that trifecta and consider it to practically be a sure thing), so Nico has a problem, even if he does have support in the organization.

But, back to our first knee jerk reactions to CF playing under NBA rules. Assuming Flagg really can shoot and that was just nerves, my main impressions were that he’s worse on the interior than I expected (the rebounding was problematic) but has better handles, agility, and passing. Thus, he’s probably a 3 not a 4 like I thought. That’s actually for the best. I’d rather have a star player at the 3 than the 4. As he gains strength in the next few years, he’ll get better at competing on the glass. He has a ways to go though. I don’t expect him to be a top 5 player by his second season, like Luka was. It will probably take him three.

[F Gump]

I put little weight in Flagg's play last night. He had not played a game in THREE MONTHS. Then they asked him to specifically do things that were not a part of his normal game (with both the Mavs and him knowing in advance this was all new to him and would be very unnatural). The most reliable takeaway is in seeing if he is big enough, fast enough, quick enough, skilled enough - and imo he passed all those tests with flying colors. His mental feel is off the charts.

It looks to me like the NBA world - smarter than me - is generally raving about what they saw.

I came away optimistic at what CF will add, including this year. Then again, I already was.

FWIW I would not be surprised if G2 he shows a significant step upward. We'll see.

[Winter]

The fact is we don't know much about how Flagg is best used with our starters. Summer League helps in clarifying individual skills, but we have to imagine the rest.

One thing I can imagine easily is CF taking the ball down the court in transition, and either find an opening to the basket himself or making the right pass to an open wing. I can imagine him blocking shots and getting steals. That's just what he does in every video I've ever seen. I don't know what that makes him in terms of a position player, but I'm not sure that matters.

Anyway, I tried to imagine what playing with veterans might look like with Flagg in the mix. With D'Angelo Russell as the other guard, and the rest of our front line of AD, Lively and either Klay or PJ. It's really hard to imagine that not being a good team. We have several players who are not just one-dimensional players, and scoring in the paint is going be a problem for opponents.

Flagg looks like a big NBA player, and the team has some real talent and real depth. Playing together will have awkward moments next year, but that will work itself out by the second half of the season. Kidd has to figure this out, but this will an enteraining season I think.

[KillerLeft]

Anyway, I tried to imagine what playing with veterans might look like with Flagg in the mix. With D'Angelo Russell as the other guard, and the rest of our front line of AD, Lively and either Klay or PJ. It's really hard to imagine that not being a good team. We have several players who are not just one-dimensional players, and scoring in the paint is going be a problem for opponents.

Agreed. 

Not that I think it truly matters in the grand scheme of things, but in my opinion PJW is the most likely to come off the bench on opening night (given full health to the roster). I understand where people who assume this will be Thompson's ticket to 6th man gets handed to him are coming from, but I think in that locker room he's treated like a hall-of-fame player, and rightfully so. In all honesty, I think the guy who goes to the bench should be Lively, but I don't expect that. I still might find it more likely than them asking Thompson to come off the bench to start the season though, frankly. 

Now, I wouldn't be shocked if Thompson gets moved into a bench role by the end of the year if things don't go well and they start thinking about leaning towards the Flagg timeline a bit more, but outside of Max Christie I'm not sure who's gonna take his spot that's currently on the roster. I think the team will play some stretches where you could call Flagg the 2, but I highly doubt that will be their default lineup. I'll believe it when I see it.

I think PJW and Thompson will both be in the ideal closing lineup, along with Russell (eventually Kyrie), Flagg and Davis (if healthy - Lively if not). That's my prediction at this time. I could see Max Christie taking a bite out of Thompson's role as the season progresses, however. Depending on matchups.

[DL2RimRocker]

Flagg looks like he has all of the makings to be a star but just needs some polishing.

What I saw in that game was a champion breed puppy who just needs to grow. He was clearly the best player on the court.

With his attitude there is absolutely no doubt he'll be something special.

Honestly, I'm watching guys like Nembard, Kelly, Ajinca and Sharpe because all 4 could possibly develop into nice future pieces to play with Flagg and Lively.

[KillerLeft]

With his attitude there is absolutely no doubt he'll be something special.

Man, that's probably the best part. His attitude and mindset are so solid it seems too good to be true. He's humble, but not in a way that anyone will ever think he's soft. He's very close to the ideal cornerstone player, if not right on the mark.

[Smitty]

Agreed. 

Not that I think it truly matters in the grand scheme of things, but in my opinion PJW is the most likely to come off the bench on opening night (given full health to the roster). I understand where people who assume this will be Thompson's ticket to 6th man gets handed to him are coming from, but I think in that locker room he's treated like a hall-of-fame player, and rightfully so. In all honesty, I think the guy who goes to the bench should be Lively, but I don't expect that. I still might find it more likely than them asking Thompson to come off the bench to start the season though, frankly. 

Now, I wouldn't be shocked if Thompson gets moved into a bench role by the end of the year if things don't go well and they start thinking about leaning towards the Flagg timeline a bit more, but outside of Max Christie I'm not sure who's gonna take his spot that's currently on the roster. I think the team will play some stretches where you could call Flagg the 2, but I highly doubt that will be their default lineup. I'll believe it when I see it.

I think PJW and Thompson will both be in the ideal closing lineup, along with Russell (eventually Kyrie), Flagg and Davis (if healthy - Lively if not). That's my prediction at this time. I could see Max Christie taking a bite out of Thompson's role as the season progresses, however. Depending on matchups.

I still think a lot of people on here are going to be shocked/upset when Gafford is the starting Big opening night, not Lively.
Not that it matters who starts, because both will play ~20mpg.

[myconsumerclub]

Only guys with the potential to be starters on CF's timeline are 27 or younger because they will be 30 or younger when he is starting to reach his early prime and if we are contending it will be with these guys:

Lively Flagg PJ Naji Nembhard
Gafford Kai Kelly Max BWill

Older guys that may or may not still be here: AD Klay Irving Dlo Exum Hopefully Irving is still a great one because we will need him to still be here if the guys above are not developed more.

I assume we figure out how to get rid of Powell, Martin Omax and Hardy but if they keep Hardy he may be around instead of somebody we could be developing off this years summer league team.

Three years of drafting younger talent will possibly bring on some more keepers to fill up some roles with better fitting pieces

[KillerLeft]

I still think a lot of people on here are going to be shocked/upset when Gafford is the starting Big opening night, not Lively.
Not that it matters who starts, because both will play ~20mpg.

I would be pretty shocked, I'll admit. Other than salary, what makes you feel that way?

[Smitty]

I would be pretty shocked, I'll admit. Other than salary, what makes you feel that way?

For a lot of the same reasons we talked about last season. Gafford gets a bump with the starters, whereas Lively gives a boost to the second unit. Gafford also played really well when Lively was out, and just got a nice extension. With Lively coming off a big injury-riddled season, it could make sense to monitor/limit his minutes a little easier off the bench. I can see Kidd starting with the Vet game 1.

Again, it doesn’t matter to me who starts. I only care who finishes. And if I had it my way, neither Gafford or Lively would close as the C. The best one on the roster would.

[Smitty]

For a lot of the same reasons we talked about last season. Gafford gets a bump with the starters, whereas Lively gives a boost to the second unit. Gafford also played really well when Lively was out, and just got a nice extension. With Lively coming off a big injury-riddled season, it could make sense to monitor/limit his minutes a little easier off the bench. I can see Kidd starting with the Vet game 1.

Again, it doesn’t matter to me who starts. I only care who finishes. And if I had it my way, neither Gafford or Lively would close as the C. The best one on the roster would.

I think the Center rotation is pretty straightforward. When all 3 of AD, Gafford, and Lively are healthy (less than 30 games most likely) then Gafford will play 20-22 min, Lively 18-20 min, and AD ~8 min (closing the last 4-5 min 90% of the time). 

When one of them is out, their minutes will get bumped up accordingly.

[Dahlsim]

I didn't make myself clear.  I was more curious about your willingness to give Nico a blank slate.  If we picked where we were supposed to and were staring at a short window with little hope and then nothing in the future, would still have this same overall attitue.

Interesting point. Consider also that luck is always part of mix for GMs and franchises.  
It was bad injury luck that pretty much shattered any chance for the trade to vindicate itself on the floor last season.  Healthy AD, Kyrie and the roster actually looked pretty good for the very brief time it appeared. 

Good ping pong ball luck came along and trumped bad injury luck by making up the future Dallas franchise player years Nico had so drastically discounted away. Fortune was going to play its part either way.

[KillerLeft]

I think the Center rotation is pretty straightforward. When all 3 of AD, Gafford, and Lively are healthy (less than 30 games most likely) then Gafford will play 20-22 min, Lively 18-20 min, and AD ~8 min (closing the last 4-5 min 90% of the time). 

When one of them is out, their minutes will get bumped up accordingly.

This terrifies me. I can see the logic, which makes me wonder if this is not exactly how they're thinking. Me? I think this weirdly undervalues all three players.

[Winter]

There is nothing certain in the lineups. They will have to see what shakes out in the pre-season practices. Pretending we know is just a fun exercise

[KillerLeft]

There is nothing certain in the lineups. They will have to see what shakes out in the pre-season practices. Pretending we know is just a fun exercise

Agreed. Key word being fun...or terrifying.