Rob Parker: Mavericks Make Nico Harrison the Scapegoat

Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington break down the Dallas Mavericks’ decision to fire Nico Harrison. Parker says the 3‑8 start made Harrison an easy scapegoat, while Kelvin points out that Luka’s strong play and the Lakers’ success without LeBron added pressure on Dallas.

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#Mavericks #NicoHarrison #LukaDoncic #NBA #BasketballAnalysis #DallasMavs #NBAReaction #RobParker #KelvinWashington

Yeah, it is news, but I can’t say it’s breaking news because we all kind of saw this one coming for the last couple of weeks. The Dallas Mavericks have officially parted ways with Embattled general manager Nico Harrison. Nine months after he upended the franchise by training away all world point guard Luca Donuch for a package including Anthony Davis. Anthony Davis famously has only played 14 of 46 possible games since the trade. The team has started out. They’re the second worst record in the Western Conference and ownership couldn’t take it anymore. So, Nico Harrison is out in Dallas. All right. And you know what? I get it. When you’re down, losing three and three and 11 to start, right? Uh people want blood. Fans aren’t happy. I get all that. But I’m going tell you this. You guys can say whatever you want. Have your party. Have your parade cuz Nico’s gotten run out of Dallas. Do all that. Pump your chest. It’s about time. This was the same general manager that that to led his team to the NBA finals in 2024, right? Not nine years ago. I get it. He is being used as a scapegoat. He traded Luca Don not because he wanted to trade him. It’s because ownership didn’t want to pay him. Did you hear me? It wasn’t because he wanted to trade him. It was because ownership didn’t want to pay him. Those are the facts. Let me give you some other facts why this is a scapegoat move. It ain’t like he’s got his team together. the one that he put together. If he had that team together and they were three and 11, by all means. AD’s hurt. Kyrie’s hurt. Cooper flag unimpressive so far. Out of position, not playing well. The number one overall pick. He’s the be all end all vanilla ice cream that we can’t resist. No. None of it has worked out. But they aren’t bad because they’re healthy and they’re all together and they just haven’t played well. None of that is the case. And if you’re going to do that, Jason Kid should be on a rail on his way out as well. Oh, wait a minute. You could look at Jason Kid and say, “Well, of course, because uh the team’s not healthy, so Jason Kid doesn’t have to go anywhere.” Is that how it works? But the general manager who got you talent, you can say all you want. All you NBA fans, ask your team and your general managers, when was the last time they went to the NBA Finals. I’ll wait because it’s been a long time. So, I have an issue with the idea if this was a team with Kyrie with AD with the overall number one pick and he was lights out and all this other stuff was happening, they wouldn’t be 3 and 11. And I get it. It’s it’s a it’s real simple. Sports has a short menu. Fans look at 3 and 11. They’re not happy. You got to do something. You just gave Jason Kidd a new contract, didn’t you? So, of course, Nico is going to be the fall guy. Man, ain’t nobody trying to hear nothing you talking about right now because none of this is new, Rob. We knew going into the trade that Anthony Davis was a liability because he was always injured. Which works when you have a team like LeBron and some other pieces, you say, “Okay, but when he’s going to be your focal point tied in with your other focal point, Kyrie Irving, who’s always injured, that was the problem. That’s what I was yelling at you during those weeks of the trade. Who who traded him? Ownership or him? Absolutely. Ownership trade. Ownership. Okay. Okay. That’s what that So, I just want to get that on the table. You can react now. He He is absolutely the fall guy. He is absolutely the scapegoat. He didn’t he didn’t trade because he didn’t want to trade Luca with It’s not like he’s a middling guy that you didn’t know was going to all of a sudden become a star. You didn’t trade say it was Austin Reeds three years ago and then became a star. Oh, we didn’t see that coming. You can’t trade Luca Donuts without the sign off of the ownership. And the ownership listened to him. They at least allegedly that he brought it up. He pitched it. They didn’t want to sign for all the max money because they believe he was injuryprone and he wasn’t going to get in shape. Well, that’s also a part of the problem, Rob, is that they’re three and 11 and the Lakers are like the opposite of that. Lucas played great. could say he’s the leading candidate for MVP right now, averaging like 30 something almost 40 a game. 10 games in. Okay. Yeah. And so that’s also part of the problem is that the Lakers look great right now without LeBron and Luca looks spectacular Dallas. That absolutely plays a role. If he was out of shape, heavy, and playing terribly, then people could say there’s a problem. They know he’s a good player. That the idea that you think that they’re like, “Oh my god, Luca’s great. He was a fivetime first all NBA. So So you you left out the key part. You’re acting like he is in shape. No, but you’re but he already was there without shape. He was already in and now he’s in shape. So why wouldn’t he get in shape for you? Because he never because he never would and because he wouldn’t allow them to know what he was doing. So he was Laker for a handful of months. All of a sudden he’s in the best best shape of his life. He wanted the money. He’s in the best shape of his life now. And they got a needle now that you can look. I’m just assuming that you can. So now wait. So now a pro athlete can’t work out. Now a pro a pro alete can’t get in shape. Now the pro alete got to be jabbing himself. Stop it. Luka Don. Would you be shocked if he’s on that? Yes. Him specifically? Yes. Me, you, Rob G, somebody? No. Him? Yes. One of the greatest tennis players of all time does advertising. She ain’t playing tennis right now. No. But my point is, that’s the point. She ain’t in tennis shape. when everybody looked at him and showed all those sloppy pictures of him and talked about his weight. I can’t believe you’re just trying to say literally one of the greatest aes in the world in his prime 267 years old has to be jabbing himself. Stop it. It was he looked like at 25 he looked 35. That was the issue. That’s why he didn’t get the max contract. He should have got in Dallas. I agree that Nico is a scapegoat because again even if he pitched or suggested it they have to sign off on trading a generational franchise said don’t no you’re not trading 100%. So I agree with that Nico is going to land some cushy job. This is all he’s going to get something the NBA the Dallas look just go away so we can make this thing a thing and you’re going to be part of the Olympic basketball committee team or some cushy job up in New York or Sarasota wherever they are and you’ll come get some get jobs there. I don’t know where they at. Where is the headquarter? Sockis saying somewhere wherever the headquarter of the NBA is. It’s in Manhattan. But the the the TV deal is in Sukakus. Yeah. Sukakus. That’s what I’m talking about. TV uh entertainment. He going to be up in Sukauakus somewhere. The the office in is in Manhattan. Yeah. That so but back to this to me was so inevitable and I didn’t expect him necessarily to be 3 and 11. But the point is my whole point honestly Rob was Kyrie is in his mid-30s and often injury. A spectacular player but always injured. You traded him championship with Anthony Davvers? Yeah. Okay. Five, six years ago. But I’m just asking, he was injured before he came to LA and you had the last peak bit of LeBron. No, but I’m asking you, he was not injured during that. He played out without Anthony Davis. Oh, without a doubt. Game winner. I I agree. They would even win. But Rob, he’s always injured now, especially he’s even six years older than Luca. So that was my point. If they traded Luca for SGA, I would have said, “All right, didn’t see that coming, but I can get it.” And Edwards, oh, I didn’t see. Okay, Giannis Joic. It’s that they traded him for six years older than injury to pair with another injury guy and to pair with a 72-year-old Klay Thompson. It none of it made sense from the jump. That was always my issue was that if you felt he needed to go, you didn’t get the best for him. You didn’t get even Austin Reeds where you say, “At least we got AD and Austin Reeds, we got something going.” They didn’t get anything. And then you brought Jay Kidd and the idea that Jason Kidd would say, “Well, I think Cooper Flag should be a point guard.” Jason Kid, are you kidding me? You’re one of the greatest point guards ever. You know what a point guard looks like. Cooper Flag is not going to be a point guard. Get a rebound and go every now and again. Sure. But a point guard, so this just looks bad. I knew I was never in on this. Look at that front court and the best front court. Who’s giving the ball to the front court people? It’s easy to say that when people I said it beforehand. All I’m saying is this was never put together or never got a chance. It’s like the Brooklyn thing. You could say whatever it didn’t work. Yeah, of course. Cuz they played a total of 16 games together. I’ll give you that and weird things going on. But the idea of it isn’t like like it was the worst thing in the world. And even without two of the three players, KD’s foot on the line almost got them to the Eastern Conference final. like like he made the shot and then oh wait a minute his foot’s on the line. Like that’s how close it was without Kyrie and with an injured uh uh James Harden. It was incredible. But anyway, though my point is didn’t see like this he’s a he’s the scapegoat and you could go all you want. Cooper flag hasn’t been as advertised uh and and is out of playing out of position. Clay is done and and and Clay is done. We knew that when he signed there. And then you got the other the other two guys who were supposed to be a part of this who were hurt. So when you start out 3 and 11 they’re always hurt. They didn’t go. But it but they didn’t go to the finals. That was that wasn’t uh 10 years ago. That’s that’s You’re right. It was 2020 uh 2023 when they went to the finals. Oh, I’m talking about the Mavericks. You got rid of the guy that dragged you to the Western Conference Finals. Then the Maver then the finals. Where where did they where did the Lakers go when they got that guy last year? Where’d they go? He just got there. No, no, no. What does that have to do with it? He went to the finals the year before. What happened last year? Let him get a whole season. Let him get a whole season. I knew I figured you would forget about that. Last year when everybody told me, including you, let him get a whole season. Oh, who would you take over LeBron? Who would you take over LeBron and Luca? Okay. Luke, I tell you who. Luca and Austin Reeves. Yeah. Okay. All right. We’re talking about Nico Harrison. Uh, no longer the GM of the Dallas Mavericks. Scapegoat. Deserved it. Saw it coming. What’ you say? 87799 on Fox. Who we got? Elvis in Alabama. You’re on the odd couple Fox Sports Radio. What’s up, Elvis? Rob Kell, how’s it going, brother? Doing good. Hey, uh, thank you very much. Listen, th this is what I’d like to know. And I I don’t know if anybody I haven’t heard anything about this. I’d like to know the genesis of this trade. I know it’s all getting dumped on Nico. It’s obviously a bad, you know, a bad trade obviously, even though he had a reason. It wasn’t just out of the blue. I mean, somebody at the Mavericks didn’t want to write this dude a $300 million check when he comes to work fat and doesn’t play defense. I I get that. But look, if if the genesis of this thing was the owner emailing Nico and saying, “Hey, I want you to look into trading this guy.” Well, you got to do what your boss does. And even if it didn’t start that way, he had to run it by the owner before. Well, that Yeah, that that the last part goes without saying. Any anybody who thinks he did this on his own, they have no idea. Like, you there there’s no You think you’re the GM and you get to just write checks, sign people, spend the owner’s money, uh get rid of his assets. Like, it just doesn’t that’s not the way things are done. No, no, no. Not not of this magnitude. You’re there to take the the hit or you know what I mean if things don’t work out that’s why they hire you but that but that is not it. No you can’t make move anybody that magnitude. Andre in Massachusetts you’re on the odd couple Fox Sports Radio. What’s up Dre? Hey uh how you doing? Thanks for taking the call. Listen Nico Harrison he took the hit then. Okay he took the hit now. Right. in terms of what’s going on with the Dallas Mavericks. And to the previous caller’s point, what the genesis of this whole Luca Donic fiasco is in my mind, it’s that this ownership group bought the Dallas Mavericks believing they could have a casino either attached to the arena or in some way, shape or form connected to the organization and that got nixed by the state of Texas. And that’s when things started to go sideways. Additionally, when they took over the team, Mark Cuban was supposed to have some say so. Can we please bring back Mark Hansen to the NBA into the Dallas Mavericks so we can have some sane dog on ownership, people that know what the heck they’re doing. Obviously, he doesn’t have input because look at how this team is being being run. Never mind. As you said, Kelvin, it’s not that it’s not that you trade Luca Donic in this in the, you know, dark of the night for Anthony Davis who’s injuryprone. You didn’t get back Anthony Edwards. You didn’t get back Shay Gilgus Alexander. You didn’t get back Y Anthony. You didn’t get back anywhere near equal value. It’s not just that you traded him. You traded him. No disrespect to Anthony Davis for cheating beans. That’s it’s just ab outlandish. And so again, where we are right now, this Maverick ownership group, these new owners, they they’re not b they’re not basketball people. We’re dealing with this in Boston. How they traded away Drew Holiday, which ended the dynasty. They’re not basketball people first. They’re about the bottom line in business. And when things go sideways, they’re just firing whoever the heck they can. It’s not good for the NBA or anybody else. Thanks taking the call. No doubt. All right. Appreciate. Thank you. Appreciate it, Dre. Fired up. How about Jerome real quick? Jerome and Charleston, you’re on the odd couple Fox Sports Radio. What’s up, Jerome? Nico Harrison is not surprised in the least. He’s been waiting for the last year for this to happen. Okay. And their slow start just makes it even easier to do. Okay. Owners don’t fire themselves. Just ask Jerry Jones. The Cowboys been running in place for 30 years. Anybody find him? Hell no. And it ain’t going to happen anytime soon. And like you said, when you get like Chris Carter said years ago, when you get in trouble, always have a fall gun. Yeah. So, this another example. Uh C has been around a long time. No doubt. All right, Romy. Thank you. Yeah, this is Nico was definitely Listen, I told y’all he about to land. Watch. Don’t be shocked. You’re going to see him land somewhere. A nice cushy job somewhere. Something popped up through the NBA or something. All right. All right, Rob. So, they’re watching us right now, which means another thing they can do is what? They can subscribe. All you got to do is hit that button, subscribe to the Odd Couple for some of the best sports talk content in the nation. Facts. 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