Former Australian Test opener Michael Slater has received a suspended four-year prison sentence but was released from jail after pleading guilty to a raft of domestic violence charges.
What we learned as Hicks struggles again in Giants' blowout loss
What we learned as Hicks struggles again in Giants' blowout loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — There have been a few games already this season when it seemed that a Giants starter would have such a rough outing that a position player would end up on the mound. On Tuesday, it finally happened.
An 11-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers ended with rookie infielder Christian Koss on the mound. The Giants gave up eight runs in the top of the sixth and allowed a season-high 11 runs on 13 hits, including a pair of homers in a long sixth inning.
Jordan Hicks left a mess for Lou Trivino, who gave up a grand slam to Christian Yelich that turned this one into a blowout. Jake Bauers completed the eight-run sixth inning with a two-run blast of his own.
The Giants dropped to 6-6 during this stretch of 17 games in 17 days. A night after getting three innings out of Hayden Birdsong, they needed 2 1/3 from fellow length reliever Spencer Bivens. Koss saved the bullpen a bit in the ninth, throwing a scoreless inning in his MLB pitching debut.
Same Result
Hicks had to work hard the last time out to keep his line from looking disastrous. Against the Phillies, he gave up five runs in the first and then bounced back with six shutout innings. On Tuesday, there was no happy ending.
Hicks gave up three runs in the third on two doubles and two singles, and when Bob Melvin let him try to get through the sixth, the inning turned disastrous. The right-hander sandwiched a single and a walk around a throwing error from Willy Adames, and when Trivino gave up a grand slam to Yelich, Hicks ended up with five earned runs on his line for a second straight start. He has a 6.59 ERA on the season and has allowed 21 runs in 21 1/3 innings since a spectacular season debut in Houston.
Hicks is in year two of a four-year deal and continues to show good velocity, but it’s getting harder and harder for the staff to ignore the results — and the fact that Birdsong is in the bullpen and dominating.
Missing Matos
The Giants were down by 10 when Luis Matos came up for a third time. There was no getting back in the game, but he had a chance to at least grab some momentum. Instead he hit a 78 mph grounder to short for an inning-ending groundout, which continued a recent trend.
Matos hit into double plays in each of his first two at-bats, and there was no bad luck involved. The first one left the bat at 69 mph and the second at 74 mph. With the three slow rollers to short and a late strikeout, Matos extended his hitless streak to 21 at-bats. He’s batting .147 on the season and is just 2-for-21 against lefties.
The Giants were hopeful that Matos would be Mike Yastrzemski’s platoon partner and also do well enough that he could occasionally be their DH. With this early slump, he has already yielded some at-bats against lefties to Yastrzemski, and that might continue.
RBI Guy
Wilmer Flores drove in nine runs on the road trip, but he was just 4-for-35 at the plate. In two games back home, he’s still driving in runs, but the rest of the production is there, too.
Flores had three singles and a walk in four plate appearances and drove in a run in the eighth with a hard single down the right field line. He has reached base seven times in the two games of this series, raising his OPS from .680 to .798.
Lamoriello's Cold-Blooded Legacy A Good Lesson For Rebuilding Sabres
The New York Islanders parted ways with GM and team president Lou Lamoriello Tuesday, perhaps putting an end to the 82-year-old icon's Hockey Hall-of-Fame career running NHL teams. But there's always something to learn from brilliant people, even when they're removed from power -- and Lamoriello's legacy could and should be a vital lesson for Sabres GM Kevyn Adams.
Here's what we mean: Lamoriello has been known far and wide to be a cold-blooded operator -- someone who would fire his best friend in a heartbeat if he thought it would improve his chances of winning at the highest level of the game. Lamoriello has dismissed people time and again in the pursuit of greatness, and he came away from it with three Stanley Cups, a slew of playoff series wins, and a general greatness with the New Jersey Devils that was matched only by the Detroit Red Wings in the modern NHL era.
All of Lamoriello's quirks -- the loathing of facial hair, the ability to say nothing of consequence in interviews with the press -- all were there because of his burning drive to win. And while it became harder for Lamoriello to win in his post-Devils career with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Islanders, there was no mistaking that he was always going to double down on the talent he acquired, as well as the coaches he entrusted his players with. Whether it was Jacques Lemaire in his Devils heyday or Patrick Roy with the Isles at the moment, Lamoriello used every tool in his power in regard to coaches to gain an advantage over opponents. And that relentless focus is something Adams and the Sabres could use more of.
With Lamoriello now a free-agent of sorts, Buffalo ownership could do a lot worse than hire Lamoriello in a consultant's role. Indeed, Adams should be jumping at the chance to bring in someone with Lamoriello's pedigree, and at 82 years old, Lamoriello is probably not going to get another chance at being an NHL GM. If Adams is looking for a sounding board, Lamoriello could be an ideal hire for Buffalo. The opportunity to work with a younger group of players might be right up Lamoriello's alley, and we'd be shocked if no team hired Lamoriello to serve in one role or another.
But even if Lamoriello is hired by another team, the approach he's always taken -- with a willingness to do whatever he can to win hockey games -- should be matched by Adams and the Sabres. Some have called Lamoriello derogatory names for his style of management and the trap-happy style of his teams on the ice, but you can't take away the results that style has generated.
Kraken's Dismissal Of Coach Bylsma Is Another Reason Sabres Should Be Firing Bench Boss Lindy RuffThe NHL's coaching carousel continued spinning like crazy Monday, with the Seattle Kraken firing bench boss Dan Bylsma after only one year on the job. The Kraken/Bylsma news followed the news this past weekend that the New York Rangers dismissed Peter Laviolette, and that the Anaheim Ducks are moving on from Greg Cronin after only two years.
In his generation -- and in many generations -- Lamoriello has done things entirely the way he wanted them done, and that's an approach every team should borrow. Buffalo may not be the right fit for Lamoriello as a consultant, but you'd better believe his everyday approach to building a a winner is something that could help deliver better days to the Sabres. He's been in NHL circles for approaching four decades, and he's a Hall-of-Famer for good reason. And Buffalo could benefit from his unmatched experience.
Lamoriello's aura has always made him feel like the Frank Sinatra of the NHL -- and now that his era is very likely at an end, NHL GMs should be emulating him by doing things their way. The Sabres need to be relentlessly focused on winning, and that could start by bringing Lamoriello aboard. But if it doesn't, Buffalo's approach should still be as determined as Lamoriello was from Day One of his career until his final day. Lamoriello is a kingpin in his own right, and adopting his approach might be a very wise idea for the Sabres.
Kawhi Leonard's big night was months in the making during grueling rehab
Kawhi Leonard's teammates marvel at how much the Clippers' star forward has dedicated himself to get his body back to peak level.
They have watched how Leonard has stayed the course despite the frequent times his body betrayed him. They have supported Leonard during the trying times with his health issues because they have seen how he refuses to wallow in self-pity.
They know what Leonard has done behind the scenes during rehabilitation when the media is not around and on those days and nights when a lot of teammates are not around.
The culmination of all those days in the lab this season working to get his right knee healthy was Leonard’s dominance in Game 2 of the Western Conference playoffs against the Nuggets on Monday night in Denver.
He missed only four of 19 shots while pouring in 39 points over 39 minutes to help the Clippers even the series at 1-1 before they returned home for Game 3 on Thursday night and Game 4 on Saturday afternoon at the Intuit Dome.
James Harden was succinct in his praise for Leonard’s willingness to continually work on his body.
Read more:Kawhi Leonard's 39-point effort powers Clippers to thrilling Game 2 win over Nuggets
“Every. Single. Day. Like, it’s the preparation,” Harden said late Monday night after Game 2 in Denver. “It’s the treatment. It’s the strengthening of his body. It’s the correctives. And then it’s like going on court and putting it all together and it’s consistent. Every. Single. Day…
“Luck hasn’t been on his side or whatever the case you might call it. But he loves to hoop. And as you see, when he’s on the court, he’s a killer. Kawhi is just special.”
Leonard missed the first 34 games because of his ailing right knee. Then he played in only 37 games and just one set of back-to-back games.
He missed the last eight regular-season games last season because of right knee inflammation and played in only two of the Clippers’ six playoff games against the Dallas Mavericks because of the knee injury. When Leonard was invited to USA Basketball workouts in Las Vegas last summer, he was sent home to rest the knee and was unable to participate in the Paris Olympics.
None of that stopped Leonard from continuing his work.
Harden was asked if fans and NBA people have an appreciation for what Leonard has endured to get back here.
“Naw,” Harden answered immediately. “Naw, not even a little bit. It’s always negative. It’s always what he’s been through, what he’s not able to do because of something he can’t control. Like, we don’t appreciate how great he is when he’s actually out there and putting on performances like this tonight.
“I feel like that about everybody that’s in the league that goes through something that’s out of their hands and they can’t control. It’s like it’s always the negative, it’s always the hate that people talk about, which is something that we got to live with, I guess, in this world. But as for me being close with him, every single day and seeing the work he puts in, you appreciate him.”
In interviews this season, Leonard has talked about how his “love” for the game keeps bringing him back and how he just grinds and keeps his head down.
Before his difficult end to last season, he played in just two playoff games during the Clippers’ series against the Phoenix Suns in 2023 because of a meniscus tear. He missed the entire 2021-22 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Now he is healthy and wants to be there for his teammates in the playoffs.
“I”m just happy that I’m able to move and I’m coming out the game feeling well and that’s what I’m taking my pride in is just being healthy,” he said. “I sat and watched these playoff games and series the past few years. So, being able to be frontline out there, it just feels good to me no matter which way the game goes. That’s what I’m taking pride in. I just want to be out there and play and be frontline with my team.”
Over six seasons with the Clippers, he has played in 266 out of a possible 492 regular-season games. Injuries have robbed him of so many games yet he keeps coming back.
“Every time someone gives up on him, he comes back,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “He’s a hard worker. He’s dedicated to keeping his body right and sometimes some unfortunate things happen. But you can’t control that. But it’s not a lack of work. It’s not from a lack of wanting to be here and just sometimes some bad luck hits. But he’s going to keep coming back and he’s going to get to this point where he is right now and that’s why I’m so happy for him.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
What to make of the Braves drama involving Ronald Acuña Jr., Jarred Kelenic and Brian Snitker?
(This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an AI tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.)
Last week's MLB drama starring superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. and manager Brian Snitker feels like must-see TV for Braves fans — and for anyone who cares about baseball’s unwritten rules and the changing culture of the game. Hosts Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman broke it all down on the latest episode of "Baseball Bar-B-Cast."
If you missed the moment, here’s the short version: Braves outfielder Jarred Kelenic thought he hit a home run, admired it, then realized he needed to hustle and was thrown out at second base. Manager Brian Snitker, when asked later about the play, essentially shrugged it off, saying that Kelenic always hustles and that he hadn’t even noticed the mistake until it was brought to his attention later.
Enter Ronald Acuña Jr., currently rehabbing and watching from home. Acuña responded on Twitter to Braves beat writer Mark Bowman’s tweet about Snitker’s non-reaction. Ronald’s not-so-subtle point in his since-deleted tweet? "If it were me, they would have taken me out of the game."
As Mintz and Shusterman pointed out, that isn't a hypothetical. This actually did happen with Acuña in 2019, when Snitker benched him for a similar base-running mistake.
The double standard — and why it matters
Mintz and Shusterman dive into the not-so-subtle double standard at play in this situation. When Acuña made his mistake, Snitker made a very public example of him, saying, among other things, "You’ve got to run. It’s not going to be acceptable here. ... And that name on the front is a lot more important than the name on the back of that jersey."
With Kelenic? Total non-event. Snitker seemed to miss the play entirely when it happened and downplayed it after the fact.
Sure, there are layers here. The Braves' outfield is hurting lately, Kelenic has the "plays with his hair on fire" label, and, it must be acknowledged, there’s a cultural component at play when a flashy Latin superstar receives different treatment than a scrappy white guy.
As Mintz puts it, “Obviously, there’s the double standard, which is founded in, like, Ronald is a Latin guy who is cool, and Jarred Kelenic is, like, your scrappy white guy out there doing his best. That is definitely a part of this.”
Acuña’s call-out: Fair or foul?
Was Ronald right to speak up? Mintz and Shusterman both agree: Acuña’s frustration is justified, but he mishandled it.
"That’s a legit gripe," Mintz says. "[But] send it in an email, right? Talk about it in person. ... I am happy that Ronald did this in public because it’s hilarious, and we can joke and talk about it on the podcast, but it’s not the way you go about it."
In other words, the double standard in the treatment of two Braves players is real, but it was the right message, wrong medium. “Multiple things can be true," Mintz says. "Ronald is right in what he believes, and he is wrong in how he chose to exhibit that.”
What does this mean for the Braves?
Does this one social media post reflect some kind of clubhouse meltdown? Probably not. Still, Mintz ponders, “When is the last time we saw a player publicly criticize a manager on the internet?” Forget the play on the field; this is a signal that, for Atlanta, things aren’t humming along as smoothly as they have in recent years.
The Braves might iron this out internally, but now the rest of the sport will be watching to see how they handle it.
"No one looks good here," Mintz says. "Kelenic looks bad. Snitker looks bad. And I actually do think Acuña looks a little bit bad. He looks the least bad, but he still looks bad."
For more on this and other baseball debates, tune in to "Baseball-Bar-B-Cast" on Apple, Spotify or YouTube.
Arteta will not rest players against Palace despite looming PSG tie
- ‘When players are fit and available, they have to play’
- Liverpool to be league winners if Arsenal lose to Palace
Mikel Arteta will not shy away from selecting key Arsenal personnel to face Crystal Palace on Wednesday in their final game before next week’s Champions League semi-final first leg even though his team are playing for little beyond pride.
The meagre prize on offer is delaying Liverpool’s title celebrations but the manager denied he could wrap members of his squad in cotton wool. “We cannot think in those terms,” Arteta said. “I think when the players are fit and they are available and they want to play, they have to play. They are at their best when they are playing and they have consistency in their performances.”
Continue reading...Crystal Palace’s pre-FA Cup semi-final scheduling is unfair, says Oliver Glasner
- Opponents Aston Villa have an extra day to prepare
- ‘You are shouting against the wind and nobody hears you’
Oliver Glasner has complained that the buildup to Crystal Palace’s FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa is unfair, after the Premier League turned down a request from the London club to have both sides play on the same night in midweek.
Villa were in action at Manchester City on Tuesday night while Palace travel to the Emirates Stadium 24 hours later.
Continue reading...Nunes boosts Manchester City’s top-five hopes with late winner over Aston Villa
On the touchline a picture of two managers with high, contrasting emotion coursing through them after Matheus Nunes’s 94th-minute winner. For Manchester City, Pep Guardiola showed sheer delight at a late, late victory that lifts them to third on 61 points, four ahead of Chelsea in sixth. Across from him, Unai Emery felt despair as Aston Villa were down in seventh, the Spaniard’s next job to lift his men for their FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Nunes’s far-post strike from Jérémy Doku’s cross from the left also disappointed Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United and Chelsea in the race for the top-five berth that secures a Champions League place.
Continue reading...Warriors voted best NBA organization in anonymous player survey
Warriors voted best NBA organization in anonymous player survey originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Warriors have earned a reputation as the NBA’s gold standard — beyond just Golden State’s accomplishments on the court.
In a survey of anoynmous NBA players conducted by The Athletic, the Warriors were voted the league’s best organization, receiving 21.9 percent of the votes.
Golden State edged out the Oklahoma City Thunder (17.5 percent) and Boston Celtics (15.3 percent) to claim the top spot.
“They were first-class,” an anonymous player told the Athletic. “(Warriors coach) Steve (Kerr) came from San Antonio. He knew a lot of the principles. They do a really good job of taking care of the players and the families.”
It all starts at the top, with majority owner Joe Lacob valiantly following through on his promise to deliver Golden State to prominence after taking over a franchise with a three-decade plus championship drought.
Having the embodiment of a perfect superstar in Steph Curry certainly helped, as at all levels of the organization, Golden State carved out an identity that turned the Bay Area into the center of the NBA world for the better part of the last decade.
The Warriors have won four NBA championships since the start of the 2014-15 season, reaching six NBA Finals over that span while stamping their mark on the history books.
Pairing those presitgious accolades with the Warriors’ top-notch facilities and state-of-the-art arena has turned Golden State into a coveted landing spot for players league wide, a reputation that is sure to help the franchise for years to come.
Warriors voted best NBA organization in anonymous player survey
Warriors voted best NBA organization in anonymous player survey originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Warriors have earned a reputation as the NBA’s gold standard — beyond just Golden State’s accomplishments on the court.
In a survey of anoynmous NBA players conducted by The Athletic, the Warriors were voted the league’s best organization, receiving 21.9 percent of the votes.
Golden State edged out the Oklahoma City Thunder (17.5 percent) and Boston Celtics (15.3 percent) to claim the top spot.
“They were first-class,” an anonymous player told the Athletic. “(Warriors coach) Steve (Kerr) came from San Antonio. He knew a lot of the principles. They do a really good job of taking care of the players and the families.”
It all starts at the top, with majority owner Joe Lacob valiantly following through on his promise to deliver Golden State to prominence after taking over a franchise with a three-decade plus championship drought.
Having the embodiment of a perfect superstar in Steph Curry certainly helped, as at all levels of the organization, Golden State carved out an identity that turned the Bay Area into the center of the NBA world for the better part of the last decade.
The Warriors have won four NBA championships since the start of the 2014-15 season, reaching six NBA Finals over that span while stamping their mark on the history books.
Pairing those presitgious accolades with the Warriors’ top-notch facilities and state-of-the-art arena has turned Golden State into a coveted landing spot for players league wide, a reputation that is sure to help the franchise for years to come.
UCLA coach DeShaun Foster on Nico Iamaleava: ‘Something that we couldn’t pass up’
UCLA football coach DeShaun Foster talked about the addition of former Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava from the transfer portal, on Tuesday.
The Montreal Canadiens Need More Than Arber Xhekaj In Their Lineup
The Montreal Canadiens need more than a tough guy on defense after being dominated in most of Game 1 against the Washington Capitals on Monday.
The Capitals are better suited to playing playoff-style hockey against the inexperienced Habs, but that didn't prevent Montreal from rallying late in the third and giving Washington a scare in the 3-2 Capitals' overtime victory at Capital One Arena.
Until resorting to desperation hockey in the latter half of the third period, Washington ran roughshod over the Canadiens, focusing on being physically imposing on Montreal’s smaller skilled players, such as rookie defenseman Lane Hutson and sniper Cole Caufield.
This tactic worked early in the game, as Capitals blueliner Alexander Alexeyev cross-checked Brendan Gallagher to the face, Alex Ovechkin led his club with seven hits and Capitals rookie Ryan Leonard’s face-washing of Hutson along the boards led to a Kaiden Guhle penalty and Ovechkin’s opening power-play goal.
Short of putting Arber Xhekaj in the lineup for Game 2 or being able to clone Anderson and Gallagher, the Canadiens are not capable of matching up to the Capitals’ peskiness and physicality in this series.
Here is the cross-check by Alexeyev right to the race of Gallagher, in plain view. No penalty called. pic.twitter.com/AKSJ97cVg2
— NHL Review (@nhl_review) April 21, 2025
“(It was) a start that we knew, we were probably going have to weather the storm and feel what that feels like, the pressure (and) the physicality of the game.” Canadiens coach Martin St-Louis told reporters. “We got better as the game went on, I thought it was a pretty good first game, but unfortunately, you don’t win.”
The Capitals outhit Montreal 42-33 in the contest. Anderson’s shot at Tom Wilson during a line change was one of the few responses that the Habs showed, and the game only remained close because of the goaltending of Samuel Montembeault.
The Canadiens were also caught with rookie Ivan Demidov and right winger Patrik Laine out against Washington’s top line on a defensive zone faceoff, which led to Ovechkin’s game-winner less than three minutes into overtime.
NHL Playoffs: An Engaged, Energized Alex Ovechkin Is A Very Scary ManYou could argue that Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals haven't exactly been playoff beasts the past couple of years.
St-Louis said after the game that he expects his young club to be better prepared for Game 2 on Wednesday, but there was no indication whether the Habs will make any lineup changes, like inserting Xhekaj into the lineup.
Xhekaj played only one game in the last three weeks of the regular season, with St-Louis opting to go with Jayden Struble down the stretch.
The 24-year-old ranks second on the Canadiens in hits, with 180 in 70 games. Other than that, he has a goal, six assists and 63 blocked shots while averaging 14:37 of ice time.
If the onslaught continues on Wednesday, the Canadiens may consider bringing him in when they return to the Bell Centre for Game 3 on Friday. But that move might not lead to much if the rest of the team can’t withstand the Capitals’ physicality and scoring power.
The X-factor is Montembeault, who stopped 29 of 32 shots in Game 1. If he channels 2010 Jaroslav Halak, who had a .923 save percentage in 18 playoff games, then Montreal will keep the series close.
Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
Serie A matches and Italy’s Women’s Six Nations game move due to pope’s funeral
- Serie A leaders Inter will now host Roma on Sunday
- Italy v Wales in Women’s Six Nations to be rescheduled
Serie A has postponed its three fixtures on Saturday because of Pope Francis’s funeral being held that day in Rome. Meanwhile, Italy’s Women’s Six Nations match against Wales is also expected to be rescheduled as the country prepares to pay its respects.
Earlier media reports in Italy had suggested that Serie A might make an exception for Inter’s clash with the visitors Roma to allow Simone Inzaghi’s side additional rest time before their midweek Champions League semi-final at Barcelona. However, the league has confirmed that the game at San Siro will now kick off at 2pm (all times BST) on Sunday.
Continue reading...Kawhi Leonard’s masterclass has Nuggets scrambling for answers | The Kevin O'Connor Show
(This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an AI tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.)
Kawhi Leonard’s near-flawless Game 2 performance against the Denver Nuggets has the NBA world buzzing. Kevin O’Connor and guest Nate Duncan broke down the wild Nuggets-Clippers playoff matchup on the most recent episode of "The Kevin O’Connor Show."
Leonard finished with 39 points on a devastating 15-of-19 shooting line in L.A.'s Game 2 win Monday night. According to O’Connor, it was the seventh-highest true shooting percentage ever for a 35-plus-point postseason outing.
“He feels like a fictional legend,” O’Connor said. “Most of these guys that have injuries, they fall off. And yet here he is right now, in 2025, looking like he's in peak condition.”
Both O'Connor and Duncan were baffled by Denver’s refusal to blitz and double Leonard late. “I can't believe the Nuggets weren't sending two, blitzing, doubling Kawhi Leonard down the stretch,” O’Connor said.
O'Connor also wondered if Nikola Jokić was fatigued after grinding through Ivica Zubac’s physical defense, calling out “mental lapses, mental mistakes” in the MVP’s game.
To hear the full discussion, tune into "The Kevin O'Connor Show" on Apple, Spotify or YouTube.
Mavericks GM Harrison admits he didn’t expect this strong a reaction to Doncic trade
In some college sports management and public relations classes, there will be seminars dedicated to the Mavericks' handling of the Luka Doncic trade — a "what not to do" lesson.
The latest fallout from that trade came this week after the Mavericks’ season came to an early end in the play-in. General Manager Nico Harrison met with the media and uttered this sentence, via Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.
"I did know that Luka was important to the fan base. I didn't quite know it to that level."
Three thoughts here, all a bad look for Harrison:
1) How are you in Dallas and around the Mavericks for four years and not able to grasp the depth of the fan/Doncic relationship?
2) Harrison rose to prominence with Nike as Kobe Bryant's rep with the company. How do you come out of that situation, see that connection between the home-grown MVP candidate player and the fan base, and then not recognize it in Dallas?
3) The NBA is an entertainment business where the fans are the customers. The media reaction helps shape fan reactions and feelings. To misunderstand — or just not be concerned with their feelings — to this degree is just bad for business.
Here is some of the other fallout this week in Dallas.
• Harrison said that not valuing Anthony Davis and his skill set is why some people don't appreciate the trade.
Davis has caught way too much shrapnel in this fight. Harrison is right that, when healthy, Davis is an All-NBA two-way player who can help a team at the highest levels — he has a ring and a gold medal to prove it.
That does not mean this was a good trade for the Mavericks. First, as good as he can be, Davis is not the defense-bending force, MVP-level candidate Doncic is (as he enters his prime). Davis is six years older than Doncic and is prone to injuries. Also, Harrison not getting both Lakers' first-round picks and Austin Reaves back in this trade his hard to fathom.
• Harrison said his relationship with team owner/governor Patrick Dumont is still strong. It should be.
Harrison wanted this trade, but he is also the guy taking the arrows for ownership, which didn't want to pay Doncic the largest contract in NBA history and helped push for the trade, league sources have told NBC Sports.
• With that, Harrison's job is safe (for now, he ultimately could be scapegoated). And no, the Adelson/Dumont ownership group is not going to sell the team after this experience. The team — and with it a new arena in the coming decade — is part of a much larger real estate deal that is the ultimate motivation here. Those long-term plans are not changing because of this trade.
• ESPN’s Tim MacMahon did a deep dive on how the relationship between Doncic and the Mavericks fell apart, with details going back 18 months and looking at the fissures within the organization. It is a brilliant bit of reporting well worth the read.
My primary takeaway: Harrison prizes control over everything else, and is not a fan of dissent. That came across in how unprepared he was for the backlash to this trade, as if it never really dawned on him how this could be received differently than he saw it. He didn't prepare the rest of the franchise or the fans for what was to come.