Luka Dealt to Lakers: Nico Harrison is a Basketball Terrorist

[hakeemfaan]

I've been a diehard Mavs fan since the 80s and I've thought a lot about what this deal means. I don't think I'm ready to just cut out the NBA cold turkey but it will never be the same. I've wondered if I might like to start watching the hated Lakers. They currently employ my two favorite players Luka and Dorian. I've thought about following the Thunder. They're homegrown, young, and exciting. I have family in Oklahoma. I've thought about holding out for the next Mavs trade. Maybe they pull a rabbit out of the hat that will get me interested. I still like PJ and Lively.

Man, I just think trading Luka feels like an ender for me. I'll hang around to see what happens at the deadline. And I'll probably watch AD's debut. They'll be good. But even if they go on to win a title it will feel empty. Kyrie and AD are great players but they're not our guys. They're just hired guns who don't even live here. They care about their brand. The owners don't live here either. They don't care about Dallas or basketball. They care about building casinos in Texas.

I've come to the conclusion the Dallas Mavericks are no longer our local basketball team. They're just a business, an asset within a massive corporation. And the players are assets, commodities bought and sold and traded to the highest bidder, or in secret deals negotiated in the dark corners of a Crescent Court coffee shop. The problem is Luka wasn't viewed as an asset by fans. He was an icon. And now that the cover is blown on who this team really is, it's the end of an era.

Brother. This helped me so, so much to kinda get over this. I don’t hate the players who are left behind but how do I wish them the best while absolutely hating the current ownership and management. That was the difficult part for me.  

Reading your post I decided to visualize the Mavs now like you asked to:  a local mom and pop store that has been taken over by a national chain. Some of the employees are still the same and I wish them the best but my love and personal connection for the store has gone. When someone with a personal connection takes over the store again, maybe I will get connected to it again. That also helps me remember the Dirk and Luka years here again with fondness. I look at it as a different time, a different store that I had a personal connection to and no one can take those wonderful memories from me.

For the first time since the trade I have a detached calm view about this and slept well.   For those who will continue to support this iteration of ownership and GM, all the best. I can’t. I don’t have any connection with them or their store anymore just as they showed they really don’t have any clue or care about us fans.