MAVS NEWS:

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Kia Rookie Ladder: Cooper Flagg leapfrogs Kon Knueppel for No. 1
Dallas' standout rookie has stepped up as a go-to guy and moves into the No. 1 spot as the Top 5 undergoes big changes.

1.Cooper Flagg
2. Kon Knueppel
3. Derik Queen
4. Cedric Coward
5. Jeremiah Fears
6. VJ Edgecombe
7. Dylan Harper
8. Ryan Nembhard
9. Ace Bailey
10. Ryan Kalkbrenner





Never heard of Ryan Kalkbrenner.  Am I a casual?

The 7'1, 260 lb. center, Kalkbrenner, played at Creighton and was a 2nd round pick and 4 yr senior.  He had a good career there.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Kia Rookie Ladder: Cooper Flagg leapfrogs Kon Knueppel for No. 1
Dallas' standout rookie has stepped up as a go-to guy and moves into the No. 1 spot as the Top 5 undergoes big changes.

1.Cooper Flagg
2. Kon Knueppel
3. Derik Queen
4. Cedric Coward
5. Jeremiah Fears
6. VJ Edgecombe
7. Dylan Harper
8. Ryan Nembhard
9. Ace Bailey
10. Ryan Kalkbrenner



Never heard of Ryan Kalkbrenner.  Am I a casual?

This rookie ladder will remain fluid for most of the year, unless someone takes a significant leap in consistency.

[Smitty]

@MavsFilmRoom
Cooper Flagg’s trainer on Coop playing PG early in the season:

“I know there was criticism about him playing in that role. However, I think from a developmental standpoint, it was actually really good for him just because he had to have the ball in his hands. He had to handle pressure full court. Now when you see him with the ball, there is a sense of comfort.”

[Chicagojk]

With the Blazers loss last night, the Mavs are now your #10 seed in the West.  With some winnable games coming up, they may move up more.   Looking below them, the Trailblazers should be better.   Losing hope in LAC figuring it out.  After that it gets brutal finding who is going to win games.   

Tonights game may be interesting.  Dallas has played well.   They have beat teams mostly missing a core player.  Also, when you are bad you always have to wonder if you got the best from the other team.  Sometimes they think just by showing up they can win.   Although, it will be interesting to see if they blow the doors off against a team they are better than.  Sometimes that tells you a lot as well.

[omahen]

With the Blazers loss last night, the Mavs are now your #10 seed in the West.  With some winnable games coming up, they may move up more.   Looking below them, the Trailblazers should be better.   Losing hope in LAC figuring it out.  After that it gets brutal finding who is going to win games.   

Tonights game may be interesting.  Dallas has played well.   They have beat teams mostly missing a core player.  Also, when you are bad you always have to wonder if you got the best from the other team.  Sometimes they think just by showing up they can win.   Although, it will be interesting to see if they blow the doors off against a team they are better than.  Sometimes that tells you a lot as well.

Portland is somehow quietly falling apart. They had a very nice October start of the season, but are just 5-14 in November and December.  They were supposed to be a good defensive team, but the lowly NO scored 143 points against them last night. Even this was not a consequence of some extremely hot shooting. I didn't watch the game but box score suggests NO was doing whatever they wanted. 

Portland has some interesting young players in Avdija, Sharpe, Camara and Clingan. Henderson tbd. But they also have several vets and if their result free fall continues, they might think about becoming sellers. Jrue and Grant are on bloated 3 year deals that will be difficult to move, even though both could be interesting to some contenders. Williams and Thybulle are expiring - contenders could again be interested, but they are unlikely to fetch more than a SRP or so.