Luka Dealt to Lakers: Nico Harrison is a Basketball Terrorist

[F Gump]

You've always had a good read on the business side of things.  What's your prediction on the next step with Nico?  Does he last the rest of the season or do you think Dumont gives him another season to see how Nico's vision plays out?

I initially thought he would get through next season to give things a chance to work, but I think the blowback has been much so much greater than Nico/Dumont thought it would be, and I imagine Dumont has to be weighing the value (not much) vs the cost (more than expected) of keeping Nico around.

I would fire him now and hire Dennis Lindsey. Or yesterday. My issue is not just the trade (which is already done), but also his tone-deaf approach to his customer base (which is going on and on and on). He has thin skin (tossing fans who boo him), he hides in Dallas but is front and center on the road, he leaks whispers "off the record" to bash Luka and try to make himself look good, and he doesn't step forward and man up and hold himself accountable to Mavs Fans. Where's a public fan forum where he takes any questions, listens, answers, and takes the abuse he has made exist? That's how you dissolve a crisis, not by hiding and not letting the opposition vent. At any big corporation, his crisis management would NOT be what you want in your leader., and he would have already been fired.

One issue is that he just signed a big extension last summer, so with money on the line, I expect their tolerance might be longer than mine-- sadly, since he's making the situation worse day by day.

So I think he must be on a short leash. I doubt he can survive if the Lakers get to the Finals, or if the Mavs don't make the playoffs while LA has a deep run. Remember, he said this was a "win now" move, presumably he made those commitments to his bosses, and going backwards isn't win now. The fact AD isn't playing is not an excuse, but rather his own failure, because it was on him to make sure they are getting a player you can count on in exchange for a supreme player like Luka.
 
He has no value or future in Dallas if the basketball result is bad. He MIGHT survive if it's favorable.

I think how those factors play out - how is LA doing with Luka, and how is Dallas doing without him - will also flow down to ticket sales if they turn out badly, and if there's a real yawn factor developing around the Mavs, his bosses can (and should) use him as a public scapegoat to try to bring fans back. Fire him publicly, make a big deal about how the Mavs can't tolerate incompetence, and invite fans back because Nico is gone. I think it should be VERY public - get out in front of this whole fiasco, in a way that Nico has been too weak to do, admit Nico sucked big time, and throw him under the bus as a sop to fans needing some way to like the Mavs as a team.

I want Dennis Lindsey back, to be Nico's boss on things like trades and contracts and roster building. Nico can't be trusted with the keys. The Adelson's have the money, and money can hire them who they need. They NEED someone way better in those areas.