SH It's VERY unlikely that anyone knows what ownership is actually thinking, and perhaps not even ownership itself. (I'm speaking of the owners, NOT stupid Nico who is in so far over his head and is utterly clueless.)
As for owners figuring out where to go from here, it's been crystal clear that Nico had no clue whatsoever in what to do (he did an incredibly wrong move, in an incredibly bad way, and most of all with a display of a complete lack of player evaluation or negotiation skills). But he also showed no clue in how to manage the mess, and has done MASSIVE harm to their brand and its value. Their objectively wisest move would be to replace the dolt with a real GM who is an expert. Give me a large dose of Presti, or Lindsey.
But it's hard to know whether they instead are willing to double down on "Nico's Plan" by retaining him, supporting him, letting him have the keys, and proclaim that all is well, or whether they realize that the path to rebuilding what he destroyed starts with firing him. They could be playing those cards very close to their vest, and might even be steaming inside while putting on a brave face and trying to portray a united front. The off-season will give us a referendum on the OWNERSHIP's ability to manage a crisis, and foster brand loyalty that is so vital to having a strong fanbase.
OMAHEN I agree that Kyrie's injury and a proper analysis of it should be a key piece of the puzzle for them going forward. But I don't agree that impatience would be a virtue under any circumstance. Obviously if he is injured to the extent that he will never recover, that should have them cutting ties and moving on. But if they have a HIGH likelihood he will be back to 100% in a normal timeframe for such an injury, there is no scenario in which they could let go of Kyrie and casually replace him with a healthy clone, and no way to even try to make that happen. In fact, I strongly believe it would be yet another "own goal" of a blunder.
HOWEVER, I am very skeptical as to whether Nico has the GM chops to properly navigate such questions, and he needs to be replaced with an expert decision maker before we get to that crossroads. The decision-making gets very jinky if Nico has his own agenda going, to try to validate his own ugly brand as a priority in the process.
One thing no one is saying, but should be noted. It's also possible that Kyrie takes everything in a way different direction. He has choices not being mentioned. First, he could simply opt in, and defer any contract decision to next year. Or, he could opt out and offer a team-friendly discount for this one season to accommodate payroll and nod to his lack of availability, with a PO in a year, which gives him a no-trade and acknowledges his limited ability to contribute. He might even use any leverage he has to weigh in on the GM situation, who knows. We might get a really good idea of who Kyrie wants to be, and where that takes the Mavs, well before he's healthy.
As for owners figuring out where to go from here, it's been crystal clear that Nico had no clue whatsoever in what to do (he did an incredibly wrong move, in an incredibly bad way, and most of all with a display of a complete lack of player evaluation or negotiation skills). But he also showed no clue in how to manage the mess, and has done MASSIVE harm to their brand and its value. Their objectively wisest move would be to replace the dolt with a real GM who is an expert. Give me a large dose of Presti, or Lindsey.
But it's hard to know whether they instead are willing to double down on "Nico's Plan" by retaining him, supporting him, letting him have the keys, and proclaim that all is well, or whether they realize that the path to rebuilding what he destroyed starts with firing him. They could be playing those cards very close to their vest, and might even be steaming inside while putting on a brave face and trying to portray a united front. The off-season will give us a referendum on the OWNERSHIP's ability to manage a crisis, and foster brand loyalty that is so vital to having a strong fanbase.
OMAHEN I agree that Kyrie's injury and a proper analysis of it should be a key piece of the puzzle for them going forward. But I don't agree that impatience would be a virtue under any circumstance. Obviously if he is injured to the extent that he will never recover, that should have them cutting ties and moving on. But if they have a HIGH likelihood he will be back to 100% in a normal timeframe for such an injury, there is no scenario in which they could let go of Kyrie and casually replace him with a healthy clone, and no way to even try to make that happen. In fact, I strongly believe it would be yet another "own goal" of a blunder.
HOWEVER, I am very skeptical as to whether Nico has the GM chops to properly navigate such questions, and he needs to be replaced with an expert decision maker before we get to that crossroads. The decision-making gets very jinky if Nico has his own agenda going, to try to validate his own ugly brand as a priority in the process.
One thing no one is saying, but should be noted. It's also possible that Kyrie takes everything in a way different direction. He has choices not being mentioned. First, he could simply opt in, and defer any contract decision to next year. Or, he could opt out and offer a team-friendly discount for this one season to accommodate payroll and nod to his lack of availability, with a PO in a year, which gives him a no-trade and acknowledges his limited ability to contribute. He might even use any leverage he has to weigh in on the GM situation, who knows. We might get a really good idea of who Kyrie wants to be, and where that takes the Mavs, well before he's healthy.
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