First of all Juwan Howard is a power forward, not a small forward. Personally I think it's a good trade. Yeah yeah Van Exel has had problems in Denver and Los Angeles. But I don't see him being unhappy for a few reasons. A) He is out of Denver and is on a really good playoff team so he SHOULD be happy. B) If he does play Nash's backup he will still get 25 minutes or so per game, sure it's less than usual, but it's not like he's only playing 10 minutes or anything. C) MOST of the time, teams that have a lot of problems like the Trailblazers for example, have more than one problem child. When Van Exel was in LA just about everyone didn't want to be there or wasn't wanted there. In Denver it wasn't just Van Exel but also La Frentz that was unhappy. I think in the Mavericks locker room where there isn't any dissention Van Exel and La Frentz will be fine. D) I don't think he'll be a backup player anyway. BUT it would be Van Exel at point and Nash at shooting guard. Van Exel is a better passer, averaging 8.1 assist per game (8th in the NBA) and with nobody to really pass to, while Nash had more weapons to play with and still had less assists. Also Nash is a much better shooter so he will even be more deadly with Van Exel driving to the basket and having him to kick out to.
I just think a lot of the NBA fans are a lot like wrestling fans in that they aren't willing to give anyone another chance, they just go ahead and assume that Van Exel is going to be a problem.
Then you add that they got LaFrentz who is a better shooter, better rebounder and better shot blocker than Juwan Howard.
So to me the bottom line is that Van Exel is better than Hardaway, La Frentz is better than Howard and then they also get Avery Johnson and Abdul Wahad, for rarely used Donnell Harvey so it's seems like a good trade to me.
hey i am a fab five fan and i still didn't see too much wrong with this trade... other than abdul-wahad... just seems to me he's making too much money for average ability... but maybe that's just me... i think both la frentz and van exel will be happy being on a contender...
I'm not positive BUT I believe when Abdul Wahad signed his current contract he was still a starter and therefore his numbers were better than they are now, but now he's back to backup and he IS overpaid. But, Mark Cuban doesn't care, he's willing to take on the big price tag in order to get La Frentz and Van Exel. I can see Mark Cuban becoming the Steinbrenner of the NBA and just buying whoever he needs during the off season and at the trade deadline. Since he actually cares about the team enough to actually spend some money.
Cuban will definitely do things his own way, but right now, he is beyond all criticism. That team INSTANTLY turned from a decades-long joke to a contender the SECOND he came in there. It's one of the more impressive things I've seen in sports. They should do even better with LaFrentz to block shots and draw Shaq outside... they are certainly one of the top three teams in basketball now, I feel (Lakers and Kings.)
“Since he [Cuban] actually cares about the team enough to actually spend some money.”
Yeah, unlike a certain owner of the LA Clippers, name of Donald Sterling. You think the Clippers are up and coming now, but when the young guys' contracts expire, Sterling won't break out his checkbook, I promise ya that.
I'm concerned about Van Exel getting traded to the Mavericks, though, and I'll tell you why. What kind of example is this setting for other very good players on very bad teams? “Hey, instead of working hard to make your team better, you can just bitch all season and eventually we'll trade you to a team that has a fairly good chance of winning the NBA Championship.”
Keep this up, and forget about parity. The teams that are good now will be the same teams that are good ten years from now, because all the superstars on bad teams will bitch their way onto contenders. (Another example-- Steve Francis).
This trade proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Mavs are a team that will eventually win a championship. And by eventually I am talking about the next 3-5 years. They have an owner who actually runs the team as *GASP* a sports team rather than a business. His bottom line is championships and not box office. They have knowledgeable people with balls. These people are willing to take the risks to get to that next level, and have a great eye for tallent. Finally, they have the right players. These guys not only have tallent, but they have heart. Basically the Mavs are the exact OPPOSITE of the Knicks, and thats how you have to be in the nBA if you wanna win. Every owner should dothe following: See the Knicks and do the OPPOSITE. Thats what the Mavs are doing. Mav's are now my second favorite team. lol
Even if the Van Exel trade didn't happen there would STILL be players complaining about being on a bad team and will STILL get their wish and get traded away. It's just one of those things that will always happen. So i don't think the Van Exel trade makes tings any worse.
Okay, just realized this hasn't been posted here yet. Click Here (sports.yahoo.com) Anyhow, Danny Ferry returns to Cleveland as the GM, has a 5-year deal, and Larry Brown is a non-factor now.