Luka Dealt to Lakers: Nico Harrison is a Basketball Terrorist

[dirkfansince1998]

My favorite conspiracy theory is Slovenia recognizing Palestine. The Mavs asking Luka to stop representing Slovenia in international competitions. Luka refusing. Adelson's telling Nico to get rid of him.
Luka the martyr sounds a lot better than Luka being traded for on court reasons. Obviously complete fiction. Luka is among the least political actors in the sport.

[hakeemfaan]

SH: Even if Luka gets a freak injury his first minute with the Lakers, this is still an utter failure. We had the 25 year old healthy Luka and never even opened up a bidding war. Not just that because Pelinka knew he had no competition he even lowered the bid. Then to say that trading Luka gives the best chance to win now when you get an older and less impactful player was the worst. As I said I don’t even give him the benefit of doubt of the owners forcing his hand because if they knew they were going to be villains anyway, why hide the trade? Open it up to all bidders Hiding it benefitted only one person. Nico. The public outcry might have got him fired before he could finish his coup. No one was going to fire the owners.

Fif. : I. love Dirk and despite everyone now accepting him as one of the greats due to his title run, IMO he is still criminally underrated. He would have at least 3 titles playing with Manu and TP. like TD did. Dirks efficiency and upping his averages in both rebounding and scoring in the playoffs is not talked about much.

Having said all that and despite having a lot of frustrations with Luka, Luka is still a different beast offensively. It’s crazy to say that given how great Dirk was but Luka is something else offensively. Also while we loved Dirk Ii don’t think Dirk was a national draw like Luka.

[fifteenth]

Fif. : I. love Dirk and despite everyone now accepting him as one of the greats due to his title run, IMO he is still criminally underrated. He would have at least 3 titles playing with Manu and TP. like TD did. Dirks efficiency and upping his averages in both rebounding and scoring in the playoffs is not talked about much.

Having said all that and despite having a lot of frustrations with Luka, Luka is still a different beast offensively.  It’s crazy to say that given how great Dirk was but Luka is something else offensively.  Also while we loved Dirk Ii don’t think Dirk was a national draw like Luka.

I get that. I was imagining the emotional impact of an out of left field trade of Dirk in his prime, and looking at that possibility in hindsight, knowing that Dirk delivered in the long run. This time around we don't even get a chance to stick it out and see how the story ends.

[Jym]

I wonder which is going to win out: the refs' hatred for Luka or the refs' love for the Lakers
gonna be terrifying if Luka actually starts getting touch fouls consistently

[BolsDamols]

I wonder which is going to win out: the refs' hatred for Luka or the refs' love for the Lakers
gonna be terrifying if Luka actually starts getting touch fouls consistently

I think it will be the latter, and voila, Luka's complaining to the refs will decrease exponentially

[MaxiThreeba]

I’ve decided that if I never watch the Mavs or Lakers again, then Luka never got traded. So I’m just gonna trick my mind into thinking those two teams don’t exist anymore.

Then, because I’m dead inside, I’ll only watch the Wizards until I never want to watch basketball again.

[KillerLeft]

Imagine it's 2006 and Dirk just lost in his first finals appearance. We're hurting. But we're still all in on Dirk. He is our guy. We drafted him and then watched him grow into a top 5 player in the league.

Then imagine the team trades Dirk, with no warning, for an older, inferior player.

That's what Nico did.

It’s worse than that. A few of us were starting to question Luka’s professionalism (rightfully so) but back then, TONS of folks, even many Mavs fans, questioned whether or not Dirk had enough greatness in him to get it done. Trading him after 2007 would’ve been a shocker, but not to this extent.

[SleepingHero]

@MikeACurtis2
Daniel Gafford on losing Luka Doncic: "It's tough. I really can't even put it into words, I would say. It's one that hurts, for sure."

On what he'll miss most: "The type of person he was. He had a lot of character. He was real chill. He was real quiet. He stayed to himself. He just did everything that made himself happy. He had fun with the game and pretty much made everybody around him laugh. Made everybody around him happy. He did what it took to be able to come out here and play winning basketball. It hurts but it's the league, man. It's a business."

[BigDirk41]

@MikeACurtis2
Daniel Gafford on losing Luka Doncic: "It's tough. I really can't even put it into words, I would say. It's one that hurts, for sure."

On what he'll miss most: "The type of person he was. He had a lot of character. He was real chill. He was real quiet. He stayed to himself. He just did everything that made himself happy. He had fun with the game and pretty much made everybody around him laugh. Made everybody around him happy. He did what it took to be able to come out here and play winning basketball. It hurts but it's the league, man. It's a business."

Fuck you Nico

[audiosway]

I struggle with this. I feel terrible for Luka because he didn't want to leave Dallas.

However, I do have a theory of what happened. I've thought quite a bit about this along with the reports that are out there and what players, Kidd, and Nico have all said.

It's evident that Luka doesn't think there is an issue. He said there was nothing wrong with his conditioning in the LA intro presser. He said that was said about him to give motive as to why he was traded. They also asked him how he saw himself fitting in with the Lakers on the floor and playing with LeBron. He said he hasn't been thinking about basketball for a while. Those two things right there are very telling. I'm not saying he isn't competitive and isn't an amazing player at all. I love watching Luka. He is my favorite player in the league right now.

But, I also saw how Kidd, Kyrie, and Klay all reacted to the trade. Kyrie said it's a ruthless business. Klay essentially said sometimes that needs to happen. It's a business. Kidd basically parroted that. The reports from insiders are saying that Luka was out of shape and had to be benched the last two seasons early in the season to lose weight. This year it was called a wrist injury. He has hurt that same calf in 3 of the last 4 seasons. That's an injury that comes from a lack of conditioning. It's soft tissue.

They were also saying that Kidd and even players had talked to him about complaining to the refs and he wasn't listening. Cuban kept guys around because he was a fan. Nico and Kidd are business. I also feel like a couple of the players were getting frustrated with his lack of work ethic and complained to Kidd and/or Nico. I could see Klay saying something like "this isn't what I signed on for". Klay has an insane work ethic. Kyrie has a very serious work ethic. Luka doesn't. He never had to because mentally is like a Jedi and 3-4 steps ahead of everything on the floor.

Media talks about Luka not playing defense. If you watch the Minny and Boston series last year he wasn't playing D because he was just gassed. He was also injured with the same calf injury he has right now. It healed and happened again. I was just thinking of how frustrated I would be as Kyrie, Klay, or Kidd knowing how hard it is to win a championship. You are there but can't get it done because you are worn out. Luka may be 25 but Kyrie is 32. He will be 33 next month. He doesn't have many more tries at this. Klay is 35 and likely done after 2 more years. Klay thought he was coming here to win. The Mavs are sitting at 11 right now due to Luka missing over a month because of the same soft tissue injury he keeps getting. Yes there were other injured players. But, you can't help but think Luka shouldn't be injured like this.

Don't forget that Jokic just started coming into shape about 3 years ago or so. That's when he won a title.

I'm just devastated at Luka being traded. I started thinking the players mentioned something too when they started mentioning timeline. Kyrie and Klay are depending on Luka being ready now. As incredible as Luka is he just isn't emotionally mature enough for that yet. Doesn't make the pain go away though.

[vfromlmf]

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.

[audiosway]

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. 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.

The Dallas Mavericks are no longer our local basketball team. They're a business, an asset. 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 a era.

I honestly don't think I could have put it any better. I was a Celtics fan in the 80s. Didn't watch for a little bit of the 90s. Then, I got hooked on Dallas when Dirk got drafted. Luka felt like that all over again. He was about to be the face of the NBA and he was our guy.

It just doesn't feel the same anymore. In my prior post I said why I think it went down. But, you nailed it. The Mavs are an asset now. They are looked at like the Lakers were they just get great hired guns and win titles. I think I would rather see Luka go to battle than watch hired guns with no vested interest. I'll probably end up watching some Laker games because of Luka and Dorian.

[Jym]

I honestly don't think I could have put it any better. I was a Celtics fan in the 80s. Didn't watch for a little bit of the 90s. Then, I got hooked on Dallas when Dirk got drafted. Luka felt like that all over again. He was about to be the face of the NBA and he was our guy.

It just doesn't feel the same anymore. In my prior post I said why I think it went down. But, you nailed it. The Mavs are an asset now. They are looked at like the Lakers were they just get great hired guns and win titles. I think I would rather see Luka go to battle than watch hired guns with no vested interest. I'll probably end up watching some Laker games because of Luka and Dorian.

I was a teenage Kings fan until the series in 2003 when the Mavs won me over 
And honestly the only reason I was a Kings fan before that was born out of more of an anti-Lakers bias 
can be weird for us people born in states without a single major league team in any sport

[fifteenth]

It’s worse than that. A few of us were starting to question Luka’s professionalism (rightfully so) but back then, TONS of folks, even many Mavs fans, questioned whether or not Dirk had enough greatness in him to get it done. Trading him after 2007 would’ve been a shocker, but not to this extent.

It would have been for me. I never stopped believing in Dirk. I know that not everyone was with me on that.

[fifteenth]

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 a era.

Dang, V. You just expressed what's going in my heart, that I've been trying to put into words. It "feels like an ender," "it will never be the same," "these aren't our guys," "this is no longer a local team. It's just a business." 

yep

[WillE]

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 a era.

Amen!

[meistermatze]

I struggle with this. I feel terrible for Luka because he didn't want to leave Dallas.
However, I do have a theory of what happened. I've thought quite a bit about this along with the reports that are out there and what players, Kidd, and Nico have all said.
It's evident that Luka doesn't think there is an issue. He said there was nothing wrong with his conditioning in the LA intro presser. He said that was said about him to give motive as to why he was traded. They also asked him how he saw himself fitting in with the Lakers on the floor and playing with LeBron. He said he hasn't been thinking about basketball for a while. Those two things right there are very telling. I'm not saying he isn't competitive and isn't an amazing player at all. I love watching Luka. He is my favorite player in the league right now.
But, I also saw how Kidd, Kyrie, and Klay all reacted to the trade. Kyrie said it's a ruthless business. Klay essentially said sometimes that needs to happen. It's a business. Kidd basically parroted that. The reports from insiders are saying that Luka was out of shape and had to be benched the last two seasons early in the season to lose weight. This year it was called a wrist injury. He has hurt that same calf in 3 of the last 4 seasons. That's an injury that comes from a lack of conditioning. It's soft tissue.
They were also saying that Kidd and even players had talked to him about complaining to the refs and he wasn't listening. Cuban kept guys around because he was a fan. Nico and Kidd are business. I also feel like a couple of the players were getting frustrated with his lack of work ethic and complained to Kidd and/or Nico. I could see Klay saying something like "this isn't what I signed on for". Klay has an insane work ethic. Kyrie has a very serious work ethic. Luka doesn't. He never had to because mentally is like a Jedi and 3-4 steps ahead of everything on the floor.
Media talks about Luka not playing defense. If you watch the Minny and Boston series last year he wasn't playing D because he was just gassed. He was also injured with the same calf injury he has right now. It healed and happened again. I was just thinking of how frustrated I would be as Kyrie, Klay, or Kidd knowing how hard it is to win a championship. You are there but can't get it done because you are worn out. Luka may be 25 but Kyrie is 32. He will be 33 next month. He doesn't have many more tries at this. Klay is 35 and likely done after 2 more years. Klay thought he was coming here to win. The Mavs are sitting at 11 right now due to Luka missing over a month because of the same soft tissue injury he keeps getting. Yes there were other injured players. But, you can't help but think Luka shouldn't be injured like this.
Don't forget that Jokic just started coming into shape about 3 years ago or so. That's when he won a title.
I'm just devastated at Luka being traded. I started thinking the players mentioned something too when they started mentioning timeline. Kyrie and Klay are depending on Luka being ready now. As incredible as Luka is he just isn't emotionally mature enough for that yet. Doesn't make the pain go away though.

This is coping at its finest, my man. How do I know? Because I keep telling myself the exact same thing in order not to lose my mind. This is the only angle that makes it somewhat bearable, so I hope it’s true—at least to some extent. It will be interesting to see if I can level myself into this line of thinking enough.

If yes, I will stay a Mavs fan forever (because honestly, what could change it if this doesn’t?). If no, I will constantly feel like an old dude who went out of his way to make a decent living for his family, only to wake up one day and find out—out of nowhere—that his wife is leaving him, she’s been cheating on him for years, and his kids obviously hate him. Also, his dog just died, and they changed the formula of that one beer he liked for the last 30 years, goddammit.

What I’m saying is: Either this works, and my love for the Mavs will prevail, or I’m going to be one sad, bitter motherf*****—at least when it comes to basketball.

[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.

[vfromlmf]

Listened to Ben & Skin show and Skin seems to think Nico Looked at what San Antonio and OKC are building and determined the Mavs need to win a title in the next 2-3 years because those teams will soon be unbeatable. It won't matter if the Mavs have Luka or not, so push all your chips in on this year or next. If that reasoning is true it couldn't be more flawed.

Should the rest of the Western Conference throw in the towel too? Should Denver mortgage their future because OKC will be too good? Golden State? And most interesting, what about the Lakers themselves?

Someone please tell me. Who is the Mavs' third best player who makes them so much better with Kyrie + AD than the Lakers were with Lebron and AD?

Does Nico think Kyrie is that much better than Lebron?

Does Nico think PJW is that much better than Reeves?

Does Nico think the Mavs collection of roll playing wings is that much better than the Lakers collection of role playing wings?

The only real difference I see is the Mavs have two rim rolling centers. But you saw last night it only took about 48 hours for the Lakers to go get a player that's similar in Mark Williams. And as good as Williams has looked at times in Charlotte, something tells me he's going to look better in LA.

The Mavs went to the Finals and Skin wants me to believe they traded their best player, a homegrown icon, because Nico is scared of the Thunder and Spurs? Just insane.

[vfromlmf]

Thanks everyone for your kind words about my post. Just had to get that out. Sad.