Luka Dealt to Lakers: Nico Harrison is a Basketball Terrorist

[burekemde]

I have thought about that - BUT, as I considered the total context, I don't think that will happen. I may be wrong, of course. 

But I don't think the motivation is yet great enough to get Luka to adopt different daily habits, because he's found (and had it reinforced on a daily basis for many years) that he can still be a top player without doing any of that stuff. He's seen examples and watched role models. He's undoubtedly been lectured, cajoled, and maybe even reprimanded. But he has tested it, and found he can come in and still play better than most of the NBA without the extra work, so what he's doing (or not doing) has been just fine for his tastes.

It's like an addict. They can resolve, promise, wish, try, intend to change -- but the lifestyle is so ingrained, that it takes rock bottom to force a real change. And even that is often not enough.

Being traded, and landing in LA where he will be treated like a rock star, I don't think it's "rock bottom" at all, and certainly not enough to get him to change. But we'll see.

In my estimation, it will take something seismic to get Luka to work on his conditioning and change his diet, and to be committed every day in the off-season to improving his body and his game. But that's HUGE change, and what would be big enough of a consequence to make him desperate enough to change his life so completely? I don't think this is it.

I haven't posted anything in a while. The trade of Luka, and the above IMO completely wrong opinions of Luka, do make me want to respond.

Luka is motivated like no other player. His work in off-season is like no other player. Its just that your definition of that "great motivation" for your means: working on the muscles. Thats what you want to see. Thats what many american culture define as greatness. Thats the general american consensus of a great basketball player. Yet two of the best players in the world in this generation, in fact IMO the two best players, are from our balkans, Doncic and Jokic. They don't work on muscles, its not that they dont care about, but they work on something more important, they work on IQ and tactics and skills. Instead of working and getting motivated by enlarging their muscles in the offseason, instead they work on the skills, tactical and mental aspects of the game. They are far above the americans here. This is just evident of how much Doncics game has improved since his rookie season. I have watched every single Mavs game since Mavs drafted Luka. Luka has added completely new weapons to his game each and single off season, this is so impressive and not something i see in other NBA players, its rare. I dont see other players adding that many new aspects to their game in off seasons as much as Luka has. And if you follow his news from home country, it is his work in this off time that he works on this stuff. And yes this did not come during the regular season, this was clear from the onset of each new season what he has worked on. The fadeway jumper, for instance as an example, was far from something he could do, until he spend off seasons practicing it and learing it and slowly implementing in start of the regular seasons (i believe that was in his third season). He looks like Dirk sometimes. He has significantly improved his free throw shooting as well as well as the 3 point percentage. Thats come by alot of motivation in off seasons. His reading of the game has significantly improved as well, it has reached QB god like status. He manipulates defenses like no other player in history. You talk about like he has entered the league as good as he is now. Nope. He was nowhere near as awesome a player as he has become through hard work and motivation. Did I mention his improvement as defender? He did not know that part of the game. Now he has become a very capable defender, and great stealing the basketball as well. Early on in his career, he could mainly rebound on defense. Luka has worked a ton on the tactical aspect of the defensive game. No wonder the Mavs team last season was arguably the best defense in the league entering the playoffs, and there is no way you can achieve that efficiency as a team with one player in starting unit not playing defense, it takes all five to execute that. So its a proof he is good/great defender. In particular the last season and especially this one, he has made a huge leap in the off season in this aspect of the game.

All that summed up, Luka is nowhere near his peak. His curve is trending upwards with quiet a slope, like no other player today in the NBA. Although Davis is a outstanding player and on many nights can produce the same or similar to Doncic, this is a tragic trade for Mavs. I will just list some of my thoughts of the reasons why this is tragic move for this franchise. The real window to make this trade valuable is nothing like 3-4 years, it is 1 year: essentially this season until Lakers get their center.

1. Mavs havent been a regular playoff lock team before Doncics arrival. He had an immediate huge impact on the franchise, transforming the losing culture over the several/many years and made Mavs a competitive, playoff team. He has had enormous positive impact on his teammates, that had quite a bit of trouble at other treams, and has helped transform their game. Irving is one, THJ etc etc. You mention Doncics conditioning? I dont think any other player run with the ball as much as Doncic last season. Carrying the best and often also in addition the second best defender along with him, and made the read to guys like Irving, that in his previous many seasons did never had that much space as he had playing with Luka. This effect will not be the same with AD for Kyrie. Irving will have to face the best perimeter defenders and will have to deal with double teams. It will have a long term effect on his play. I have to say that even in the last games, I already see the negative effect on Kyrie that I think already might be attributed to this. Doncics great conditioning and ability to carry the load throughout the season and games fighting against the best defenders, has just made life much easier for Kyrie. So for me its such a huge misunderstanding to even mention Lukas conditioning, when I dont know who else in the league carries a load such as this. This will have a huge negative impact on Kyrie and the Mavs. And I dont believe that Kyrie did not know of the trade, and I think he approved along with others. Imagine if Kyrie asked for a trade, after Luka got traded? The organization could never risk something like this, losing Luka and Kyrie. He must have known.

2. Lukas previous trades did not end well for the respective involved teams, Hawks and Kings and Suns for not drafting him, and all their GMs. Their fans are still pissed about it. I dont think this well end well for Nico, the new owner, or the team.

3. You just dont make Luka angry. This has never worked for anyone before on or off the court. He is the most motivating player I have seen since MJ and Bird also had that attitude. And he just becomes even more motivated when somebody pisses him off. We have seen it countless times before. I dont think Luka will allow Mavs go past Lakers to the finals, I just cant see that happening. Can only happen this season while Lakers still have no center at all.

4. Lakers got the better player in this trade. Thats a usual rule for who wins the trade, doesnt work every time, but in general yes. Nico broke this rule.

5. Lukas age vs. AD age. Luke is trending upwards and keeps developing new weapons and skills in off seasons and he is just keep getting better. AD is what he is and that will not improve at all. Not only is Luka better player now than AD. He will become better with a significant margin in the future. This is just the begining of Luka, while it is start of the end for AD.

6. Lukas game is magical. We all know what that means. There is nothing magic in ADs game. He is fantastic player. But I dont see any magic there at all. Lukas is also fantastic player but even more than that, he creates magic.

7. Mavs have lost loyalty with this move. FAs have never come to Dallas as well as due to Luka. This will not be the case now. LA will have that advantage. In short run, but not in the long run, there will not be enough years of peak AD and Kyrie to justify that. After that its complete rebuild mode unfortunately.


In essence Mavs GM broke every single rule. From trading away your better player in a trade, your younger player in a trade, trading away your player that is essential for mainting conditions that guarantees your second best player Kyrie to play well, ruining the loyalty of the team and fans, and finally also the worst of all rules in basketball: to not make Luka Doncic angry. This will not end well im afraid. What a terrible terrible decision. On a plus side, ADs first game showed that defense will become even better than with Luka. Absolutely. But this will come with huge loss in offense, and usually when you stall on offense, you dont get back on defense and makes it harder to play defense, it is all super connected, and Mavs will feel that effect a lot come playoffs. Last season playoff run with excelent defense was made possible in parts through fantastic unstoppable offense.

Oh, and I forgot. Im afraid of clutch situations this season in playoffs. I dont have that magical feeling about Kyrie and AD, as with Luka and fresh Kyrie facing the lesser defenders. The best perimeter defender will be on Kyrie, and best interior one on AD. We have seen last season how strong Luka and Kyrie was, it completely ruined the defenses. I dont have that feeling with this lineup. They will produce, but i dont think they will dominate in playoffs against Thunder etc.

I believe that Mavs just didnt understand the player they have, this is why this trade happened, they dont understand who is Luka. Just in the way your post above as a fan completely misunderstand the player that is Doncic. I believe that Denver do more understand the player they have and what he is and they dont care how he looks. Doncic is all about IQ, skills, mental aspects and tactical aspects, this is what he is improvin on. And he is about to become even much better at that. Oh, and finally, Lebron is going to see the same effect as Kyrie has been having next to Luka. He will feel reborn after some time, AD did not help him in this regard, Lebron will have space now he never had in his career. Lebron is clearly better player than Kyrie and when this Luka effect comes to him, I think Lakers will be unstoppable, that is if they find a capable center.