00:00with the voice of the Mavs, Chuck Cooperstein. Good morning, Chuck. Are you ready?
00:05I got hums on my back. Good morning, boy.
00:08Can we call this one Coop in the loop on the loose, too?
00:13Well, absolutely. Hey, you know, listen, Michael Finley already dubbed me Coop 2
00:18because I was Coop until some other guy showed up here last year and I got demoted.
00:23So it's okay. It's all good.
00:25Chuck, what's a successful season for them?
00:29A successful season, I think, is playing meaningful, real meaningful basketball in March.
00:37And if that results in, you know, getting to the play-in or, you know, even better the playoffs,
00:45I think that's what this year is all about.
00:48You know, last year was just awful and so many with the way they finished the year,
00:52they were 7-30.
00:53You know, they had the fewest wins in the league after January 24th.
00:58It was a rough go.
00:59So to be able to get to March and play games that could have some sort of implication
01:07regarding the postseason, I think, would be really, really good.
01:11Early Dusty May imprints have been what or observations that you've had?
01:18He knows definitely what he wants and how he wants to get there.
01:27He's a very positive guy.
01:31But at the same time, you know, he's not afraid to let anybody know who's not doing what they're supposed
01:37to do.
01:38You've got to do it this way.
01:41It's the only way that we can win.
01:43I think his style of play is going to be exciting.
01:45I mean, the Mavericks played fast last year,
01:47but I think there's going to be some better results behind the faster play this year.
01:54You're going to see more aggressive play toward offensive rebounding.
01:58The Mavericks averaged about 10 last year.
02:00They averaged about 15 in the preseason.
02:03And I realize preseason numbers don't mean a whole lot,
02:06but you're looking for stylistic type of things.
02:11And I'm just excited to see what this ultimately all looks like.
02:17Because, you know, when Cooper and Kyrie have been out there, they've been great.
02:21You know, they've been great together.
02:22And Dusty has made it a point in practices and in the preseason games that those two are playing together.
02:30It's what happens when the other players are playing around them.
02:34And certainly when one and or both are out of the game, and that'll be something to watch tonight,
02:40is one always going to be on the floor.
02:44You know, what those role players do.
02:46Because ultimately, whatever successes the Mavericks have, I believe,
02:51are going to be tied into the success of those role players.
02:54Because I think we know Cooper's going to get better.
02:56I mean, the numbers are going to get better.
02:58I mean, the other night against Atlanta, he didn't even play great.
03:01You know, and he still winds up with 26 and 12.
03:03And you're looking up and said, like, how did he do that?
03:05How did that happen?
03:07You know, because they were all over him.
03:09It was a really difficult night for him.
03:10And Kyrie has shot it great in the preseason.
03:13And he looks like himself.
03:15But what do the other guys look like?
03:16You know, what do P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford and, frankly, Max Christie,
03:22you know, can he jump up and be that guy?
03:25You know, more as Johnson, as a rookie.
03:27And he's going to be asked to contribute.
03:29You know, what can he contribute early on, even though he's not played a lot
03:33because of injury in the preseason.
03:35So I think that's the things that we're all looking at right now.
03:38Coop, how much of what a college coach does in college
03:43can they actually even bring to the NBA, you know, system-wise?
03:46I mean, you know, the players are more skilled.
03:48They're bigger.
03:49Shot clock's less.
03:51How much can he actually bring from that level?
03:55Oh, I think you certainly can bring what you use to be successful.
04:02I think the most important thing is one of the greatest qualities that he has
04:07is his adaptability.
04:09What does his roster look like?
04:11You know, I know we've made the point before that when he was at Florida Atlantic
04:14and they went to the Final Four, they were primarily a guard team.
04:18When he had those three brusers last year all picked in the top 12 of the draft,
04:25you know, they pounded away inside.
04:27They didn't really shoot all that many threes.
04:30So he's looking for the bounce.
04:33I don't think that you can actually, you know, peg him as he's this guy
04:39or he's that guy.
04:40I think he's somewhat of a chameleon based on what his personnel is.
04:45You know, you mentioned, Coop, the chameleon aspect there.
04:48Masai Ujiri, it seems like, has had a more particular thought on what he wants
04:53his team to look like and his players to look like.
04:55So is this basically a, hey, Masai Ujiri, go out, shop for the groceries,
05:00and Dusty May will make the best of it?
05:01Or are they trying to come to some sort of complementary blend of what their two
05:05visions look like together as the Dallas Mavericks moving forward?
05:09That's a really good question, Bobby.
05:11And I don't know the answer to that right now.
05:15Masai certainly has a vision.
05:17You know, Dusty was able to execute that vision last year at Michigan.
05:22So I would say that he's not unopposed to what Masai has done.
05:29But I do think that there's going to be adjustments as time goes on.
05:34And, you know, even, look, Masai Ujiri found Fred Van Vliet as an undrafted
05:39free agent, right?
05:40And he won a championship with him as a starting point guard.
05:44He had Kyle Lowry for a long time.
05:46Kyle Lowry is, you know, a little bowling ball kind of guard.
05:49So he's not necessarily, you know, married to his guards all having to be,
05:54you know, Sergio De La Rea style 6'6 or bigger, right?
05:58I mean, he's got Kyrie Irving here.
05:59So he's not necessarily married to that.
06:02But I do think that there is an archetype as far as your wings and your bigs.
06:09He wants big wings.
06:10He has big wings here.
06:12Does he have a lot of size in the middle?
06:15Maybe not ideally right now.
06:18You know, if they can get Derek Lively back at some point,
06:21and obviously we don't know if or when that is going to happen,
06:25that would make things look a whole lot different.
06:28What's a realistic expectation for Merez Johnson as a rookie?
06:33I think that he is a contributing role player.
06:38That he has shown the ability, even in very brief times on the floor,
06:43to be able to rebound in traffic,
06:46to be able to switch and guard out on the floor.
06:50I mean, numerically, I can't give you that
06:53because I just don't know what the minutes look like.
06:55And he's not the type of guy who's going to demand touches.
06:59Everything that he gets is going to be off of what happens elsewhere.
07:04Coop, how has Rishishay looked?
07:08Interesting.
07:09May loves him.
07:10And I think May loves his off-ball cutting.
07:14When you look at the Mavericks' half-court offense,
07:16when it's good, when it's operating properly,
07:19everybody is moving and the ball is moving.
07:23And Rishishay seems to work better when he is in that type of system.
07:29However, when you look at his overall scoring,
07:34and again, does preseason mean anything?
07:36I don't know the answer to that.
07:38But 41 of the 49 points that he scored in the preseason
07:43were in the second half.
07:44And 25 of those were in the fourth quarter
07:47when he was playing, but not a lot of regulars were playing.
07:51So, again, I don't know if that means anything
07:55or if it means everything.
07:56But I'm willing to take the shot, and I think they are too,
08:01on a 6'9", 21-year-old guy who was the first pick in the draft two years ago,
08:05who shoots on average in his two NBA seasons
08:11above average from three-point range.
08:13And let's face it, the Mavericks needs a lot more of that this year.
08:16Speaking of that, we know great players try to add something
08:20in the offseason.
08:21What was that for Cooper Flagg?
08:24Putting 25 pounds on, number one.
08:28I did that, too.
08:30Well, yeah, but his 25 are a hell of a lot better than yours or mine.
08:37You know, just to be able to handle the contact that he gets.
08:42And I think we even saw in the preseason that he shot a lot of free throws.
08:45And he's a good free throw shooter, and that obviously will help
08:49to be able to go through the long season.
08:51But clearly his biggest improvement has to be from three-point range.
08:5529.5% is not going to get it done.
08:58He's got to become at least an NBA average three-point shooter
09:03or certainly approaching that.
09:04And when you watch him in practice,
09:09and even in the couple of games of the preseason,
09:12it looks like, to me, my very untrained eye,
09:16that he's shooting it far more easily than he did last year.
09:21That there is a degree of confidence where, say,
09:24at the beginning of last year, he wasn't really sure
09:29if he could take them or should take them, let alone make them.
09:34I do think his mindset is a whole lot different,
09:37and hopefully that's going to result in a much better percentage
09:41when we go into the season.
09:43Coop, with the hiring of Masai Ujiri, adding Dusty May,
09:47obviously the second season of Cooper Flagg, the return of Kyrie Irving,
09:51not to get too overly psychological,
09:54but do you think when the season tips off or maybe the first time
09:58you're in the arena at the AAC with the fans,
10:01do you think it's going to feel like a little bit of like,
10:03all right, this is the fresh start?
10:05This is the period of finally like, all right,
10:08everything is in the past now in regards to the Luka thing,
10:11and this is the new era of Mavericks where fans can,
10:13for lack of a better term, begin to heal while watching this team?
10:17I hope so, but I can't speak for the fans.
10:20You know, the fans are going to fan, and they'll do it in their own way.
10:25I do think they took to Cooper last year.
10:27I think they saw what the potential is, and, you know, as I've said,
10:34look, since I've been with the team, this will be my 22nd year.
10:37You know, I had Dirk for 14 and a half years.
10:40I had 14 years.
10:41I had Luka for six and a half, and now we've got this kid.
10:43You know, in succession, the Mavericks have always had that player,
10:47I think, that fans can rally behind.
10:51And I think what will hopefully happen here is that Cooper takes a jump,
11:00if not similar to what Luka did in his second year,
11:05somewhere in that neighborhood.
11:07And if he does and fans realize that there really is a young superstar that's
11:13here, who, by the way, is 20 years old on December 21st,
11:17that there is something to rally around.
11:19There is something to build around.
11:21Because even with Dirk, even at that time, people, in his second year,
11:26he was much better.
11:27He averaged over 17 a game.
11:28But he didn't really become Dirk until his third year in the league
11:32and then moving forward.
11:34But I do think Mavericks fans, for the most part,
11:38have been very supportive of players.
11:40And when they see someone great, that they're ready to get behind that
11:46and really get excited about.
11:48And, you know, if Cooper does what I think he's going to do,
11:51then I think then, yeah, for a lot of them, they'll be able to move on.
11:56Some probably will never be able to move on.
11:58And, listen, you know, that's on them.
12:00But, again, I'm not telling them how to fan.
12:02And I just know that we have something pretty special in our midst.
12:06And we're pretty lucky to have it.
12:08I know I'm lucky to watch it.
12:09And I hope people feel the same way.
12:11Was it your idea, the bosses, to do the three-minute preview?
12:17It was mine.
12:19You can get mad at me.
12:20Oh, gosh.
12:21Hey, come on now.
12:23All I want.
12:24How did you know it was him, Choppy?
12:25How did you know?
12:26I mean, I did this pregame show for him for years.
12:30He's excited to be at a real radio station again, Sean.
12:34Three minutes, bro.
12:34Three minutes.
12:35You do us like that?
12:37Hey, look, man.
12:40All I'm doing is trying to promote you.
12:47I told you he was a PD at the elevator.
12:50When he got us leaving work real early, I said, this is the third PD we got.
12:56Hey, I am not the despot here, okay?
13:01I am the idea guy.
13:04Now, whether or not those ideas are acted upon is another story entirely.
13:09But let's face it.
13:11You're not asked to do it.
13:12At least I don't know what the despots have actually decided.
13:17I didn't ask you to do it every day, and it's only during weekday games.
13:22So, Sean, back off, okay?
13:27There we go.
13:28Who did he scare first, Choppy?
13:30You went down the hall and you had a pep talk with someone?
13:32Who was it?
13:34Dylan.
13:35Oh, Dylan, yes.
13:36I had him a pep.
13:37I said, listen, he's intense.
13:41I thought about you during a preseason game.
13:42I said, man, he's intense.
13:44Just let it roll over your back.
13:45He's not mad at you.
13:46He's just an intense guy.
13:48He wants the game to be done perfect.
13:50There it is, baby.
13:51Behind the scenes and everything.
13:52First of many.
13:54Great day.
13:55Do we pull the curtain back too far here?
13:57No.
13:57That's what it is.
13:59That's what it is.
14:00That's how you become number one.
14:02Thank you, brother.
14:03We appreciate it.
14:03Have a great call.
14:04We'll do it next week.
14:05Thanks a lot, guys.
14:06Take care.
