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Good morning! Don’t get fired today.
While You Were Ranking: The state of Texas looks good — for now
The second College Football Playoff rankings came out last night, with no change to our top three teams: Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M. In that order. There were more interesting changes below:
- Committee members noted last night that ranking 9-1 Texas Tech at No. 6, one spot above 9-1 Ole Miss, was a topic of debate. It bodes extremely well for the Red Raiders’ ability to make the Playoff even if they don’t win the Big 12.
- Also, don’t miss Texas there at No. 10. The Longhorns still have No. 5 Georgia and No. 3 Texas A&M left on the schedule, though, so they’re in control of their destiny, for better or worse.
Ralph Russo compiled a list of the important games left across the country for the Playoff, which was useful. We’ll have more on the Group of 5 contestants tomorrow.
Let’s move on to bigger news:
Pink Slips: The ‘Fire Nico’ chants worked
For nine months, the shouts were loud. For Mavericks GM Nico Harrison, it must’ve felt like an eternity. For Dallas fans, the nine months were probably a confusing and hurtful blur.
The “Fire Nico” chants can finally cease at American Airlines Center, because Nico — the man who traded away a superstar in his prime — has been fired. The architect of one of the boldest and most foolish moves in NBA history, which assuredly changed the direction of the entire league, is gone.
Two layers to know for now:
- Despite the quick trigger, this was the right move. Dallas is a rudderless mess nearly a month into this season, sitting 14th in the Western Conference at 3-8. Anthony Davis, the centerpiece return in the Luka Dončic trade, has played just five games, because he is injury-prone. Something we all knew already, even before the deal. Dallas is 30th in scoring thus far. It was time.
- Hope remains. Cooper Flagg, the uber-talented rookie Dallas lucked into at No. 1 in the draft shortly after the Dončic deal, has a bright road ahead despite early struggles. John Hollinger thinks Dallas should trade Davis and rebuild around Flagg immediately. I think he’s right.
I still just can’t believe this all happened. I asked our Mavericks writer Christian Clark for some further context:
So much has happened in the last nine months — Dončic’s ascension in L.A., him crying in his Dallas return, constant “Fire Nico” chants. Is there a moment that stands out to you as most surreal now that this is over?
“Maybe it’s recency bias, but to me, the most surreal moment of this saga happened Monday. In the third quarter of Mavericks-Bucks, Patrick Dumont — Dallas’ governor — spent 10 minutes talking to an 18-year-old named Nicholas Dickason who was wearing Dončic’s gold Lakers jersey. Dickason, who’s from Dallas and goes to SMU, is a Mavericks fan who told me he flipped Dumont off on opening night in October. Monday, Dickason apologized, and — stunningly — Dumont told Dickason he felt ‘horrible’ about the Dončic trade. The image of Dumont in his blazer seated next to Dickason in his gold jersey will be burned into my brain forever.”
I would love to know what this conversation is about. I noticed the fan sitting a few rows behind Mavs governor Patrick Dumont when the 3rd quarter began. pic.twitter.com/UvZU2MRuTk
— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) November 11, 2025
What’s the tenor like in Dallas right now? Relief? Anger? Sorrow?
“It’s relief. They can finally start the healing process. Many Mavericks fans were going to feel wounded until Harrison was fired. The mood around the team became so negative, it became easier for Mavericks players to play on the road this season. Trading Dončic for an underwhelming return literally robbed Dallas of its home-court advantage. I expect that to return starting today. Flagg is already a beloved player. Firing Harrison means Mavericks fans can now feel less conflicted about the entire experience.”
Congrats on your new day, Mavs fans. You don’t have your star, but you have a fresh start. Sam Amick’s deeply reported story on Harrison’s downfall, in which the seeds of failure were sown far before the Dončic trade, is worth a read today.
News to Know
Julio Aguilar / Getty Images
Clark’s round to be televised today
Caitlin Clark will once again play in the LPGA’s The Annika pro-am this week, and The Golf Channel will provide full coverage of Clark’s round starting at 10 a.m. ET this morning. Clark has long loved golf and drew plenty of eyes to last year’s Annika, where Clark was … relatable. We’ll have more on her high moments — and her shanks — tomorrow.
Pirates GM: No Skenes trade
Speaking of potential league-altering deals: Pittsburgh general manager Ben Cherington said yesterday the team will not be moving ace Paul Skenes this offseason, though he acknowledged receiving many calls from others around the league about the idea. As absurd as the notion sounds — trading arguably the best pitcher in baseball when he’s 23 — the team is not good, and the return haul would be enormous. Read our full story.
More news
- The NBA is tweaking the All-Star Game, which is now USA vs. the World. Any change is good in my book.
- Jaguars two-way rookie Travis Hunter underwent season-ending knee surgery yesterday. It’s a bummer for one of the NFL’s most exciting new players.
- Jets coach Aaron Glenn refused to talk about WR Garrett Wilson’s injury, which is always a good sign for a team’s season. See his comments.
- Four-time NBA All-Star Michael Ray Richardson died at 70. His legacy is complicated.
- I love small sample sizes: Hornets rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner set an NBA record with an 80.8 field goal percentage through 10 games.
- The NHL is “alarmed” about construction progress for the Olympic hockey stadium in Milan. Pierre LeBrun has more.
- There is consternation in Spain after Lamine Yamal withdrew from the national team’s November schedule following a groin procedure without notifying officials of it first. It’s a whole thing.
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What to Watch
📺 NHL: Devils at Blackhawks
9:30 p.m. ET on TNT/HBO Max
Another night where two surprising teams face off. New Jersey is among the NHL’s best in the early going (leading the Metropolitan Division) while Chicago (8-5-3) is just a good team, which is a nice change.
📺 NBA: Lakers at Thunder
9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Two of John Hollinger’s Fab Four face off here, and while Oklahoma City’s excellence is expected, seeing a LeBron James-less L.A. team start 8-3 is encouraging. Luka Dončić is averaging nearly a triple-double (37-9-9) while the guy who traded him is already unemployed. Lordy.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
Joe Robbins / Getty Images
Dane Brugler debuted his latest top-50 NFL Draft board yesterday, and it has a fascinating top five. See the list here.
In 1959, a boy pulled a No. 35 Yankees jersey out of a box in Harlem. It turned out to be an ultra-rare Yogi Berra rookie jersey. Yesterday, it went up for auction.
A name to file away for NBA mock draft purposes: North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson. Read Sam Vecenie’s early scouting report.
The Hawks, once again, have a Trae Young problem.
Brian Daboll needed to go in New York, as Dan Duggan writes. But why is general manager Joe Schoen still there?
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our newser on the new details surrounding Marshawn Kneeland’s car crash hours before his death.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Week 11 NFL Power Rankings, a weekly occurrence in this spot.