On February 27, Beijing time, The Athletic's Sam Amic wrote an article revealing more inside information about the Mavericks' trade for Doncic. In this game where the Lakers host the Mavericks, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison also came to the Lakers' home court. He heard those shouts from the Lakers fans, and of course he heard them.

Dressed in a handsome blue suit, Harrison sat on the sidelines, unable to escape the ironic "gratitude" of the fans.

"Thank you, Niko!" In the Lakers' 107-99 win over the Mavericks, the cries of Lakers fans rang out many times.

After the game, Amick jokingly asked Harrison, "Did you say 'you're welcome'?" ”

"Nope." Harrison smiled in response, and walked towards the exit.

In any case, Mr. Amick believes Mr. Harrison must be given some recognition: The 52-year-old former Nike executive is a man of strong convictions. Once his idea takes shape – no matter how uncomfortable it may be – all he sees is the decisions that must be made to make it happen.

In Doncic's case, the 25-year-old's poor habits on and off the court were key to the controversial decision. That means the Mavericks are parting ways with a star most consider to be on track to be one of the greatest players of all time in exchange for Anthony Davis, an older, injury-ridden big man who is considered central to trade returns.

Those who witnessed Doncic's final years in Dallas don't have a high opinion of the 25-year-old's professionalism. They called him lazy, complained about his weight and gave him a headache, and mentioned his social habits as reported in the media – For example, he loves beer and shisha smokingEver since he was about to enter the draft at the age of 19 as a Real Madrid star, these have been the concerns of people involved in the NBA.The Mavericks are concerned that Doncic's basketball career will soon decline, fearing that his health will lead to his retirement in five years.

Harrison's personal experience adds depth to the discussion. Having made his mark as the Lakers' trusted shoe representative for Kobe Bryant, he apparently decided Doncic didn't fit the criteria for the "Mamba Spirit." Conversely, Harrison's close relationship with Davis during his time at Nike, and his belief that championship contenders must excel defensively, clearly played a key role in the decision-making process.

As Mavericks Player Cato reported after the deal was made, and league sources confirmed,Harrison's short-term perspective on his role as general manager may explain his impatience with Doncic's growth. If he's only going to be in this role for a few more years, he and the team have no time to waste. From this point of view, he was somewhat in a hurry.

However, for those who haven't experienced Doncic's situation — team executives, coaches and scouts who are desperate to get a player like him right away — all of these arguments about the deal simply don't hold water. It's the NBA, and self-management has always been a part of it, and it's hard to find perfect players here.

Talent isn't everything, but players with extraordinary talent like Doncic are extremely rare, and he should be given every opportunity to make the most of his talents. This is true of elite players like Iverson, Magic Johnson, O'Neal, Bill Wharton, and Larry Bird,They all have their own shortcomings. The list of such players is long, and almost no one can meet the standards set by Kobe Bryant or his idol Michael Jordan (Jordan himself has off-court problems).

As one league source said of this type of player: "You have to figure out how to manage it. ”

At the same time, the Lakers believe Doncic will have an even better performance. Legendary coach Phil Jackson has said that players don't really mature until they're almost 30 years old.

Amick said the vast majority of people in the league who have talked to him about the deal still believe that Dallas made a serious mistake. Especially considering that the 32-year-old Davis strained his adductor muscle in just 31 minutes for the Mavericks in his promotional debut against the Rockets on Feb. 9, which undoubtedly confirms all doubts about his fitness.

The irony of this Doncic's return battle, though, is that it perfectly captures the point of contention. Doncic had his first triple-double in his career with the Lakers, finishing with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists, and playing with James several times during the game. But in those 35 minutes, he wasn't strong enough for the skeptics to dispel their doubts completely.

That's what makes it puzzling, Doncic often puts on commendable performances, only to be met with the kind of scrutiny that few people face, if not nitpicking. But listening to what his former teammate Irving shared after the game reminds one of just how impressive his resume is. In the eyes of many, this is precisely the point that the Mavericks quickly forget.

"When he's playing an MVP-caliber season, it's easy to work with him," Irving said of his experience playing together in the NBA Finals last season, when Doncic was third in the MVP vote. 'When I was injured, a lot of times it was he who carried us forward and he took responsibility. So for me, I had a lot of respect for him before we played together. After playing with him, I realized that he was a simple child. At the same time, he is extremely talented, and the whole world is in front of him. You'll also want to protect someone like that, because I think sometimes people are so crazy about him that it's completely unnecessary. ”

While Harrison was clearly the main driver of the decision, one fact that is overlooked here is that the deal would not have been possible without the approval of the team's new owner. They were hesitant to offer Doncic a five-year, $345 million contract this summer, and later explained the decision with "cultural" concerns as a major factor. It may sound plausible, but this recent game is a good sign that those concerns may not stand the test of time.

Davis was unavailable in civilian clothes, and there were plenty of other Mavericks players injured, and the Lakers won their 15th game out of 19 games (Doncic won three of the five games he played). The Lakers are now in fourth place in the West, while the Mavericks have dropped to No. 9. If Doncic continues to play like this — to hell with the critics — the future for the Lakers will certainly be brighter.

At the end of the day, the Lakers really have to thank the Mavericks for this, thanks to Nico Harrison.