Reacting to the Dallas Mavericks finally getting to select the Duke mega-prospect
Cooper Flagg is now a Dallas Maverick. We’ve been reacting for weeks, this isn’t news. But now that it’s real, what does it mean to you and where does your mind go next for the Mavericks?
Jack: I find myself satisfied and mystified. The pure elation and excitement I felt when Luka Doncic and Paige Bueckers were drafted are somewhat absent. And it has nothing to do with Cooper Flagg or the quality of player he is. Objectively, this is an amazing thing to happen for the Mavericks and my fandom. But I don’t think it’s really going to hit until I see him play basketball. Everything that’s happened with this organization since February 1st has just been too damn weird. So, as amazing as Capturing the Flagg should feel, I still find myself waiting to feel the basketball joy that was ripped from us.
Josh: I’m just thankful I have something to think and talk about with the Mavericks that isn’t relentlessly depressing. Contrary to popular belief, I do not want to talk about, or write about, the Luka Doncic trade every damn day. I’m sick of it. Maybe seven to 10 years ago, when I was a bit younger and more full of piss and vinegar? Sure. But I don’t care anymore. I don’t want to fight, I don’t want to have online discourse, I just want to talk about the basketball, and the Mavericks for the last five or so months did everything they could so that there was nothing else to talk about. With Flagg in the fold the franchise at least regains relevance and has both an interesting present and future. Now instead of waiting for the carcass of the franchise to wash up onto shore, we can figure out how Flagg fits in Dallas’ weird, jumbo-sized roster. We can talk about how Jason Kidd can develop his playmaking, how he can learn from an elite defender like Anthony Davis, or how to become a great scorer from Kyrie Irving. The Mavericks roster doesn’t really make all that much sense, but it’s fun and interesting, with Flagg the main reason why. Thank goodness.
Tyler: The drafting of Flagg doesn’t make up for everything, mainly because the people who caused the pain we felt from February on are still here. But Cooper is a generational player that is going to win over everyone who gets to see him play. I’m happy for the fans who do choose to stick around. I’m happy for those in the non-basketball side of the organization who have taken a beating since February.
But this is nowhere near the end of the story. The team is far from complete, and truth be told I’m fairly disappointed they didn’t make a move to get back into the late first round as Sacramento did. Cooper can certainly playmake a bit and I’m very excited to see him tap into that, but he’s not an initiator yet. The offseason is still young, but that needs to be addressed.
It also doesn’t help that Nico continues to make an ass out of himself at every possible juncture, so the thought of a press conference with he and Cooper together is rather terrifying. Even still, it was a good night for you if you are a fan of the team.
Matt M.: I don’t trust this Mavericks front office to be good stewards of the amazing opportunity Cooper Flagg represents. The delusional focus on Dallas as a “win now” destination, based primarily on the declining years of Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, is distorting the expectations of a good chunk of the fan base. Flagg is going to be a major point in this team’s favor, and I have big hopes and expectations for him in the long term. He’s going to win Rookie of the Year, score close to 20 points a game and help this team in his first year, too, but most of the rest of this team is going to have to turn over before the ultimate success is a possibility. The fact that the front office is in win-now mode and is trying to play the two-timeline game is a huge bummer, and I don’t think that’s going to be successful at all, but Flagg is going to develop into something special regardless of roster churn around him. He’s an important enough cornerstone-type player that I wish the Mavs would take an honest look at their past mistakes and make the moves that would ensure the greatest probability of success as Flagg develops into the force of nature we all think he’ll become. The fact that the team appears unwilling to ditch the win-now timeline (and trade Davis for picks to build around Flagg) makes me question whether, when Flagg is fully realized, the Mavs will have the capital to build a proper championship-caliber roster around him. I’m excited to watch Flagg in a Mavericks uniform. I just wish I had more faith in the decision-makers at the top of the organization to maximize his and this team’s opportunity for success.
Michael: It was no mystery that Flagg was going to be the selection, but now that it’s official I found myself feeling very basketball-grateful. The Mavs got Dirk, then got Luka. A literal and perfect segue from one generational star to another that seems almost impossible (maybe even less than a 1.8% chance!). When Luka was traded, one of the myriad feelings I had was that the team blew a nearly impossible scenario and the shadow of that trade would loom for a long time. On Draft night, the team managed to likely have done it again, and now that it’s official, I find myself feeling grateful the Mavs received an opportunity to greatly shorten that aforementioned shadow. I’m also very excited about how Flagg carries himself. It’s one thing to get a star, but another to get a star that seems to possess the same values and humbleness shown by past franchise favorites. It felt to me there was a culture shift in the franchise since the ownership change, but Flagg feels like the type of player that just plainly made sense as a Mavericks, and I am thrilled that he now officially is.
Bryan: The Mavericks once again have a key that opens the doors to relevance and contention. Purposely threw the previous key out the window while going full speed on the highway, but we have a key once again. When Nico’s gone, the doors open.
Clint: I was out. When the trade happened, my heart was broken and I had resolved that I wasn’t watching anymore. I was done. But, the one thing that could have possibly changed that somehow happened. If I don’t enjoy the impossibility of the Mavericks having Cooper Flagg, it’s like I’m being punished all over again. So things will never be the same as they were for me, but I’m back in. Sorta.
Sudarshan: I’m excited to have a player on MY team whom I can be a complete fanboy about, and it’s always that much sweeter when you get a chance to do that from the very onset of their career. Yes, I will root for players acquired in a trade because they’re part of the team, but it’s not the same. I’ve been blessed as an NBA fan since 2000 to have rooted, almost irrationally, for homegrown superstar players like Dirk and Luka, and now we have Mr. Flagg – The Poster Boy. The rational part of my brain, which takes into account the reality of the incompetent FO regime, is still sending caution signals in an attempt to dampen the enthusiasm. For a little while at least, though, the JOY is definitely back.
Kirk: This is good. It’s a start and since the roster is going to be weird the basketball is going to be REAL weird. But that’s fine, it’s different and that can be exciting. Long term, this is simply outstanding, what a building block to have to start all over. Let’s go Mavs.