Let’s examine on Dallas Mavericks followers.
Within the wake of the earth-shattering Luka Doncic commerce, issues may very well be…uh, going higher. Followers parading coffins and creatively constructed indicators round their beloved Dirk Nowitzki statue are being joined exterior by those that tried to go to the sport, however acquired thrown out of the stadium for screaming “FIRE NICO” on the Jumbotron. It’s a humanitarian disaster, a totalitarian regime. By protecting the entire course of below wraps earlier than dropping the commerce in the midst of the night time whereas the crew was on a prolonged highway journey, the group clearly understood a nasty response was coming, however did they anticipate it to be Nowitzki himself exhibiting up at a Lakers recreation unhealthy?
Is it a revolt? No, Nico. It’s a revolution.
I really feel for Mavs followers, and I frankly don’t know if I might react any extra favorably if the Boston Celtics traded Jayson Tatum for Bam Adebayo and a first-round choose. However issues are getting dire out right here, and the Mavericks’ out-of-touch response to their followers’ fully legitimate freakout has me questioning if the NBA wants some honest-to-goodness authorized reforms to guard followers. It’s been out of contact, out of whack, and threatening to drive us all out of our minds.
Absurd press conferences introducing their new gamers with out the GM who acquired them current. Fully tone-deaf quotes from proprietor Patrick Dumont saying “I’m a huge Luka fan. My household are huge Luka followers. I’ve a extremely deep appreciation for what he delivered to this crew”… a couple of man they simply traded with no warning, in the midst of the night time, lower than a 12 months after he led them to the NBA Finals. In the event that they had been actively making an attempt to make this worse, I’m unsure what they’d even do otherwise. And whereas I’m not right here to repair it, absolutely we are able to make this slightly higher, even when at this level I’m hesitant to recommend the Mavs received’t proceed to search out methods to make their responses much more tactless.
Sadly, like all unmitigated public relations catastrophe, we don’t have a time machine to return and repair the issue. However clearly, if any crew is contemplating buying and selling their greatest participant of their mid-20s for a worse participant of their 30s… don’t. However that ship has already left port, sailed into an iceberg and sunk to the underside of the ocean. So what’s to be achieved?
The first step: apologize.
Step one in correcting for any huge mistake is apologizing, which the Mavericks in all probability suppose they will’t do lower than two weeks after making the commerce. However that’s solely as a result of they wish to appear like severe folks, however it might be doable to apologize and stay severe. You’d simply have to fireplace all of the individuals who helped make the choice, so Nico Harrison, Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont. However that is perhaps sophisticated, since two of these folks personal the crew, so…
Fortunately, it’s additionally doable to apologize with out remaining severe. And we already know they aren’t severe folks, as a result of… *gestures to the commerce they simply made*. So simply apologize, fireplace Nico so he takes the autumn for the billionaire house owners, and transfer on. That’s a superb begin.
Step two may very well be a bit extra materials. As soon as they’ve issued essentially the most complicated apology in human historical past, the Mavericks possession ought to in all probability begin the world’s most blatant bribery marketing campaign. Free merch at each recreation. Kyrie bobbleheads in all places. Hell, Adelson and Dumont ought to in all probability begin funding public works initiatives throughout Dallas. Something they will do to purchase off the fan base, even when it’s apparent.
Look, I’m not morally into bribery both, however I feel getting your fan base again on board is price a semi-obvious sustained PR stunt. However there’s additionally the likelihood that there’s nothing the Mavericks possession may do to repair this factor within the brief time period; I’m not even positive successful a championship would repair it. It’s an affront to the previous, current and way forward for this crew — an affront to the elemental legal guidelines of NBA nature. What can they do in that case?
They may additionally go full-desperation mode, pull a web page from the Lakers’ e book and attempt to retroactively fail Davis’ bodily, thereby voiding the commerce and beginning probably essentially the most complicated authorized course of the NBA has ever seen. It wouldn’t work, however it might present the followers they actually, actually perceive how mistaken the factor they did was, and possibly earn some goodwill again for making an attempt.
Or, maybe, the reply is to fake all of it didn’t occur. Go full authoritarian mode and rewrite the historical past books. There by no means was a Luka. There has all the time been a Davis. Any point out of the commerce is met with “what commerce?” or “we’re wanting into that, thanks for bringing it to our consideration.”
It sounds loopy, however get this: it’d solely be the second-craziest factor they’ve achieved this season. In order a final resort, I don’t see why not.
