Less than a year after the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, the man reportedly responsible for the trade, Nico Harrison, has been fired. After months of backlash and fan outrage, with fans consistently chanting “Fire Nico” every night, the Mavs decided it was time to wipe their hands and move on. My biggest takeaway from this firing, as someone who covers the Pelicans, is that if Mavs fans can get Harrison fired by speaking out, Pelicans fans can do the same if they really want Willie Green gone.
During the team’s first ten games, after every win or loss there was a theme that fans wanted Willie Green as head coach. Green is in his fifth season as head coach of the Pelicans, and fans are still seeing the same things they’ve been frustrated about for years.
The complaints have become consistent: bad rotations, terrible in-game adjustments, bad ATOs, third-quarter collapses and a lack of accountability in post-game press conferences. Perhaps most troubling of all is that the team still has no clear identity.
Now, I’m obviously not saying I want a guy fired, but if fans want the front office and ownership to make a change at head coach, it’s time to consider following the path Mavs fans have taken.
What should fans do to enforce this change?
At the height of the Nico Harrison drama, fans held up signs with Fire Nico written on them. Some fans went so far as to cancel their season tickets, hold rallies outside the arena and express their frustration on social media.
The outrage among Pelicans fans is already quite high on social media, but I think it’s time to bring things up at DEFCON ONE. If you’re really tired of coming home after a long day of work, school, or just life, and watching your favorite team play only to see them blown away by the age of thirty, and hearing the head coach call the loss a “lesson.” Then it’s no longer enough to go to Instagram or
The Mavericks’ firing of Nico Harrison is proof that if enough fans unite and speak out publicly, change can happen.
In an era where it seems organizations only care about money, the Mavericks’ decision to fire Nico Harrison shows that change can happen when enough fans speak out. If Pelicans fans really want the Willie Green era to end, declaring ownership’s commitment to mediocrity is one way to do it.
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