How much franchise swag was lost?
You might be quick to say, “Why do you guys need to post a Luka shoe commercial? Isn’t this a Mavs website?” Oh, I can hear the clickity clack of keyboards in the comment section already. Yet the point, beyond how genuinely hilarious the ad is, speaks to what the Mavericks lost. Carve out just under eight minutes from your day and have a watch:
Luka will indeed be promoted and propped up by his sponsors, networks, and the league in a way he never was in Dallas. Things tend to work that way for Laker stars. Many of the same voices that derided him on the West Coast are already singing his praises. Promixity and self-interest are powerful forces.
Forget for a moment the pain, the injuries, and the middling record. Think about the money. Think about the balance sheets reported to show staggering losses for the Dallas Mavericks as the face of the franchise was shuttled away in the dark of night. Think about how Patrick Dumont has reportedly begun to sour on Nico Harrison and no longer sees him as a paragon of NBA wisdom.
The RoundUp contends that the financial hit the Mavericks have and will continue to take square on the chin is a direct reflection of the loss of swagger. Nico Harrison’s vaunted career in the NBA shoe business should have prepared him for this dynamic. The Mavericks drafted two point guards in 2018 who represent the first and fifth highest-selling jerseys in the league this year. Neither one being on the roster is a managerial atrocity.
Season ticket holders, sponsors, and networks deciding which games to carry nationally care very little about Harrison’s vision. They have and will continue to do the one thing that Patrick Dumont will find increasingly difficult to ignore – vote with their wallet.