One of the questions we need answered over the next days and weeks, as draft day arrives and free agency begins, is - who is the Dallas Mavericks now?
With the first pick in hand, all accounts point to Dallas picking what looks like the next American superstar in Cooper Flagg.
When you luck into the first pick, things change, of course. But if the Mavs traded Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, and were convinced that that was a winning recipe, how does Cooper Flagg fit in?
On the other hand, if it’s about building around a future superstar in Flagg, what’s Davis’ role?
There seems to be no doubt, however, that Kyrie Irving continues to be the right fit for Dallas - and Dallas for him. No one really saw it coming, but Irving being the vet leader and a great asset for this team is not even in question.
But if Irving is there for the vet leadership, what’s left for an aging, injury-prone center, who insists on playing the four instead of where he shines - on the five?
A position, by the way, that seems to be preferred as well as optimal for Flagg?
Plenty of people are talking about cap space and mock trades, but that’s not my business here. Instead, I’d really like to know what the plan was and how it’s changing now that Flagg fell into the lap of the Mavericks. This is obviously only one of the questions Dallas needs to answer, others being how will they build around Flagg and who are they targeting in free agency, if any (the latest rumors say that they’re not looking to trade either Daniel Gafford or P.J. Washington to facilitate the acquisition of a guard).
As reported by Marc Stein and others, Flagg met with Mavs GM Nico Harrison and head coach Jason Kidd in Dallas earlier this week, where he had dinner “with a contingent of team officials ... with his visit scheduled to include what one source termed a “light on-court component.”
One can only hope that a comprehensive plan for a Flagg-led future in Dallas was presented to the 18 year old.
As of now though, from the outside looking in, the communication and plan for a clear identity and a vision for the future of this team are blurry at best. In order to create a winning culture, the Dallas Mavericks need a clear identity, a way to communicate it effectively and a vision for the future.
Teams without a long-term strategy usually underperform despite having talented players, and tend to change coaches and staff frequently (we’re seeing this already in Dallas, as the physical training staff have been replaced for a second time, more or less, recently). And even worse, management that doesn’t have a clear vision can be the source of a lack of chemistry and trust on the team.
As a cautionary tale, let’s take a quick look at what has happened to a well-known sports team that seems to have lacked a vision for a long time. What happens to a team who just goes where the wind blows?
Let me introduce you to a familiar topic in my household. The Raiders, then Oakland, now Vegas, and their lack of strategic direction and long-term goals over the last many years.
The Raiders are more or less known for not having a comprehensive strategy and long-term vision, lucking into getting great players, but never really producing any meaningful results or consistency. They’ve changed coaches seven times in the last 15 years.
They’ve made many head-scratching moves over the years, like paying high costs on a trade or for free agents on a whim that ended up not working out (Carson Palmer, DeAngelo Hall, Randy Moss as examples).
But the sad story of star college quarterback from LSU, JaMarcus Russell, is one of the best examples of how an organization risk squandering a potentially great career. Russell, which they drafted in 2007 with the number one pick, ended up being one of the greatest busts in NFL history, a situation the Raiders managed in the worst way possible.
Russell was the consensus number one overall pick back in 2007. But the organization, coaching staff and strategy was not in a place to support and nurture a fragile, young player with a huge potential. Russell made some bad decisions (missing practices, not being prepared for meetings or willing to study film), but the bottom line is that the Raiders did not do what was needed to guide, mentor and provide a long-term plan for him to succeed.
Despite his athleticism and powerful arm, his NFL career was marked by inconsistent play and questions about his work ethic, and all of this led to his release in 2010, after only three years in the NFL. He tried returning, but was never picked up by any team.
The harrowing story of Russell is unlikely to repeat itself in Dallas of course, as Flagg comes into the draft an almost fully developed NBA player and potential All-Star. But the story of what could happen to a talented player and an organization when there’s no plan or vision in place should serve as a cautionary tale for everyone in sports.
Over the next days and weeks, we will know a lot more about what Dallas wants to do with this team and whether there’s actually a plan for the future. But the fact remains that lucking into a first pick in the draft is not a strategy or a vision in any way.
Going where the wind blows is not a sustainable model for success, and if the Mavs stays on that path, they risk wasting the incredible talent of Cooper Flagg.
Prioritizing short-term success over long-term development is a real risk here. A damning quote from GM Nico Harrison right after the Luka trade in February revealed that this may be the biggest issue for Dallas:
“The future to me is 3-4 years from now. The future 10 years from now — they’ll probably bury me and [Jason Kidd] by then,” Harrison said with an awkward chuckle.
Hopefully, we will see a much more cohesive plan of action from the Front Office as the draft and free agency arrive, as well as clear communication on the vision and future identity for this team. Otherwise, we may be in for some tumultuous years in Dallas.
Sometimes, a franchise player can be a catalyst for an organization’s future vision. Like Dirk Nowitzki, followed by Luka Doncic, in Dallas, Nikola Jokic in Denver and Steph Curry in Golden State. But for that to work, the organization has to recognize and implement changes for a new vision. Dallas had done that with Doncic, but decided to move on. Now once again, they’re handed a golden opportunity with a future potential superstar. Let’s hope they take advantage.
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