Luka Dealt to Lakers: Nico Harrison is a Basketball Terrorist

[DallasMaverick]

"Salvage" Luka?  That's a bit extreme.  Dude is a walking 30pt triple double and perennial MVP candidate.

I love Barkley's story about Moses Malone calling him a fat ass and that he'll never be great until he gets into shape.  Barkley lost 50 lbs.  Now take that with a player incredibly more talented.  Luka is already on the road to the HOF, but if he could get into the best possible shape for him, he could be an alltime great.

Lebron has to make Luka his grasshopper.  No one in the history of professional sports has physically beaten father time like Lebron.  Luka can choose to go that route and become an alltime great, or become a HOFer on his current path.

I suspect that Luka has heard a similar message (like Moses Malone to Barkley) many, many times over the past few years. Probably from many voices within the organization.  Fin, Dirk, Nico, Kidd.

But it hasn't been enough to motivate him to change.

Maybe LeBron plus being traded will finally get through.

...and it's not like Pelinka was unaware of all that history, either.  It's not like selling a used car with a blown head gasket to an unsuspecting buyer.

And knowing Nico's long relationship, I suspect he provided full disclosure to Pelinka. But Pelinka obiously believed it was worth the risk.