Mavs see a clear path to contention if the health of Irving and Davis, Flagg's arrival go as planned

“Once we get Kyrie back in the fold,” four-time champion Klay Thompson declared, “I don't see why we can't win the whole thing.”

Irving was half-joking Monday when he proclaimed before a question could be asked at media day, “I'm right on schedule, guys.”

He felt the need because of reports based on his encouraging updates on social media that he was ahead of schedule coming off surgery. It's just shy of seven months since Irving injured his left knee while driving to the basket.

Coach Jason Kidd didn't seem quite as amused over those reports. Kidd and Irving declined to deal in timelines at all. The only definitive word from Kidd was that everybody, except Irving, had been medically cleared for training camp, which will be this week in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Dallas opens the season Oct. 22 at home against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. The only certainty is Irving won't be ready by then.

“Can we just refrain from saying, ‘Ahead of schedule?’” Kidd said with a hint of annoyance. “That's bad reporting. He is doing quite well, as we can see. But he's not ahead of schedule. And so let's not say that. That's unfair to him and to the Mavs.”

Questions of health have dogged the Mavericks since Davis aggravated a leg injury in his Dallas debut a week after coming over from the Los Angeles Lakers in the Doncic deal. The oft-injured forward was still out when Irving injured his knee, so the Mavs have seen the lineup they envisioned together for just about half of a game.

Davis said the injury to his right eye, which was still quite red in his first meeting with reporters, happened when he took an elbow from Dallas center Daniel Gafford. He wasn't aware of the damage to the retina until the offseason, which led to the surgery.

The doctor's orders are clear, Davis said. He will have to protect his eyes for the rest of his career.

“Which I'm not too excited about,” Davis said. “I’ve been wearing them in the summer, working out and everything like that. I’m trying to get used to them.

“You guys will see me in the Horace Grants this year,” Davis said with a smile, referring to the former Chicago Bulls player who wore goggles. “It won’t be like that, but I will have some protective eyewear for sure.”

Irving and Davis also will be protective of Flagg, an 18-year-old rookie who gets the rare luxury of being a top pick joining a team with some Hall of Fame pedigrees and multiple championships.

While Thompson won all of his with the Golden State Warriors, Irving and Davis shared their one title apiece with LeBron James — Irving in Cleveland and Davis with the Lakers.

“That’s something that I’ve said ever since the draft, and it’s just feeling blessed,” Flagg said. “We have an incredible team, incredible guys, great vets who have so much experience and can teach all of us young guys a lot. But then a lot of young guys as well who are really talented and are ready to kind of win now.”

After unloading Doncic and losing Davis and Irving to injury, the Mavericks managed to finish 10th for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference. Dallas won in Sacramento, then lost at Memphis with the eighth seed on the line.

Had Dallas reached the playoffs, Flagg would have gone elsewhere. Instead, converting on a 1.8% chance to get the top pick changed the club's short- and long-term futures dramatically.

The other potentially significant addition is guard D'Angelo Russell, a former teammate of Davis' in LA. He was the second pick in 2016, while Irving (2011) and Davis (2012) were predecessors to Flagg as No. 1 choices.

The rest of the roster is mostly intact from last season. Dereck Lively II and Gafford are set to form the center tandem, and Dante Exum and Max Christie — the other player acquired in the Doncic trade — join Thompson in the backcourt. Brandon Williams, who was a pleasant surprise for Dallas in a depleted backcourt, returns as well.

P.J. Washington and Caleb Martin, both trade acquisitions within the past two years, are small forwards in what could be a versatile lineup. The 6-foot-9 Flagg could end up playing just about anywhere on the court, even point guard, although Kidd — a Hall of Fame point guard himself — might call it something else.

“I think as far as J-Kidd and me have talked about, it’s just being versatile,” Flagg said. “We have a bunch of guys that can do a lot different things. So just utilizing that to our advantage.”

This story has been corrected to show it has been nearly seven months since Irving's knee injury, not six.

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