The Dallas Mavericks had another crushing loss in the final seconds of Monday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. General Manager Nico Harrison felt the wrath of an unhappy fanbase as PJ Washington missed free throws to lose the game. The game ended with Washington fouled on a three-pointer while trying by exactly three points.
Washington missed the second free throw, as fans loudly chanted “Fire Nico” with the GM sitting in the crowd around many of them. The third free throw was missed on purpose with the hopes of an offensive rebound tip in, but Milwaukee secured the victory. Video showed Harrison in the crowd as fans chanted their displeasure.
The fan base has been unhappy with Harrison since he traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis and Max Christie last season. Despite the lucky break of getting the top pick in the NBA Draft to select Cooper Flagg, Harrison has promised to contend for an NBA Championship over the next three seasons, but this year is already falling apart.
PJ Washington On “Fire Nico” Chants
Reporters asked Washington about his perspective of missing the clutch free throws and hearing the chants from the audience. Any professional is already having a tough night by missing clutch free throws, but Washington was honest about his reaction to the chants.
“Everybody has an opinion, so everybody’s entitled to that,” Washington said about hearing the chants. “I mean, it is what it is. At the end of the day, we just got to come out here and do our job and that’s to be professional, play basketball and try to win each and every night. It is what it is at this point. Just got to keep moving forward.”
Time will tell if the Mavericks can turn the season around, but the fan base has made Harrison the top enemy. Doncic was a beloved figure in Dallas to add to the pain already there in losing a generational talent. Winning is the only cure for Nico, and that clearly is not happening right now for the Mavericks.
Nico Harrison’s Job In Doubt
Recent reporting confirmed that Nico Harrison may not have a long time to turn the sinking ship around. Flagg’s rookie season should be a great source of excitement for Dallas fans, but it feels like an afterthought. Davis’ injury woes and Klay Thompson getting benched by head coach Jason Kidd keeps adding to the negative momentum.
Harrison’s desire to contend with this roster once Kyrie Irving returns is not looking successful. The Mavericks are 3-8 and continue to fall lower in the Western Conference seeding. Irving rushing a return in a failed season seems unlikely, and that makes this season a failed experiment.
Another interesting point is that Harrison’s controversial trade will be viewed as a failure unless Davis helps them contend for a title. Many fans want Dallas to blow the team up by trading Davis and building a younger core around Flagg. Harrison will never do that, but ownership could be ready to get rid of him if the fans keep voicing this disdain for their GM all season.
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