Luka Dealt to Lakers: Nico Harrison is a Basketball Terrorist

[FireNicoHarrison]

It‘s the perfect combination of probably the league‘s biggest international star and the league‘s most popular franchise globally. In the US it might be close in popularity, but internationally it’s clearly the Lakers followed by the Knicks and no other team comes close. Because it’s not just about basketball, but California dreaming - and Big Apple dreaming, so to say. So I guess Luka will continue to stay at the top the next seasons.

Pelinka saw it just after the trade, they united the biggest marketing asset outside USA with the most popular NBA team.

It was a marketing move even more than a basketball move and they paid pennies for Luka.

Collusion.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles...avis-trade


Bill Simmons shares new intel on the Luka trade.

[joshuadx89]

I see a new narrative more and more how it was mostly Dumont and how Nico was the fall guy.

A few problems with that. Nico and Luka’s camp have apparently been going at  each other for a while with Nico removing a lot of insiders who he felt were Luka’s guys.  That is not on Dumont.  Even if Dumont said he didn’t want to pay the supermax how much of it was Nico constantly feeding into Dumont’s ears that it would hamstring the franchise going forward given Luka’s conditioning issues!?  Did Dumont force Nico to be almost gleeful in that only press conference he had following the trade?  Did Dumont force Nico to write a dumb letter where he was praising his own work ethic and comparing himself to a generational star as if that star got there without any work ethic?  Another thing lost in that presser was Nico dismissing the injury that AD was going through and saying he expects the medical reports to be ok. So he made the deal without even knowing the extent of the injury?  Especially for an older player who has never been the healthiest?  Did Nico do his due diligence even if his hands were forced?

I am not excusing Luka. Seeing that video reminded me how skinny he was. He is fat now. That is solely on him. However he is also an offensive savant and just like Harden is doing even now, he will put up huge numbers even 5 years from now because his game is based on balance and strength than raw speed.  Nico was correct about his reasons to be frustrated with Luka. Even many of us fans were. It’s just that unlike us fans he didn’t evaluate the flip side correctly. Luka is not AD. Luka is not even Harden.  This is a generational level offensive talent and the whole thing should have been dealt much better. In hoops, organizations don’t win titles. Generational talents do. Even Riley has struggled after taking a stance against Bron despite that one Finals run. GMs and owners should not bend over backwards to every whim of players but they shouldn’t be arrogant either and think of players as just movable parts. Especially not when you have a generational talent in the mix.

If anyone expected Luka to stay the same size as he was when he was 19, that person was an idiot.   Not every athlete is a good body guy.   Luka may have put on weight when he was injured but he is built wide and tall.   It's part of what makes his game.    The dude should have won the MVP last year.  He took the team to the NBA finals, and it still wasn't enough for Nico because he didn't look and act like Kobe.    

The Mavericks had a generational talent, sold him low, and then tried to act like he was some sort of 400 lb slob who couldnt get up and down the court to justify it.    He played hurt, barely missed time outside of load management up until this year and the team decided they didnt like that he drank a few beers.   Just absolute nonsense.   There is no justifying the trade or how they treated him after the trade.

[ballsrchr]

If anyone expected Luka to stay the same size as he was when he was 19, that person was an idiot.   Not every athlete is a good body guy.   Luka may have put on weight when he was injured but he is built wide and tall.   It's part of what makes his game.    The dude should have won the MVP last year.  He took the team to the NBA finals, and it still wasn't enough for Nico because he didn't look and act like Kobe.    

The Mavericks had a generational talent, sold him low, and then tried to act like he was some sort of 400 lb slob who couldnt get up and down the court to justify it.    He played hurt, barely missed time outside of load management up until this year and the team decided they didnt like that he drank a few beers.   Just absolute nonsense.   There is no justifying the trade or how they treated him after the trade.

Yeah...I agree with this.  Take a look at Jokic.  He's not a svelte, ripped, muscular guy with 6 pac abs.  And I would give my left testicle to have Jokic on the Mavs.  Heck...at this point in my life I'd give both testicles...

And I would NOT have traded Luka.

[FireNicoHarrison]

League saved and one team destroyed... It's a good bargain for them.

[LifeAquatic]

Apparently Nico held an invite only press conference where cameras and recording devices were NOT allowed. Sounds like he just kept saying "Defense wins championships" over and over. 

Can we just fire this idiot already and move forward at little bit at least?

BTW: Cato was there and he said outside of Mavs staffers and Mavs media, only 12 other media people were included.

[omahen]

Apparently Nico held an invite only press conference where cameras and recording devices were NOT allowed. Sounds like he just kept saying "Defense wins championships" over and over. 

Can we just fire this idiot already and move forward at little bit at least?

BTW: Cato was there and he said outside of Mavs staffers and Mavs media, only 12 other media people were included.

Best question Cato and other put on their youtube really is: why was this needed today? A day before Mavs play-in game. Why not a couple of days later or a month earlier?

Good talk:

Inside Nico Harrison’s SECRET Meeting With Dallas Media | DLLS Mavs Podcast

[Kidnova]

Apparently Nico held an invite only press conference where cameras and recording devices were NOT allowed. Sounds like he just kept saying "Defense wins championships" over and over. 

Can we just fire this idiot already and move forward at little bit at least?

BTW: Cato was there and he said outside of Mavs staffers and Mavs media, only 12 other media people were included.

It's actually shocking how clueless Nico is with regards to public relations, not to mention basketball in general. He may hang onto this GM job as long as he can because he's probably going to have a hard time finding another job in any role, let alone something in the NBA.

[omahen]

It's actually shocking how clueless Nico is with regards to public relations, not to mention basketball in general. He may hang onto this GM job as long as he can because he's probably going to have a hard time finding another job in any role, let alone something in the NBA.

They have a whole team for PR. And it was not just Nico on this event, it was also the CEO Welts. The whole Mavs is so clueless it is beyond belief.

The way the season went there was no correct answers. I don't think anything that would be said would make sense (because lets be honest, nothing really make sense about this trade). So why today? After all the hits they took, they thought a (controilled) news conference would turn anything for the better?

[FireNicoHarrison]

This guy is done, he is visibly in difficulty... He needs help, he needs to go away from Dallas area.
I'm really worried about his health.

[omahen]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8gyXGCcRVQ

[cow]

To give the smallest amount of grace, I'm not sure what Nico can say to appease anyone at this point. Cue the "I quite" jokes. On the other hand, having a limited access conference without about being able to record is pretty cowardly and that lines up with his stadium behavior. I don't think this relationship is salvageable even if they somehow managed to win a championship next year...as crazy as that sounds.

[The Jom]

Any assertion that the NBA/Silver could (and might) stop a trade for non-CBA reasons is pure nonsense.

The league operates within the limits of negotiated and bargained-for, very well-defined, and fully-enforceable legal agreements, and the NBA itself (ie, Silver the Commissioner) does not have the power some think it does. The CBA with the players, the Covenants and ByLaws with the individual owners, etc, define the NBA's power, and those would be violated (and make the league subject to MASSIVE lawsuits) if they rejected a trade for any reason other than it failed to conform with the written, negotiated trade rules.

The Chris Paul trade is often cited as a precedent of the league voiding a trade for arbitrary reasons, but it was not. The NBA did not step in and reject that deal (even though many mistakenly believed that was what happened). Instead, it was the ownership of NO who decided they did not want to do it.

The Lakers won this trade because they were smart and eager to take advantage of the stupidness of Nico, and because Nico is a buffoon as a GM, a naive non-expert thinking he's smarter and wiser than he actually is. He has no clue how to evaluate player value and negotiate to win a deal. LA saw a sucker and suckered him. And because we have a foolish Mavs ownership group who stupidly gave the control of the Mavs to such an idiot who was so stupid as to get suckered like that.

Respect to the opinion author and those who liked this post. It may be true. But there is considerable speculation in it, and I don’t believe it. 

“Everything was legal and honest” is every bit as questionable as “it’s a giant conspiracy.”

[hakeemfaan]

If anyone expected Luka to stay the same size as he was when he was 19, that person was an idiot.   Not every athlete is a good body guy.   Luka may have put on weight when he was injured but he is built wide and tall.   It's part of what makes his game.    The dude should have won the MVP last year.  He took the team to the NBA finals, and it still wasn't enough for Nico because he didn't look and act like Kobe.    

The Mavericks had a generational talent, sold him low, and then tried to act like he was some sort of 400 lb slob who couldnt get up and down the court to justify it.    He played hurt, barely missed time outside of load management up until this year and the team decided they didnt like that he drank a few beers.   Just absolute nonsense.   There is no justifying the trade or how they treated him after the trade.

I have said most of the same things.   Also I have said his weight concerns are a bit overblown given that he seems to outlast elite NBA defenders who are some of the best athletes.  There has been no post from me defending this trade in any shape or form 

However Luka had his share of issues as well. He had a great coach in RC who he used to apparently mock.  Next he got a players coach and a HOF guard. Yet on certain things even he couldn’t get through to Luka.  Yes Luka is never going to be svelte but neither is Jokic. Yet you never hear any complaints about the time he puts in the gym. You also hear how he has drastically changed his diet. 

Again none of this is defending this trade or this FO. I want them all fired. Despite the flaws I have listed, I can list so many great things that he brings to the table which is why the word “generational” is used. Plus he wanted to be here. He never asked to be traded. He never cribbed about the supporting cast unlike even lesser stars. The front office might have had some legit gripes about Luka,, but they didn’t balance it out with all the great things he brought. Also not having any context of the Mavs history, these guys couldn’t understand how big a deal it was that one of the best players in the game actually was happy to be here.

[RGP1981]

The Chris Paul trade is often cited as a precedent of the league voiding a trade for arbitrary reasons, but it was not. The NBA did not step in and reject that deal (even though many mistakenly believed that was what happened). Instead, it was the ownership of NO who decided they did not want to do it.

This bit is not fully accurate. The Hornet were owned by the 29 other NBA teams at that time. This is why David Stern was the Commissioner of the League while also serving as the de facto owner of the Hornets.

So you can not say that, "the NBA did not step in and reject that deal". Or say that, "it was the ownership of NO who decided they did not want the trade and not the NBA", like as if it was a separate or different entity or group who owned them.

Stern nullified the trade because other team owners did not want it to happen and protested the trade to the league. The other owners thought that the Lakers would once again win multiple championships with a back-court of Kobe and CP3. Stern provided a reason/excuse of, “we thought it was in the best interests of the Hornets that CP3 stay in a Hornets uniform”. Yet 6 days later, CP3 got traded to the Clippers for what turned out to be a worse (?) haul. Goran Dragic was part of the package the Hornets were meant to receive from the Lakers and Houston. He was better than the players they received: Eric Gordon, Al Farouq Aminu, Chris Kaman and Austin Rivers.

Anyway, I agree with you, it’s naive to think that the league can nullify this Luka-AD trade, especially after what Nico and Dumont have been saying. Also, Nico should have definitely pushed to get Austin Reaves as part of the deal. I can't imagine anyone saying no, lol. That would have given the Mavs another play-maker and trade asset, and weakened the Lakers too.

[cow]

I have said most of the same things.   Also I have said his weight concerns are a bit overblown given that he seems to outlast elite NBA defenders who are some of the best athletes.  There has been no post from me defending this trade in any shape or form 

However Luka had his share of issues as well. He had a great coach in RC who he used to apparently mock.  Next he got a players coach and a HOF guard. Yet on certain things even he couldn’t get through to Luka.  Yes Luka is never going to be svelte but neither is Jokic. Yet you never hear any complaints about the time he puts in the gym. You also hear how he has drastically changed his diet. 

Again none of this is defending this trade or this FO. I want them all fired. Despite the flaws I have listed, I can list so many great things that he brings to the table which is why the word “generational” is used. Plus he wanted to be here. He never asked to be traded. He never cribbed about the supporting cast unlike even lesser stars. The front office might have had some legit gripes about Luka,, but they didn’t balance it out with all the great things he brought. Also not having any context of the Mavs history, these guys couldn’t understand how big a deal it was that one of the best players in the game actually was happy to be here.

Luka certainly has issues and I'm not trying to put words in your mouth like "Luka can't take coaching", but it does seem like a somewhat popular sentiment.  I'd like to know more about his time in Europe and what the perception was there.  Carlisle's a great coach but I'm not sure he was well equipped to handle someone with Luka's combination of personality, talent, age, and professional experience.  Kidd did himself no favors with his quip about the Mavericks offense being "give the ball to Luka" when he first started.  I was never a fan of the Kidd hire in the first place so I'm admittedly biased against his coaching acumen.  Maybe this all originated with the fallout of KP and Carlisle?  I guess, I just don't get the sentiment. Maybe it's my gut telling me that Luka would accept coaching, even hard coaching. *shrug*

[hakeemfaan]

Respect to the opinion author and those who liked this post. It may be true. But there is considerable speculation in it, and I don’t believe it. 

“Everything was legal and honest” is every bit as questionable as “it’s a giant conspiracy.”

I am not even saying it was a giant conspiracy. I am just not buying that if the franchises were reversed , Silver would  not have done something to at least potentially delay the deal till he could find some way to block it. 

That’s why I referenced the overarching rule they used in the Sterling case and then later settled out of court. Not just us, but most fans and writers acknowledge this was an unprecedented deal. Trading a 25 year old generational star coming off a Finals run for a much older, lesser talented and injury prone player.   The bigger thing is that Silver had to know how it would affect the entire fan base of the Mavs. This move was as good as a team saying they wanted to move in the middle of a night to another city. Surely Silver knew what this meant even if Rick Welts and Nico and Dumont allegedly didn’t. 

Would Silver have been able to stop this trade? I don’t know. All I am saying is that IMO he would have tried much harder to block this if the recipient was not the Lakers or the Knicks, given the historic and unprecedented fallout this would have on an entire city and its fan base

[Chicagojk]

https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/upload...width=1440&quality=70&auto=webp

What a picture.  Got this from the athletic in their most recent story.  Hope it works.

Nico hiding in the tunnel and the Lakers movie star good look GM in center stage.

[RGP1981]

Maybe I'm missing something because he didn't look fat to me the other night. He's lost that pudginess he had earlier this year. At least to me. He's never going to be svelte.

I think the Mavericks should have stuck with Luka or made a better trade, but just wanted to say...

I'm watching the Magic-Hawks play-in game and Luka still looks wider than Georges Niang to me.

Wiki says that Niang's nickname is the mini-van.

[RGP1981]

The NBA is low-key trolling the Mavericks with its advertisement for the 2025 playoffs... which is strengthening my conviction that the league somehow had a part to play in the Luka-AD trade. They have Rob Lowe (Rob Pelinka's doppleganger) in it saying, "It's Show-time".

If that's not a troll job, then I don't know what is, lol.

(1:08 into this clip)