Nico Harrison’s latest comments have served to underline Mark Cuban’s criticism of his handling of the Luka Doncic trade.
The decision to trade Luka Doncic will be recalled as a seminal moment in Dallas sports, for all the wrong reasons.
A beloved player, who had just taken the team to their first Finals appearance in more than a decade, was traded months later without remorse.
And then without any regret, the general manager appears to claim he did not understand how beloved he was among the Dallas Mavericks fanbase.
This is a situation where the fallout is clearly only just beginning.
It is certainly a case of ‘too little, too late’, but Mark Cuban’s cutting assessment of Nico Harrison’s decision to trade Luka Doncic rings true.
Cuban was the Mavericks former owner who oversaw Doncic’s arrival in Dallas, and tried to stop the trade, only to be told it was too late.
He recently revealed a brief conversation with Nico Harrison, where he was abruptly told the decision was already made.
During his controversial latest press conference, Nico Harrison admitted he underestimated the love the Dallas Mavericks fan base had for Luka Doncic.
“I did know Luka was important to the fan base. I didn’t quite know to what level.”
These words serve to underline a ripping assessment from Mark Cuban on Nico Harrison’s decision to trade Luka Doncic in the first place.
Speaking last month to The Stephen A. Smith show, Cuban blamed Harrison’s “lack of attention” for his decision to trade Doncic.
This was in reference to the Mavericks frustrations over Doncic’s conditioning, claimed to be one of the reasons the Slovenian was traded.
Cuban claimed Harrison failed to understand who Luka Doncic was, his background and culture.
“You’ve got to understand what people are like, what their backgrounds are like, what their families are like, how they interact with other people. And that part of the world in my experience, Luka apart from the basketball talent, he was just like every other guy.
“I don’t think he really took the time to understand that and I think that led to this decision, underpinned his decision, lack of attention to that issue, and here we are.”
During a segment on First Take, Stephen A. Smith launched a remarkable rant at Nico Harrison, asking how he could not know how revered Luka Doncic is in Dallas.
As somebody who lived in Dallas, attends Mavericks games, how could Nico Harrison not possibly know how loved Luka Doncic is?
This speaks to negligence in his role and understanding of the fan culture in Dallas, and the ‘lack of attention’ Mark Cuban described.
Those three words ring true, louder than ever, and it is hard to see how Harrison survives in his role as GM for much longer.
