The firing of Nico Harrison has grabbed NBA headlines this week. As the Dallas Mavericks continue to deal with the aftermath of their GM’s dismissal, more sound bites and stories about Harrison’s stint are coming to light.
One of these stories involves Anthony Davis, the one-time NBA champion whom Harrison brought to Dallas in the blockbuster trade involving Luka Dončić. According to The Athletic, Harrison had tried to urge Davis to make an early comeback from the calf injury that he has been dealing with.
Davis, a 10-time All-Star, had sustained the injury in the Mavericks’ Oct. 29 game against the Indiana Pacers. The Mavs went on to improve their record to 2–3 on that night, but they ended up dropping their next four assignments. In the month of November, Dallas has won just one of seven games thus far.
There is a sense of urgency, then, on the part of the players and the front office to halt the current downward spiral in Dallas. The Mavs’ medical staff, however, has refused to clear Davis for a return to the hardcourt, as his situation leaves him prone to an even worse injury, like an Achilles tear.
The Athletic also reported that Davis himself expressed a desire to resume playing. This request, however, doesn’t appear to have any chance of being granted until the team’s medical experts are satisfied with his recovery.
On top of that, no less than Mavericks majority owner Patrick Dumont is reportedly keeping tabs on Davis’ recovery. According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, final approval from Dumont (who has requested Davis’ medical data) is now required for the 6-foot-10 big man to rejoin the lineup.
Notably, Dumont has become even more of a public figure in the past few days. The night before Harrison was fired, he was sitting courtside at American Airlines Center to watch the Mavs take on the Bucks. After Harrison’s dismissal was announced, an open letter from Dumont was published online, explaining that the move was made because “results had not met expectations” in Dallas.
Over the next few weeks, more accounts regarding Harrison’s time in Dallas are likely to come out. By then, Mavs fans are hoping that Davis will have secured a go-ahead signal from Dumont to suit up once again.
