Before branding himself from now until eternity as the general manager who gave away Luka Doncic, Nico Harrison had a good thing going. Made moves both bold and shrewd to facilitate an NBA Finals run.
Like that matters now. Nobody bragged on Edward Smith’s medal from the Second Boer War after he sideswiped an iceberg in the Titanic.
Until the Luka deal, Nico was in the running for best GM in the market. He’s since been lapped by both Jim Nill and Chris Young, though he remains ahead of Jerry Jones, who’s been running the wrong direction for 30 years.
As usual, Jerry’s under heavy fire for not throwing big money at anyone other than his own, and even then only when too late. Unlike last year, when he told us he was “all in,” then basically sat out the free agent market, he’s shopping these days.
Walmart shopping.
Besides bringing back KaVontae Turpin on Tuesday, the Cowboys signed Solomon Thomas, the eight-year defensive tackle from Coppell, and got Payton Turner, a defensive end and former first-round pick of the Saints, on a one-year flyer. Thomas provides needed depth on the line. The appeal of Turner, a bust in New Orleans, is a low-risk, high-upside move that, like all the moves the Cowboys make in free agency, gives them cover going into the draft.
Over the last 10 years, the NFL’s most valuable franchise has ranked last in the league in free agent spending. The Joneses’ excuse is they choose to spend on their own. I could buy it if it meant they were winning with a draft-and-develop plan, except they’re not.
In order to win Lombardi Trophies, you’ve got to be good at everything. Spending, drafting and dealing, too. Honk if you’ve heard this before, but where would Philadelphia be if Howie Roseman hadn’t acquired Saquon Barkley? The Eagles draft well, spend near the top of the market and aren’t afraid of the occasional blockbuster.
Players have come and gone from Eagles headquarters since the Super Bowl like it was a 7-Eleven, and my guess is Philly will have enough players to make another run at it this fall.
Meanwhile, Jerry, would it hurt to kick the tires on Amari Cooper?
Think what Jim Nill might do if only he ran the Cowboys. Would it matter if he didn’t know a tackle from a tight end? The Cowboys have been at loose ends for 30 years. I’d take my chances.
Like Roseman, Nill does everything well. Lest you forget, his first big move was to trade for Tyler Seguin. Helps that, in Tom Gaglardi, he’s got the backing of a good owner. His trust in Nill is well-earned. Nill hits so often on draft picks, he could afford to give up three firsts to build a roster to win now. He worked the nuances of the NHL’s curious loosened financial restrictions on injured players to make a deal no one saw coming.
And, unlike the recent handiwork of another local GM, this deal didn’t give you nightmares before you fell asleep.
Just how big was his trade last week for Mikko Rantanen?
Knocked the Mavs and Cowboys off the top of the sports page.
Nill’s latest move gives him the lead by a nose over Chris Young, who had held the title since the Rangers won the last championship trophy in the market. He’s working hard on the next. In fact, it’s his motto.
You’re only as good as your next championship trophy.
Jerry can only talk about the Lombardis with Jimmy’s fingerprints all over them.
Did you like those Super Bowls? I hope you did. I hope you did very much.
Young, who hired the best Rangers manager ever, likes to swing big (Jacob deGrom, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien). Even so, as his bullpen work demonstrates, he can work around the edges, too.
He easily could have said last year’s power outage was an anomaly and expected the lineup to flip the switch this year, but he didn’t. He acquired Jake Burger and Joc Pederson. Pederson’s off to a slow start, but here’s betting Burger puts up better power numbers at first base than any Ranger since Mark Teixeira.
The world’s tallest GM hates losing. Hates it. But he doesn’t let his emotions get in the way of his job.
Which brings us back to Nico.
Frankly, as previously noted in this space, he didn’t seem like the type who could turn the organization as well as the city upside down when Mark Cuban introduced him as his first official GM. Didn’t seem like he could upset a tray of donuts. Everything went fairly smoothly right up to the announcement of the worst trade in the city’s sports history.
We’ve since learned that, with Nico, it’s his way or the highway. He prefers players with whom he has a long association. More times than not, it’s worked. To his credit, he saw a side of Kyrie that others didn’t. His opinion of Kyrie also tells you where it went wrong with Luka.
Consider Nico’s statement after news of Kyrie’s season-ending injury. Called his point guard the Mavs’ “heart and soul.” Compared his work ethic and dedication, his “ferocity and passion” to Kobe Bryant’s.
Then, contrast those comments with everything you’ve heard from behind the scenes about Luka.
Now, Mavs fans have to live with it, and they’ll no doubt do so long after Nico’s tenure here is over. That’s where Jerry has a step on him. No matter what he does as GM, he’s got the owner in his pocket.
Twitter/X: @KSherringtonDMN
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