Luka’s emotional return to Dallas

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily: Luka’s Emotional Return to Dallas – Episode Summary

Release Date: April 10, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of The Athletic NBA Daily, hosts Dave Deford and his co-host delve into the dramatic return of Luka Doncic to the Dallas Mavericks, analyze pivotal games involving the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets, and explore the intricate behind-the-scenes dynamics following Luka’s trade to the Los Angeles Lakers. Featuring insights from NBA reporter Christian Clark, the episode offers a comprehensive overview of the latest happenings in professional basketball.

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I. Luka Doncic’s Emotional Return to Dallas

A. Game Performance

Luka Doncic made a sensational return to Dallas, delivering an electrifying performance by scoring 45 points, including 31 in the first half. Deford remarks, “[Luka] put up 45 points. What did you expect coming into this squad?” (05:00). The co-host emphasizes the significance of this performance, stating, “I honestly think that's one of those games where you look back on five years from now and say, where were you when you watched Luka return to Dallas?” (05:20).

B. Emotional Tribute Video

Prior to the game, the Mavericks presented Luka with a tribute video, sparking a wave of emotions. The co-host reflects, “I got emotional watching it because it did feel like he wanted to be a Maverick for the rest of his career... and now I'm going to drop 45 points on you guys” (05:20). Luka’s reaction was heartfelt, blending nostalgia with determination as he channeled his emotions into an outstanding game performance.

C. Insights from Christian Clark

Guest Christian Clark provides an insider’s perspective on the atmosphere during Luka’s return. He describes it as a “mixture of love and hate, with the love outweighing the hate” (16:32). Clark recounts Luka’s seamless integration into the game, highlighting moments like “he just banks the shot off the shot clock” (16:32), showcasing Luka’s enduring talent and connection with the fans despite the complex circumstances of his trade.

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II. Golden State Warriors’ Critical Loss

A. Game Analysis

The Warriors suffered a heartbreaking loss due to a strategic play by Harrison Barnes, who intentionally fouled Draymond Green to send him to the free-throw line with three seconds remaining. Deford describes Barnes’ move as “a high IQ basketball play” (09:53). The co-host adds, “They played everybody in the back-to-back... and they played everybody tonight against Dallas,” highlighting the Warriors’ strategic depth (07:17).

B. Impact on Playoff Hopes

This loss significantly jeopardizes the Warriors’ playoff aspirations. Deford expresses concern, “This puts them on uneven ground... and now this puts that in danger” (10:45). The co-host further analyzes the Warriors’ reliance on their small ball lineup, emphasizing the need for consistency: “They have a lot of functional size with that group, and they just dominate every time they put it out there” (07:17).

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III. Denver Nuggets’ Strategic Shift

A. Jokic as Player-Coach

In a surprising development, Nikola Jokic has taken on the dual role of player and de facto head coach. Deford notes, “It took one game for Nikola Jokic to have multiple times on the sideline where he's got the... he's drawing up plays on the whiteboard” (12:42). The co-host praises Jokic’s versatility, stating, “He's the player-coach at this point” (12:42).

B. Rotation Changes and Russell Westbrook’s Role

The Nuggets are reconfiguring their rotation, featuring increased minutes for Jalen Pickett and reduced time for Russell Westbrook. The co-host observes, “Russell Westbrook ended up playing 16 minutes in this game and he played 25 in their last game... Seems like his minutes are going down” (13:07). Deford supports this strategy, suggesting, “We should see a lot less of Russell Westbrook” (13:43), aiming for a balance that maximizes team efficiency during the playoffs.

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IV. Behind the Scenes: Luka’s Trade to the Lakers

A. Ownership Changes and GM Influence

The Mavericks underwent significant ownership changes when Mark Cuban sold the team to Miriam Aldous. Christian Clark explains, “Patrick Demont listens to Nico Harrison on basketball decisions” (22:27), highlighting GM Nico Harrison’s pivotal role in the Luka trade. Deford questions the new ownership’s vision, “How much of this is new ownership that's not looking at an NBA team as, you know, something that's a passion for them, like Mark Cuban was?” (23:32).

B. Impact of the Luka Trade

The trade has stirred substantial controversy, with Luka’s departure reducing the Mavericks’ competitive window. Clark remarks, “The Mavericks shortened their title contention window when they traded Luka” (20:18), emphasizing the long-term implications of the move. The co-host draws parallels to historic trades, asserting, “You can make a lot of good moves, but then if you trade Babe Ruth, like it's a different story” (24:33).

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V. Future Implications and Team Dynamics

A. Mavericks’ Path Forward

Following Luka’s trade, the Mavericks face the challenge of rebuilding their offensive strategy. Clark suggests potential moves to address their needs, “they have to do something just to address offensive initiation” (27:05). The team’s reliance on young talents like Najee Marshall indicates a shift towards cultivating internal growth.

B. Lakers’ Strategic Positioning

With Luka now on the Lakers, the team’s dynamics are evolving. Deford highlights the Lakers’ current struggles without Kyrie Irving, “This malfunctions erase their chance this year” (20:18), pointing to the pressing need for a balanced and resilient lineup to navigate the remaining season.

C. Nuggets’ Playoff Prospects

The Nuggets, under Jokic’s leadership, display promising potential despite recent coaching changes. Deford optimistically states, “We have to give him [Jokic] a pretty good chance against... a center like Jokic” (08:30), indicating confidence in the team’s adaptability and playoff readiness.

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VI. Conclusion

The episode wraps up with anticipation for the upcoming playoffs, underscoring the critical nature of strategic decisions and player performances. Hosts Dave Deford and his co-host, along with guest Christian Clark, provide a multifaceted analysis of the current NBA landscape, emphasizing the profound impact of Luka Doncic’s return to Dallas, the Warriors’ tactical setbacks, and the Nuggets’ innovative approach under Nikola Jokic’s leadership.

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Notable Quotes

• Dave Deford (05:00): “Luka put up 45 points. What did you expect coming into this squad?”
• Co-Host (05:20): “I honestly think that's one of those games where you look back on five years from now and say, where were you when you watched Luka return to Dallas?”
• Christian Clark (16:32): “It was a mixture of love and hate, with the love outweighing the hate.”
• Co-Host (07:17): “They have a lot of functional size with that group, and they just dominate every time they put it out there.”
• Dave Deford (10:45): “This puts them on uneven ground... and now this puts that in danger.”

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This detailed summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and conclusions from the episode, providing listeners with a comprehensive understanding of Luka Doncic’s impactful return, the strategic maneuvers of top NBA teams, and the underlying dynamics shaping the current basketball season.

Transcript

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[Dave Deford]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily. Coming up, Luca returned to Dallas. We talked to Christian Clark about it after the game. The warriors lose on a buzzer beater and the Nuggets play a game with Nicola Jokic as head coach. Good morning everybody. Good morning S. Good morning, Dave. Got another wild night, man. Somehow we are. We're approaching the end of the regular season and every single night is just nuts from here on out. We got to start with the big news of the day. Luka Docic went back to Dallas and just dominated. Put up 45 points. What did you expect coming into this squad? I like, obviously, look, it's a huge deal. Yeah. I will just say straight up, I didn't think it was going to be as emotional to start with. I did feel like it was going to feel like a big moment, but I didn't expect what we started with.

[Co-Host]

It was really emotional seeing Luca react to the tribute video. I mean, I got emotional watching it because it did feel like he wanted to be a maverick for the rest of his career, to live in Dallas for the rest of his life type of thing. And you could see in that moment sort of a bit of closure from him understanding that this is over and this is just part of the chapter. Move on. And now I'm going to drop 45 points on you guys. Like, that's. I thought the way that he kind of channeled that energy into the game, especially in the first half, he dropped 31 points. It was electric. It was. I honestly think that's one of those games where you look back on five years from now and say, where were you when you watched Luka return to Dallas? Because it just, it felt like one of those hardwood classic type of moments to watch that.

[Dave Deford]

That's a great point. They will talk. We will talk about this. When he's inducted into the hall of Fame. We'll talk about the game. The fact is, he always steps up, it seems, for these big games. And this had a playoff feel to it. Number one. It was surreal. Just watching the atmosphere inside the arena seemed amazing. We talked to Christian after the break and he really describes it in great detail what it was like to be in the building. But, you know, watching at home, I mean, I, I felt it. It felt like a weight was on this game. And even though the Mavericks, you know, this isn't a team that anyone has any expectations of, I thought that they rose to the moment, obviously, like trying to, you know, they have a lot to prove too here, right? Like it's the Luca Doncic trade, but there's a lot of other Dallas Mavericks. So I, I thought, you know, I tip the cap to them. They're not as good as the Lakers. What did you see out of the Lakers in this game? Again, this is another big game that the Lakers rise to the occasion for. It could have been a letdown. Look, they had the two big games against the Thunder. Obviously this is a back to back and, and they were, they were in the game until they weren't, you know, against the Thunder. So what did you think about how the Lakers performed?

[Co-Host]

I first of all love the fact that they played everybody in the back to back. They played OKC last night, everybody played and they played everybody tonight against Dallas. And I thought that was a big indication of like how we're trying to prep for the rest of this season in the postseason. Like they are ready to play. And on top of that, I think the fact that they lost the lead in the fourth quarter and found a way to recalibrate. LeBron took over, had some huge possessions in that fourth quarter, got a couple of van ones, made a few defensive stops. They leaned onto their small ball lineup and I think that's going to be their calling card. You look at that lineup with. Yeah, with LeBron James, with Austin Reeves, Dorian, Finney, Smith, Rui Hachimora. They have a lot of functional size with that group, and they just dominate every time they put it out there. It's awesome.

[Dave Deford]

I like even more when they go with. With Jared Vanderbilt, Dorian, Fanny Smith. And LeBron is essentially the five. And, you know, we saw this a little bit against the Nuggets. LeBron can actually guard some of these guys. You know, he can, man. He's did pretty well against Gafford inside against the Mavericks. Again, the Jokic stuff, I mean, he's. He is like, I don't know, 275 against the Rockets.

[Co-Host]

That one. Yeah.

[Dave Deford]

And I do think I'm with you. I think that, you know, look, Jackson Hayes is going to have to give him 25 good minutes, but between Vando, Dorian, Finney Smith, and LeBron, and with the way that they've been moving on defense, I. I give him a pretty good chance against. Even against the Nuggets, like, with a. A center like Jokic, that is. They can fly, too.

[Co-Host]

They won those minutes by 30 points. They played 18 minutes together. That starting five or that. That small ball unit, they. By 30 points tonight. They had a 78 in that rate. Like, it was just.

[Dave Deford]

Well, Anthony Davis is a four, so, you know. Yeah, he couldn't. Couldn't do that when he was there. Look, we. We got to talk about the warriors because they suffered a very bad loss for their playoff hopes. Huge. Look, Harrison Barnes had a hilarious sequence in this game. He intentionally fouls Draymond Green to put him on the line with the warriors down two with three seconds left. Great move. That is a high IQ basketball play. Draymond nails both of those free throws. Yeah. Three seconds left. The. The Kings have advanced the ball sideline out of bounds. And the warriors, look, they know they're not. No one's calling a foul here. Draymond is, you know, is on his man like a backpack. You got Jimmy Butler grabbing and pulling at Harrison Barnes. Harrison Barnes breaks free, takes a. Like a wild falling back.

[Co-Host]

Yeah.

[Dave Deford]

With Jimmy Butler in his face. And it's cash money. And the. The spurs win. Warriors were just so sloppy down the stretch, but shout out to Harrison Barnes. Professional basketball.

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[Co-Host]

No, shout out to Harrison Barnes. You actually saw him when he fouled Draymond. He did the. Yeah, that's all right with me. That's okay with me. He. He had the little nod, and so it's cool because of the history that Harrison Barnes has with the warriors, it kind of gets revenge in a tough situation for them. This, like you said, is a must win for Golden State. They now move to seventh in the East. In the Western Conference. Things are always fluid, but it's just, it puts them on uneven ground a little bit when it comes to that play in. And we've talked about how important it is for them to not be in the play tournament. Miss a week, get a week off, give Steph Curry's knees some rest. And now this puts that in danger.

[Dave Deford]

This game is exactly why I don't trust the warriors in the single game. All right, Steph Curry can win you any game. But also the warriors have this habit of not necessarily valuing the basketball down the stretch of games.

[Co-Host]

The turnovers, man.

[Dave Deford]

Yeah, it was, it was brutal. And some of them just, they were nonsensical. They directly threw the ball away a couple of times. So you know, the warriors got to tighten this stuff up. I mean, you know, again, this is, we could throw this one out because it's just a one off loss and they're 22 and 7 since the Jimmy Butler trade or whatever. But they need to win the rest of their games because they absolutely just. I would be very scared if I were them to get into the play.

[Co-Host]

Do you remember when the spurs beat the Nuggets last year and it kind of ruined the Nuggets chances of winning the west and now the warriors lose to the spurs and might ruin their chances of getting a top.

[Dave Deford]

Spurs beat the Nuggets last week, didn't they?

[Co-Host]

They did.

[Dave Deford]

They did. I mean the spurs, look, that's the harbinger of doom for your franchise. Speaking of the Nuggets. The Nuggets, they played a game, first game without former head coach Michael Malone and they won. They beat the Kings. The Kings have been hot and you know, the Nuggets have not. And so we've got a little bit of a reversal of fortune there. No Malik Monk for the Kings and he's going to be out for the rest of the year and probably the play in. So I mean likely just done for the year because I don't think we expect the Kings to make it into the playoffs. But look, the Nuggets, there's nothing to say they're not going to make any wholesale changes really. There, there were some rotation changes that we should get into. But I do want to point out it took one game for Nicola Jokic post Michael Malone to have multiple times on the sideline where he's got the, you know, he's drawing up plays on the whiteboard. I mean, like, we're, we're borderline at the point where it doesn't. Does it matter who the coaches.

[Co-Host]

Right. Yeah, he's just, he's the player coach at this point. He's going to do the, the whole thing where he. Yeah, I mean, look, I could see it. It's not a bad idea. And Adelman is more of just a consultant at this point for what they want to do. Look, I, I think one of the more interesting things that I saw from the. The Nuggets was. And look, no Jamal Murray here. So this is a caveat to all this thing. But more Jalen Pickett than Russell West.

[Dave Deford]

Jalen Pickett.

[Co-Host]

A lot of Jalen Pickett. And I actually kind of like Jalen Pickett's game. Good defender, can knock down a shot, especially tonight. Job. But Russell Westbrook ended up playing 16 minutes in this game and he played 25 in their last game, 19 in the one before that. Seems like his minutes are going down. I don't know if that's necessarily a coaching decision or just he was having a bad game tonight and they decided to go a different direction. But I do like what Jalen Pickett provides for this team and maybe that's the directive from the front office. Play these young guys more to give them opportunity to get some run.

[Dave Deford]

I think Jalen Pickett directly was a point of contention between the front office and Michael Malone. I mean, it is. I do think that that was pretty clear. I mean, the young players in general were potential. Michael Malone wanted to play the veterans. And just in this game, look, Jalen Pickett, you. You know exactly how he fits. Plus 12 in the game. Five of seven from three. And in particular when Jamal Murray is out. But the thing is, the hope is you're going into the playoffs and you're going to have Jamal Murray. Having a Jalen Pickett come off the bench, that's not a bad thing. Net positive for you because it's another guy who can do stuff off of Jokic because of his. His ability to shoot. And you mentioned physicality on defense. Look, Russ has gotten them to the point where they're at, right? He. He raised the level of intensity for this team. He has created a lot of leadership. I actually think that as they go into the playoffs and they tighten up this rotation, we. We should see a lot less of Russell Westbrook. And you bring them in when you need a high energy moment or you've got a nice lead and you just want a Guy out there who can be a caretaker because it is Russell Westbrook, like, he still is an effective player who can change the game. The problem is you have too much Russ and changes the game in the wrong way.

[Co-Host]

Yeah, it's kind of like a scientific formula. You're trying to find the perfect balance to be able to get the right amount of Russ in any single game. Like, he'll be able to give you 25 on a random night, but how are you going to punch in for the 15 minutes that you're on the floor? That's the next phase days for Russ and this Nuggets team for sure.

[Dave Deford]

And. And we didn't even say this, but Jokic, in addition to coaching the team, put up his 33rd triple double of the season.

[Co-Host]

Very nice.

[Dave Deford]

Yeah, not too bad, not too bad. Added Ford steals.

[Co-Host]

Hey, by the way, OKC locked up home court advantage throughout the playoffs with a win over the Suns today, which is mad.

[Dave Deford]

Andrew, I know you're listening right now. Look, if they make the finals, make some driveway space. I'm bringing the van. We're gonna hang out. We're gonna barbecue in the front yard. Guys, stick around. After the break, Christian Clark's here to break down what it was like, the building and some of the weird quotes that came out of last night's game between the Lakers and the Mavericks. Last night, Luka Doncic returned to Dallas and did not disappoint. He put up 45 points. He showed all the reasons why. The Mavericks definitely made a huge mistake by trading him there to cover it. And who covers the Mavericks for us? Christian Clark. What the heck was it like in the building, watching on television? It was electric and emotional, and obviously the chants were just out of this world. But what was it like to be in the building for Luca coming home?

[Christian Clark]

Yeah, a mixture of love and hate. I would say that. That the love outweighed the hate. It was a lot of love for. For Luka Doncic. As soon as he stepped on the court, I thought it was a cool little moment. You know, the Lakers took the floor for warm ups, and he comes in and he just banks the shot off the shot clock, you know, like, shoots it 10ft above the basket and it just drops in. It was like as a little moment of Luca Magic. I mean, he was just on the entire night, 31 in the first half. I mean, anytime he touched the ball, the crowd loved it. And then, yeah, the hate, I mean, really just directed towards one person, you know, Nico Harrison, who. Who made this trade. I would say Overall, fun night. I mean, I would say overall, like, more positive than negative. I think the fans love this. Yeah.

[Dave Deford]

Yeah. I mean, look, this was actually my big takeaway, is that if you're gonna have to go through something like this, that was honestly a really nice moment. You know, Luca, obviously, he was never gonna leave. It felt like, you know, when he's watching that video and kind of going through those moments, s. I mean, you know, we're. We're kind of texting on the side during this, and we're saying, there's no way. Like, how is he gonna come. Tears in his eyes? How is he gonna do anything? And then, you know.

[Co-Host]

Well, I was surprised that they did a tribute video in the first place. I'm not necessarily surprised that they did it, because I knew it was expected, but it was a sort of damned if you do, damned if you don't type of situation from the Mavericks. After the last couple of months of, you know, kind of conversation around why they traded him, what was the reasoning? Was it out of shape, all that type of stuff that kind of went around. And you see the emotion on Luca during that tribute video, and to me, I was like, oh, man, what response are we going to get from Luka Doncic with the amount of emotion that he's showing 25 seconds before we do tip off? So I was surprised that. That he jumped out to such an incredible start. Christian, from. From your perspective, do you feel like this was made to be a moment for Luka? You know, the thank you shirts, everything that you saw, like, was this. The Mavericks organ trying their best to maybe mend ties with Luka Doncic?

[Christian Clark]

Yeah, there's. There's no question about it. I think the organization realized that their messaging was really bad right after the Luka Doncic trade. It's like, however you actually feel about him, the reasons for this trade, he still led you to the finals and won a ton, and, you know, had this genuine connection with the fan base. I mean, they. They, I think, correctly decided we need to change our messaging, and we need to show appreciation for this guy, which he absolutely deserves. And he was super emotional before the game. I mean, that was a beautiful moment with him, tears welling in his eyes when he was watching that tribute video. And then he was able to stay really even keeled during the game. I mean, the night before in Oklahoma City, you know, got in a yelling match with the fan, got ejected. You know, emotions. His emotions sometimes run too hot. But I thought he did a really good job of just, you know, Staying even killed. I mean, there was definitely some talking, like he was saying some stuff to the bench in the second half, but he stayed pretty even. Enemy mean. He was just unbelievable. The step back three is working.

[Dave Deford]

Yeah. You know, the Lakers, I thought they, they didn't have any flow to start it. It seemed like the entire team was actually affected, which, you know, is pretty rare, I would say. They obviously were trying to force the ball to Luca to start, but once they got into the flow of things, that offense started to click. You know, for the Dallas perspective. You know, this is a team that obviously they've dealt with injury stuff, but it just felt like they didn't really have a chance to compete with the Lakers. Just without Kyrie. No real ball handler out there. And you can see the vision with Anthony Davis and some ball handling around him, but they just don't have it right now.

[Christian Clark]

That's exactly right. I mean, look, the. The Mavericks shortened their title contention window when they traded Luka. And they're like, look, we got two, three, maybe four chances at that. I mean, when Kyrie went down, that automatically erased their chance this year. That maybe erases their chances next year, depending on how you look at that. I mean, that's. That's two of the three or four chances that they had right there. I mean, that's huge gut punch. I mean, they just, you're right. They don't have enough to compete right now. I mean, they, they tried starting like Najee Marshall, basically a lead guard, and he played really well. Yeah, but that's. That's the place they're at. You know, it's like we don't have Kyrie. We're already really dependent on him. Like, they've just got to. They've just got to try stuff like that.

[Dave Deford]

It's like Najeed has no space to operate in, you know, at all.

[Christian Clark]

Yeah, I mean, they needed Kyrie to, like, carry a huge load in terms of just the half court offense.

[Co-Host]

Christian, I want to ask you about the behind the scenes of this whole situation, because I imagine, much like myself, there are a lot of people wondering how in the world Luka Doncic is a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. I mean, it's two months in and I'm still surprised. And you know, there's been reporting, obviously you've reported it as well, that there's obviously a behind the scenes situation between Mark Cuban and the now president of operations and Patrick Dumont, Nico Harrison. How does that play into this decision to trade Luka Doncic and how that all unfolded.

[Christian Clark]

Yeah. I mean, Mark Cuban hired Nico Harrison to. To compliment him in terms of bet making basketball decisions in 2021. But the power dynamics of this organization changed in. In December 2023 when. When Mark Cuban had to sell. I mean, when Mark Cuban sold his team to Miriam Aldous, and, you know, he said, hey, look, I'm still going to have a lot of influence over basketball decisions. That's not what happened in reality. You know, I mean, Patrick Demont is his team's governor, and Patrick Demott listens to Nico Harrison on basketball decisions. I mean, this was always a Nico Harrison decision, and the sale of the team just created a situation where suddenly Nico had all the juice.

[Dave Deford]

Yeah. I mean, the thing is, though, to. To play devil's advocate here, the guy has made some really great moves. I mean, he. He's like 9 for 11 or something. Like, on. On the moves that he's made, you consider bringing in Kyrie, you know, drafting Derek Lively, getting PJ Washington. PJ Washington, he. He has done a pretty good job. I think the Luca trade obviously stands out, and the Quentin Grimes trade maybe stands out, but if you're the new owner and this guy has just taken you to an NBA Finals, you know, with the team that he. He built, and he says, hey, we should move on from this, and I think we can be better. I totally can wrap my head around living, you know, by his word. But that being said, the NBA business doesn't operate that way, Christian. And so how much of this is new ownership that's not looking at an NBA team as, you know, something that's a passion for them, like Mark Cuban was. And it's an ownership that's looking more of it as, what does it mean to our balance sheet overall throughout all of the entities that we may invest in?

[Christian Clark]

I don't really view it as a money thing. I mean, the adult Mary Madison is worth like 32 billion, and I think they're still even in the luxury tax right now. Like, I don't. I think it's more just an experience thing. And I think, you know, what you brought up is Patrick Dumont's first experience, like, you know, running this team was, oh, my gosh. Nico Harrison makes trades for P.J. washington and Daniel Gafford. The reaction nationally to that is mixed, and it turns out they're great trades. These trades help us go to the NBA Finals. So, you know, one of the first really key pieces of information he gets about Nico Harrison's decision making is, oh, wow, this guy can really read the Board, you know, he really sees the board correctly. So of course I'm going to trust this guy. We got to the finals in my first year owning this team. And you know, I think Nico Harrison has made a lot of good moves as, as Mavericks gm. It's just this is a situation where it's like, don't do it like this. And if you're going to do this, you have to get everything. And they didn't get everything. You know, Reeves connect multiple first round picks, like they didn't even come close.

[Co-Host]

You can make a lot of good moves, but then if you trade Babe Ruth, like it's a different story. Right? I mean, look, I know there, there was that quote from Jason Kidd. What was said post game or what's the feeling like after the game? You know, from the Mavericks perspective after this, it was just a very bizarre and awesome basketball game from the Lakers.

[Christian Clark]

Yeah, I would say two things. Mostly that was the messaging from the Mavericks. Number one, huge respect to Luka. I mean, Jason Kidd said, you have to tip your hat to him. There was a moment after the game where Anthony Davis and Luka Doncic hugged at mid court that I thought was a cool moment. You know, right after that game I asked AD about it in the locker room afterwards and he was basically like, you know, yes, we, we kind of did go through similar things that neither of us asked for this, but really it was a respect thing. I just think that, you know, greatness respects greatness. And that was kind of what that was about. And there was frustration too. I mean, I asked Anthony Davis like about the fire Nico stuff and he was just like, I just don't want to comment on that. You know, Jason kid got asked, how does this fan base move past this? And it was kind of an interesting answer. So a lot of respect to Luca and I think frustration and what can you even say after you trade this guy and he has 45 points? I mean, what can you say?

[Co-Host]

It was the weirdest arena I think I've ever experienced in the sense that the away fan base was cheering for a player when he caught the ball. You usually see boos when a player catches the ball. I've never seen that number of the.

[Dave Deford]

Number of Luka Lakers jerseys. I think spoke. Yeah, spoke volumes. I mean, when it. It looked like a Laker home game when in some of those tight shots on tv. And I think that essentially what you've got is that instead of Mavs fans for life, a lot of Luka Doncic fans probably are going to leave that team, I'm not sure. And Christian, you know, I'm not going to ask you to comment on this, but I don't know how a team comes back from a night like last night where the GM is, I mean, essentially openly being called to be fired by, you know, 18,000 people on national television to the point where the broadcasters have to comment on it. And it is the single worst trade in sports history. Chris. Like, look, this is a play in team. It looks like, you know, I mean, Phoenix is still alive maybe, but it looks like they're going to be in the play in. I don't think they're going to make a lot of noise for the reasons that we sort of laid out. But, you know, what's the summer going to look like for this team?

[Christian Clark]

Yeah. When you, when you ask Jason Kidd and Nico that question, I mean, how do you guys come back from this? How do you repair this? They say, they say winning and you can kind of quibble with that. It's like this is almost deeper than winning. But I think of just how to, how to move forward. You know, Kyrie's going to miss significant time next season. They have to do something just to address offensive initiation. And I think they're big moves you could look at. I think there are medium sized moves you could look at. I mean, they're already all in and it's almost like you, you almost have to go more all in. I mean, they don't control the draft picks 27 through 20, 30, all those years, but it's almost a situation where it's like we're already all in. We just have to, we have to push more chips in and just hope. And they have to do something to address the, the creation and like, you know, half court offense.

[Dave Deford]

Yes. The Kevin Durant sweepstakes is going to be awesome. Christian Clark covers, covers the mask for us. Thank you for hanging out Esperahenny. He does this quite often. I'm Dave Deford. This has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.

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[Dave Deford]

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