Luka Dealt to Lakers: Nico Harrison is a Basketball Terrorist

[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*