NEWS: Donnie out | Nico Harrison (Nike) as Pres/GM | Fin as VP | Dirk as Advisor

[omahen]

And maybe the biggest question, what does Luka and Luka's "team" think?

I somehow just doubt Luka is super involved in any team building or front office decisions. I think he just wants to play basketball and win. Of course I might be wrong, but I just haven't seen anything that would indicate differently. Giving all the power to a 22 year old kid would be totally wrong anyway...

[F Gump]

....we will be capstrapped the minute that Luka's extension, which he hasn't signed yet, kicks in

Which means there's no impact at all on what happens in 2021 off-season

[HanspardsShowerVoice]

Donnie is the guy who wanted him for years and made the move to get him to Dallas. Luka isn't going to throw all of that away over one interview

Did you not hear the latest Bill Simmons podcast?   Bill Simmons discovered him.   

"Me, (Haralabos), and KOC were the top three Luka guys heading into the draft" - Bill Simmons

[Mavs2021]

Yeah it makes sense that Luka would be loyal to Donnie. Just because he gives one piece of honest criticism on Luka (which didn't even seem that bad but the media of course made it seem worse) does not mean Luka wanted him gone.

Donnie is the guy who wanted him for years and made the move to get him to Dallas. Luka isn't going to throw all of that away over one interview

So if Cato is telling the truth that the source was not Donnie, then maybe this was Duffy/Luka afterall. Assuming Donnie was indeed fired on Sunday, Luka learns about it and they come out with the "you better fire Bob, don´t even think about making this clown GM, or we got problems"-article.

[Scott41theMavs]

So, are we agreed? Ujiri or bust?

[Tyler]

Ummmm so someone on The Jump just reported that Luka is not happy with this news and we should expect a statement tomorrow....

That's not necessarily something to freak out about. Donnie is so deep into Europe scouting that I have no doubt he's known Luka's family for a long time. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Luka makes some kindof statement supporting Donnie for all he's done. 

Also, remember that Luka was not happy at all with the Barnes trade. But that doesn't mean he wanted out or anything. He's just a loyal kid.

[ClutchDirk]

Did you not hear the latest Bill Simmons podcast?   Bill Simmons discovered him.   

"Me, (Haralabos), and KOC were the top three Luka guys heading into the draft" - Bill Simmons

https://media.giphy.com/media/Iu9rM6jqEo.../giphy.gif

[Mavs2021]

Did you not hear the latest Bill Simmons podcast?   Bill Simmons discovered him.   

"Me, (Haralabos), and KOC were the top three Luka guys heading into the draft" - Bill Simmons

Simmons is so fucking stupid sometimes. Holyshit. Then he talked about Luka needing to develop a post-game, a 3pt shot and a fadeaway. The guy is a Clippers season-ticketholder. Where does he sit? Behind a steelbeam obstructing the courtview. Tjarks was like yeah uh, I think it´s conditioning, free throws and leadership.

Btw if you read this Tjarks, get well.

[omahen]

So, are we agreed? Ujiri or bust?

I guess from the big names we know he is the only one that fits the bill. Of course I don't think any of us has much of an idea which assistant GM or something is widely respected in NBA circles.

[HanspardsShowerVoice]

That's not necessarily something to freak out about. Donnie is so deep into Europe scouting that I have no doubt he's known Luka's family for a long time. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Luka makes some kindof statement supporting Donnie for all he's done. 

Also, remember that Luka was not happy at all with the Barnes trade. But that doesn't mean he wanted out or anything. He's just a loyal kid.

Right.  Also Luka reportedly specifically wanted to be drafted by the Mavs, and reportedly one of the reasons why he "fell" to #3, and I'm sure Donnie and his background with Euro players had a lot to do with it.

[SleepingHero]

It's a possibility so I wouldn't rule Carlisle being gone this offseason.  But Cuban's support was pretty strong following the playoff departure.  I guess it depends on the conditions of the new GM and what coaches are out there.

I think Carlisle gets one more season. Put up or shut up. Make it work or you're out. This year was a clusterfuck from all angles and Carlisle's management of it was suspect at best.

But he's still a fantastic coach. As long as the locker room hasn't tuned him out he can make an underwhelming roster over perform. Nothing less than the 2nd round next season. RC is officially on the hot seat. 

[ClutchDirk]

https://twitter.com/KirkSeriousFace/stat...30120?s=20

[SwisherPrice]

So if Cato is telling the truth that the source was not Donnie, then maybe this was Duffy/Luka afterall. Assuming Donnie was indeed fired on Sunday, Luka learns about it and they come out with the "you better fire Bob, don´t even think about making this clown GM, or we got problems"-article.

My theory is that Donnie was really tired of tryin to make it work with Bob so he was done. He could see there was no light at the end of the tunnel with this situation, Cuban was going to continue to use Bob as a "co-GM" and Donnie knew it was going to fail. He may not have been one of the sources but it could have been anyone on his staff (Finley, Keith Grant, etc.)

As Cato and many in the Dallas media have noted, this power struggle has been brewing in the past though so the Mavs sources have hinted at it with the media for a while. Maybe Donnie let his staff know he was tired of it and probably ready to step down so that's when the sources said "Screw it, let's just expose everything" Their goal was to make Bob look bad and it seems to have worked because if not for this, Bob would probably have gone nowhere.

[StrandedOnBeauboisHill]

https://twitter.com/KirkSeriousFace/stat...30120?s=20

Kind of my thoughts, I was watching just thinking "what the hell does this dude know..."

[Scott41theMavs]

My theory is that Donnie was really tired of tryin to make it work with Bob so he was done. He could see there was no light at the end of the tunnel with this situation, Cuban was going to continue to use Bob as a "co-GM" and Donnie knew it was going to fail. He may not have been one of the sources but it could have been anyone on his staff (Finley, Keith Grant, etc.)

As Cato and many in the Dallas media have noted, this power struggle has been brewing in the past though so the Mavs sources have hinted at it with the media for a while. Maybe Donnie let his staff know he was tired of it and probably ready to step down so that's when the sources said "Screw it, let's just expose everything" Their goal was to make Bob look bad and it seems to have worked because if not for this, Bob would probably have gone nowhere.

We haven't seen any indication that Bob is out, which is horse$hit.

[HanspardsShowerVoice]

Donnie seems like a really nice guy and has been in the Dallas area a LONG time, but the unanimous and overwhelming outpouring of support for Donnie among local Dallas media members kinda lets you know who the source  was for a lot of Mavs rumors/insights over the years.   Donnie might not specifically have been the source of the Cato story, but certainly one of his "guys" in the front office could have been as his proxy.

[TXBamanut]

Which means there's no impact at all on what happens in 2021 off-season

Which means you needed a plan going into this season and it's obvious with the leadership in disarray, it absolutely DOES impact this offseason.  That comment really shows a lack of understanding of the larger scope here. 

This was the razor thin year to have a plan and execute...so, if they were moving on from him, sooner was better than later, and this time of the year was the time to do it, but this was the offseason to have a plan and be executing it, not one to be trying to figure out who the new guy is, if he wants to clean house and THEN figure out the vision for the team.

[Scott41theMavs]

Which means you needed a plan going into this season and it's obvious with the leadership in disarray, it absolutely DOES impact this offseason.  That comment really shows a lack of understanding of the larger scope here. 

This was the razor thin year to have a plan and execute...so, if they were moving on from him, sooner was better than later, and this time of the year was the time to do it, but this was the offseason to have a plan and be executing it, not one to be trying to figure out who the new guy is, if he wants to clean house and THEN figure out the vision for the team.

They have a month and a half to get things in order.

[Kammrath]

https://www.theringer.com/platform/amp/n...mike-forde

Forde, in the view of many, has the approach and background to remedy this problem. His proponents believe he can communicate with owners in a way that helps them properly diagnose their weaknesses, and that, unlike his competition in the headhunting field, he’s eager to do so. Forde, for example, boasts about the fact that his searches last twice as long as the average GM hunt. “Mike’s a lot more thorough and strategic,” said a second executive, who’s dealt with Forde and other headhunters. Another executive told me a story about how a few years ago, he interviewed for an open GM job through a prominent search firm, and, he said, “the entire thing consisted of nothing more than a 30-minute cold call with a stranger from that group.” That same executive, along with multiple others that I spoke with for this story, praised Forde for the amount of work he puts into building relationships and providing feedback—even with those who have not yet reached the point where they are interviewing for open jobs.

Forde’s process is fairly consistent. Someone reaches out and hires Sportsology (which has about 25 full-time employees) for a fee (Forde declined to disclose the amount). Pre-pandemic, Forde and his colleagues would spend around a week on-site, meeting with various individuals in and around the team, both at the ownership level but also lower down on the food chain. “People who have been in organizations and maybe not been heard,” Forde said. “When you open them up to discuss you get some great knowledge.”

Forde’s questions vary. Some examples, according to Pops Mensah-Bonsu, a former NBA player who is now the president of the New York Knicks’ G League team and held that same role for the Wizards when Forde was working to fill their open GM slot: What do you think about the way things run? How often are scouts meeting? What’s your background? Why do you want to be in a front office?

Forde said he stays away from X’s and O’s. “We’re more interested in the process of decision-making. How did you come to the outcome and if you properly used your organization’s resources.”

The goals for all the meetings and conversations are twofold. It’s about understanding the specific nuances of that organization—and more specifically its ownership group. Then, Forde essentially reverse engineers a list of candidates. “An ownership’s way of working is probably set,” he said. “The key is to find the people who are the best match.”

A common criticism is that his search pools are limited. “He has a pretty consistent base of who he goes to around the league for advice when hiring,” said one team executive. Of the 17 people who have interviewed for jobs filled by Forde, four (Gersson Rosas, Arturas Karnisovas, Sachin Gupta, and McNair) have Houston Rockets ties. Some wonder if Forde’s too cozy with the league office and if Silver’s preferences influence Forde’s decisions. Same goes with Buford. There’s also the question of how much canvassing Forde actually does. He may be more diligent than other headhunters, but Forde also appears to be leaving some gaps. One GM told me he’d never heard of Forde. Another told me the two have never spoken. So did a former team president, as well as about a half-dozen assistant GM types.

On the one hand, expecting Forde to know every high-ranking executive in and around the NBA might be asking too much. On the other hand, it’s reasonable to expect that a man positioning himself as a hiring guru would make a point of at least knowing every NBA GM, in order to cast a wider net.

As for his apparent fondness for the Rockets? “They obviously had a sustainable platform of success and [former team president] Daryl [Morey] exposed people in his front office to a lot of different things,” Forde said. He also added that, “a lot of new owners have got a strong bias toward process and analytics,” which Morey’s front office was famous for embracing.

“That’s the biggest thing,” he said. “Jobs titles in the NBA don’t usually match up against responsibilities. And from there you try to match them with the proper NBA team.”

[JamesConway]

Which means you needed a plan going into this season and it's obvious with the leadership in disarray, it absolutely DOES impact this offseason.  That comment really shows a lack of understanding of the larger scope here. 

This was the razor thin year to have a plan and execute...so, if they were moving on from him, sooner was better than later, and this time of the year was the time to do it, but this was the offseason to have a plan and be executing it, not one to be trying to figure out who the new guy is, if he wants to clean house and THEN figure out the vision for the team.

You had to fire him before he ruined another offseason. What the Mavs pulled off the last years was shameful. 

Put it this way: the chances of Donnie for once actually getting the job done? Close to zero. 

The chances someone new does a better job? Potentially much better depending on who they sign. An effin stud like Ujiri would right the ship quickly and the sooner you allow him to come onboard the better.