Luka Dealt to Lakers: Nico Harrison is a Basketball Terrorist

[Scott41theMavs]

To be fair, most folks who are really upset by this feel like they lost a 10 year window.  A six game sample is not really going to impact that one way or the other much.

Nico's entire premise is that there was no 5 year window with Luka, let alone 10 years. If Luka is still performing at last year's level in 3 years, Nico screwed up even worse than the entire world thinks he did. 10 years? He would deserve to live the rest of his earthly life pushing a shopping cart in the streets.

[hakeemfaan]

One benefit the Lakers have is their ability to find second round picks and undrafted guys who can play in the NBA.  They have been excellent on the fringes.  Something Dallas doesn't really seem interested in.  A lot of their players they develop/uncover don't wind up playing mostly for LAL, but the more you do this the sooner you find a guy like Reeves.

Pippen Jr, Huff, Caruso.  There is a list around 10 deep that they have found or developed.

We got Brunson who is better than all of them combined but we let him go.  This is not hindsight. You can go back and check the posts here. Many of us said that they should have given him the max and he would still be a reasonable piece to move given his talent despite his defensive limitations. This was even without us realizing the next step he would take. 


Asset management has always been a problem for this franchise and it didn’t start with this regime

[hakeemfaan]

LeBron, Luka's childhood hero, is perhaps the only player in the league, even at his age, to whom Luka would countenance deferring. Maybe Jokic.

Luka had no problems sharing the ball with Kyrie. No problems sharing the ball with Brunson and Dinwiddie when they made the WCF run. 

The arguing with the refs, the lolly gagging on defense I can still live with. To me his biggest issue has always been shot hunting that 3. It absolutely drove me crazy. Plus it killed the offensive flow on those possessions.  Folks used to say initially how he needed that to get space to drive. I used to feel he needed a midrange game. Then I realized he has a fabulous mid range game. He can also absolutely bully anyone smaller down low.  There is zero reason for him to take a bad 3. 

The problem is he has games like he had against the Suns and Wolves where he delivered knock out blows with the 3. Then he makes some wild 3 and everyone goes crazy talking about Luka Magic. No one thinks that maybe if he played more to his strengths he wouldn’t need so many bad shots and needing any magic at the end. 

That was one thing that I kept hoping he would change and finally see the light. He never did. 

Not Steph’s fault but he really deluded an entire generation of kids to believe that they could play the way he did.

[SleepingHero]

Watching the Lakers game right now and Luka really looks out of it. At times he looks fine. Other times he's shell shocked and making mistakes he literally never made in his career before.

I really do think he has a mental block right now.

[The Jom]

Watching Luka again tonight. He cannot buy a bucket. This is maybe the longest shooting slump he’s had. Wonder if it’s gonna linger.

[SleepingHero]

Luka man. The turnovers he's having is so bizarre. I literally have never seen him play like this. Sure he has some off nights, but right now it feels different.

[SleepingHero]

Luka starting to wake up a bit after the mid 3rd quarter. Starting to find his rhythm!

[FireNicoHarrison]

Calf injury for Reaves... So? Lazy? Bad shape? No professional mindset? Too much beers and pizza?

It's too funny.

[Chicagojk]

I really don’t want to see a Lakers vs Mavs first round series. I think it would be quick with the lack of playing time together.

A lakers vs Warriors first round matchup would be fire though.

On Luka, I think he looks thinner and moving better. He just hasn’t made shots he can make. We saw it with us earlier in the season. Even when not right, he can still get his points due to toughness and IQ. He should be fine. I still want to see his quickness though. When he jumps he still looks 40. Still though, he appears to be making good progress getting back into form.

Lakers defense has been excellent. Mirage? It is looking like they are real. They give up very little easy baskets. That is key.

Lebron is so so good.

[ThisIStheYear]

One benefit the Lakers have is their ability to find second round picks and undrafted guys who can play in the NBA.  They have been excellent on the fringes.  Something Dallas doesn't really seem interested in.  A lot of their players they develop/uncover don't wind up playing mostly for LAL, but the more you do this the sooner you find a guy like Reeves.

Pippen Jr, Huff, Caruso.  There is a list around 10 deep that they have found or developed.

When you trade away a top of the 2nd round pick in the deepest draft in history plus the younger, better, healthier player for a guy who’ll spend most of his time in Dallas on the injured list, you’re not going to find as many good second round players. The Mavs franchise is destroyed. Some of you haven’t realized it yet I know, but get ready for about 10 years of shit. The destruction that has happened is unfixable. The team doesn’t have anyone under age 30 to build around and throws good draft picks into trades like they’re candy.

[Chicagojk]

I really don’t want to see a Lakers vs Mavs first round series.  I think it would be quick with the lack of playing time together.

A lakers vs Warriors first round matchup would be fire though.

On Luka, I think he looks thinner and moving better.  He just hasn’t made shots he can make.  We saw it with us earlier in the season.  Even when not right, he can still get his points due to toughness and IQ.  He should be fine.  I still want to see his quickness though.  When he jumps he still looks 40.  Still though, he appears to be making good progress getting back into form.

Lakers defense has been excellent.  Mirage?  It is looking like they are real.  They give up very little easy baskets.  That is key.

Lebron is so so good.

Let me add, I just can't take Ben Simmons seriously.  Teams have no concern for him when he is out of the paint and it never enters his mind that I am going to try a three pointer just because.    It is a schtict that is way too old.   You don't need to take 10 threes but to not even try one tells me he is not a serious player.

[Chicagojk]

When you trade away a top of the 2nd round pick in the deepest draft in history plus the younger, better, healthier player for a guy who’ll spend most of his time in Dallas on the injured list, you’re not going to find as many good second round players. The Mavs franchise is destroyed. Some of you haven’t realized it yet I know, but get ready for about 10 years of shit. The destruction that has happened is unfixable. The team doesn’t have anyone under age 30 to build around and throws good draft picks into trades like they’re candy.

I am not sure it is really a deep draft, but I get your point.  For instance, here are two guys who are in that pick range.   Tyrese Proctor wasn't what he was suppose to be, but he is a 6'6 guard who has really shot the ball well.    Could be a really nice 4th guard if he can continue to develop.

Creighton Kalkenbrenner is pretty limited, but he is 7'1 and is good protecting the paint.   He would be an easy path to move from Powell as your third center.   Maybe similar to that big white guy on Boston.  Nothing special but servicable.   

There are probably 10-15 names who would be high priorioty 2 way guys you can hope they develop.

[DallasMaverick]

I'm still in shock over the trade yesterday.

Who would have thought we'd turn our back on one of our closest friends?

...and instead embrace one of our least reliable enemies?

I'm ready to fire the manager responsible for these decisions!

[SleepingHero]

I'm still in shock over the trade yesterday.

Who would have thought we'd turn our back on one of our closest friends?

...and instead embrace one of our least reliable enemies?

I'm ready to fire the manager responsible for these decisions!

Glad to see you're back on board. 

Or back on the board? 

Or just bored?

[DallasMaverick]

Glad to see you're back on board. 

Or back on the board? 

Or just bored?

Traded Ukraine for Russia.

[hakeemfaan]

I'm still in shock over the trade yesterday.

Who would have thought we'd turn our back on one of our closest friends?

...and instead embrace one of our least reliable enemies?

I'm ready to fire the manager responsible for these decisions!

(Duplicate)

[hakeemfaan]

I'm still in shock over the trade yesterday.

Who would have thought we'd turn our back on one of our closest friends?

...and instead embrace one of our least reliable enemies?

I'm ready to fire the manager responsible for these decisions!

Finally we agree on something on this thread  

It does feel like I slept and woke up in an alternate timeline. Luka in a Lakers uni atill gets me questioning if the trade really happened. The secrecy and suddenness didn’t give the fans to even mentally prepare.  It’s like waking up and seeing your wife who never wanted to leave you, married to your worst enemy.   The other stuff we at least knew was coming from Nov though some of the things happening still seem surreal.  Interesting timeline

[DallasMaverick]

Finally we agree on something on this thread  

It does feel like I slept and woke up in an alternate timeline. Luka in a Lakers uni atill gets me questioning if the trade really happened. The secrecy and suddenness didn’t give the fans to even mentally prepare.  It’s like waking up and seeing your wife who never wanted to leave you, married to your worst enemy.   The other stuff we at least knew was coming from Nov though some of the things happening still seem surreal.  Interesting timeline

Hmm..

Actually, it was a political statement disguised as a basketball post.

But thanks.

[hakeemfaan]

Hmm..

Actually, it was a political statement disguised as a basketball post.

But thanks.

I got that immediately. That’s why I referenced Nov for the elections. I didn’t say we agreed on the Luka trade  The agreement was about politics. The Luka part I threw in there to just mention how everything, sports and politics, feels like an alternate timeline these days. Almost surreal.

[DallasMaverick]

I got that immediately. That’s why I referenced Nov for the elections. I didn’t say we agreed on the Luka trade  The agreement was about politics. The Luka part I threw in there to just mention how everything, sports and politics, feels like an alternate timeline these days. Almost surreal.

Ah. Nice.