Luka Dealt to Lakers: Nico Harrison is a Basketball Terrorist

[Smitty]

I am really going to dislike the Dumont/Addelson era (error)

https://x.com/NotJackKemp/status/1888579661346517447

Being rich doesn’t make you smart. Some things are better left unsaid.

[hakeemfaan]

I am really going to dislike the Dumont/Addelson era (error)

https://x.com/NotJackKemp/status/1888579661346517447

I have been unwavering that until Nico AND the Adelsons go the Mavs to me are my team taken over by an alien inside. I can’t support them because every penny I give goes to enriching them and validating them to do things like these again in the future.

So as per Dumont, Shaq used to work hard every day? Clown.  I can guarantee that Luka even with all his faults is a much, much harder worker. Also wake me up when Shaq played the most minutes in a playoff, has the highest usage rate and still led across all the major offensive categories.  Jordan used to gamble and smoke and punch his teammates in practice. We all agree Luka has some growing up to do but the level of disrespect here tells me that Dumont doesn’t know much about basketball or the history of players.

Even if you agree with any or all of this it still makes ZERO sense on how this trade went down and how few assets were recouped. Maybe Nico needs to work hard and smart like a real GM like Pelinka or Dumont needs to work hard like real owners who understand how to build around prized assets that they were extremely fortunate to have. BTW wonder who gave this clown the info that Luka was destroying the Mavs culture.  Was it mainly the same guy who secretively negotiated a terrible deal with his long time buddy?

[hakeemfaan]

This was his quote when he bought the team. I can 100% guarantee this guy doesn’t know much about basketball. No basketball fan talks like this:


“Every one of my family loves basketball,” Dumont said. “My wife enjoys it. Our children love it. It’s just a lot of fun. I think it’s a great family sport. It’s something that people of all ages can play. It’s easy to find a hoop and a basketball. It really connects people.”

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

I don't see anything wrong with his quotes. We all know those are the reasons they traded Luka.

Now Luka can prove them all wrong and made they look like even bigger dumbasses than they already look like.

[Winter]

Being rich doesn’t make you smart. Some things are better left unsaid.

Reading all this and thinking about it.....

Clearly, the Front Office felt like Luka was not invested in what they were asking of him. What was it? We can be certain conditioning was a big part of it, but what else? It did not appear to be his competitive nature on the court was an issue (other than the minor issue of grousing at the refs).

Those comments by Dumont suggest something larger than what the fan base could see. I have no idea what it was, and it's nearly impossible to imagine that Luka's behavior could rise to the occasion of "problem" player. Butler was a problem player (with a culture-first GM like Riley) and everyone could see it. Luka didn't project anything like Butler. 

So what was it? Whatever it was, my guess is that it's cumulative and has been happening for several years. This upcoming contract would be Nico's only opportunity to fix the issue with a new and compliant owner, and using the solid argument that once he was paid with an extension, it would be impossible to go back. This trade would not have been possible under Cuban. I think we mostly agree on that. But without hard reporting, it's hard to imagine that Luka's issue was invisible to everyone except a select few in the front office.

[hakeemfaan]

I don't see anything wrong with his quotes.  We all know those are the reasons they traded Luka.

Now Luka can prove them all wrong and made they look like even bigger dumbasses than they already look like.

Using Shaq and MJ as examples of hard work off the court is ridiculous. 

Luka was not Ben Simmons in NJ or Paul George in Philly. Luka ws playing the most minutes on the team in the playoffs.  Culture was not why the team shot 17% on open 3s against Boston.  

I can understand some of these comments as we have all said these. 
However even as fans we have provided some nuance. Meanwhile the GM and the owner are just running their mouths and slandering the guy.  We all would still be upset at how this trade went down but some sort of nuanced talk would at least calm down a few.  These guys are just tone deaf, not understanding their own incompetence on how they have set back this franchise, and are gleefully tearing down someone who for all his warts gave a lot of memorable moments, relevance, and pride to this franchise

[hakeemfaan]

Reading all this and thinking about it.....

Clearly, the Front Office felt like Luka was not invested in what they were asking of him. What was it? We can be certain conditioning was a big part of it, but what else? It did not appear to be his competitive nature on the court was an issue (other than the minor issue of grousing at the refs).

Those comments by Dumont suggest something larger than what the fan base could see. I have no idea what it was, and it's nearly impossible to imagine that Luka's behavior could rise to the occasion of "problem" player. Butler was a problem player (with a culture-first GM like Riley) and everyone could see it. Luka didn't project anything like Butler. 

So what was it? Whatever it was, my guess is that it's cumulative and has been happening for several years. This upcoming contract would be Nico's only opportunity to fix the issue with a new and compliant owner, and using the solid argument that once he was paid with an extension, it would be impossible to go back. This trade would not have been possible under Cuban. I think we mostly agree on that. But without hard reporting, it's hard to imagine that Luka's issue was invisible to everyone except a select few in the front office.

Still doesn’t excuse a piss poor trade process and what they eventually got back. You are acting like everyone was just against trading Luka. That’s not the case.

[Winter]

Still doesn’t excuse a piss poor trade process and what they eventually got back. You are acting like everyone was just against trading Luka. That’s not the case.

No, it was a poor trade. Agreed. 

But outside a select few, who were "For trading Luka"? I've never seen any reporting on that.

[hakeemfaan]

No, it was  a poor tade. Agreed. 

But outside a select few, who were "For trading Luka"?

No one expected Luka to be traded and so we didn’t discuss trades much but many on this board, myself included, have been critical of certain aspects of Luka’s game. 

If the news had come out that with the supermax extension lingering, the franchise was getting fed up and had decided to put him on the block, most of us would still be against it knowing how difficult it is to get a generational talent,  but we would understand it.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

If they don't say anything, fans will demand answers why they traded the guy.

They're giving hints on why they traded him. It's not like he came out and said we traded Luka because he's a fat alcoholic that still smokes cigarettes and stays up til 6am playing Overwatch.

I am not excusing the trade. I know everyone is mad. I have no problems with the comments.

[Winter]

If they don't say anything, fans will demand answers why they traded the guy.

They're giving hints on why they traded him.  It's not like he came out and said we traded Luka because he's a fat alcoholic that still smokes cigarettes and stays up til 6am playing Overwatch.

I am not excusing the trade.  I know everyone is mad.  I have no problems with the comments.

I don't have any problems with the comments either other than the ambiguity of terms.

How does the FO define "culture?"  What part of culture (outside of conditioning) are we really talking about?

[hakeemfaan]

Fans are demanding answers not just of their thought process on why they traded Luka but also on why the trade was done this way I have seen some answers on the latter as well and it doesn’t make any sense and speaks to an utter incompetence on both their parts.

I also totally disagree with RTG and Winter on the nature of their answers. The NBA is more of a player’s league than most sports. Stars on other teams are already talking about the decision to trade Luka and how it sobers them this is. a business. Is any ifuture stud going to be wooed by this GM and management group? So as it is it is bad but then to come and laugh at it during a press conference or utter totally tone deaf comments like Dumont is doing is ridiculous and I do have a huge problem with it. It is not just unprofessional ( the same thing they are accusing Luka of being) but it further minimizes chances of anyone good in the future wanting to come here unless they have no other choice.

Contrast what Dumont has said and how Nico behaved in the press conference with with what Anthony Davis said. That was as good a statement as I have seen and I will always root for him. If a player who is not even running an assets driven business and has nothing to lose can come out with such a nuanced statement, the GM and owners can do much more than continuing to embarass themselves.

The reality is they most likely can’t because they both now realize that Pelinka played them for fools and their vanity doesn’t allow them to blame themselves.

[JamesConway912]

They talk about work ethic and don’t even bring up Dirk’s name. That doesn’t happen by accident. 

Dirk hasn’t said anything publicly so far. I’m sure he’s reached out behind the scenes and told them how insanely dumb of a move this was. Cuban’s conversation with Bill Gates also spoke volumes that this is not something the entire organization is aligned with.

I gotta say this: the more Harrison and Dumont talk publicly about this the easier it gets to move on.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Dirk and Cuban are friends with Luka. They can't have an objective opinion. It's actually kinda nice to have a front office that doesn't want to be best friends and go party with the star player.

Reading all the comments about how Nico and Dumont are the devil and classless does not resonate with me. They're saying exactly what I/we suspected all along. I guess I'm the only fan that had major concerns with Luka's work ethic and maturity.

(the only part of the trade that bothers me is the assets we got back and negotiating exclusively with the Lakers)

[JamesConway912]

Gotta apologize for all the years of ranting about Cuban and his desire to play amateur GM. He’s been bad at it for a long time but on a human level I can understand it. And big picture-wise at least he was loyal. 

The new guys clearly don’t give a damn about the fans or the history of the organization.

Who would have thought that Las Vegas casino billionaires might be awful people. Huh.

Rotten to the core.

[KillerLeft]

Dirk and Cuban are friends with Luka.  They can't have an objective opinion.  It's actually kinda nice to have a front office that doesn't want to be best friends and go party with the star player.

Reading all the comments about how Nico and Dumont are the devil and classless does not resonate with me.  They're saying exactly what I/we suspected all along.  I guess I'm the only fan that had major concerns with Luka's work ethic and maturity.

(the only part of the trade that bothers me is the assets we got back and negotiating exclusively with the Lakers)

This is kind of where I am, too. 

A big part of me is happy my team is out of the Luka business, because I was getting really worn down by his flaws, and was starting to wonder if the best of him was over. Seems crazy to say that about a 25 year old, but I just saw some footage of his first promo shoot in a Lakers uniform and he looks pretty bad, imo. If I didn't know of him and saw him on the street, I'd never guess he was a professional athlete, even at his height. Even American football wouldn't cross my mind, because I don't think he has a single visible muscle in his entire upper body. I know these things aren't "the point," but basketball is a running, jumping, change of direction sport. It's a bigger problem than we've been allowed to properly acknowledge around here that he doesn't take the condition of his body seriously. When he was in his early 20's, he had more energy than the opponent at the ends of games. That's how they got all those amazing, come from behind, game-winning, legendary moments. These past couple of years, it has always seemed like he was the FIRST player to get worn down. 

It was starting to irritate me to no end that he was showing up to training camp INJURED because he refused to miss anything team Slovenia related. I like that he has pride in his country and wants to be for them what he can, but the Mavs have made Luka and his family wealthy for generations, even if he never gets another contract. Dirk loved his country, too, but he learned pretty early on that if something had to be missed, it was the team Germany summer activities, not the Mavs stuff. I'm sure that was tough for him in some ways, but it was the right thing to do. The Mavs were his EMPLOYER. 

One of the things that came out this past week was that for the past TWO seasons, the Mavs have been forced to make up a phantom injury to report so that Luka could miss games for a couple of weeks to get into shape. DURING the season, TWO YEARS IN A ROW. Knowing that, I have zero issue with Dumont choosing the "if you want to take a vacation" wording. Imagine paying a dude like $52 million to play basketball, and he can't even take it seriously enough to be ready for the season. Now, imagine that you're noticing during those two weeks you had to give him off that the dude isn't actually DOING what he needs to do to GET in said shape. Imagine thinking that the dude doesn't care that he's letting his team down and doesn't appear to feel any obligation to hurry back and show his team that he's committed or apologetic about having to use their season to get ready for their season. I'm sorry, but that would irritate me, too. It irritates me now, and I'm just a fan. I cannot imagine how frustrating that must be for the guy PAYING him, or for the dozens of people depending on Luka for their professional reputation and livelihoods. The coaches, marketing folks, season ticket sales people...hell, the other PLAYERS. I feel like I understand those Naji Marshall "we need you, 77 - come back soon" tweets in a different way after learning this. 

And, the thing with the refs...it gets shaken off around here all the time as "minor," "cultural," "no big deal"...no. It's major. We watched this dude sell his teammates out in big moments FOR YEARS by choosing to complain about not getting foul calls instead of getting back on defense like a professional basketball player is supposed to do. Sometimes, this was a game-long phenomenon. Either his ego/entitlement is gone beyond repair or he was so out of shape he was looking for excuses to take a breather during live play. Maybe both. But, I'm sorry - that makes him EXTREMELY unlikable. It's unforgivable, really, and being a Mavs fan had become a tiresome burden of doing mental gymnastics in an attempt to reconcile what I believe to be right or wrong with the desire to like/defend/root for this child. Speaking of children, I don't have any, but if I did, I would have serious concerns with them idolizing Luka Doncic. 

I'm sorry, but that's my opinion, and I have zero difficulty understanding why they wouldn't want to give this kid the largest FULLY GUARANTEED contract in the history of a sport that's growing more and more punitive to teams who don't manage their contracts intelligently. 

Having said all that, it's ALSO my opinion that there is GREATNESS in Luka. I still remember passionately convincing my Dad, who had lost all interest in the Mavs during the years following Cuban's decision not to let the 2011 team defend their title, to take the Mavs back up again BECAUSE of Luka. "This kid is going to be one of the greatest of all time," I told him. And, part of me wonders if Luka is a year away from starting to mature and take his career seriously before it's too late. If he does, this change of direction for the franchise is going to look silly, as most are assuming it will. But it had gotten to the point where the hope of him doing that was all I had to hang onto as a Mavs fan. What this trade tells us is that the people who see Luka every day, see what he's doing and NOT doing, had basically given up on that hope. I'm not saying they're right, but they do have more info than we. 

Even if he doesn't "figure it out," I'm 1000% sure there will be moments of greatness in the near and medium future that make us miss him. It's going to suck when he has the next 45 point triple double in a Lakers uniform, and doubly so if/when it happens against the Mavericks. I loved this kid and his game so much I named my dog after him. I used to routinely force conversations about him into social situations that didn't call for it (not so much these past couple of years). I'm having some very complicated feelings about all of this, and don't blame people a bit for being emotional, or for not wanting to accept or even consider any possible reasons for making this change. It shocked all of us. I wouldn't have done this. It probably wouldn't have OCCURRED to me to do this. 

And, like everyone else, I'm super down on what the trade actually looked like. AD is obviously an amazing player, and I think Max Christie might be a real prize, too, but it feels like they should've gotten more. Quite a bit more. 

But, what I've come to realize pretty clearly as I've worked through all of this for a week is that I'm not mourning the loss of Luka, I'm mourning the loss of the IDEA that was "the Luka Doncic era" in Dallas. What really sucks is that this was a young team a week ago and now it's an old team. I mean, technically, they might have actually brought their average age DOWN in this trade, as Christie is younger than Luka, AD is basically the same age as Kleber and Morris, if you want to count him, was in his early 70's. All the other youth is still here. But, idk...there's something deflating for me going from being built around a 25 year old to being built around two 31 year olds overnight, out of nowhere. I think being robbed of a perceived, possible future is the issue here, for me. But, if the Mavs feel like they KNOW how that future was going to play out, and they must have thought they did because this was a drastic step, idk...we might look back and realize they did us a favor last weekend. 

Crazy times to be a Mavs fan, no matter how it plays out.

[Jym]

[hakeemfaan]

KL. I read every single line of your post and there are certain sections I strongly agree with, but you completely lost me when you said you agreed with RTG post.

No one is calling anyone the Devil (this is for RTG). Let’s put hyperbole aside.

Assets management has been a historically sore point with this franchise. We didn’t get much for KP, we didn’t get anything for Brunson and now, as good as AD is and as decent as Christie might become, we got pennies on the dollar for a 25 year old, universally regarded as a top 5, if not top 3, current player. Every single time the Mavs give up picks or don’t get much back we always have an excuse.

So fans are calling them out for their utter incompetence. They mortgaged the future to build around Luka and when the decision to move away from Luka was made it should have been with a clear vision to tear this down and get as many assets as possible. At that point even a Kyrie here doesn’t make sense. Poor trade, confusing vision.

Now you do all that and then make statements like Dumont has made. I have said everything that is wrong with those statements in my previous post. They come across not just as crass but poor from a business point of view as well. Plus it devalues every thing Luka did for this franchise , despite all the frustrations you have listed out.

Apart from just how the trade was executed, to me there is zero agreement with anyone who finds no fault with Nico’s and now Dumont’s maturity and words post the trade.

[Jym]

KL. I read every single line of your post and there are certain sections I strongly agree with, but you completely lost me when you said you agreed with RTG post.

No one is calling anyone the Devil (this is for RTG).  Let’s put hyperbole aside.

Assets management has been a historically sore point with this franchise. We didn’t get much for KP, we didn’t get anything for Brunson and now, as good as AD is and as decent as Christie might become, we got pennies on the dollar for a 25 year old, universally regarded as a top 5, if not top 3,  current player. Every single time the Mavs give up picks or don’t get much back we always have an excuse.

So fans are calling them out for their utter incompetence. They mortgaged the future to build around Luka and when the decision to move away from Luka was made it should have been with a clear vision to tear this down and get as many assets as possible. At that point even a Kyrie here doesn’t make sense. Poor trade, confusing vision.

Now you do all that and then make statements like Dumont has made. I have said everything that is wrong with those statements in my previous post.  They come across not just as crass but poor from a business point of view as well. Plus it devalues every thing Luka did for this franchise , despite all the frustrations you have listed out. 

Apart from just how the trade was executed, to me there is zero agreement with anyone who finds no fault with Nico’s and now Dumont’s  maturity and words post the trade.

Gotta respect Luka's maturity in all this 
Sounds like they purposely ran off people who were close to him in the hopes of getting him to force his way out 
then no peep from him about management even tho they keep slandering him in one way or another.

[JamesConway912]

Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

Despite his flaws Luka lead this team to the WCF twice and once to the Finals. AD was THE guy before. It didn’t get New Orleans far. He was great in LA and is still a stud but once LeBron had lost a step the Lakers became irrelevant quickly.

This team’s window of winning a title has just closed. Luka was THE reason we were capable of putting teams like OKC, Minny and PHX away in past postseason runs.