Mavs' Coaching Move Makes Dusty May And Cooper Flagg The Faces Of The Post-luka Doncic Remake

Questions surely will travel Dusty May arsenic he leaps to nan Dallas Mavericks aft coaching Michigan to nan NCAA nationalist championship.

Can he supply blessed amnesia to nan Mavericks faithful? Can he thief them hide Luka Doncic and Nico Harrison and Anthony Davis and Jason Kidd? Can he let them to adjacent into a early anchored by budding superstar Cooper Flagg without perpetually checking nan rearview mirror?

May, 49, was hired Tuesday arsenic nan Mavericks’ caput coach, according to aggregate outlets. He led Michigan to nan pinnacle of March Madness past play and posted a 64-13 grounds successful 2 years. He besides coached Florida Atlantic to nan 2023 Final Four and a 60-13 grounds successful nan past 2 of his six seasons there.

The database of high-profile assemblage coaches who struggled to replicate their occurrence successful nan NBA is daunting: Rick Pitino, John Calipari, John Beilein, Lon Kruger, Tim Floyd and Mike Montgomery instantly leap to mind.

Not only did May not coach aliases play successful nan NBA, he hardly played successful college. He was a 5-foot-10 constituent defender astatine NAIA Oakland City for 1 play earlier transferring to Indiana and serving arsenic squad head nether coach Bobby Knight.

But his presence will divert attraction from nan past, from nan hugely unpopular and disastrous waste and acquisition of Doncic to nan Lakers for Davis and spare parts connected Feb. 1, 2025.

Mavericks fans staged a faux ceremonial complete pinch a casket a time later successful beforehand of nan Dirk Nowitzki statue extracurricular nan American Airlines Center. They booed Harrison — nan wide head who engineered nan woody — astatine each location crippled and chanted “Fire Nico.”

When Doncic returned arsenic an opponent, Mavericks fans chanted “MVP” erstwhile nan Lakers subordinate changeable free throws.

Harrison admitted to underestimating nan backlash from fans but defended nan trade, initially saying he had “no regrets.” By November, he was fired and updated his societal media floor plan to “unemployed.”

Next to spell was Kidd, a Hall of Fame constituent defender who helped nan Mavericks to their only NBA title arsenic a subordinate and to nan NBA Finals arsenic a coach. At nan time, it wasn’t clear whether Kidd was an advocator of nan Doncic woody aliases a unfortunate of a front-office blunder. But Mark Cuban, nan Mavericks’ erstwhile mostly proprietor who presently owns 27% of nan team, indicated March 31 during a podcast that Kidd was complicit.

“I deliberation location was animosity betwixt [Harrison] and immoderate group connected Luka’s squad — his supplier and immoderate of nan group astir them,” Cuban said. “I don’t deliberation they sewage along. I deliberation location were issues.

“J-Kidd had coached Anthony Davis and was adjacent to him, and Nico was adjacent to AD since he was for illustration 13 years old. So I deliberation location was immoderate confirmation bias arsenic well. But that doesn’t warrant our coach and our wide head to guidelines up and waste and acquisition our champion player.”

Doncic, 26, flourished successful his first play successful Los Angeles contempt a late-season wounded that kept him retired of nan playoffs. The shooting defender led nan NBA pinch 33.5 points per crippled and he will beryllium a franchise cornerstone. Davis played only 20 games pinch Dallas because of injuries and successful February was traded to nan Washington Wizards.

The makeover began erstwhile nan Mavericks secured nan first prime successful nan 2025 NBA Draft contempt having only a 1.8% chance of obtaining it done nan lottery. They took Flagg, a guardant from Duke who went connected to lead Dallas pinch 21 points per crippled and was named Rookie of nan Year.

Next, they hired respected erstwhile Raptors executive Masai Ujiri arsenic squad president. And now they person added May arsenic coach. This week they will adhd 2 much promising players via nan first information of nan NBA Draft.

The franchise is trying to destruct reminders while attempting to instill dream for nan future.

Meanwhile astatine Michigan, a loaded roster will study to interim coach Mike Boynton Jr., May’s apical adjunct and nan caput coach astatine Oklahoma State from 2019-2024. Players are allowed to participate nan transportation portal for 15 days pursuing a coaching change, truthful occupation 1 for Boynton will beryllium to support them from fleeing.