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Dallas Mavericks GM Mike Schmitz joined the K&C Masterpiece to discuss the team's future heading into a pivotal offseason. Schmitz discussed his connection with Masai Ujiri, building a culture around Cooper Flagg, the criteria for the next head coach, and more
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00:00Right now, let's turn our attention to a discussion with Dallas Mavericks, General Manager Mike Schmitz.
00:07Good morning, sir.
00:10Good morning. Thank you guys for having me.
00:12Yeah, absolutely. Now, I know that you and the team president, Masai Ujiri, have known each other for many years.
00:20Can you walk us back through that kind of, I guess, origin story of how y'all met and either
00:26worked together or kind of worked adjacent to one another?
00:30Yeah, I've known Masai for, you know, probably over a decade just from traveling all over the world.
00:38You know, anytime you're on this journey for finding talent and discovering players, you know, you tend to kind of
00:47run in the same circles and build those relationships.
00:49So, you know, we've been in gyms everywhere from Africa to Europe to the States to all different countries.
00:59And, you know, just built a genuine relationship, you know, someone I've always valued, how he carries himself, how he
01:07operates, and just really, really thankful to be able to work together now.
01:12And he clearly values you as well.
01:14He said that you were an incredible scout and an incredible leader.
01:18What does that mean for you to hear that kind of praise from Ujiri?
01:25It means a lot.
01:26You want to be somewhere where, you know, you're valued.
01:30And, you know, I feel that here in Dallas with the Mavericks, top to bottom.
01:34And, you know, just really thankful and excited for the opportunity.
01:38When you're looking at the Western Conference Finals, I've always been curious, do you just build your own team how
01:46you see fit?
01:47Or do you kind of look at that series, even just a little bit, and think, we have to find
01:51a way to beat these teams?
01:54Yeah, you're always evaluating what works, what doesn't in the NBA.
01:59That's our job, right?
02:00It's to, you know, constantly be adapting and adjusting our lens.
02:06You know, what worked in the 90s is different than what worked in the 2000s, and it's different than what's
02:11working now, right?
02:12So you watch a series like that, and, you know, it's the cream of the crop in the league right
02:17now.
02:18And so, you know, we have to take those little things that we're learning and put them into practice, you
02:24know, moving forward.
02:25So, yeah, you're always evaluating, always kind of adjusting your lens, and, you know, it's been great to watch that
02:32high-level basketball.
02:33And, you know, our goal is to be there and have a seat at the table, and that's what we're
02:39working toward.
02:40How long does that series look like it's going to go?
02:42I mean, that just looks like exciting basketball right now.
02:45Yeah, yeah.
02:46You know, I don't have a great handicap on it, but I'll take as many games as we can get.
02:50Yeah, I mean, and that's kind of ultimately, it is a weird place whenever you're kind of on the outside
02:55looking in, but whenever you're in it, you're just like, yes, this is exciting.
02:58It is kind of a great place to be, though, watching that thing happen right before your eyes.
03:03Now, with this Mavericks team, do you feel like it's starting from scratch?
03:08We have the piece, but we have other things to do, or do you think that there's a good foundation
03:13already here?
03:15I think the foundation of Cooper Flagg is something that the majority of teams in the league just don't have,
03:23right?
03:23That's what we do this for, is you search for that premium talent, that superstar-level guy who's not just
03:33a high-level player,
03:35but also a culture setter with his habits, with how he carries himself, with how he treats people, treats his
03:42teammates, treats the staff.
03:44And yeah, I've been blown away just at how he functions, how he operates, and how he sets the culture
03:50here with this competitiveness.
03:51So, you know, having that as our foundation and, you know, building around Cooper is incredibly exciting.
03:59It's one of the many things that drew me to this opportunity, and, you know, I'm really looking forward to
04:05doing everything I can to put the best pieces around him to have success.
04:10I'm always, we've talked to a lot of different guys in these positions, whether it's hockey or baseball or whatever,
04:16and there's always this kind of, like, you're adding seasoning always to get the entire recipe put together the right
04:22way.
04:23And sometimes it's lots of veteran leadership, sometimes it's a lot of youth.
04:27Do you have a specific recipe, or are you like, no, we have this, and then we're going to add
04:33this?
04:33Are you wanting more veterans, or do you want to, like, start with a younger group and just let them
04:38follow Flagg to the glory land?
04:41Yeah, I don't think there's an exact formula or secret sauce to it.
04:46I think we need to continue to evaluate, you know, what we have and continue to evaluate the external.
04:54You know, that's the job, right, is to continue, you know, searching for more talent, searching for upgrades, searching for
05:01guys who can fit.
05:02And so really excited just about what we have with him and how we can kind of put the right
05:08pieces around him moving forward.
05:10And that starts, you know, with the draft coming up here.
05:13Now, I know we're talking with Mike Schmitz right here on 105.3 The Fan.
05:17I know there was a press conference yesterday.
05:19You all kind of touched on this for people who might have missed it.
05:22When you talk about evaluation, why do you think it was the right time for the team to part ways
05:28with Jason Kidd?
05:30Yeah, I think, you know, Masai answered that yesterday in his press conference.
05:35I think he, you know, did a great job detailing that and covering that.
05:39You know, my job is to aid in our process moving forward and, you know, kind of help Masai and
05:48help the organization, you know, with a very thorough, detailed coaching process.
05:52But obviously, you know, Jason Kidd is a legend, you know, as a player, as a coach, you know, everything
05:59he's done for this organization.
06:01So really thankful for for all he's done.
06:04And I'm just looking toward the future and, you know, how we can help have a really thorough, detailed process,
06:11you know, diving into this thing.
06:12Does that is there a specific timeline or are you just like, hey, we have to have a new coach
06:17set, obviously, before the draft?
06:19Yeah, I don't think there's a specific timeline.
06:22You know, we don't want to skip any steps.
06:24You know, we want to evaluate what's out there.
06:28We want to think through every decision.
06:30We want to gather our intel.
06:31We want to be very systematic in how we approach this.
06:35So, you know, if that takes longer than people hope, if that takes quicker than people hope, you know, we're
06:41going to do everything we can to get this right.
06:43And obviously a huge decision for us that we're pouring a lot of time, effort and thought into.
06:49Does it does it remind you at all of kind of the process of scouting players, kind of like you
06:54were just talking about turning over all the stones?
06:57And does that include looking into the college ranks for we've heard rumblings about somebody like John Shire from Duke?
07:04In terms of being similar to, you know, the scouting process, you know, there are some similarities just with the
07:12with the intel gathering and evaluation.
07:15You know, you spend so much time watching the NBA.
07:18You spend so much time evaluating different levels.
07:21And, you know, with that, you're also always evaluating the coaches.
07:24You're evaluating personnel.
07:26You're evaluating everything you see.
07:28And so, you know, there's some similarities there with you want to know background, you want to know style, you
07:35want to know maybe player development, you know, how they view things in that regard.
07:40You know, are they up in on all the changes that are happening and, you know, in the modern NBA,
07:47you know, all those things.
07:48So it's a similar cadence.
07:50And, you know, obviously, like I said, we're going to do everything we can to be as thorough and as
07:55detailed as possible with this.
07:57You like you've you talk about traveling all over the world.
08:00I'm going to ask a little more about the recruitment overseas, too, and that process.
08:04But I want to stick with the coach mindset here.
08:07Like, how do you find out whether a guy or if a guy can both connect to Kyrie and Cooper
08:13and make and get those guys all on the same page?
08:16How do you find that out in that interview process?
08:20Yeah, you have to, I think, first have a lot of conversations with, you know, people who've been around that
08:27coach, who've spent time with them, who've been coached by them or who've coached against them, people who have worked
08:33with them.
08:34It's a it's a really detailed process, you know, and we're going to do everything we can to have all
08:39the information.
08:40And then obviously, when you get to the interview level, you know, you really want to get a great feel
08:45for, you know, how they view the game, how how they lead, what is their style, you know, all those
08:52things.
08:52So you do it through a combination of things.
08:55And I think it really starts with, you know, having that solid foundation of who they are as people and
09:01then, you know, going from there.
09:03Kind of sounds like good journalism there.
09:04Yes, I like it.
09:08Being overseas, recruiting, you know, scouting over there, seeing what's going on.
09:13How much talent is there out there in the world versus just here in the U.S.?
09:18Because we know a lot about that.
09:19And then what is that what are those differences that you see in there and out there versus what we
09:25see in U.S. born players?
09:28Yeah, there's talent all over the world.
09:31And I'm thankful to have been able to see it at the domestic level, at the international level.
09:38I think I've been to 50 countries now.
09:40Wow.
09:40Over the last 10 or 12 years, both, you know, scouting, evaluating and, you know, coaching with the Uganda national
09:49team.
09:50Spent seven or eight years doing that.
09:52So you see all the differences in style in different places.
09:57You see how some countries in Europe play one style.
10:00Some countries in South or places in South America play a different style.
10:05Right.
10:05So I think it's important for us as when you're evaluating to just know what certain players are coming from,
10:13what environment they were kind of raised in.
10:15And that goes the same for for coaches.
10:18So, you know, I don't think there's one place that's, you know, hey, better than the other.
10:24This style is better than that style.
10:26Right.
10:26It's just understanding those environments and then, you know, how players would thrive in your environment.
10:33I'm going to Italy in.
10:35I knew that's what you were angling at.
10:37It's my 20 year wedding anniversary.
10:38So if you want to send me a list of like some of your favorite places, let me know.
10:41If you've, you know, if you don't, it's fine.
10:43It's all right.
10:43It's all right.
10:43But I'll be waiting for it.
10:44All right.
10:45Where in Italy?
10:47Rome and Tuscany.
10:48We're going to be staying in Florence and Siena.
10:51All right.
10:51Playing the hits.
10:52There we go.
10:52Yeah.
10:53Playing the hits.
10:53That's what it's all about there.
10:55Man.
10:55I like it.
10:55Kind of feels like a shot right there.
10:57No, I'm just kidding.
10:58I got some off the beaten path.
10:59No, not a shot.
10:59Yeah, I got some off the beaten path places to go to.
11:01I'm kidding.
11:02I'm kidding.
11:03Now, we focus so much on lottery picks, especially with pick nine this year.
11:08But there's so many great players across the league that weren't taken in the lottery.
11:12So I'm hoping, especially for our fan base, can you walk through how valuable like pick 30 and even pick
11:1848 can be, especially in a draft like this?
11:22Really valuable.
11:24Any opportunity for us to add to our talent base and different vehicles for us to improve is incredibly valuable.
11:37And, you know, it's an exciting opportunity with, you know, the three picks that we have this year.
11:44And obviously, you've heard people, you know, how they talk about this draft and, you know, at the top and
11:50the depth and all of that.
11:52Right.
11:52And for me and for us as an organization, it's just it's more opportunities for us to get better.
11:58And that's what's most exciting as we enter in this draft process.
12:02You know, kind of along those lines, what is it to you that maybe makes this a deep draft?
12:08I know we've talked about kind of the glut of guards, maybe in that five to 15 position.
12:14But is there anything specifically for you that makes this look like a deep draft talent wise?
12:20I don't think any anything specific.
12:23You know, you just you try to have a good sense of, you know, the upcoming classes in general as
12:30you kind of map out your your process.
12:32I mean, you know, these are players that we all evaluate at a really young age and, you know, you
12:40see them as they're rising through the high school ranks and you see them at the international level and in,
12:46you know, at different levels.
12:47And you kind of start, you know, building your your evaluations there.
12:52And so as you go through that process, you you really look at, OK, in the upcoming years, which drafts
12:58are stronger, which are weaker?
12:59And then you kind of adjust from there.
13:00So I wouldn't say anything specific, but, you know, for us, just really excited to continue in this process and,
13:09you know, have great opportunities to to get better.
13:12So now there there are questions about, like, let's say somebody like Darren Peterson, his toughness or want to.
13:20This is not necessarily about him, but I'm curious, kind of like what you were talking about with the coaches.
13:25How can you tell when you're scouting a player or talking to that player, whether they really love the sport
13:31or really have what it takes to make it through the grind?
13:35Yeah, again, it's a lot of different inputs.
13:39You're gathering intel from people you trust.
13:43You're talking to coaches, support staff, watching with your own eyes, studying video, looking at data.
13:50Really, all these different inputs that that help you make a decision.
13:54You know, if you're in a position to spend time with that prospect as well, once the process starts, you
14:00know, you get a feel there.
14:01So there's so many things that that go into making a draft pick and getting an evaluation on, you know,
14:08someone's mentality.
14:10And I think the league as a whole has gotten really advanced, you know, with that.
14:14So, you know, we're going to continue going through our process and, you know, leaving no stone unturned.
14:19Kevin, sounds to me like he's Mike's just saying, hey, look, I'm going to do the work and then you
14:24just got to trust my gut from there.
14:26All right.
14:26OK, I'm going to like just trust me on this.
14:28Well, I mean, look, you'll have a lot of chances to prove yourself from the Italian recommendations to the draft
14:34picks.
14:34I feel like we'll know in the next few months, like how much to trust you.
14:38So I think we should be good there.
14:41I just want one other like thing.
14:42I'm kind of Cooper's the base.
14:45That's where that's where it starts for me.
14:47And that's where it starts with this team for us as fans, obviously.
14:50And whenever I'm trying to visualize how this thing is going to look, I'm you're the basketball expert on this.
14:57Is the is having a bigger body next to him more important?
15:01I know you want to be a flexible team.
15:02You want to be one of those teams that can do whatever everybody else can better.
15:05But is having a bigger body more important with a guy like Cooper Flagg or is it having somebody that
15:11can get the ball to him when you look at those at those things early on in his career right
15:16now?
15:17Yeah, I think being able to play in different ways is is something that you want to evaluate, you know,
15:25being able to play big, being able to play small, being able to play in different lineups.
15:28You know, you look at a lot of the best teams in the league.
15:31They can they're very multiple and being able to play in different ways.
15:36So we're going to continue to evaluate all that and, you know, see what are the best fits.
15:43And but yeah, if you look at what's going on in the playoffs, like, you know, those are things we're
15:48studying and what's working, what's not.
15:51And how can we be at the forefront of that?
15:53So I'm very excited for us to just continue kind of moving forward, going through this process and, you know,
16:01eventually compete in these games like that's you heard Masai say it, you know, yesterday in his press conference.
16:06Like we want to be in these games.
16:08We want to play in these games.
16:09We don't want to be here watching.
16:11And now we're not going to step and skip any steps to get there.
16:16But we want to be competing at the highest level.
16:18And, you know, that's a big part of my job is to help him and to help the organization, you
16:23know, get us there.
16:24You know, last thing I've got for you, since we were asking for recommendations and I know you're already working.
16:30Do you have you already settled yourself in Dallas, found a place to live?
16:34And do you need any recommendations from us of things you need to go do or see?
16:41I am not settled, not fully settled in a house yet.
16:45I'm working on it.
16:47I got a spare room in the backyard.
16:49Okay.
16:49Done.
16:50Me too.
16:50Done.
16:51I'll be there by the end of the night.
16:53Sweet.
16:53And then if you can give me your best, what's your sleeper food spot that I need to try?
17:01That's my.
17:02I always say Hurtado Barbecue.
17:05That is the place you got to get some Hurtado Barbecue.
17:08And if you haven't gotten some Whataburger in your life, you absolutely need to have some
17:12Whataburger in your life and make sure it just funnels in.
17:15I don't know if this counts as a sleeper, but we know multiple Mavs players who love Nick
17:20and Sam.
17:20So if you want to make a good impression straight away, you should be like, oh, yeah, this is
17:24my spot.
17:25And they'll be like, you're my guy.
17:26Let's meet over Nick and Sam's.
17:27We'll talk in a minute.
17:28Yeah.
17:28There you go.
17:29Love it.
17:30Boom.
17:31Thank you very much for the time.
17:33We're excited that you're here and ready to rock.
17:35And we really appreciate it this morning.
17:38Thank you guys so much.
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