MAVS NEWS:

[RasheedsBigWhiteSpot]

I am 100% in on Flagg.

But the talking down on Luka lately around here is distastful. 

Facts:

- He loved this franchise

- He was forced out

- He was an All NBA 1st team and perennial TOP 5 MVP guy ever since his sophomore season.

- Not a winner? He literally won everywhere berore going to Dallas and he got the Mavs to the WCF and the „championship games“ in his early 20s and therefore even sooner than Dirk did age-wise

- His time here was cut short, but they were right where they needed to be after the Finals run with an even better team

There is no need to belittle Luka. Flagg will be good enough on his own. But Luka set the bar absurdly high. 

Reminder: ==> Coop will have to make the All NBA 1st team this season and finish top 4 in the MVP race to just to match what Luka did in year 2.

I sure hope he can exceed all that but that will be so so difficult to do and even if it takes a bit longer it wont be the end of the world. The good thing is they have plenty of time to put the right pieces around him and I am a lot more confident in Masai than anybody Luka ever had around him. 

Even May appears to make a great early impression despite being new to the NBA level.

So it‘s all looking good. 

Also no need for bad karma by talking smack on Luka ==> Plan 2028 is still in full motion 

First, you're fighting ghosts here. I doubt anyone here would deny that Luka is, to date, the second best player ever to put on a Mavs jersey. Likewise, he gave all of us levels of joy and a respite from life's ills that are hard to measure. PERIOD. FULL STOP.

However, the question posited was whether on October 28, 2026, we would rather build around a 27 year old Luka or a 19 year old Cooper. With all due respect (truly), your response was built on past accomplishments and  emotions.  Again, I get it, Luka did some great things, but that's in the rear-view mirror. 

I suppose if you want to use your resume for Luka as a barometer or measuring stick for Cooper, I'd ask, whether you think Flagg will get the Mavs to an NBA Finals before his 27th birthday. If you're asking me, I say, yes, and take that bet everyday and twice on Sunday. 

What makes me so sure? I think Luka thinks he wants to win. But I KNOW COOPER DOES.

What do I mean? I have no doubt that anytime Luka is near a basketball court he wants to be the best player on it. Yes,, he wants to win. But I truly don't think he wants it as much as he thinks he does. Too many times he's said the quiet part outloud.: that he doesn't have it in him to condition himself to play long into his 30s. Now, I appreciate his honesty, and he doesn't owe anyone to play any longer than he wants. That said, conditioning IS a part of winning. 

On the other hand, I think Cooper wakes up nearly every night in a cold sweat wondering what he could be doing to get better. I would also wager that if a "basketball guru" told him that 5 years of abstinence would help him to get to a championship, I'd bet he'd strongly consider it.

 Likewise, how many of us are 40+? Remember how easy, relatively speaking, life felt, physically, in your 20s? And then in your 30s there was a bit of a hitch? Then, suddenly, somewhere in your 40s your body fell like it was hit by a bus (enjoy it it now, you 20 year olds!)?  I love Luka, but I think one year he's gonna go from being All NBA to suddenly being played off the court. In the last few years he's missed a ridiculous amount of games and that's when his body is at its peak, better than it ever will be in his life. Knowing how Luka's temperament is, I wonder what he'll be like when his game gets hard. Like hard-hard. If he's a player capable of being a knockdown shooter, but physically he can't get to his spots (and is still a sieve on defense). How much would a coach play him?

Again, this isn't meant to bash Luka at all. I'm merely, analytically, looking at his future game. I mean, as bad as February 2, 2025, was, is it possible that the Mavs caught basketball lightning in a bottle, where we enjoyed Dirk's career, immediately pressed reser, then we enjoyed a top 5 talent like Luka in his peak years (never experiencing anything but "Luka Magic"), immediately pressed reset, and then getting to watch someone who could be the best player in the league? 

Hey, there's no way the Mavs get Cooper without losing Luka. Yeah, it was some sh-tty tasting medicine, but I'm happy the Mavs backed into Coop.