If you were wondering how other Dallas Mavericks players felt in the immediate aftermath of the shocking Luka Doncic trade, Sunday afternoon’s matchup against the juggernaut Cleveland Cavaliers provided some much-needed clarity.
None of this is good for Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, who is seemingly in denial about the tremendous long-term damage he’s inflicted upon his franchise.
While Dallas was missing several key pieces — including Kyrie Irving, P.J. Washington, and Dereck Lively II — there’s no excuse for its pitiful early effort against one of the NBA’s top teams. Well, you know, except for the whole thing about trading the young face of the franchise on a whim without talking to anyone else in the organization. Somehow, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka was the only one in the loop.
Now that I think about it, that excuse for the Mavericks is actually super fair. So, never mind.
In one half of play, the shorthanded Mavericks surrendered 91 points to the Cavaliers. They allowed 50 after the first quarter alone.
I assure you, there isn’t a typo in sight here:
Look, it would always be tough sledding for these Mavericks to leave Cleveland with a win. That’s the case even when they’re fully healthy. The Cavaliers deserve that measure of respect, at least. They might win the NBA title this June.
But I’ve watched a lot of NBA basketball over the years. Shorthanded teams often pull out all the stops effort-wise in the regular season. What they lack in talent compared to the opposing team, they make up for by nabbing every loose ball and fighting tooth and nail on every single possession.
Even without the requisite firepower, they make you earn everything. They make it a dogfight.
This was pretty clearly the Mavericks players lying down right after one of the most shocking trades in American sports history. A defeated team looks like this when it’s lost all hope for the future. Again, I can’t say I blame them.
Congratulations, Nico Harrison. You forgot one important thing about the NBA (and all professions) in your overzealous trade.
Relationships come first. Always.
