Jason Kidd says “Fire Nico!” chants made Mavs players feel ‘really disrespected’: ‘These guys are playing hard’
As the Milwaukee Bucks’ homecoming unfolded Monday at the American Airlines Center, so did the “Fire Nico!” chants that disgruntled Dallas Mavericks fans have repeated incessantly since now-former general manager Nico Harrison shockingly traded international phenom Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in February.
During the fourth quarter of a 116-114 loss that dropped the Mavericks to 3-8 this season, chants rang out as Dallas players went to the free throw line down the stretch, even after P.J. Washington missed the second of three attempts at the charity stripe with 1.2 seconds left. If he had made all three, the Mavericks would have forced overtime.
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Mavericks coach Jason Kidd explained before Wednesday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns, Dallas’ first home game since Harrison was fired, that the “Fire Nico!” the chants made his players feel “really disrespected”.
“That chant when we shoot free throws is very disrespectful,” Kidd said before the game. “We understand that they’ve made their point, the fans, but we have to move on. I understand the healing process for the fans, but these guys are playing hard. Ever since the trade, these guys have given everything. We were up to eight guys, but a lot of times we didn’t get credit for playing hard and for finding a way to come into the game with a lot of money in street clothes. And, again, we have a lot of guys that are in street clothes. We’re over, I think, a hundred million dollars. Sitting on the sidelines, and we’re still competing and we’re still in the game, and we’re learning how to win.
“So I hope we start getting some credit for that because these guys, they can feel those things, and they feel really disrespected, and it’s hard to keep guys here in this league when they start thinking the home team isn’t home, and it becomes a visiting place. So I hope that changes tonight.”
Kidd was alluding to the fact that 10-time All-Star big man Anthony Davis and nine-time All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving are both sidelined with injuries at the moment. Davis is dealing with a left calf strain. Irving is still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered on March 3.
According to Kidd, the struggling Mavericks snuck into the play-in tournament last season despite missing Irving when it mattered most and despite Davis being out for a long time with a hamstring strain related to his previous abdominal injury.
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Washington agreed with Kidd’s assessment of the chants.
“I felt the same way,” he said before the game. “I felt like people weren’t really rooting for us — it felt like it, from a player’s perspective. Hopefully that changes and tonight we go out and get a win.”
Mavericks forward Daniel Gafford was asked if home games had become “less fun” with the constant “Fire Nico!” you sing.
“I wouldn’t say it gets any less fun,” Gafford said before the game. “It’s a little bit of a defeat when it comes to the scenario that we went through the other night. But we kept playing. We stuck together as a team. We know the times that are happening around the team right now and just the organization in general.
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“But our main goal is to just come out and play basketball. It doesn’t matter what happens outside the lines, at the end of the day we just have to do our job.”