02-03-2025, 05:12 PM
Nico couldn't wait to get this done. No king's ransom. Just premature ejaculation with the first girl he talked to. On paper, this is the worst trade in history of the NBA. I literally thought someone hacked ESPN.
That being said, games aren't won on paper. Long shot, but maybe Nico is right, Luka is addition by subtraction. Despite his greatness, Luka had his flaws on/off the court, and he needed to evolve. Last year was lightning-in-a-bottle, the peak. The only thing changing the championship calculus was a locked in, healthy Luka. It didn't happen, and the MBT reached their boiling point, and it was time to move on.
But there is still no justifying the return. Nico, Finley, whoever was involved made this personal. The Assassination of Luka Doncic by the Coward Nico Harrison authored by Sasa Doncic.
Putting my Mavs (and Kentucky) hat on, Anthony Davis in a Mavs jersey is going to be sweet, and Christie has some upside. AD was probably the best player on the Lakers this season. He arguably could have been the MVP of the Lakers' bubble championship. Does Anthony Davis have a Walton/Dirk/Hakeem playoff run in him? That's the only way this works (or if Luka crashes and burns in LA) and quite frankly I don't enjoy those odds.
The Mavs will have their middling moments then become a bottom dweller feels more likely. Nico being a fraud feels more likely. Luka getting fired up and making perennial playoff runs in LA feels more likely. Thankfully, I am not a betting man, but perhaps the Adelsons are. Vegas any one?
That being said, games aren't won on paper. Long shot, but maybe Nico is right, Luka is addition by subtraction. Despite his greatness, Luka had his flaws on/off the court, and he needed to evolve. Last year was lightning-in-a-bottle, the peak. The only thing changing the championship calculus was a locked in, healthy Luka. It didn't happen, and the MBT reached their boiling point, and it was time to move on.
But there is still no justifying the return. Nico, Finley, whoever was involved made this personal. The Assassination of Luka Doncic by the Coward Nico Harrison authored by Sasa Doncic.
Putting my Mavs (and Kentucky) hat on, Anthony Davis in a Mavs jersey is going to be sweet, and Christie has some upside. AD was probably the best player on the Lakers this season. He arguably could have been the MVP of the Lakers' bubble championship. Does Anthony Davis have a Walton/Dirk/Hakeem playoff run in him? That's the only way this works (or if Luka crashes and burns in LA) and quite frankly I don't enjoy those odds.
The Mavs will have their middling moments then become a bottom dweller feels more likely. Nico being a fraud feels more likely. Luka getting fired up and making perennial playoff runs in LA feels more likely. Thankfully, I am not a betting man, but perhaps the Adelsons are. Vegas any one?
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