Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic replaces Tim Duncan as NBA’s biggest crybaby | Opinion

Luka Doncic is at that stage of his NBA career where he needs a lecture from Dr. Rick, the spokesman for the Progressive commercials on becoming your parents.

“You got fouled. No one cares.”

Mr. Doncic, we get it ... he fouled you.

They all fouled you.

They will all foul you.

Arguing with a ref is as fruitful as fighting with your spouse — there is no winning.

Doncic has replaced Dirk Nowitzki as the face of the Dallas Mavericks, and Tim Duncan as the crybaby face of the NBA.

Duncan is one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA, and its biggest crybaby, who was sure he never committed a foul.

Luka needs to stop with the complaining, or at least cut it down by 90%. It’s not working, and Luka has reached that point where it will cost his team.

Doncic received his 14th and 15th technical fouls of the season on Sunday night in the Mavs’ loss to the Sacramento Kings.

(Between April 18 and May 2, the Mavs were 0-3 against a Kings team that is 10 games under .500 and will not make the playoffs.)

Luka ranks second in the NBA in technical fouls, one behind Dwight Howard of the 76ers. If Luka draws one more technical, he will have to sit for a game.

Not including their game on Tuesday night against the Heat, the Mavs have seven games remaining.

“I won’t get another one,” Doncic said in a Zoom call with the media after the game. “Don’t worry.”

This sounds like the fat guy who says after finishing his 10th doughnut of the morning, “I won’t get another one. Don’t worry.”

The Mavs are not secure enough for Luka to eat another doughnut.

How he responds the next time he gets whacked could determine if the Mavs finish as the fifth or sixth seed in the NBA’s Western Conference, thus avoiding the dreaded “play-in” round that everyone hates.

Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said he and his staff have told Luka about all this.

There is nothing any coach can do in this situation. What’s Rick going to do? Bench him?

Rick has to be the one to complain and get tossed. He can’t allow Luka to do it any more this season.

The entire franchise is beholden to Luka on this matter ... and virtually everything else.

Luka either figures it out or he’s going to get popped, and the consequences won’t be a possession and some free throws.

He said after Sunday’s loss there are some officials who deal with his comments, whereas other T him up. Sounds like life.

The easier way through this is to simply either stop or become the conservative complainer.

It’s not as if Luka is not going to the line. He averages 7.3 free-throw attempts per game, tied for the eighth most in the NBA.

And Luka has no idea what “getting fouled” looks like. Ask Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson to define a “foul.” A foul is a Kurt Rambis forearm to the face. A foul is a Rick Mahorn junk punch. A foul is a Bill Laimbeer undercut on a jumper.

(BTW, Laimbeer remains the biggest piece of trash who ever played basketball.)

Great players who go at the basket live a double standard. They get the calls and they don’t get them all.

All great players complain, but they have to learn when to stop, and how to talk to referees.

The late Kobe Bryant did not earn his first tech until his fourth NBA season, and he finished with 166 in his career.

The Mavericks’ Patron Saint of Basketball, Dirk Nowitzki, drew 199 technical fouls in his career.

Luka is going to get hit, and he must deal with it.

Luka, you got fouled. No one cares.