Masai Ujiri is reportedly targeting Duke’s Jon Scheyer to unite the Blue Devils legend with Cooper Flagg, potentially reshaping the Mavericks’ future despite significant hurdles in Durham.
DALLAS - If you are the Dallas Mavs and you are truly intent on fully "building around'' young star Cooper Flagg?
Maybe you fast-track that process by hiring his old coach at Duke.
It's been a month since Dallas "parted ways'' with coach Jason Kidd as the organization is taking a new direction under just-hired new team president Masai Ujiri.
And immediately after that, we speculated in this space that along with good names of top NBA assistants like Minnesota's Micah Nori (along with Toronto's Jama Mahlalela now joining the field), the idea of allowing some elbow room for Duke head coach Jon Scheyer to make a decision also made a great deal of sense.
And now plugged-in NBA insider Marc Stein is suggesing that Dallas is doing exactly that.
"Dallas has wanted to give Duke's Jon Scheyer every conceivable opportunity to consider a leap to the NBA," Stein wrote.
Stein also noted that there is "persistent pessimism" that the Mavs will be able to lure Scheyer away from Duke. The reasoning there is supposedly due to the young coach's wish to "stay where he is after four seasons as Mike Krzyzewski's hand-picked successor."
But that doesn't take away from the logic of examining this ... even though it might mean the Mavs plunge into this week's NBA Draft (holding picks Nos. 9 and 30) without the services of a head coach.
Scheyer, 38, guided the college careers of both Flagg and Dereck Lively II at Duke. And there is a Duke connection in Big D, too, as long as Kyrie Irving remains here.
Does Cooper Flagg get a voice here? Or maybe even a vote?
We assume that if asked, Flagg would endorse this concept.
If Scheyer says no? Optimally, we suppose, Dallas would prefer he hurry up about it as it'd be nice to have a coach in place on Draft Night.
In addition to Nori and Mahlalela, there is buzz around Houston's Royal Ivey and Boston's Tony Dobbins as assistant coaches would could make the jump. Also reportedly on the wish list is Terry Stotts, a former Dallas assistant who was once the top guy with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Timing, though, might be a luxury compared to getting the right man. And it does seem as if Dallas thinks that right man is Jon Scheyer.
