It was a wild and crazy night at Reunion Wednesday with the Mavs adding 6 players and losing 2 along with the movement of picks. Let's start with the basics and then go into the details and comments. The Mavs kept their own 1st round pick (#12) and were involved in 4 trades. Added: #12 Etan Thomas #13 Courtney Alexander (from Orlando) #22 Donnell Harvey (from New York) #38 Eduardo Najera (from Houston) Eric Murdock (from LA Clippers) John Wallace (from New York) Houston's 2nd round pick in 2000 Traded away: Erick Strickland (to New York) Sean Rooks (to LA Clippers) #31 Dan Langhi (to Houston) #58 Pete Mickeal (to New York) Dallas' lottery protected 2001 1st round pick (to Orlando) Cash The #12 pick: Dallas selected Etan Thomas, a 6-9, 256 forward-center from Syracuse. Thomas is a shot blocking and rebounding big man. I don't know how he'll do as a center in the NBA (and he'll probably see some center minutes with this soft in the middle team), but he is a prototypical power forward. Nelson described him as a need draft pick and one of the two players the Mavs targeted. With the crowded roster, he will have to earn minutes and prove himself early to see time on the court, but he'll likely be the backup power forward for the team (behind Gary Trent). As a senior, Thomas averaged 13.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, and an impressive 3.7 blocks. Over his last 3 seasons in college [and he did stay for 4 seasons], he averaged 7.6 rebounds and 3.8 blocks. He finished 7th in NCAA history for career blocked shots (424). He is not an offensive player (though he did shot 60% from the field [which goes while his offensive game being within 10 feet of the basket], but only 59.8% from the line), but has been favorably compared to Antonio Davis. He was also named as Big East's Defensive Player of the Year twice - as a junior and a senior. In addition, he did well in school and was named to the Athletic Director's spring 2000 Honor Roll at Syracuse. He needs to work on his offensive game (though the Mavs don't really need much offensively from him), but looks to be a solid pick who addresses the Mavs' rebounding woes. Thomas grew up in Oklahoma. Pre-pick Thomas quotes: Rod Thorn: "He's got the size coming in. You don't have to beef him up. That's a tremendous advantage." John Gabriel: "He has an Antonio Davis-type game where he gets those shoulders squared and rebounds and blocks shots. He has a decent drop step move with his left and right hand, which he needs to develop further." Minnesota scout Rob Babcock: "I think he's got a good future in the NBA. I think he'll be able to rebound and defend in the NBA. His offensive game has some developing to do. He needs to develop some more power forward-type skills. A lot of power forwards these days are going outside and are much more versatile." ESPN's Jay Bilas: "Thomas is just 6-9, but is very strong and has big hands and great timing as a defender. He'll be able to take a pounding inside, and can dish it out fighting for position." TNT pick talk: John Thompson: "I just love him. I think he has so much upside, it's unbelievable. His work ethic is hard. He's a tremendous shot blocker and just loves to rebound." After the pick Mavs talk: When Don Nelson and Mark Cuban came out to talk about the Thomas and Alexander picks, they were excited [and Cuban was just giddy]. Nelson: "We got the 2 guys we wanted all along. I couldn't be more pleased." Nelson: "We just feel very fortunate because we got the 2 guys that we wanted all along. Everything worked out perfectly." Nelson on Thomas: "We addressed a need we had: defense, rebounding, and bulk." Nelson on Thomas: "He had some deficiencies offensively, but we think we can work with him." Nelson said Thomas is "One of the best rebounders in college basketball and shot blockers." Nelson on the draft: "We got one, Etan Thomas, as a need pick." Thomas on being drafted: "I mean it's great." Thomas on being drafted by Dallas: "I had a good sense [with Dallas] when I came for my individual workout." Thomas on his Mavs workout: "Coach Don Nelson told me the different things he was looking for and what I could bring to the table. They liked my physical presence inside. I'm a shot blocker, a rebounder. Those are things he really liked about my game." Thomas on Dallas: "It's a great program. Don Nelson has been a great coach." The trades: 1) Dallas traded the rights to #31, Dallas' lottery protected 2001 1st round draft pick, and $3 million to Orlando for the rights to #13 Courtney Alexander. Alexander is a 6-5, 210 shooting guard from Fresno State. Orlando did this trade as they were trying to keep as much money available for this summer's free agency where they are going to try to land 2 and maybe even 3 _big_ name free agents and a #13 pick counts a about $1 million against the cap. Dallas did the trade as they really wanted Courtney Alexander and the Mavs had heard that he was slipping (he was expected to be a top 10 pick a few weeks ago). Nelson said that the trade was actually completed around midnight Tuesday. Don Nelson on what made this trade happen: "Cash, baby, cold cash. And lots of it." Courtney Alexander: Alexander was the leading scorer in NCAA division I for 99-00 averaging 24.8 points and reports are that he is a really offensive talent who could probably step in and score in the NBA right away. He spent 2 years at Virginia and then transferred to Fresno State (with coach Jerry Tarkanian) where he red-shirted in 97-98 before finishing his 2 years of eligibility. He averaged 22.7 points including 45.8% FG and 32.4% 3-pointers (college 3) in his junior and senior seasons. He scored in double digits in each game of his junior and senior seasons. His game is offensive and athletic. He missed the first 6 weeks of 99-00 with a stress fracture in his left foot and does have a troubled background. He was convicted of assaulting his fiancee in 1997 and spent 4 days in jail. He claims that he was immature and has grown up a lot - crediting college with helping him mature. It is not clear why he slipped to #13 - could have been his injury, off-court history, simply others moving up, or something else. His history does bother me, but it was a few years ago and if he has grown up and stays clean this could be a steal. He does play the same position as Michael Finley, but Finley will probably be moved around on the court in Nelson's unusual lineups (especially with the Mavs being so weak at center) and Alexander and Finley will probably see time together on the court. This was not a need draft pick. This could be a great pick or it could be a poor pick. He could immediately step onto the court and command minutes and be an offensive force. Or he could be not quite ready and have problems with not receiving many minutes. For what we gave up to get him and being a #13 pick, it was a great pick. But there are concerns. Pre-pick Alexander quotes: Chris Wallace: "He is the most offensively gifted and athletic 2 guard prospect in the draft. He can create a shot off the dribble, get in the lane, and make things happen." ESPN's Jay Bilas": "He has great one-on-one skills and the size to rise up over a defender and get his shot off. Alexander scores points in bunches and is exceptional when he get the ball in the middle of the floor. He can go either way and shoot from deep. Alexander needs to improve his shot selection and must become more consistent from long range." Anonymous scout: "Courtney had to overcome an awful lot to get to where he is today. He's shown me real grit and his game has benefited from his bettering his personal life. He could be the best athlete in this year's draft." Sporting News Mike DeCourcy: "The question is not whether Alexander is ready to help the team that drafts him. He is. He's got shooting range, an electric first step, and the ability to drive a defender back with a dribble move, then pull up and stick a jumper. The issue with Alexander is whether he also might hurt his team. He did it with a me-first meltdown in Fresno State's loss to Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament. He was not taught at Fresno the difference between what is and what is not a quality shot." Alexander on the Bulls' psych test: "I actually did very well. I remember a Bulls psychologist telling me that I was abnormally bright. I didn't know how to take that. He looked at me funny and I looked at him a little funny. He said not to take it the wrong way, but some people don't do very well on those tests. It made me feel funny at first, but good after." TNT pick talk: Rick Majerus: "He plays with an NBA rhythm and he has good versitility." Majerus: "He is the best scorer in this year's draft." John Thompson: "He has a pro game. This kid is capably of creating." Alexander: "College meant the world to me. I went to college as a boy and I left as a man. I had numerous ups and downs." After the pick Mavs talk: Nelson: "We got the leading scorer in the nation." Nelson: "We had him rated one of the top 5, 6 players in the draft." Nelson: "When we found out he was slipping, that's when we went after the additional pick." Nelson: "We just feel very fortunate, because we got the two guys that we wanted all along. Everything worked out perfectly." Nelson on Finley and Alexander playing the same position: "You can't have enough good players, and [Alexander is] a good one. I would expect they would play together and make really good music together." Mark Cuban on Alexander and Thomas: "Those were the exact two guys we were manipulating for." Cuban on Finley and Alexander: "I felt that depth is important." Cuban: "If we could have traded up to #5, we would have taken Courtney Alexander." Alexander: "I actually thought I would go a little earlier, but things happen." Alexander on his offense: "I think that has been my greatest asset since I was little." Alexander: "I have supreme confidence to play basketball on a NBA level." Alexander: "I'm gifted at basketball. The good Lord has blessed me with talent and I tried to hone it to my ability." Alexander on how he feels about the Mavericks as a team: "The Dallas Mavericks have a lot to look forward to in the future." 2) Dallas traded Erick Strickland and the rights to #58 Pete Mickeal to New York for the rights to #22 Donnell Harvey and John Wallace. Harvey is a 6-8, 216 forward from Florida. Wallace is a 6-9, 225 forward who just completed his 4th season. Erick Strickland: The big downer of the night. This was a good move for Strick, but I _really_ hate to see him go. He's been my favorite current Mav since he earned a roster spot in training camp in 1996 (even though he was released for a couple of months) and I still fondly remember his teammates giving him a standing ovation when he was introduced at the Tip-Off luncheon for 96-97. He's a hustle player who is willing to take the charge and the clutch shot. He struggled when Nelson tried moving him to point guard (he's a shooter, but a short 6-3 for shooting guard) and is prone to be out of control. He had a great season last year, which is why New York called asking about his availability. He'll provide some toughness and hustle that New York reportedly needs. The Mavs did this deal as they were very heavy at 2-guard with the addition of Alexander and Strick would possibly have trouble getting good minutes with the log jam. In addition, Nelson commented that the development of Strickland clone Greg Buckner made this deal happen. The lasting memory of Strickland as a Mav will always be his putback of Dirk Nowitzki's airball 3-pointer at the buzzer that gave the Mavs the win vs San Antonio, and that after the team being down 22 points in the 2nd quarter. He's got a heart the size of a building and is a great guy off the court and will be missed. Good luck in New York, Strick! Nelson: "We couldn't resist identifying our rebounding problem and trying to do something about it. It's hard to trade a player you have a bond with. Maybe it was a bit of a love-hate relationship because I had to get after him to get him to change his game, and it wasn't easy for him." Nelson: "It was hard for me to move him. But you have to move on in this business." Nelson: "We have a full roster. I just didn't have minutes for him here." Nelson: "I think it's a good move for Strick." Strickland: "I would have loved to have played the rest of my career here and brought a championship to Dallas." Strickland: "Dallas is my home and I'm going to continue to come back here." Donnell Harvey: Welcome to the Mavs' development team. Harvey came out of Florida after just 1 season. The Mavs' many assistants have their project to work on. He averaged 10.1 points and 7.0 rebounds in 20.2 minutes. His draft stock went up with a strong performance in the pre-draft camp. He can rebound, but the rest of his game needs a lot of work. And as a 1st round draft pick, the Mavs have 3 years to develop him. I'd be surprised if he saw much more than garbage time minutes and may be even stashed on IR. He is only 19 years old. He's a lefty and reportedly has a large wingspan (one article estimated it as 7 1/2 feet). Kiki Vandweghe has already spent time with Harvey working on his game. Chris Monter: "Harvey is an outstanding offensive rebounder, he has been compared to Dennis Rodman for board prowess. However, his shooting range is limited and he is a below average free throw shooter." Monter: "He is an outstanding athlete, but he is a bit undersized compared to other NBA power forwards, which means he may spend some time at small forward. Harvey showed his usual aggressiveness around the basket in the Chicago pre-draft camp, and showed a nice mid-range shot." Sporting News Mike DeCourcy: "No, he's not ready. And yes, he may be throwing away whatever change he has at being truly great by entering the draft well before he's had the opportunity to develop his game." Anonymous scout: "I want to know if he can shoot a jump shot. I know the kid has tremendous athleticism, long arms, and gets after the boards as well as anybody out there. I love his energy. But all I really ever saw him do consistently on offense at Florida was dunk and get garbage put-backs." Jerry West: "Right now, whoever drafts Harvey is getting an unfinished product. but they also are taking a guy who is going to fit into a specialty rebounding, hustle, and defensive role and will do it eagerly. Every team needs that. He may never turn into a prolific scorer, but if he works to become a guy that can be a threat somewhere away from the basket, he could become a very good NBA player." John Wallace: I'm not sure about how much Wallace was include for cap matching purposes (New York is also over the cap, so the Mavs had to take a player back along with the pick) and the Mavs having some interest in Wallace. Wallace has 2 years left on his contract (so no money freed up for the summer of 2001). He will be fighting for a roster spot for a position where the Mavs now have some depth - power forward. He does have a post game, which the Mavs can use, especially if something happens to Gary Trent. Though he has a leg up with his contract, I feel he'll have to earn a roster spot in training camp. He'll likely make it, but I could see the Mavs cutting him in a numbers crunch. 3) Dallas traded Sean Rooks to the LA Clippers for Eric Murdock and the rights to #31 (which LA received in a trade with Orlando). Murdock is a 6-1, 200 journeyman point guard who just completed his 9th season. This is a 2001 summer money saving move. Rooks is signed through 2002-03 and Murdock is signed through 2000-01. With the Mavs still talking about moving Robert Pack, Murdock sets in as the backup point guard. He is a role player and could keep that job. If the Mavs do get rid of Pack, the Mavs are a little weak a point guard with only Steve Nash (who will command most of the minutes, unless he gets injured) and Murdock as true points. But then again, Nelson has never let standard positions restrict his lineups. 4) Dallas traded the rights to #31 Dan Langhi to Houston for the rights to #38 Eduardo Najera and a 2nd round draft pick in 2001. Najera is a 6-8, 240 forward from Oklahoma. This was the player Cuban wanted, though Nelson did take a small gamble in trading down 7 places. Najera will have a big fight to make the team and is, right now, a long shot - though this morning's reports say that the team plans on keeping all 4 draft picks. This seems to be a little bit of a marketing pick as Najera did go to school near by in Oklahoma and is the first drafted Mexican player. Najera has received praise for his hard, tough work and play. He averaged 18.4 points and 9.2 rebounds as a senior. I've included at the end the stats for the 4 draft pick players. Other comments from the draft: Nelson, who came down to talk to the media, when he found out that the Mavs did indeed get Najera: "It was a perfect night. Even this worked out." Nelson: "We feel very fortunate to get the guys we wanted all along. I think Mark is going to get spoiled because it doesn't usually work out that way." Cuban: "It was an amazing process. If you could have heard us in the war room, we were just going nuts." Nelson, who also said that the Mavs would signed the 1st round picks to the maximum 120% of the scale: "I expect all of them to play in our summer program." Nelson: "There will definitely not be playing time for all the rookies." Nelson: "There will be some good players that won't make our roster." As I said, Nelson and Cuban were thrilled with this draft and most people agree that the Mavs did really well (for a change). The Mavs did address their weakness at power forward, but they are still very weak at center - and losing Rooks did not help that situation. Cuban has said that they will use the $2.25 million exception to get a backup center, but there really isn't much of even a backup center out there in the free agent pool. The Mavs will likely play Dirk and Trent at center for good chunks of time. And the point guard situation leaves me a little concerned - if something happens to Nash, this team is in trouble. The team does have a full roster with 19 players at this point, including the free agents. The Mavs will have to get down to 15 players by season start (including stashing 3 on IR). Damon Jones, Rodrick Rhodes, Bruno Sundov, and Eduardo Najera will have a real tough time making the team (though Najera does have an edge on the other 3). Things aren't looking good for Rhodes at all as Najera's jersey is #2, the same number Rhodes wore last season. Robert Pack will likely be either cut or traded, as will John Williams. The Mavs will likely add at least 1 player from free agency. The picture in the Morning News of the draft picks and their Mavs' jerseys have Harvey with #1, Thomas with #36, Alexander with #32, and Najera with #2. All in all, a very good draft for the Mavs. They filled their need for power forward and got a very talented player who slipped down from where he was expected to go. And Havery could develop into a solid NBA rebounding specialist. (Pushing aside concerns about Alexander's background) A thumbs up to the Mavs for this eventful draft. Cuban's enthusiasm is contagious. Training camp opens October 3. Other older news: The Mavs will have a mini-camp for rookies, free agents, and a few current players July 6-10 at the Tom Landry Center. The Mavs will have a team for the Fila Summer League in Long Beach, California July 11-18 and for the Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City July 22-27. 6/14 Yet more assistants. Okay, they aren't really assistants. They have been described as greeters who will greet the fans before games and will help with player development in practices. Greg Dreiling, Scott Lloyd, Spud Webb, and Morlon Wiley were hired as greeters. All 4 live in Dallas and all but Webb spent time in a Mavs uniform. 6/12 Derek Harper resigned as vice president of business relations. Harper joined the Mavs at that position January 31. It's likely that Don Nelson's new long term contract as GM influenced Harper leaving. 6/1 Hubert Davis opted-out of his contract. The Mavs are planning on re-signing Davis - the team does have Bird rights to Davis and, thus, are not limited by the salary cap to re-sign him. 5/31 Michael Finley received 49 points in the All-NBA team voting [voting is done by 121 media members picking a 1st team (5 points), a 2nd team (3 points), and a 3rd team (1 point) by position (2 guards, a center, and 2 forwards)]. Finley finished just 4 points shy of making the All-NBA 3rd team (Stephon Marbury got the last guard spot with 53 points). patricia ---- Etan Thomas - 36 Position: Forward-Center Height: 6-9 Weight: 256 Birthday: April 1, 1978 Birthplace: Harlem, New York High School: Booker T. Washington High School (Tulsa, Oklahoma) College: Syracuse '00 2000 Dallas draft pick, 1st round (#12) Syracuse stats Year GP MIN AVG FGM-FGA PCT FTM-FTA PCT REB AVG 96-97 25 408 16.3 55-103 0.534 33-71 0.465 105 4.2 97-98 35 1009 28.8 144-236 0.610 109-178 0.612 230 6.6 98-99 33 913 27.7 148-240 0.617 109-190 0.574 243 7.4 99-00 29 940 32.4 148-246 0.602 99-146 0.678 269 9.3 Total 122 3270 26.8 495-825 0.600 350-585 0.598 847 6.9 Year AST AVG PF STL TO BLK PTS AVG 96-97 3 0.1 58 9 33 48 143 5.7 97-98 15 0.4 99 27 58 138 397 11.3 98-99 17 0.5 92 27 56 131 405 12.3 99-00 16 0.6 92 22 59 107 395 13.6 Total 51 0.4 341 85 206 424 1340 11.0 3-pointers: Total 0-0 0.000. ---- Courtney Alexander - 32 Position: Guard Height: 6-5 Weight: 210 Birthday: April 27, 1977 Birthplace: Bridgeport, Connecticut High School: Jordan High School (Durham, North Carolina) College: Fresno State 2000 Orlando draft pick, 1st round (#13) Acquired from Orlando 6/28/00 for the rights to #31, Dallas' lottery protected 2001 1st round pick, and $3 million Played for Virginia 1995-1996 and 1996-1997 Red-shirt 1997-1998 Played for Fresno State 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 Year GP MIN AVG FGM-FGA PCT FTM-FTA PCT REB AVG 95-96 27 727 26.9 147-302 0.487 63-82 0.768 122 4.5 96-97 26 732 28.2 142-338 0.420 60-79 0.759 70 2.7 98-99 32 1023 32.0 264-563 0.469 106-140 0.757 121 3.8 99-00 27 974 36.1 252-564 0.447 107-137 0.781 128 4.7 Total 112 3456 30.9 805-1767 0.456 336-438 0.767 441 3.9 Year AST AVG PF STL TO BLK PTS AVG 95-96 36 1.3 57 21 46 9 372 13.8 96-97 37 1.4 50 20 31 1 384 14.8 98-99 82 2.6 78 50 76 7 684 21.4 99-00 94 3.5 61 37 67 4 669 24.8 Total 249 2.2 246 128 220 21 2109 18.8 3-pointers: 95-96 15-35 0.429, 96-97 40-90 0.444, 98-99 50-158 0.316, 99-00 58-175 0.331, Total 163-458 0.356. ---- Donnell Harvey - 1 Position: Forward Height: 6-8 Weight: 216 Birthday: August 26, 1980 Birthplace: Shellman, Georgia High School: Randolph Clay High School (Cuthbert, Georgia) College: Florida '00 2000 New York draft pick, 1st round (#22) Acquired from New York 6/28/00 with John Wallace for Erick Strickland and the rights to #58 Pete Mickeal Florida stats Year GP MIN AVG FGM-FGA PCT FTM-FTA PCT REB AVG 99-00 37 746 20.2 144-284 0.507 86-141 0.610 258 7.0 Year AST AVG PF STL TO BLK PTS AVG 99-00 37 1.0 101 27 60 31 374 10.1 3-pointers: 99-00 0-1 0.000. ---- Eduardo Najera - 2 Position: Forward Height: 6-8 Weight: 240 Birthday: July 11, 1976 Birthplace: Meoqui, Chihuahua, Mexico High School: Cornerstone Christian Academy High School (San Antonio, Texas) College: Oklahoma '00 2000 Houston draft pick, 2nd round (#38) Acquired from Houston 6/28/00 along with a 2nd round draft pick in 2001 for the rights to #31 Dan Langhi Oklahoma stats Year GP MIN AVG FGM-FGA PCT FTM-FTA PCT REB AVG 96-97 30 739 24.6 72-178 0.404 64-92 0.696 167 5.6 97-98 30 855 28.5 119-280 0.425 64-101 0.634 163 5.4 98-99 32 1100 34.4 187-451 0.415 70-109 0.642 266 8.3 99-00 34 1162 34.2 234-514 0.455 139-202 0.688 314 9.2 Total 126 3856 30.6 612-1423 0.430 337-504 0.669 910 7.2 Year AST AVG PF STL TO BLK PTS AVG 96-97 32 1.1 87 38 36 17 211 7.0 97-98 42 1.4 93 37 56 20 315 10.5 98-99 69 2.2 87 59 83 27 495 15.5 99-00 72 2.1 97 59 82 25 625 18.4 Total 215 1.7 364 193 257 89 1646 13.1 3-pointers: 96-97 3-15 0.200, 97-98 13-49 0.265, 98-99 51-149 0.342, 99-00 18-82 0.220, Total 85-295 0.288.