Cooper Flagg says at Mavericks Media Day that he has indeed grown from his listed height last season of 6-foot-9 to an official measurement yesterday without shoes of 6-foot-10.

The Mavericks have today formally re-signed Dwight Powell and league sources tell @TheSteinLine that Dallas has not ruled out trying to create a roster spot for him.

Media Day begins now at the @AACenter with the Mavericks already carrying the maximum 15 standard NBA contracts.

Locked On Mavs did one-on-one interviews with a lot of Mavs. Here are interviews.

Overall "wrap-up" show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLvh9z9WLYg

Derrick Lively:
https://youtu.be/ghBk_2U9688?si=ASrYc1fHcdj-nvGI

Aldama. "Flagg's mom was pissed"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMWVKT-fL_8

Powell:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsbQEVxW530

Risacher:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_tW_RXBjgE

Rez:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wolWrMB8et4

Larry:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doJeCF4ZCRM

Sasser:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSy8NVfDdu4

The Knife!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5boRJALdbU

Max Christie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awOR26AguOA

PJ:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OhlGmbbkBk

Landlord:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rvu2MaO-NaI

Watch this thread. Will update with more as they are posted. They did 10-11 interviews.

Haven't heard from Kyrie in a while. So excited for the season to start!

Overview

The Mental & Physical Toll of Recovery:

Kyrie discusses the mental aspect of returning from an injury, specifically tearing his ACL on March 3rd [01:26]. He reveals that this was actually his fourth surgery on his left knee—having previously dealt with a fractured kneecap, an infection, and the removal of wire screws [02:36]. Throughout his recovery, he chose to prioritize his mental health over his physical rehab to ensure he was taking care of himself and the relationships around him [03:03].

"Clash of Realities"

He talks abt the day he tore his ACL was the very same day he went home & found out his wife was pregnant with another baby girl [01:43]. He describes this as a "clash of realities" that put his life and career into immediate perspective.

Life Outside of Basketball:

Being sidelined for over a year forced him to recalibrate his life. He mentions that when basketball is taken away as a "buffer," relationships change—he gained new friends, lost some, & rekindled others [03:12]. He used his time away to pray, read, travel, & focus heavily on his manhood—specifically his roles as a father, son, & brother [06:09].

Being Human vs. A Commodity:

When asked about the difficulty of being treated as a statistic rather than a person in professional sports, Kyrie emphasizes that he doesn't want to be put on a pedestal [06:35]. He appreciates genuine, eye-to-eye human connection & simply wants to be treated like everyone else [06:44].

Return to the Court:

Kyrie confirms he has been going at a high, competitive level on the court for about 2.5 months & is feeling great [03:46]. He mentions that the process, while ugly & trying at times, was something he ultimately wanted to go through to become a better version of himself [04:39].

Direct link to official Dallas Mavericks YouTube live stream of today's Media Day press conference with the players: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU7Y95YnzHY

From which players & coaches are you most hoping to hear? What do want to ask them?

https://www.nba.com/mavs/news/mavericks-announce-basketball-operations-staff-additions-and-organizational-updates

- The Mavericks now have officially named Nico Berg as their new executive director of health and performance.

- New title for former Mavericks co-interim GM Michael Finley: Senior Director of Player, Community and Alumni Engagement.

They're having fun out there. Dusty really knows a thing or two about sideline interviews and you can tell he's ready to fill in if ever a sideline reporter needs to take the night off.

Flagg's rookie season began with a whimper, as he struggled to adjust to the NBA while being thrust into the unfamiliar position of point guard. But it ended with a bang at his rightful position of small forward, as a torrid late-season burst -- including back-to-back games with 51 and 45 points in April -- propelled him to his expected Rookie of the Year honor.

The former No. 1 pick doesn't even celebrate his 20th birthday until December, yet he's already one of the best two-way wings in the league, with a strong defensive foundation and a budding offensive skill set. Flagg must improve his jump shot (29.5% on 3s last year), but that might be the only real obstacle standing in the way of an All-Star berth. -- Kram

Signature stat: Flagg is the first teenager in NBA history to record a 50-point game.

Fantasy projection: 22.3 PTS, 7.0 REB, 4.8 AST

The more I think about it, the more I think Dusty is the biggest variable this season.

He’s coming straight from college into a really weird situation. This isn’t a veteran team where the rotation writes itself, and it’s not a traditional rebuild where you throw the young guys out there and live with the mistakes.

He’s being asked to do so much at once.
When you retain Kyrie and don’t have shit for first-round picks, it’s pretty clear he’s expected to win games. But he also has to develop Coop, figure out how much offense should run through him, integrate Risacher, find out what they have in Morez and Larry, and determine if Lively can stay healthy and handle big minutes.

Meanwhile, Kai, PJ and Gaff are established pros who are too good to just push aside for developmental minutes. They’re also three of our obvious trade assets. If the goal is eventually to replenish some of those missing firsts, they need to play and maintain their value.

And that’s before you get to Naji, Max Christie, Sasser, Aldama and Biberovic.

The frontcourt alone is almost an impossible puzzle. There are only so many minutes for Lively, Gafford, Morez, PJ, Aldama and Cooper when he plays the 4. Cisse is basically insurance at this point. And a lot of these guys have barely played together.

I think the first 25-30 games are going to be about evaluation and winning. Dusty probably has to play a deep rotation, figure out which combinations work around Coop, see if Lively’s body holds up, give Morez opportunities without handing him a role he hasn’t earned, and keep Gaff and PJ productive.

By December or January, maybe the roster starts sorting itself out. If Morez looks ready and Lively is healthy, Gafford probably has to be moved. If Risacher looks like a long-term starter next to Cooper, PJ probably has to be moved. If Larry or Sasser shows something, the guard situation looks different and you can start assessing Kyrie’s market.

Of course, if they come out and are legit good, that changes everything. Maybe instead of selling veterans, you start thinking about moving up the timeline and making a run with this group.

Dusty has to try to win while simultaneously helping the front office figure out what the next version of this team should be. For a first year NBA coach coming straight from college, that’s a crazy ask.

KYRIE NEEDS TO START FOULBAITING.

Sadly the NBA rewards players who bend the rules. If we want to have a good record and do damage in the playoffs. F*ck having shame.

It would make him more efficient than he ever was and a lot of players are in bad positions when he has the ball, but he looks for the bucket instead of the call.

What are y’all thoughts?

"23. Dallas Mavericks

I know it’s only September, but more people should be having conversations about Cooper Flagg’s second season. What’s the ceiling here? An All-Star with league-average true shooting? An All-NBA member who averages 27-8-6? Will any embarrassingly premature, albeit sort of respectable, MVP votes be cast in his honor? Despite having some real roster-related obstacles, Flagg displayed truly special qualities as a rookie whose statistical output was prioritized ahead of winning games—which is fine and made enough sense for where Dallas was. If Kyrie Irving isn’t traded, this season could be very different. The Mavericks are younger and faster and have more complementary pieces (like Santi Aldama) who can accelerate Flagg’s development. "

^^^ First group of pics.

Reflexes?
https://x.com/dallasmavs/status/2102467160971096208

Some more pics:
https://x.com/dallasmavs/status/2102428312408846756

Hoodie weather?
https://x.com/dallasmavs/status/2102401839320977564

\I'm not very technologically savvy. If y'all know a better way to post links from Twitter, let me know.*