Owning My Nico Support & Gump Was Right

[fifteenth]

Hello, I supported Nico Harrison, and my name is Chad. 

I advocated for the guy who ended up responding to our finals run by executing one of the worst trades in NBA history.

I just want to own that I cheered the Nico hiring and advocated for the possibility of him being a good GM. I specifically remember arguing with the esteemed Mr. Gump for a good chunk of time, claiming that a successful executive can switch industries, while Gump pointed out that a basketball expert would be better than a shoe salesman. 

I like to own where I was wrong, but I also like to point out when others were right. 

F Gump, you were right about Nico. It would have been better to hire a basketball GM than a shoe salesman.

[Jym]

I too made many a "In Njco we trust" posts

[F Gump]

Hello, I supported Nico Harrison, and my name is Chad. 

I advocated for the guy who ended up responding to our finals run by executing one of the worst trades in NBA history.

I just want to own that I cheered the Nico hiring and advocated for the possibility of him being a good GM. I specifically remember arguing with the esteemed Mr. Gump for a good chunk of time, claiming that a successful executive can switch industries, while Gump pointed out that a basketball expert would be better than a shoe salesman. 

I like to own where I was wrong, but I also like to point out when others were right. 

F Gump, you were right about Nico. It would have been better to hire a basketball GM than a shoe salesman.

Thank you. Very kind.

[WillE]

Well, there was a short time, where it really felt like we had a competent FO: like a concept consequently executed that actually made sense and did work. Future seemed bright.

And whoever will succeed him will hopefully get us back to that very feeling. That wasn't bad at all.

Let's just hope that (probably) he will then also be able to extend those positive vibes a liiittle bit longer...

[SleepingHero]

Nico was/is a fantastic example of hubris and ego being your downfall.

He DID make some incredible moves. He did build a competent finals team. But its all for naught. His one transgression was enough to outdo anything and he became persona-non-grata. Good riddance.

Hopefully the next guy understands how to connect with the heart of the team.

[ThisIStheYear]

Don’t be so hard on yourself. Nico seemed fine at first, though maybe we should have seen the early warning signs (Brunson, Christian Wood). After that, Dennis Lindsey covered up his incompetence for awhile. Only after Lindsey left and Cuban sold the team to someone who didn’t know any better did we see Nico unleashed. Turned out he was arrogant and uncollaborative leading to a near unprecedented franchise melt down. I’m sure you saw it like the rest of us by then.

[FireNicoHarrison]

Trade the only playmaker on the team for a big men was way over than stupid or even a fantastic example of hubris and ego being your downfall.

I still doubt that he made that move without talk to the coach.

Maybe not now, maybe not next year but trust me, we will know what really happened and WHO were all the people involved. It' will not be good for the league.

[ballsrchr]

Hello. My name is srchr. Yeah, I know...funny name. My parents were hippies--before hippies were cool--and they were searching for a new and better life. Throwing flowers and confetti ever which way. That's when I was born. I guess they threw more than confetti...and all... Unfortunately neither parent had graduated from grade school. They couldn't spell: thus the srchr. I'm'a srching for a new life!
Anyway, to make a short story long, when Nico was hired I was open to him. I was going to give him time. Wait and see his plan unfold like a sunflower and burst with confetti. But it didn't. It got worse...until, finally, Luka was traded for a bag of chips. THAT's what pissed me off. Well, THAT and trading luka.

I will have an open mind and give the new GM time. But after Nico he's going to be on short reign and not have much time. I'm sorry, but that's how I feel now.

[mvossman]

Nico was/is a fantastic example of hubris and ego being your downfall.

He DID make some incredible moves. He did build a competent finals team.  But its all for naught. His one transgression was enough to outdo anything and he became persona-non-grata. Good riddance.

Hopefully the next guy understands how to connect with the heart of the team.

I really don't think Nico made any "incredible moves".  We know Cuban had been the real GM for a long time, and there were times when he listened to somebody (a gambler, a player) more than his "GM".  It would be one thing if he hired Nelson's replacement with somebody with actual front office experience, but when he hired a shoe salesman I knew nothing was changing.  In my mind the only moves we can really attribute to Nico are the ones after Cuban was pushed out (Klay, Naji, AD/Max and Martin).

[mvossman]

Trade the only playmaker on the team for a big men was way over than stupid or even a fantastic example of hubris and ego being your downfall.

I still doubt that he made that move without talk to the coach.

Maybe not now, maybe not next year but trust me, we will know what really happened and WHO were all the people involved. It' will not be good for the league.

The league had nothing to with it.  These conspiracy issues need to end.  As bad as that trade was, this team was too good to be in the lottery at the time of the trade.  It took another terrible trade and catastrophic injuries to keep the team out of the playoffs and they were still one win away.  There was nothing in the team's behavior that remotely suggested they were trying to get into the lottery.  

You would have to believe that the league cooked up this elaborate scheme to get Luka to the Lakers, had Nico make the dumbest trade in NBA history in the middle of the night, that Nico lead a masterful tank job that nobody could see including getting most of his best players injured, that the league was then going to rig the lottery to give Nico the number 1 pick on less than 2% odds, and that the league was then going to trust a man who just got fired and is now considered the worst NBA executive ever was not going to tell anybody what happened based on some NDA signed.  Do you not see how unlikely that scenario is?

[FireNicoHarrison]

The league had nothing to with it.  These conspiracy issues need to end.  As bad as that trade was, this team was too good to be in the lottery at the time of the trade.  It took another terrible trade and catastrophic injuries to keep the team out of the playoffs and they were still one win away.  There was nothing in the team's behavior that remotely suggested they were trying to get into the lottery.  

You would have to believe that the league cooked up this elaborate scheme to get Luka to the Lakers, had Nico make the dumbest trade in NBA history in the middle of the night, that Nico lead a masterful tank job that nobody could see including getting most of his best players injured, that the league was then going to rig the lottery to give Nico the number 1 pick on less than 2% odds, and that the league was then going to trust a man who just got fired and is now considered the worst NBA executive ever was not going to tell anybody what happened based on some NDA signed.  Do you not see how unlikely that scenario is?

Nobody said that last year top pick was in the package at the time, but after Mavs entered in the lottery that was a good chance to payback us... Mostly after Silver speech at the ASG (i never seen a commissioner does something like that. Never).
But the city was still in riot so they hoped that land Flagg to the Mavs could be the "panacea".

I don't think Harrison is so stupid or so naive, he is in this world from almost 30years... So or Silver forced the trade or it was a Dumont-Buss secret agreement... They sold the Lakers 3 months after the trade, you can't sold a franchise like the Lakers in 3 months. No way. Doncic was in the deal.

Anyway our fans were be screwed, maybe not this year and even next year but Harrison sooner or later will tell the truth or at least we will see which was his payback for destroy his NBA career.
Trust me.

[omahen]

Nobody said that last year top pick was in the package at the time, but after Mavs entered in the lottery that was a good chance to payback us... Mostly after Silver speech at the ASG (i never seen a commissioner does something like that. Never).
But the city was still in riot so they hoped that land Flagg to the Mavs could be the "panacea".

I don't think Harrison is so stupid or so naive, he is in this world from almost 30years... So or Silver forced the trade or it was a Dumont-Buss secret agreement... They sold the Lakers 3 months after the trade, you can't sold a franchise like the Lakers in 3 months. No way. Doncic was in the deal.

Anyway our fans were be screwed, maybe not this year and even next year but Harrison sooner or later will tell the truth or at least we will see which was his payback for destroy his NBA career.
Trust me.

How do you explain that all the other owners of teams that lost the lottery here, especially teams that were tanking hard for Cooper Flagg, simply keep quiet and are satisfied with the league rewarding Mavs to send Luka to LA? I can't buy such a conspiracy theory, as there are too many losers here and at least some of them would open their mouth and demand the league to be fair. Whats the point for them if everything is rigged?

[FireNicoHarrison]

How do you explain that all the other owners of teams that lost the lottery here, especially teams that were tanking hard for Cooper Flagg, simply keep quiet and are satisfied with the league rewarding Mavs to send Luka to LA? I can't buy such a conspiracy theory, as there are too many losers here and at least some of them would open their mouth and demand the league to be fair. Whats the point for them if everything is rigged?

If you work in the league you know how It works... I didn't see any GM talk about the trade so, under your logic, did they think it was just a normal trade? 
Players are more free to talk about NBA stuffs and their reactions were absurd.

Anyway Doncic to LA is good for every NBA team, the league had very big audience problems... And the sale of the Lakers setted the franchise price soooooo high.

Try to think how many problems solved one single trade.

But Silver himself talked about this stuffs, even the no USA market as a new target.

Good Lakers team is better others 29 teams. BRI is still here.

[omahen]

If you work in the league you know how It works... I didn't see any GM talk about the trade so, under your logic, did they think it was just a normal trade? 
Players are more free to talk about NBA stuffs and their reactions were absurd.

Anyway Doncic to LA is good for every NBA team, the league had very big audience problems... And the sale of the Lakers setted the franchise price soooooo high.

Try to think how many problems solved one single trade.

But Silver himself talked about this stuffs, even the no USA market as a new target.

Good Lakers team is better others 29 teams. BRI is still here.

You work in the league to know how it works?  

I think a lot of owners are not in just for the money. They want to win. If everything is just rigged, whats the point then for them. Of course the trade was absurd, but it doesn't need to be a conspiracy to make it reasonable why it happened. The explanation (Nico not liking Luka and fooling inexperienced Dumont) sounds very convincing. 

And on a personal note - if everything is just rigged, why would I, as a fan, want to follow it than? It would just be a circus.  I mean, I like to go to circus every once in a while to have some fun, but no way I would follow it daily. Why would you want to follow it and spend your time and money?

[FireNicoHarrison]

You work in the league to know how it works?  

I think a lot of owners are not in just for the money. They want to win. If everything is just rigged, whats the point then for them. Of course the trade was absurd, but it doesn't need to be a conspiracy to make it reasonable why it happened. The explanation (Nico not liking Luka and fooling inexperienced Dumont) sounds very convincing. 

And on a personal note - if everything is just rigged, why would I, as a fan, want to follow it than? It would just be a circus.  I mean, I like to go to circus every once in a while to have some fun, but no way I would follow it daily. Why would you want to follow it and spend your time and money?

The problem here was not to trade Doncic. It's how they traded him. For what they traded him.

I don't buy LP anymore, i watch games for free. No more money in merchandising or other NBA stuffs.

I still watch games because i love basketball. And i'm a Mavs fan.

It's like after the 2006 Finals... Time will recover the wounds and the brain will forget.

[ThisIStheYear]

Another typical night from Grimes. 18 points. Good shooting, including from 3. Good defense. Injuries aside, if the team had realized that Grimes was the man, not Klay, they really did build a title contending team around Luka. It didn’t matter then because of injuries, but in an alternate reality, we finish low last year too after everyone is hurt, still pick up a good player in the draft (maybe even Cooper if you tank after everyone is injured), hang on through the first part of this season because Luka is averaging 35 (and Grimes gives you an efficient 18 with good D) and roll through the second half of the season with Luka, Grimes, Kai, DLive/Gaff, and PJ. Just like 2 years ago. Only, instead of a generational Boston team waiting for you in the finals, you get a suspect Cleveland team. That’s a title. Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Now a lot of MFFLs will probably be dead before the team is good again. Now we get AD on the bench trying to find a trade for 25 cents on the dollar. Now we’re stuck with Martin, who is the worst Mavericks player I’ve ever seen. Did you watch him last night? My god he’s awful. Nico is a basketball joy thief.

[ballsrchr]

  Now a lot of MFFLs will probably be dead before the team is good again.

What the hell!  I've got a good 25 years left.  I'm only 78.