Cooper Flagg -- Season 1 thread -- Summer League discussion

[Archx]

So what exactly does Cooper Flagg bring to this Mavs team? I’ve seen his highlights and can see that he’s really good at everything but not necessarily great at any 1 thing yet.

Since we don’t know what moves the team will make yet what will Cooper Flagg allow the team to do? Right now they have two big wings (Cooper & PJ), and elite 2-way big (when healthy), and two elite rim protectors/rim runners. What will having Cooper Flagg allow the Mavs to do defensively and offensively?

This is my understanding. Fans who followed him through college said he's way better on defense than Luka and also has a potential or is as good as a playmaker. There are videos going around these days that showcase his playmaking abilities. Some compared him to Tatum and KD, etc....

In reality, i have no clue. He's very raw coming from college playing against kids... I mean Bagley and Ayton were viewed as these next generation center or forwards at that time dominating college kids and we know how that worked out.

With Flagg, i think he'll be a very good nr2 option some day. Those are my realistic expectations. If he's better than that, then good for this team i guess. Just don't let Nico get any ideas

[Mavrelous]

So what exactly does Cooper Flagg bring to this Mavs team? I’ve seen his highlights and can see that he’s really good at everything but not necessarily great at any 1 thing yet.

Since we don’t know what moves the team will make yet what will Cooper Flagg allow the team to do? Right now they have two big wings (Cooper & PJ), and elite 2-way big (when healthy), and two elite rim protectors/rim runners. What will having Cooper Flagg allow the Mavs to do defensively and offensively?

This is my understanding. Fans who followed him through college said he's way better on defense than Luka and also has a potential or is as good as a playmaker. There are videos going around these days that showcase his playmaking abilities. Some compared him to Tatum and KD, etc....

In reality, i have no clue. He's very raw coming from college playing against kids... I mean Bagley and Ayton were viewed as these next generation center or forwards at that time dominating college kids and we know how that worked out.

With Flagg, i think he'll be a very good nr2 option some day. Those are my realistic expectations. If he's better than that, then good for this team i guess. Just don't let Nico get any ideas

He's not going to even approach Luka as a playmaker...
Realistic expectation is Tatum defensively with better helpndefense, and Kawhi on offense.

[arkuo]

Flagg will have a private visit with Dallas on June 17.

[Mr B]

So what exactly does Cooper Flagg bring to this Mavs team? I’ve seen his highlights and can see that he’s really good at everything but not necessarily great at any 1 thing yet.

Since we don’t know what moves the team will make yet what will Cooper Flagg allow the team to do? Right now they have two big wings (Cooper & PJ), and elite 2-way big (when healthy), and two elite rim protectors/rim runners. What will having Cooper Flagg allow the Mavs to do defensively and offensively?

This is my understanding. Fans who followed him through college said he's way better on defense than Luka and also has a potential or is as good as a playmaker. There are videos going around these days that showcase his playmaking abilities. Some compared him to Tatum and KD, etc....

In reality, i have no clue. He's very raw coming from college playing against kids... I mean Bagley and Ayton were viewed as these next generation center or forwards at that time dominating college kids and we know how that worked out.

With Flagg, i think he'll be a very good nr2 option some day. Those are my realistic expectations. If he's better than that, then good for this team i guess. Just don't let Nico get any ideas

He's not going to even approach Luka as a playmaker...
Realistic expectation is Tatum defensively with better helpndefense, and Kawhi on offense.

I’ve been hearing people saying Frank Wagner is his floor and Tatum is his ceiling.

[Mavrelous]

This is my understanding. Fans who followed him through college said he's way better on defense than Luka and also has a potential or is as good as a playmaker. There are videos going around these days that showcase his playmaking abilities. Some compared him to Tatum and KD, etc....

In reality, i have no clue. He's very raw coming from college playing against kids... I mean Bagley and Ayton were viewed as these next generation center or forwards at that time dominating college kids and we know how that worked out.

With Flagg, i think he'll be a very good nr2 option some day. Those are my realistic expectations. If he's better than that, then good for this team i guess. Just don't let Nico get any ideas

He's not going to even approach Luka as a playmaker...
Realistic expectation is Tatum defensively with better helpndefense, and Kawhi on offense.

I’ve been hearing people saying Frank Wagner is his floor and Tatum is his ceiling.

He's already better than Wagner on defense, if he ends up as good a s Wagner on offense but with better 3 point shot, it would be a home run.

[Mr B]

He's not going to even approach Luka as a playmaker...
Realistic expectation is Tatum defensively with better helpndefense, and Kawhi on offense.

I’ve been hearing people saying Frank Wagner is his floor and Tatum is his ceiling.

He's already better than Wagner on defense, if he ends up as good a s Wagner on offense but with better 3 point shot, it would be a home run.

If he’s a better player than Wagner and we have a 3 man rotation of Cooper/PJ/AD and with Lively/Gafford controlling the paint … I know we need a PG until Kyrie gets back but I would REALLY love to see that front line.

Do you think even if we just bring back Exum and Brandon Williams as the PG’s, and still having Klay, Max, and Naji that this team is good enough to stay within reach of the play in (by mid season)?

I’m thinking if they can stay within reach of the playin by the time the All Star break gets here gen the Mavs will be in good shape. With Kyrie back and playing the rust off they will likely be hitting their peak by the time the play in tournament starts. The team should be gelling by then. So in my opinion they just need to be good enough to be in the play in by mid season. Then make a run in the 2nd half and go into the playoffs hot.

So if Gafford is willing to sign for less than $20M and if the can talk Kyrie into signing for less than $40M would it be best to bring the whole band back or move Gafford for a PG?

[Archx]

I’ve been hearing people saying Frank Wagner is his floor and Tatum is his ceiling.

He's already better than Wagner on defense, if he ends up as good a s Wagner on offense but with better 3 point shot, it would be a home run.

If he’s a better player than Wagner and we have a 3 man rotation of Cooper/PJ/AD and with Lively/Gafford controlling the paint … I know we need a PG until Kyrie gets back but I would REALLY love to see that front line.

Do you think even if we just bring back Exum and Brandon Williams as the PG’s, and still having Klay, Max, and Naji that this team is good enough to stay within reach of the play in (by mid season)?

I’m thinking if they can stay within reach of the playin by the time the All Star break gets here gen the Mavs will be in good shape. With Kyrie back and playing the rust off they will likely be hitting their peak by the time the play in tournament starts. The team should be gelling by then. So in my opinion they just need to be good enough to be in the play in by mid season. Then make a run in the 2nd half and go into the playoffs hot.

So if Gafford is willing to sign for less than $20M and if the can talk Kyrie into signing for less than $40M would it be best to bring the whole band back or move Gafford for a PG?

Heh... lets pump the breaks a bit. I think Mavr is being a bit too optimistic here. Franz is 220lbs 4y veteran with a much stronger body. Flagg is 205lbs but does have a wide wingspan. He reminds me a bit of Holmgren tall but skinny and weak. Also, Franz has very good individual defensive numbers this season. To say that Flagg is already better than him even just on defense sounds a bit generous to me.

B.Williams will be back. He probably played himself into a nice 6th option. Dude legit looks like he could score 15pts even on a bad night. His consistency and development has been incredible. We'll see how market dictates these salaries/offers, if Exum doesn't get any offer he might get resigned for vet min.

And there is always a good option Gafford nets something good in return when he's traded.

[41Dirk41]

Guys keep calm, don't expect another Luka Doncic... But Flagg can be a very good player.

Luka was Euroleague MVP at 18yo. He is an unicum in basketball history.

[GQ03]

He's already better than Wagner on defense, if he ends up as good a s Wagner on offense but with better 3 point shot, it would be a home run.

If he’s a better player than Wagner and we have a 3 man rotation of Cooper/PJ/AD and with Lively/Gafford controlling the paint … I know we need a PG until Kyrie gets back but I would REALLY love to see that front line.

Do you think even if we just bring back Exum and Brandon Williams as the PG’s, and still having Klay, Max, and Naji that this team is good enough to stay within reach of the play in (by mid season)?

I’m thinking if they can stay within reach of the playin by the time the All Star break gets here gen the Mavs will be in good shape. With Kyrie back and playing the rust off they will likely be hitting their peak by the time the play in tournament starts. The team should be gelling by then. So in my opinion they just need to be good enough to be in the play in by mid season. Then make a run in the 2nd half and go into the playoffs hot.

So if Gafford is willing to sign for less than $20M and if the can talk Kyrie into signing for less than $40M would it be best to bring the whole band back or move Gafford for a PG?

Heh... lets pump the breaks a bit. I think Mavr is being a bit too optimistic here. Franz is 220lbs 4y veteran with a much stronger body. Flagg is 205lbs but does have a wide wingspan. He reminds me a bit of Holmgren tall but skinny and weak. Also, Franz has very good individual defensive numbers this season. To say that Flagg is already better than him even just on defense sounds a bit generous to me.

Have you not seen his combine stats? Flagg literally weighed in at 221 lbs and physically Flagg is much more imposing than Holmgren ever was although that's not saying much.

Flagg is a chameleon offensively in that he can morph into whatever your team needs him to be. At Duke, he played the role of a point forward ala KG while leading Duke in just about every statistical category. At Montverde, he played mostly as a wing who would pick and choose games he wanted to dominate but also served as a connector. For his Maine United AAU team, he was basically a PG and looked like a tougher Ben Simmons with a jumpshot.

I'm curious to see what Kidd does with him especially while Kyrie is out.

[Teffer10]

I've mentioned before that we should wait to trade Gaff until TDL unless there is a super sweet offer this off-season.

I'd like to see if BWill will elevate his game and if he can leadership role. There were signs he can play a key role.

With all of our injury prone players and unknowns, I'd rather save one of our best trade pieces to address the needs at that point of the season. If we completely suck, then move Gaff and/or whomever for future draft picks.

[Archx]

If he’s a better player than Wagner and we have a 3 man rotation of Cooper/PJ/AD and with Lively/Gafford controlling the paint … I know we need a PG until Kyrie gets back but I would REALLY love to see that front line.

Do you think even if we just bring back Exum and Brandon Williams as the PG’s, and still having Klay, Max, and Naji that this team is good enough to stay within reach of the play in (by mid season)?

I’m thinking if they can stay within reach of the playin by the time the All Star break gets here gen the Mavs will be in good shape. With Kyrie back and playing the rust off they will likely be hitting their peak by the time the play in tournament starts. The team should be gelling by then. So in my opinion they just need to be good enough to be in the play in by mid season. Then make a run in the 2nd half and go into the playoffs hot.

So if Gafford is willing to sign for less than $20M and if the can talk Kyrie into signing for less than $40M would it be best to bring the whole band back or move Gafford for a PG?

Heh... lets pump the breaks a bit. I think Mavr is being a bit too optimistic here. Franz is 220lbs 4y veteran with a much stronger body. Flagg is 205lbs but does have a wide wingspan. He reminds me a bit of Holmgren tall but skinny and weak. Also, Franz has very good individual defensive numbers this season. To say that Flagg is already better than him even just on defense sounds a bit generous to me.

Have you not seen his combine stats? Flagg literally weighed in at 221 lbs and physically Flagg is much more imposing than Holmgren ever was although that's not saying much.

Flagg is a chameleon offensively in that he can morph into whatever your team needs him to be. At Duke, he played the role of a point forward ala KG while leading Duke in just about every statistical category. At Montverde, he played mostly as a wing who would pick and choose games he wanted to dominate but also served as a connector. For his Maine United AAU team, he was basically a PG and looked like a tougher Ben Simmons with a jumpsuit.

I'm curious to see what Kidd does with him especially while Kyrie is out.

Well, i'm from Europe, so these college stats and achievements mean literally nothing to me. Kids playing vs kids.... I want to see him vs PRO's and i'll be happy if he's as advertised but we've seen this film too many times before.

[Maverick41]

Guys keep calm, don't expect another Luka Doncic... But Flagg can be a very good player.

Luka was Euroleague MVP at 18yo. He is an unicum in basketball history.

Agreed. The thing that worries me about Flagg is that he can be very good and yet some Mavs fans would still be disappointed since he's not as good as Luka. It's appropriate to have expectations that he can live up to the #1 pick. That's fine and should be expected from most #1 picks. But it's not fair to think he can be the next Luka. We may never see another Luka ever again. That's how good he was.

[Mavrelous]

He's already better than Wagner on defense, if he ends up as good a s Wagner on offense but with better 3 point shot, it would be a home run.

If he’s a better player than Wagner and we have a 3 man rotation of Cooper/PJ/AD and with Lively/Gafford controlling the paint … I know we need a PG until Kyrie gets back but I would REALLY love to see that front line.

Do you think even if we just bring back Exum and Brandon Williams as the PG’s, and still having Klay, Max, and Naji that this team is good enough to stay within reach of the play in (by mid season)?

I’m thinking if they can stay within reach of the playin by the time the All Star break gets here gen the Mavs will be in good shape. With Kyrie back and playing the rust off they will likely be hitting their peak by the time the play in tournament starts. The team should be gelling by then. So in my opinion they just need to be good enough to be in the play in by mid season. Then make a run in the 2nd half and go into the playoffs hot.

So if Gafford is willing to sign for less than $20M and if the can talk Kyrie into signing for less than $40M would it be best to bring the whole band back or move Gafford for a PG?

Heh... lets pump the breaks a bit. I think Mavr is being a bit too optimistic here. Franz is 220lbs 4y veteran with a much stronger body. Flagg is 205lbs but does have a wide wingspan. He reminds me a bit of Holmgren tall but skinny and weak. Also, Franz has very good individual defensive numbers this season. To say that Flagg is already better than him even just on defense sounds a bit generous to me.

B.Williams will be back. He probably played himself into a nice 6th option. Dude legit looks like he could score 15pts even on a bad night. His consistency and development has been incredible. We'll see how market dictates these salaries/offers, if Exum doesn't get any offer he might get resigned for vet min.

And there is always a good option Gafford nets something good in return when he's traded.

I don't think I'm optimistic, he is 220 lbs, and he's still 18, it's reasonable to expect him to leap ahead of Wagner on measurements and he's already better defensivr player.

[Mavrelous]

I’ve been hearing people saying Frank Wagner is his floor and Tatum is his ceiling.

He's already better than Wagner on defense, if he ends up as good a s Wagner on offense but with better 3 point shot, it would be a home run.

If he’s a better player than Wagner and we have a 3 man rotation of Cooper/PJ/AD and with Lively/Gafford controlling the paint … I know we need a PG until Kyrie gets back but I would REALLY love to see that front line.

Do you think even if we just bring back Exum and Brandon Williams as the PG’s, and still having Klay, Max, and Naji that this team is good enough to stay within reach of the play in (by mid season)?

I’m thinking if they can stay within reach of the playin by the time the All Star break gets here gen the Mavs will be in good shape. With Kyrie back and playing the rust off they will likely be hitting their peak by the time the play in tournament starts. The team should be gelling by then. So in my opinion they just need to be good enough to be in the play in by mid season. Then make a run in the 2nd half and go into the playoffs hot.

So if Gafford is willing to sign for less than $20M and if the can talk Kyrie into signing for less than $40M would it be best to bring the whole band back or move Gafford for a PG?

We'll see, I think they have to let Gafford go, cap situation is very hard, and it depends on Kyrie or the guard they get instead of him.

[arkuo]

First domino to fall is Kyrie. Then if he doesn't want to resign, think they'll do a sign and trade with him for another guard.

[41Dirk41]

First domino to fall is Kyrie. Then if he doesn't want to resign, think they'll do a sign and trade with him for another guard.

Sure.

Irving... Street clothes... Kidd... And finally Nico Harrison.

After those moves we can have OUR Dallas Mavericks again.

[GQ03]

Heh... lets pump the breaks a bit. I think Mavr is being a bit too optimistic here. Franz is 220lbs 4y veteran with a much stronger body. Flagg is 205lbs but does have a wide wingspan. He reminds me a bit of Holmgren tall but skinny and weak. Also, Franz has very good individual defensive numbers this season. To say that Flagg is already better than him even just on defense sounds a bit generous to me.

Have you not seen his combine stats? Flagg literally weighed in at 221 lbs and physically Flagg is much more imposing than Holmgren ever was although that's not saying much.

Flagg is a chameleon offensively in that he can morph into whatever your team needs him to be. At Duke, he played the role of a point forward ala KG while leading Duke in just about every statistical category. At Montverde, he played mostly as a wing who would pick and choose games he wanted to dominate but also served as a connector. For his Maine United AAU team, he was basically a PG and looked like a tougher Ben Simmons with a jumpsuit.

I'm curious to see what Kidd does with him especially while Kyrie is out.

Well, i'm from Europe, so these college stats and achievements mean literally nothing to me. Kids playing vs kids.... I want to see him vs PRO's and i'll be happy if he's as advertised but we've seen this film too many times before.

I can understand that but this is similar to when people doubted Luka because they had heard that story before with guys like Ricky Rubio and Mario Hezonia. Flagg is different in the sense that for starters, he was still supposed to be in high school last year (his twin brother will be starting his freshman year in college in the fall) and he won pretty much all of the national player of the Year awards in a time where more guys are playing four, five, six and even seven years of college basketball. He wasn't just playing against kids. There were a lot of guys out there that are older than some NBA vets and yet he still was a cut above.

[Darren]

I am thinking about Flagg as a talker Kawhi or SGA; Aaron Gordon with higher basketball smarts. Flagg is surely not the same level of playmakers or passers like Luka or LaMelo. But in what way could Cooper revolutionize the NBA? Start at 1 and shoots 3 like a layup against random PG at 6-3 or shorter while guarding them right in JWill manner. Flagg might not has the best handle not passing instincts at this point. But this could create mismatches everywhere. This allows team to set up game plans to create favorable mismatches against any team. If you keep the super big lineup, you can crash the ball hard and turn the rhythm to your favor. You might not be the next MJ who relies heavily on clutch shots. But to blow teams up regularly every game. This saves you from stamina and injury issues. It also opens up possibilities to train up a really deep team. This is not something Steph Curry has done.

[Darren]

Will Flagg plays in summer league? I'd rather watch him play against new teammates.

[GQ03]

Will Flagg plays in summer league? I'd rather watch him play against new teammates.

There's no reason for him not to do I imagine he plays at least a couple games. Luka was the only rookie we had that didn't play but it made sense for him considering his season wrapped up a day or two before the draft and only a couple weeks before summer league started. Flagg hasn't played a game in 3 months so he should definitely be out there.