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

[daoneandonly]

I don't get draft people, no one thought Nembhard is worth a pick in the 40s or 50s?

The concern has been with his height. Which is dumb IMO. He's 5'11. Travis Best made an NBA career and is the same height. Barea is smaller that him I think.

I was hoping Dallas would move into the second round to get him or Proctor. I don't want to overreact to one game, but this is why I didn't want Exum. I thought Nemhard could fill that role while not always being out. I'd rather Ryan than Exum or WIlliams

[Archx]

He is a right guy. Great basketball IQ. For sure.

He is not an offensive juggernaut and he can't be the new Luka, first we can understand it first we can enjoy with the kid.

Trade street clothes ASAP. Our timeline is shifted 3/4 years and he will be on a wheel chair in that time.

Yep true. I keep sounding like a broken record but this roster construction to me makes no sense. Yeah you want to compete for a ring and you have proven veterans who need minutes, etc... But then you also have young guys that need some time to develop and also need minutes. So this weird balance (some would say) is good for young guys to learn, but then you also rarely see a similar roster that actually worked out at the end.

Starting fresh would have been the best thing for Lively, Flagg, BWill and others, but now it's too late anyway. They could have even added Nembhard into mix and would be even more perfect. He looked more like Nr1 pick than Flagg in this game.

[daoneandonly]

Kyrie was there while recuperating to support the young guys and Coop, where the heck was AD?

[daoneandonly]

He is a right guy. Great basketball IQ. For sure.

He is not an offensive juggernaut and he can't be the new Luka, first we can understand it first we can enjoy with the kid.

Trade street clothes ASAP. Our timeline is shifted 3/4 years and he will be on a wheel chair in that time.

Yep true. I keep sounding like a broken record but this roster construction to me makes no sense. Yeah you want to compete for a ring and you have proven veterans who need minutes, etc... But then you also have young guys that need some time to develop and also need minutes. So this weird balance (some would say) is good for young guys to learn, but then you also rarely see a similar roster that actually worked out at the end.

Starting fresh would have been the best thing for Lively, Flagg, BWill and others, but now it's too late anyway. They could have even added Nembhard into mix and would be even more perfect. He looked more like Nr1 pick than Flagg in this game.

Ill always be on trade AD and Klay. DOnt mind keeping Kyrie for the young guys as he's always been beloved by fellow players

[ACMFFL]

People overreact to the shooting numbers but Flagg did everything well except shoot. Defense, passing and IQ are legit, and he has all the physical tools to be impactful on both ends of the floor from the start.

[arkuo]

I don't get draft people, no one thought Nembhard is worth a pick in the 40s or 50s?

The concern has been with his height. Which is dumb IMO. He's 5'11. Travis Best made an NBA career and is the same height. Barea is smaller that him I think.

I was hoping Dallas would move into the second round to get him or Proctor. I don't want to overreact to one game, but this is why I didn't want Exum. I thought Nemhard could fill that role while not always being out. I'd rather Ryan than Exum or WIlliams

Exum is just signed on for 1 season. That's just insurance policy. If Nembhard and B-Will can prove they deserve a spot in the league, then they'll take over Exum and DLo next season, and the payroll goes down. No rush. It's not like the NBA is closing down after a year. The situation can be fluid.

[daoneandonly]

The concern has been with his height. Which is dumb IMO. He's 5'11. Travis Best made an NBA career and is the same height. Barea is smaller that him I think.

I was hoping Dallas would move into the second round to get him or Proctor. I don't want to overreact to one game, but this is why I didn't want Exum. I thought Nemhard could fill that role while not always being out. I'd rather Ryan than Exum or WIlliams

Exum is just signed on for 1 season. That's just insurance policy. If Nembhard and B-Will can prove they deserve a spot in the league, then they'll take over Exum and DLo next season, and the payroll goes down. No rush. It's not like the NBA is closing down after a year. The situation can be fluid.

Its about roster spots though, those arent unlimited. If Exum, D-Lo, and B WIll are taking up 3 spots for the same position, how much time will Nembhard get as a 2way player? We had to sign him as a 2 way because of roster contraints. Exum has proven he's the definition of unreliable, always out, D-Lo is still selfish and immature. So yeah Id just rather have some young guy who plays hard

[arkuo]

I was hoping Dallas would move into the second round to get him or Proctor. I don't want to overreact to one game, but this is why I didn't want Exum. I thought Nemhard could fill that role while not always being out. I'd rather Ryan than Exum or WIlliams

Exum is just signed on for 1 season. That's just insurance policy. If Nembhard and B-Will can prove they deserve a spot in the league, then they'll take over Exum and DLo next season, and the payroll goes down. No rush. It's not like the NBA is closing down after a year. The situation can be fluid.

Its about roster spots though, those arent unlimited. If Exum, D-Lo, and B WIll are taking up 3 spots for the same position, how much time will Nembhard get as a 2way player? We had to sign him as a 2 way because of roster contraints. Exum has proven he's the definition of unreliable, always out, D-Lo is still selfish and immature. So yeah Id just rather have some young guy who plays hard

Any player you'd replace Exum with is and will play 3rd string minutes. For a 3rd stringer on a small deal, I'd like to think they made a choice to get someone who already knows the system so the learning curve is shorter. For a 3rd stringer, I think that's okay. It would be different if Exum plays major minutes and is earning like $18M.

[Darren]

I don't get draft people, no one thought Nembhard is worth a pick in the 40s or 50s?

Actually, Nemhard delivers mostly from third quarter onward and is playing really small without Barea's explosiveness. The defense doesn't look good. Nemhard can shoot. Not a good defender or driver at all. LA sleeps on Nemhard because of gravity of Flagg. I still think Exum and Brandon Williams are way better options.

[41Dirk41]

Kyrie was there while recuperating to support the young guys and Coop, where the heck was AD?

He is injuried even to be in street clothes... He needs a new nick name.

[Darren]

Miles Kelly do play like Klesser Edward from the start.

[Darren]

Besides those players, it's still Jamarion Sharp. The 7-5 big is still impressive in limited minutes. Sharp is playing more effectively than Cissy. Lewis is also getting a pass.

[Archx]

Kyrie was there while recuperating to support the young guys and Coop, where the heck was AD?

He is injuried even to be in street clothes... He needs a new nick name.

Pyjama man?

[arkuo]

Kyrie was there while recuperating to support the young guys and Coop, where the heck was AD?

He is injuried even to be in street clothes... He needs a new nick name.

AD had a dettached retina operated on. If your eyeball was close to popping out, I doubt he'd be allowed to step out of the house for a while

Luka needs to act like he cares and watch his young guys too. Operative word is act. You don't need to actually care. You just need the optics to look like you do in this social media age. Lebron's time is almost over. It's Luka's team now.

[Duke4life831]

Flagg needs some meditation sessions to stay calm. I think it's not about skills entirely. Flagg needs to rest well despite challenges. It hurts decision making and on-court performance.

I will disagree with this. I actually think this is one of the areas that sets him apart.

By the 2nd half of the season, every Duke fan loved seeing him get pissed and kind of lose it after a bad call or something. Because it became obvious a huge highlight play or a massive run sparked by him was about to start.

And it rarely negatively affected his decision making.

When you say lose it after a call, not like Luka whining all the time right? That's one of the few things I was glad not to see anymore.

No not whining. It’s more just you can see a little fire get lit. You can basically see that ultimate competitor in him come out. He’s just a very fiery guy out on the court.

[daoneandonly]

I will disagree with this. I actually think this is one of the areas that sets him apart.

By the 2nd half of the season, every Duke fan loved seeing him get pissed and kind of lose it after a bad call or something. Because it became obvious a huge highlight play or a massive run sparked by him was about to start.

And it rarely negatively affected his decision making.

When you say lose it after a call, not like Luka whining all the time right? That's one of the few things I was glad not to see anymore.

No not whining. It’s more just you can see a little fire get lit. You can basically see that ultimate competitor in him come out. He’s just a very fiery guy out on the court.

Thanks!

WHat type of players do you think fit best with Cooper? Of the current roster, are any of the Mavs definite keepers?

I feel like PJ is a much better forward compliment to Coop than AD, and Dallas should have traded AD for a guy like Bane when they had the chance.

Off topic, how do you think Knueppel will fare in the NBA? I have a strong bias towards fellow Christian guys, so I hope he does well

[Duke4life831]

When you say lose it after a call, not like Luka whining all the time right? That's one of the few things I was glad not to see anymore.

No not whining. It’s more just you can see a little fire get lit. You can basically see that ultimate competitor in him come out. He’s just a very fiery guy out on the court.

Thanks!

WHat type of players do you think fit best with Cooper? Of the current roster, are any of the Mavs definite keepers?

I feel like PJ is a much better forward compliment to Coop than AD, and Dallas should have traded AD for a guy like Bane when they had the chance.

Off topic, how do you think Knueppel will fare in the NBA? I have a strong bias towards fellow Christian guys, so I hope he does well

I don’t think a Lively/AD front court is the ideal pairing for him. But to be fair, I don’t think 2 non floor spacing bigs is ideal for any team. It would be perfect if AD could get to an Evan Mobley level of threat from the outside (37% on 3 attempts).

So I’m not so sure on how that’s going to go. Because one of Flagg’s strengths on offense is attacking the rim and finishing/getting to the FT line. A clogged paint can make that pretty tough. So it will be interesting to see how they can create space for guys to drive.

I think Flagg can fit with a bunch of different guys, because he really is so versatile. So really my only question is the spacing if the idea is to have a Lively/AD starting 5/4.

Kon I really have no clue. Loved him at Duke, one it my favorite OADs to come through Duke. He’s truly an elite shooter and so smart and crafty. But he does really lack athleticism, he’s just slow footed. I think he either can figure it out and if he does, I think he can be a super efficient 20ppg/4-5 assists per game guy. Or the athleticism is just too much. And he becomes a Luke Kennard kind of bench scorer (hopefully a healthier version).

[Darren]

I was hoping Dallas would move into the second round to get him or Proctor. I don't want to overreact to one game, but this is why I didn't want Exum. I thought Nemhard could fill that role while not always being out. I'd rather Ryan than Exum or WIlliams

Exum is just signed on for 1 season. That's just insurance policy. If Nembhard and B-Will can prove they deserve a spot in the league, then they'll take over Exum and DLo next season, and the payroll goes down. No rush. It's not like the NBA is closing down after a year. The situation can be fluid.

Its about roster spots though, those arent unlimited. If Exum, D-Lo, and B WIll are taking up 3 spots for the same position, how much time will Nembhard get as a 2way player? We had to sign him as a 2 way because of roster contraints. Exum has proven he's the definition of unreliable, always out, D-Lo is still selfish and immature. So yeah Id just rather have some young guy who plays hard

Don't hold your breath. Nemhard has long way to grow. At this point, it's hard to say Nemhard could stick around like Barea or TJ McConnell.

[Darren]

Actually, quite a few numbers of Nemhard's shots are in with lucky bounces and being left completely opened. The size disadvantages meanwhile are huge on the defensive end. In the 1st quarter, there's an unforced turnovers just because of stopping unnecessarily right in front of the hall court line. I am not as optimistic. Looking at the boxscore and watching the real game are completely different scenarios.

[Darren]

Only Miles Kelly proves effective in the role assigned. Even Sharp has some rebounding and fouling mistakes. There's not much bright spots on the debut. Actually, Broony James is more impressive than Coop despite the number suggests otherwise. The Mavs has committed fouls on 3 pointers and gives in defensive rebounds easily.