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<< Back Next >> -------------------- February 22, 2002 Excel(lent) trade? Just before the trade deadline last night the Dallas Mavericks traded Juwan Howard, Tim Hardaway, Donnell Harvey, cash and a first-round pick to the Nuggets for Nick Van Exel, Raef LaFrentz, Avery Johnson and Tariq Abdul-Wahad. This is not one of those trades where you need to look at carefully to analyze the minutiae and see who's really trying to make ends meet. Dallas just committed robbery in full view of the public. The question though is was it worth it. You'd pat Don Nelson on the back for bringing Raef Lafrenz in. He's got potential and before he's done, might have an All-Star year. But Van Exel?!? Isn't Steve Nash asking himself right now "what can Van Exel do that I don't already deliver?" If media attention is your thing, then you've got something. But Mark Cuban isn't bad himself. Now they've got four scorers (Finley, Nowitzki, Nash, Van Exel). Is it to outscore the Kings, or to have somebody who will get in Kobe's head? Whatever Nick's purpose is for, Tim Hardaway could have filled it up with less baggage. Talking about baggage. Wasn't the reason for Van Exel and Del Harris's defection from the Lakers caused partly by a rift between them? Del Harris just happens to be the top assistant coach in Big D. Uh-uh. We're not feeling this trade Don Nelson. But if you can work some magic, hey we'll believe. On the Nuggets' side? Rapper Bubba Sparxx's first single said it best "Uglyyyyyyyy..." Unless that first round pick turns out to be a gold mine instead of a goldbrick, and Juwan Howard recaptures his zeal, as the ink seems to imply (o.k maybe finally discovers it), the Nuggets have nothing close to what Dallas walked away with. Aren't Antonio McDyess and Juwan Howard both power forwards? Factor in that Jason Kidd is bound to come knocking, and reminding McDyess where both of them could've been by now if they had stuck together in Phoenix. The Nuggets had to get rid of bloated contracts, and this trade took care of that. But they still got worse as a team. Don't label us as pessimists, because as the saying goes knowledge is power. We'd bet you would want to know all this. << Back Next >> Back to archive Back to top
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