Chuck Cooperstein On Mavs Ceiling With Gafford And P J , Kyrie Irving Paying Off | Shan & RJ

Chuck Cooperstein On Mavs Ceiling With Gafford And P J , Kyrie Irving Paying Off | Shan & RJ

This is Sean RJ and Bobby on DFW sports station as we welcome in the radio voice of the Dallas Mavericks Chuck cooperstein on the DNM leasing hotline here on 1053 The Fan after last night’s call good morning Chuck how are you good morning guys how are you doing well your

Initial reaction when the Mavericks made these moves for PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford compared to what you’ve seen through two games um it’s about what I thought it would be I mean I think gapper has actually been a little bit better maybe even than I thought he’d be I knew he

Was really good uh playing on a bad team but I didn’t realize that he could be this impactful this soon um you know Washington’s career has been very up and down when he’s good like he was on Saturday he’s really really good uh when

He’s not kind of in the game like he was last night um he’s uh you know he’s he’s a work in progress I mean I I think he was the far more controversial of the trades uh even though he probably is the player that the Mavericks really need to

Be able to produce uh from um you know they they they gave up a first round pick another pick which is you know okay I I really don’t necessarily have a problem with that I mean there’s everything about PJ Washington’s attributes scream that he should be a roaring success and especially in this

System um you know we’ll see if uh if he ultimately is that player there’s certainly a chance that he will be um uh and and if for no other reason then he’s so happy to be home that I think ultimately it’s it’s really going to help him and settle him down but Gafford

Has just been out of sight here in two games yeah I’m sitting here watching him I’m like what was the cost again and I was like I know it’s a first round pick Chuck but why weren’t more teams falling over themselves he shoots pretty decent

From the line he seems to be a good dude he talked about doing all the trash he’s athletic he’s big he’s blocking shots were you surprised there wasn’t like even more interest in gaffard yes just in gaffard not necessarily because again the center in many ways has been legislated out of

The game yeah um but from the Mavericks standpoint the Mavericks have been such a bad rebounding team really for two years now that uh you know Luca needed help there Luca was the only real rebounder they had and uh and Gafford obviously gives them another guy along with Lively and

Actually provides protection for lively because let’s face it now know Lively’s had three major injuries this year that’s forced him to miss uh about 17 18 games uh that’s a lot of games to miss um and if you go back to the Mavericks championship season of 2011 uh they had

Both Tyson Chandler and Brendan Haywood I mean they had two legitimate centers that they could always play 48 minutes with a big if they needed to or if the game sizes down like it did last night and you know they uh the Wizards took Marvin Bagley and and Holmes out of the

Game and they played kman at the five well then you have maxic CA there to be able to play the five so uh it it certainly allows Jason kid a lot more versatility uh and a lot more Rim protection and basically let’s face it too I mean you’ve got 12 fouls to use

From those two guys and um at least you know to this point gaffard hasn’t really been a foul issue but there’s reason for either one of those guys Gaff or Lively to not be as aggressive as possible Chuck cooperstein voice the map join us here 1053 The Fan um how does this

Change their ceiling uh their their their their yeah their ceiling their chances to win the title or the West well I mean I I don’t know the answer to that I think they’re let’s put it this way they’re a better team now than they were before the trades I mean

I think that’s the best way to answer it um you know they won’t be able to play the Clippers anymore this year they don’t play Minnesota anymore this year uh you know that series is over they got one more game with Phoenix coming up at the first game out of the All-Star Break

Um you know they’ve got a couple of games up in Oklahoma City including the last game of the year which probably doesn’t mean anything so you know what we take from the series of Oklahoma City you know they got down 30 in one game they didn’t play with Kyrie in that one

And then they almost won probably should have won then they beat him by 35 the other day what does that mean um I mean basically what it shows that they’re certainly capable of beating anyone and and they can do it maybe it with more than just simply uh shock and awe of of

Great three-point shooting you know last night they they were bad last night for a lot of that game they shot under 45% for the game and I haven’t looked this up yet but there have not been many games this year that the Mavericks have won uh when they shot below 45% I know

They’ve only won one game all year when they shot below 40 uh so their defense has improved uh they’re in a really good run right now in that area so it’s not like they need 120 points to win anymore and to me that’s the most hopeful sign of all because

When you get to the playoffs you’re not going to be able to to win even in this uh souped up NBA uh just scoring 120 night that’s just not going to happen well what happened with Grant here um he seems to be doing all right in Charlotte

Already two games in but what was the main reason it didn’t work just think he lost his confidence he just you know he started out great listen if if if we were having this conversation 15 games of the year I mean we wouldn’t be having this conversation

Because he he looked like the player that the Mavericks made the big deal for I mean he shot the three-pointer great he was guarding people he was leading he was active he was you know had a little Edge to him which the team definitely needed um and then he just started

Missing and missing but gets missing you know some people are able to overcome it you look at a guy like Tim Hardway he was awful last night but you know uh tomorrow night against San Antonio he instead of going the whatever he went last night uh what was he uh he was two

Of 13 last night and one for seven he might go8 for 13 tomorrow night and five for seven right I mean that’s that’s just him you know other than a few games uh you know the Sacramento game most notably Grant just he just lost his confidence offensively and I think it

Forced him to lose his confidence defensively and he got to the point where it was just it became very difficult for the coach to play him Chuck speaking of confidence defensively it seems like there’s a lot of confidence right now from Luka donic the way that he’s playing defense we

We’ve seen a bunch of different metrics that are saying he’s been an improved defensive player I know that Luca recently talked about that with JJ reic how big of a a boost do you think it’s been to get the improved defense from Luca this season huge I mean the game play is

Played at both ends of the floor this is not like football this is not two platoon or Iowa women’s basketball where where the ball you never cross half court okay I mean you you got to play both ends and uh it’s difficult for the Superstar who’s being asked to score as

Much as Luca has been asked to score uh to to make an attempt at that end of the floor but to his credit he absolutely has uh it points to his conditioning uh in in much better condition this year than probably any time in his career uh

You know he has a whole team around him now a nutritionist and strength and conditioning person you know work you know with the Mavericks to make sure that everything is on the same page and I I just think it shows he wants to win he’s all about winning and he’ll do what

He has to do I mean how many times has he gone to the floor you know to try to make sure that uh you know a possession is saved or that the Mavericks actually you know get a ball that maybe they wouldn’t have gotten a year ago um it’s

What’s it it really is what superstars do and I think ultimately it is going to uh have a major payoff and I think we’re starting to see that now cuz the Mavericks finally have gone on a a fairly significant winning streak their longest winning streak of the year and

You know we we talk about the defensive side but offensively obviously that was the the big thrust of the Kyrie Irving trade a year ago we’re a little past a year of that deal being made what is your general thought on on how this pairing has worked out on offense between Luca and

Kyrie it’s been great anybody want to say it’s not great tell and if you want to say it’s not great tell me why it’s not great I mean takes tons of pressure off of Luca uh you know he has somebody else to you know bring up the ball and

Get get them into their offense and I mean Kyrie when he plays and you know that’s obviously been an issue Through The Years uh it’s been an issue here for uh you know certainly this season he’s had a couple of pretty significant injuries but when he plays he is an

Offensive wizard he there is no little guy you know 62 or under that I’ve ever seen that has the ability to finish at The Rim the way he does maybe Isaiah Thomas did back in the day for the Pistons but he he’s just incredible in

How he does it uh he gets to where he wants his handle is ridiculous and he’s been a really good teammate I mean I think he he and Luca they seem to get along really well uh and I think you know they’re they’re both looking uh for

The one thing that that everybody wants and obviously Kyrie had it once a long time ago now in 2016 but I think he wants to show that he can get another one and obviously we all believe not just here in Dallas but else throughout the NBA that at some point Luca is he’s

Going to win an MVP and he’s going to win a title and you know why not now I mean I I don’t see anything to suggest that this doesn’t work and and that comes from the eye test and that also comes from the metrics I mean they’re really good together coup you mentioned

There off the court how how it’s worked out well you know among his teammates Kyrie why do you think it’s worked out better here or or or we haven’t seen those same sort of issues I guess to this point for Kyrie that that he has had other

Spots well I think there are several things here number one he’s not playing with LeBron he’s not in Fishbowl cities like Boston and uh and New York I mean here in Dallas Matt the Mavericks are pre will ignored uh you know personally uh they don’t get the Fishbowl treatment the Cowboys get

The Fishbowl treatment here uh so really you know with all due respect to what we’re all doing here right now and uh you know what happens during the course of the regular season nobody really pays attention until the playoffs nobody does it’s not like the Cowboys where it’s 24

Hours a day 365 days a year right so he can just go and do and be his thing and and be him uh you know I think he’s got a great relationship with Jason kid you know the fact that he admired kid as a kid grew up in Nets fan man in northern

New Jersey uh when the Nets were good and kid was taking him to the NBA finals and he’s had a long-term relationship with moo Harrison too so I think the the pieces are all in place for him to have a really successful run and know I know

There will be the Skeptics who are just waiting for the other shoe to drop and who know maybe it will at some point but there’s nothing to suggest right now that it will voice of the maths Chuck cooperstein here on 1053 The Fan Chuck did you see or hear what Spencer diwy

Had to say and why he chose the Lakers over the Mavericks and if you did hear it what did you think of the comments I didn’t hear it Payton let’s play it for Chuck Cooper steam I’ll give youall something funny that I told told my people cuz I’m fairly candid um the two

Situations kind felt like this like let’s say you were a kid you got your ass whooped by the bullet Dall could have been like your mama being like it’s okay baby don’t worry about it Lakers are like your dad now you better go out there and and fight till you win you

Feel me and I just felt like that was what I need at the time you so I’m big believer and kind of do what need to do it whatever time it is so that’s how I felt about it what do you think Chuck I’m not sure I understand what the

Hell he’s trying to say there there’s you know Spencer was always a great interview um when he was here uh what he’s saying there’s no accountability here is that what he’s saying I mean I I I don’t I don’t know I mean is there accountability in with the

Lakers right now I mean you know the Lakers have what the Lakers have one title in in they have know they won their last title a year before the Mavericks won their title I mean what’s what’s going on here you know they they got LeBron and you got the Fishbowl

Existence with LeBron and the passive aggressiveness of of LeBron I he’s from La the bottom line is he wanted to go home all right the Mavericks made a heck of a run to try to get him in here because Jason kid uh and niik Harrison want a lineup that has

Three ball handlers and just make you really difficult to uh to defend when you’re when you have the ball um but hey he made the call uh the Mavericks and Lakers don’t play each other anymore this year uh so from from my standpoint there’s really nothing to worry about

Chuck thank you so much for the time we appreciate it looking forward to the second half of this season and having you on again thank you thanks for having me guys take care B voice to the Mavericks Chuck cooperstein on the DNM leasing hotline

The Mavericks hype has surged ever since the additions of Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington. The voice of the Mavs Chuck Cooperstein hops on Shan & RJ to talk the Mavs’ ceiling with them, the Luka/Kyrie experiment paying off, & Dinwiddie’s comments.

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