Mavericks skid reaches six games as Flagg faces idol Tatum and club renews lawsuit against Stars
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Maine-born rookie Cooper Flagg finally played an NBA game in New England on Friday, but most of the buzz at TD Garden centered on Celtics forward Jayson Tatum’s season debut. Flagg, who grew up studying Tatum’s career, called the matchup “incredible.”
“He’s someone I idolized growing up,” Flagg said after Dallas’ 20-point loss. “I watched him at Duke and kind of followed in his footsteps. It was really special to share the floor with him tonight.”
Despite battling soreness in his left foot, Flagg finished with 16 points. After the final horn he received a brief pep talk from Tatum, who urged him to “keep going.” Flagg noted that the All-NBA forward has served as a sounding board since his own days at Duke.
Six straight losses, 16 of 18 overall
Friday’s defeat dropped Dallas to its sixth consecutive loss and its 16th in the last 18 outings, deepening hopes inside the organization of landing another high lottery pick. Flagg blamed poor execution. “I just think we weren’t organized,” he said. “Part of it is us still learning each other, and part of it was I wasn’t good enough.”
Kidd defends point-guard experiment
Head coach Jason Kidd told Andscape’s Marc J. Spears he anticipated criticism for letting the 6-9 Flagg operate as the Mavericks’ primary ballhandler. “If you’re trying to help someone become successful, there are going to be critics,” Kidd said. “There are no more positions. What’s your skill set? Can you handle it? If you can handle it, you can play.” He likened Flagg’s early freedom to the touches Kevin Durant received with Seattle under P. J. Carlesimo.
Court fight with NHL’s Stars escalates
The Mavericks and the NHL’s Dallas Stars returned to court Friday in an ongoing breach-of-contract dispute. Dallas Basketball Limited, the Mavericks’ parent company, is seeking injunctive relief tied to a clause in the teams’ 1998 franchise agreement with the city of Dallas, filed before American Airlines Center opened in 2001. The language requires both clubs to keep their corporate headquarters inside the city limits.
The Mavericks first sued in October; the Stars counter-sued the next day. The NBA franchise argues the Stars violated the agreement by relocating their headquarters and training facility to Frisco in 2003.
The next hearing date has not been scheduled.
Source: Hoops Rumors
