Dallas deserves Luka Doncic. He’s an international teenage superstar poised to take over for the Mavericks’ aging one; a Slovenian sensational who was probably well-known by world-traveler-slash-general-manager Donnie Nelson long before the rest of the league noticed. Dallas gambled that Dirk Nowitzki would stay hidden two decades ago, but that doesn’t happen anymore, not in 2018. But when Doncic fell two spots, and when the Hawks didn’t covet him, they traded that No. 3 overall selection to the Mavericks. It’s the same pick Dallas could have had with just one more loss, since they finished tied in the standings with Atlanta, only for the lottery odds to sink them two spots below. But it worked out in the end, and Dallas got their man.



Rick Carlisle deserves Doncic, too. Carlisle’s a sometimes-surly head coach who loosened up with last year’s rookie, entrusting him with the offense even while he made mistakes. It’ll be even...