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

[HMFFL]

Yes the guy was never been a #1 option in a contender... Even when he was healthy, it is not his role. Too soft.

You do know it's a team game right? You think Luka was hard? AD is harder than Luka is.

That's not the point of the discussion, can AD be a #1 option? No he can't. He never was.
He was a great Batman, now probably he is just a Cat woman.

With him in that role we lost he play in finals and we didn't make the PO. It's a fact.

It will be a bad wake up for you guy... I hope CF is more ready than i think otherwise the season will be hard to watch.

There is now a Cooper Flagg expectations thread on the GB. People seem to think AD can be the #1 option. I can't imagine we can be successful next season he is.

[Archx]

People are mad if they think Flagg will be nr1 option on offense. You can't seriously hope for a deep playoff run with 18/19yo kid running your team. AD will obviously take the charge, followed by Kyrie (if he even comes back). We have to even see how Flagg will hold up against athletic wing defenders. His dribbling struggled in the summer league when guarded by a stronger and quicker players and if Kidd wants him to be point forward, he 100% needs to get a lot better in that area.

[41Dirk41]

GB is trash honestly, i saw a lot of crap topics in the past by average fans. Nothing serious.

Flagg can be very very good, he has it all ... mostly his work ethic and mindset are fantastic.
Probably he will never been a #1 offensive option (for sure not in his 2/3 years of his career).

Mavs are a deep team with a good overall talent but we have to face reality, our backcourt is one of the worst in the league with Kyrie out (and i like D-Lo more than a lot of guys here). You can't have a great season with this backcourt.

40Ws are easy in NBA tight now with a lot of tanking team, the next step is the harder and without a big trade we are stucked in the playin zone.

Is it worth? A first PO round max ceiling? Harrison tries to survive (but he can't), probably we have to trade AD at TDL for some young good prospects and start a real rebuild.

[arkuo]

GB is trash honestly, i saw a lot of crap topics in the past by average fans. Nothing serious.

Flagg can be very very good, he has it all ... mostly his work ethic and mindset are fantastic.
Probably he will never been a #1 offensive option (for sure not in his 2/3 years of his career).

Mavs are a deep team with a good overall talent but we have to face reality, our backcourt is one of the worst in the league with Kyrie out (and i like D-Lo more than a lot of guys here). You can't have a great season with this backcourt.

40Ws are easy in NBA tight now with a lot of tanking team, the next step is the harder and without a big trade we are stucked in the playin zone.

Is it worth? A first PO round max ceiling? Harrison tries to survive (but he can't), probably we have to trade AD at TDL for some young good prospects and start a real rebuild.

He's very young. In 3 years, he will only enter his age of drinking legally. In 5 years, most of the superstars we know today are out of the league. In 10 years, it's a totally new set of players and coaches and he will just be 28 then. He's got a long way to go. The saving grace there is he's got a beefed up coaching staff now.

[HMFFL]

People are mad if they think Flagg will be nr1 option on offense. You can't seriously hope for a deep playoff run with 18/19yo kid running your team. AD will obviously take the charge, followed by Kyrie (if he even comes back). We have to even see how Flagg will hold up against athletic wing defenders. His dribbling struggled in the summer league when guarded by a stronger and quicker players and if Kidd wants him to be point forward, he 100% needs to get a lot better in that area.

It's also crazy to think that AD can play significant minutes for us and lead us. He's not close to the level of Jokic and others. Do you honestly believe his body is going prove the NBA wrong and be durable?

Flagg is my hope as a rookie or I don't believe we'll be successful.

If we end up being lottery bound I won't have an issue with it. We need to continue to build and we need assets.

[HMFFL]

Last Years Rankings:
Offensive Rating #17
Defensive Rating #21
Points Per Game #15 (114.2 per game)
Opponents PPG 20th (115.4 per game)

[Archx]

People are mad if they think Flagg will be nr1 option on offense. You can't seriously hope for a deep playoff run with 18/19yo kid running your team. AD will obviously take the charge, followed by Kyrie (if he even comes back). We have to even see how Flagg will hold up against athletic wing defenders. His dribbling struggled in the summer league when guarded by a stronger and quicker players and if Kidd wants him to be point forward, he 100% needs to get a lot better in that area.

It's also crazy to think that AD can play significant minutes for us and lead us. He's not close to the level of Jokic and others. Do you honestly believe his body is going prove the NBA wrong and be durable?

Flagg is my hope as a rookie or I don't believe we'll be successful.

If we end up being lottery bound I won't have an issue with it. We need to continue to build and we need assets.

Yeah but we're talking apples and oranges now. Flagg having keys to the team is a nr1 option without AD and Kyrie, hence why some of us want a soft rebuild.

But a healthy AD and Kyrie is not realistic to expect Flagg to be nr1 option. If we're banking on Flagg to be nr1 because AD won't be healthy, then why is he still not traded? Makes no sense... So, as long as AD is here Flagg is not nr1 option. AD was 1B to 1A when Lakers won the title. There is no one better right now on this team than AD.

[41Dirk41]

I don't think Flagg will ever be a #1 option for a contender team and for sure i don't want him to be #1 option in first years of his career.

[arkuo]

I don't think Flagg will ever be a #1 option for a contender team and for sure i don't want him to be #1 option in first years of his career.

At this stage he won't. I'm not very confident with his jumpshot yet. But that can change in a few seasons.

[Mavrelous]

I'm skeptical he'll ever be #1, but the pathway to becoming Tatum is right there.

[Mr B]

People are mad if they think Flagg will be nr1 option on offense. You can't seriously hope for a deep playoff run with 18/19yo kid running your team. AD will obviously take the charge, followed by Kyrie (if he even comes back). We have to even see how Flagg will hold up against athletic wing defenders. His dribbling struggled in the summer league when guarded by a stronger and quicker players and if Kidd wants him to be point forward, he 100% needs to get a lot better in that area.

It's also crazy to think that AD can play significant minutes for us and lead us. He's not close to the level of Jokic and others. Do you honestly believe his body is going prove the NBA wrong and be durable?

Flagg is my hope as a rookie or I don't believe we'll be successful.

If we end up being lottery bound I won't have an issue with it. We need to continue to build and we need assets.

I honestly expect AD to miss a majority of the season with different injuries. Cooper Flagg is going to get every opportunity to be his replacement and I don’t think he will disappoint.

[arkuo]

I'm skeptical he'll ever be #1, but the pathway to becoming Tatum is right there.

Depends on how he develops. He's a rookie so development is key. If management Fs it up like DSJ's development then he becomes a bust. It's early so it's hard to predict. But what we can see is the work ethic is there and he's a competitor. But those things are present even with role players so there's nothing new about that. We'll be discussing Flagg the next 10 years so it depends if he has a superstar arc. He's ahead of the curve than Dirk who developed god like status later in his career and behind the curve with someone like Luka who's been a pro earlier.

If you take the outside noise of youtube influencers out, you can see he's similar to a Tatum. The influencers just like to use the word generational for clicks. Understandable because it's a platform they earn from. But if you juat solely focus on Tatum, is Tatum a #1?

[arkuo]

The truth is, Dirk, Cooper and Luka are all different players and nothing alike. Dirk was paid to get buckets, Luka is a point guard. Cooper is actually not like those two. He doesn't seem to have a mastery of one thing like the 2 mentioned. But he does have an all around game that includes defense and athleticism, also unlike the two mentioned. A closer comparison based on a very small sample size is Tatum. But even as a number 1 option on a team that won a championship, I feel Tatum does commit a lot of errors in game. He will likely never be in the GOAT conversation, but is Tatum a superstar then yes.

Also Cooper has yet to grow into his NBA body. He's not there yet. He looks like a lanky teenager. What gives me confidence is Flagg will spend his early developmental years with Kyrie, AD and a really great coaching staff that includes Phil Handy. It's not a sure thing, but at least he's equiped to take that on.

[Darren]

I am more interested in how Flagg delivers on both ends of the floor against SGA and Luka. The Mavs could very well find themselves at the bottom of a well early upcoming season. I am not sold on DoLo in particular. I wonder if Cooper can play in accordance with the new role in a strange big lineup.

[Mavrelous]

I'm skeptical he'll ever be #1, but the pathway to becoming Tatum is right there.

Depends on how he develops. He's a rookie so development is key. If management Fs it up like DSJ's development then he becomes a bust. It's early so it's hard to predict. But what we can see is the work ethic is there and he's a competitor. But those things are present even with role players so there's nothing new about that. We'll be discussing Flagg the next 10 years so it depends if he has a superstar arc. He's ahead of the curve than Dirk who developed god like status later in his career and behind the curve with someone like Luka who's been a pro earlier.

If you take the outside noise of youtube influencers out, you can see he's similar to a Tatum. The influencers just like to use the word generational for clicks. Understandable because it's a platform they earn from. But if you juat solely focus on Tatum, is Tatum a #1?

I don't think management can F it up with Flagg development, he's as serious a prospect as they come, he's not DSJ.
Modern NBA has clear top 4, Jokic, Luka, Giannis and SGA, and they are ball dominant players whose best as offensive fulcrums and the team around them are for defense and finishing.
This won't be Flagg, but it also isn't the only brand of basketball possible, Tatum is the consensus #5, and he's not that type of player, Flagg can be elite franchise player without being a heliocentric one man offense.

[arkuo]

I'm skeptical he'll ever be #1, but the pathway to becoming Tatum is right there.

Depends on how he develops. He's a rookie so development is key. If management Fs it up like DSJ's development then he becomes a bust. It's early so it's hard to predict. But what we can see is the work ethic is there and he's a competitor. But those things are present even with role players so there's nothing new about that. We'll be discussing Flagg the next 10 years so it depends if he has a superstar arc. He's ahead of the curve than Dirk who developed god like status later in his career and behind the curve with someone like Luka who's been a pro earlier.

If you take the outside noise of youtube influencers out, you can see he's similar to a Tatum. The influencers just like to use the word generational for clicks. Understandable because it's a platform they earn from. But if you juat solely focus on Tatum, is Tatum a #1?

I don't think management can F it up with Flagg development, he's as serious a prospect as they come, he's not DSJ.
Modern NBA has clear top 4, Jokic, Luka, Giannis and SGA, and they are ball dominant players whose best as offensive fulcrums and the team around them are for defense and finishing.
This won't be Flagg, but it also isn't the only brand of basketball possible, Tatum is the consensus #5, and he's not that type of player, Flagg can be elite franchise player without being a heliocentric one man offense.

It's hard to put a finger on what Flagg does best. It does seem like he's all around. Similar to Tatum he can be a scorer. And he can do that in multiple ways.

Not a popular take. But can Flagg be a forward version of SGA somehow down the road?

[Mavrelous]

Depends on how he develops. He's a rookie so development is key. If management Fs it up like DSJ's development then he becomes a bust. It's early so it's hard to predict. But what we can see is the work ethic is there and he's a competitor. But those things are present even with role players so there's nothing new about that. We'll be discussing Flagg the next 10 years so it depends if he has a superstar arc. He's ahead of the curve than Dirk who developed god like status later in his career and behind the curve with someone like Luka who's been a pro earlier.

If you take the outside noise of youtube influencers out, you can see he's similar to a Tatum. The influencers just like to use the word generational for clicks. Understandable because it's a platform they earn from. But if you juat solely focus on Tatum, is Tatum a #1?

I don't think management can F it up with Flagg development, he's as serious a prospect as they come, he's not DSJ.
Modern NBA has clear top 4, Jokic, Luka, Giannis and SGA, and they are ball dominant players whose best as offensive fulcrums and the team around them are for defense and finishing.
This won't be Flagg, but it also isn't the only brand of basketball possible, Tatum is the consensus #5, and he's not that type of player, Flagg can be elite franchise player without being a heliocentric one man offense.

It's hard to put a finger on what Flagg does best. It does seem like he's all around. Similar to Tatum he can be a scorer. And he can do that in multiple ways.

Not a popular take. But can Flagg be a forward version of SGA somehow down the road?

I doubt he'll have the pull up game and craft.
I think defensively he'll be Tatum, offensively, he'll be a mixture of AD and Tatum, not as good pullup shooter as Tatum, but better physical threat and rim pressure.
He'll need a good guard next to him, hopefully Kyrie is back, if not, I'd trade the picks for one as early as next off season, this is the best thing that Mavs can do for him.

[arkuo]

I don't think management can F it up with Flagg development, he's as serious a prospect as they come, he's not DSJ.
Modern NBA has clear top 4, Jokic, Luka, Giannis and SGA, and they are ball dominant players whose best as offensive fulcrums and the team around them are for defense and finishing.
This won't be Flagg, but it also isn't the only brand of basketball possible, Tatum is the consensus #5, and he's not that type of player, Flagg can be elite franchise player without being a heliocentric one man offense.

It's hard to put a finger on what Flagg does best. It does seem like he's all around. Similar to Tatum he can be a scorer. And he can do that in multiple ways.

Not a popular take. But can Flagg be a forward version of SGA somehow down the road?

I doubt he'll have the pull up game and craft.
I think defensively he'll be Tatum, offensively, he'll be a mixture of AD and Tatum, not as good pullup shooter as Tatum, but better physical threat and rim pressure.
He'll need a good guard next to him, hopefully Kyrie is back, if not, I'd trade the picks for one as early as next off season, this is the best thing that Mavs can do for him.

Kyrie's time in the NBA is as good as done. Kyrie and AD are just here to sell tickets and merch. Flagg's running mate probably has not been drafted yet. He's that young. Like I said, it will be a totally new NBA in 5 to 10 years from now. The guys who will be left are the guys that are in their early 20s now. And of those handful of guys, Cooper and Wemby are the ones wjo huge upside.

[Mavrelous]

It's hard to put a finger on what Flagg does best. It does seem like he's all around. Similar to Tatum he can be a scorer. And he can do that in multiple ways.

Not a popular take. But can Flagg be a forward version of SGA somehow down the road?

I doubt he'll have the pull up game and craft.
I think defensively he'll be Tatum, offensively, he'll be a mixture of AD and Tatum, not as good pullup shooter as Tatum, but better physical threat and rim pressure.
He'll need a good guard next to him, hopefully Kyrie is back, if not, I'd trade the picks for one as early as next off season, this is the best thing that Mavs can do for him.

Kyrie's time in the NBA is as good as done. Kyrie and AD are just here to sell tickets and merch. Flagg's running mate probably has not been drafted yet. He's that young. Like I said, it will be a totally new NBA in 5 to 10 years from now. The guys who will be left are the guys that are in their early 20s now. And of those handful of guys, Cooper and Wemby are the ones wjo huge upside.

Would you for the draft to get him though?
I'd rather to sell out for a good young guard next off season.
If Trae can't agree on an extension, I'd try to trade for him, with Flagg, PJ, Christie and Lively, that's a great defensive team that can mask Trae's bad defense.
If Jaden Ivey breaks out, maybe make an offer for the Pistons.
There are young guards around the league who should be available.

[arkuo]

I doubt he'll have the pull up game and craft.
I think defensively he'll be Tatum, offensively, he'll be a mixture of AD and Tatum, not as good pullup shooter as Tatum, but better physical threat and rim pressure.
He'll need a good guard next to him, hopefully Kyrie is back, if not, I'd trade the picks for one as early as next off season, this is the best thing that Mavs can do for him.

Kyrie's time in the NBA is as good as done. Kyrie and AD are just here to sell tickets and merch. Flagg's running mate probably has not been drafted yet. He's that young. Like I said, it will be a totally new NBA in 5 to 10 years from now. The guys who will be left are the guys that are in their early 20s now. And of those handful of guys, Cooper and Wemby are the ones wjo huge upside.

Would you for the draft to get him though?
I'd rather to sell out for a good young guard next off season.
If Trae can't agree on an extension, I'd try to trade for him, with Flagg, PJ, Christie and Lively, that's a great defensive team that can mask Trae's bad defense.
If Jaden Ivey breaks out, maybe make an offer for the Pistons.
There are young guards around the league who should be available.

The most ideal thing is to sell off AD and Kyrie while they still have value. For future picks not for existing players. Because as young as they are today, guys like Coby White will be 35 years old by the time Cooper is just about to hit his prime. In 10 years Flagg will just be 28 and will just hit his prime. His running mate has to be in his early 20s and those guys (the good ones) are all under team control for 6 to 7 seasons.

For context SGA would probably even be out of the league by the time Cooper hits his prime. It's a whole new NBA that awaits Flagg. He just needs to use this time to develop, make mistakes and learn from them. But for a wronged fanbase, patience is the last thing to preach.