“OKC (is) my favorite to win this thing, but, man, the Dallas Mavericks, they might have just become the second-best team in the Western Conference.” When the majority of the feeling did not rate the Mavs after the Luka Doncic trade, Charles Barkley had other ideas. No doubt, the season-ending injury to Kyrie Irving and other injuries to key men derailed the potential of the trade. Despite the recent media debacle, Chuck wants some respite for the GM.

Only 8 teams remain, as we are already done with game 1 of the playoffs. Inside the NBA crew continued the tradition of sending the teams ‘fishin’ as their playoff hopes come to an end. The unlucky 4 teams on the radar were Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas & Philly. For the Dallas Mavericks, the photoshop picture of Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, capturing a fish on the boat alongside Kenny Smith, Mark Cuban, Selena Gomez, and Dak Prescott. But where’s Nico Harrison, you might ask?

He was in the background on his boat, which was sinking. The name of the boat, ‘Defense Wins Championships’, is the same thing that the GM said at the private media conference. Seeing the photo, Charles Barkley humbly requested, “Y’all better get off Nico, man.” It wasn’t the first time that the TNT analyst has backed the Mavs GM after the Luka Doncic trade.

During the February end episode of Inside the NBA, Chuck was confident that Dallas would finish in the top 6. “To me, the wild card of the Mavericks, like, first of all, let’s give Nico Harrison some credit.The trades he made last year, and obviously the Luka thing. He’s made some good trades. He made the Mavericks relevant last year. Everybody’s upset about the Luka thing, but if it wasn’t for the trades he made last year, the Mavs would not have made it to the finals.”

The trades in question were of Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. They made the Mavericks a dominant interior presence. Lively’s rim protection and rebounding, combined with Gafford’s physicality in the paint, played a key role in stabilizing Dallas’ defense and helping them reach the Finals. Chuck also added, “But I’ll say this now, if the Mavs can tread water until A.D. and Gaff and Lively come back, nobody wants to see them boys.”

Interestingly, all three of them were present as the team lost the 8th seed game to the Grizzlies. Thus, the issue and concerns on the Dallas GM are piling up, especially after the media round.

Not just Charles Barkley, but another Suns legend lends support to Nico Harrison’s situation

Last year, Luka Doncic led the Texan team to the NBA finals. This year, too, there were expectations, but the shocking mid-season trade left a sour taste for the fans. Their franchise cornerstone was no longer in Dallas, and ‘Fire Nico’ chants were prevalent inside the American Airlines Center. The loss to the Grizzlies also comes exactly 77 days after the trade, the number that Luka Doncic proudly wore on his back.

“Nico Harrison’s bad luck in the Luka transaction was Kyrie getting hurt. Because if he were healthy, this @dallasmavs team would be a threat to come out the West and their internet fans would still be butt hurt.” Eddie A Johnson, former Suns star turned analyst, stated on X and emphasized that Luka-less Mavs are a better team.

But the franchise icon, Dirk Nowitzki, is seemingly not in support of the current front office. After the trade, even Harrison wouldn’t have expected the team to bow out so early in the postseason. The injuries no doubt played a part; that’s why Eddie A Johnson and Charles Barkley have been quick to support the GM.