Luka Dealt to Lakers: Nico Harrison is a Basketball Terrorist

[mvossman]

I have come to the belief that this is NOT going to blow over with time. The FO keeps digging the hole deeper and deeper, with terrible understanding of how to deal with a loyal fan base, or in working through hard decisions and mistakes and dealing with public perceptions. And in the bigger picture, I think Nico has demonstrated he is in way over his head as a GM, and has to be replaced. Sooner would be better than later, because they need someone really good who can bring some skill to the repair work. (It sounds like he has the Adelson's believing he knows what he's doing, so it may be a really long wait.)

I am coming to believe that everything changed - and went off the rails - after the euphoria of the Finals run.

That led to Nico getting a multi-year extension. But in observing the actions that followed, it feels like that success (and contract) made him think he had it all figured out, and no longer needed the experts around him.

Right after that was when he got rid of the NBA's best medical person. And he also let Dennis Lindsey get away (rather than give him a bigger title and a raise). I am firmly convinced that all the finesse and nuances in roster-building and asset management that we saw in 2023-24 and that led to that Finals run - including PJW and Gafford trades - were Lindsey moves. The awful asset management and bad negotiations, before and since, topping out at the Luka and Grimes deals, show an utter lack of any negotiating skill whatsoever in the little details at the margins that can change everything. The Hardy deal was also Nico and one I think they are going to regret a lot.

Terrible crisis management (of a disaster self-created). Getting rid of badly needed experts. which reeks of ego and a power motif running wild. How can you dig the team out of the ditch when the guy in charge has no clue how bad he is?

Is it worth it to be a Mavs fan, until they get someone who has a clue in where to go from here?

This is exactly where I am at.  The only hope is that all of this (apparently unexpected) backlash is enough to convince somebody in the Adelson family a change needs to be made.  So much damage has been done, but a single year of Linsey made such a big difference on what was starting to look like a hopeless situation, so maybe getting a legit GM in here before Nico does more damage in the offseason will provide a similar turnaround.