How the Mavericks have rallied behind Cooper Flagg one year after the Luka Dončić trade

Please do not put in the paper that Jason Kidd was mad. Jason Kidd was not mad. He does not care what you or anyone else thinks. He certainly does not care what the national media writes about him. 

You might have watched his postgame press conference on Saturday following a tough road loss to the Rockets and thought but he seems kinda worked up. No. That was just the criticism making him stronger. He feeds off it. I'm paraphrasing Kidd now, which is pretty much all we can do in this space because, despite not being mad, Kidd used a whole host of expletives in his answer that we can't fully revisit in this space. If we did we'd have to bleep out most of it and it would come off like that scene in Ocean's Twelve where Don Cheadle is in the recording studio.   

The context: despite the loss in Houston, Cooper Flagg is killing it right now. The rookie had 34 points, 12 rebounds and five assists against the Rockets, making him the first teenager since Luka Dončić to drop a line of 30/10/5. The game before that, Flagg went for 49 points against the Hornets, which was the most by a teenager in NBA history. In the process, he also became the first teenager to have back-to-back 30-point double doubles. As Kevin Durant said in a wild understatement following the Rockets win, "he's figured it out." (Tough timing for Jamal Mashburn.)

After a shaky start to the season where it looked like he was being asked to do too much, too soon, Flagg is cruising these days. Which brings us back to Kidd definitely not being mad. The Mavericks head coach was asked about the criticism he got early on for playing Flagg at point guard in the absence of Kyrie Irving (who is still recovering from an ACL injury) and whether that bothered him given how Flagg is currently flourishing. Kidd could not have been more unbothered (full NSFW answer here).

"I don't give a f--- about the criticism," Kidd replied. "Criticism? That's your opinion. You guys write that bulls---," Kidd said. "That's not -- I've done this. I've played this game. I've played it at a very high level. I know what the f--- I'm doing."

Kidd said the criticism "only makes me better." (You're welcome, I guess?) He also tried to prop himself up on that tired and lazy crutch that former athletes sometimes employ by reminding the media that he played in the NBA and they did not, thereby implying that invalidated their thoughts on the matter of Flagg's ability or Kidd's coaching. That approach always seems silly to me, as though Kidd in turn couldn't have an informed opinion on movies because he's never starred in a film or politics because he's never been an elected official. 

Still, Kidd can be forgiven for his momentary fit of pique. In the immediate aftermath of the loss, he was upset at the officials for failing to call a foul on Flagg's drive to the basket late in the game. But also, not to go all unlicensed therapist on him, something tells me his outburst wasn't just about the refs. 

Because here's the thing: Jason Kidd was right. He pushed Flagg into the deep end right away to start the season, and while I and a lot of other media members were busy writing that the Mavs should throw the kid a life preserver in the form of some guard help before he drowned, Flagg proved his coach correct and kept his head more than above water. Those early struggles have seemingly set Flagg up for his current success and what forecasts as a very bright future indeed. He's only 19. It feels like every time we mention him now it comes with a caveat that he's the first teenager to do whatever it is he just did. 

So Kidd is maybe a little defensive about all that. Understandable. Not to mention that it's been a bit of a rough year for the Mavericks and their fans. [Whispers just in case anyone from Dallas is within earshot] It has been exactly one year since the Mavs did the unthinkable and traded Luka to the Lakers. In exchange, Dallas received Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a lone first-round pick. The swap was so inadvisable and unimaginable that everyone needed confirmation that yes it was real.

If the move itself wasn't bad enough, the hamfisted post-trade spin was even worse. Then-general manager Nico Harrison insisted he had "no regrets" despite the intense fan and media backlash, and Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont initially backed him up in a disastrous interview that will forever serve as an example to all new owners on what not to say. Dumont eventually came to his senses earlier this season and fired Harrison, who I suspect now has more than a few regrets. 

If they could do it over again, the Mavs would obviously not have traded their superstar and the fan-favorite face of the franchise, a man who had led them to the NBA Finals and at that point had made first-team All-NBA in five straight seasons. And they certainly wouldn't have fat shamed Luka and sent him to the hated Lakers. Bad ideas all the way around. 

But as consolation prizes go, Cooper Flagg is pretty good. To be clear, one thing has nothing to do with the other, of course. Landing Flagg was a total stroke of luck. Dallas had only a 1.8% chance of landing the top pick in the lottery, but the Basketball Gods willed it and now Flagg is a teenager who's already playing like a grown man. Imagine how good he'll be when he's actually a fully grown man. The mind boggles.

The Mavericks still have plenty to work out. They remain outside the play-in. Davis may or may not play again this season. They're still waiting for Kyrie to return. The lack of reliable backcourt production remains an issue. And it would be nice to find someone in a similar age range to place on the same timeline as Flagg. But considering how directionless and hopeless everything seemed when Luka was shipped to Los Angeles, the Mavs have to feel a whole lot better about their prospects now that Flagg is playing at such a high level. For the first time in a year, to borrow one of the cleaner components of Kidd's rant, they seem like they know what they're doing.