05-01-2025, 02:17 PM
I think last night’s season ender for LA is as good a time as any to revisit what (if anything) it might take for Nico to eventually become less of a villain (I don’t think hero is within the realm of possibility, so I’ll just say ‘less of a villain’). It appears he is going to survive the offseason (wouldn’t he be gone by now if he was going). I want to be forward looking here and not revisit how lopsided the trade was/wasn’t or how poorly the PR has been handled. This is strictly about steps it might take for the beginnings of a Nico rehab (if that is even possible).
1. Nico has maintained he has a vision for how this thing might come together. A winning formula built around AD and Kyrie. Unfortunately, we are 8-9 months away from test driving his theory and really a year from seeing it in games that really matter. The only real contribution he might make in the near term toward proof of concept would be to quickly come to a reasonable extension with Kyrie. I think 3 years at his Max is a failure. Kyrie is an older smaller guard with an injury. He will spend a chunk of his next contract in street clothes. If, however, Nico can bring Kyrie in at something similar to what he’s already being paid, then that’s a good piece of GM’ing.
2. Nico could adjust the roster this summer in a way that is universally liked. He was on a pretty good roll with Lively, PJ and Gafford. Then we had the 2025 TDL. What deal is out there that would be universally liked? Topic for another day. This is a post about how Nico might manage to get a body part or two out of the doghouse. I think a really good addition that better balances the roster might help him. It would also happen sooner than the next time we see AD and Kyrie in a game together.
3. Unfortunately, the third thing that helps Nico is failure on the part of Luka. No matter what we think about Luka or how much we want him to succeed, the national narrative has turned a bit in recent days. “Luka can’t guard a chair” from Chuck last night. LA fans starting to show displeasure. It isn’t permanent (and I said at the time of the trade, that I expected Luka to come back next season with a vengeance). But, this playoff series put a few chinks in the armor of pubic opinion regarding Luka. It is one thing to be targeted when you have a proper team helping. But the LA defense really exposed Luka. That won’t change if Reeves and Lebron are still there and a real defensive center isn’t brought in. Add in the fact that Legler is hinting that Luka might not extend this summer. Boy, if that happens, it might not help Nico, but it really looks bad for Pelinka.
I think it only is only fair to acknowledge that there are things that could go against Nico also. Another dumb or lopsided trade. Or, if LA makes a brilliant trade to build around Luka, that would be bad. I think it more likely Giannis goes to Houston than LA, but stranger things have happened. Another way this goes poorly is if Pelinka trades Luka to someplace Luka wants to extend and gets a better haul of assets than Dallas got. All TBD, but if you are one of the three people in the world who hopes Nico (and the Mav’s) somehow find their way back from this nightmare, the changing narrative based on the Minnesota series was a step. A little bit of lottery luck wouldn’t hurt and a good decision or two between now and mid July would also be helpful.
1. Nico has maintained he has a vision for how this thing might come together. A winning formula built around AD and Kyrie. Unfortunately, we are 8-9 months away from test driving his theory and really a year from seeing it in games that really matter. The only real contribution he might make in the near term toward proof of concept would be to quickly come to a reasonable extension with Kyrie. I think 3 years at his Max is a failure. Kyrie is an older smaller guard with an injury. He will spend a chunk of his next contract in street clothes. If, however, Nico can bring Kyrie in at something similar to what he’s already being paid, then that’s a good piece of GM’ing.
2. Nico could adjust the roster this summer in a way that is universally liked. He was on a pretty good roll with Lively, PJ and Gafford. Then we had the 2025 TDL. What deal is out there that would be universally liked? Topic for another day. This is a post about how Nico might manage to get a body part or two out of the doghouse. I think a really good addition that better balances the roster might help him. It would also happen sooner than the next time we see AD and Kyrie in a game together.
3. Unfortunately, the third thing that helps Nico is failure on the part of Luka. No matter what we think about Luka or how much we want him to succeed, the national narrative has turned a bit in recent days. “Luka can’t guard a chair” from Chuck last night. LA fans starting to show displeasure. It isn’t permanent (and I said at the time of the trade, that I expected Luka to come back next season with a vengeance). But, this playoff series put a few chinks in the armor of pubic opinion regarding Luka. It is one thing to be targeted when you have a proper team helping. But the LA defense really exposed Luka. That won’t change if Reeves and Lebron are still there and a real defensive center isn’t brought in. Add in the fact that Legler is hinting that Luka might not extend this summer. Boy, if that happens, it might not help Nico, but it really looks bad for Pelinka.
I think it only is only fair to acknowledge that there are things that could go against Nico also. Another dumb or lopsided trade. Or, if LA makes a brilliant trade to build around Luka, that would be bad. I think it more likely Giannis goes to Houston than LA, but stranger things have happened. Another way this goes poorly is if Pelinka trades Luka to someplace Luka wants to extend and gets a better haul of assets than Dallas got. All TBD, but if you are one of the three people in the world who hopes Nico (and the Mav’s) somehow find their way back from this nightmare, the changing narrative based on the Minnesota series was a step. A little bit of lottery luck wouldn’t hurt and a good decision or two between now and mid July would also be helpful.
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