#Mike Donnell

[dweeeeeb]

Motivational Music in the Morning ... #MikeDonnell, #MyKindOfCountry [Official Audio Track] (2023) #MMitM1

[politicaldilfs]

Missouri Governor DILFs

Mike Parson, Bob Holden, Warren E. Hearnes, Christopher Bond, Forrest Smith, Eric Greitens, Forrest C. Donnell, Lloyd C. Stark, Guy Brasfield Park, John Ashcroft, John M. Dalton, Matt Blunt, Mel Carnahan, Jay Nixon, Phil M. Donnelly, Roger B. Wilson, Joseph P. Teasdale, James T. Blair Jr.

Governor Blair with Truman in the last pic.

[beautifulguycollector]

Pan Am 1.10 - Mike Ruskin

[mytastessuck]

Norkkom: Biggie Smalls feat. Thomas The Tank Engine

Whenever the mixing hardcore rap songs with children's tunes craze? What was that about? Anyway, as seen before, I loved it (I used to have the DMX Reading Rainbow on my playlist...I should get it back) but the song above is a work of art. Seamless? No. Best medley? Hell no. But will you be able to hear the Thomas the Tank Engine tune without hearing Sky Is The Limit rapping over it?

Nah.

[gremlinwags]

Jakes Crashes The Quad with Runaway Theme from Duncan Gets Spooked. 

[dylanmunson]

summary: okay okay so picture this, your Dustin's older cousin, you arent a 'freak' but you arent 'popular' either, prom is around the corner and everyone had dates, apart from you, the guys from hellfire arent to fussed about prom, but dustin is certain he, mike,will and lucas are all going. 

word count; 2.4k

masterlist //// wattpad

-----------------------------

Sitting round the table with your younger cousin and his friends as they plan out for their next campaign for hellfire, you grin at your aunt as she is talking on the phone to her coworker. You let out a big sigh as the word prom leaves her lips, you roll your eyes dropping your spoon back into your bowl, dustin frowns and turns to you. 

'whats wrong?' he grins putting down his notes 'just prom' you chuckle sitting back running a hand through your hair 'well you can come with us' he chuckles you smile softly shaking your head 'dusty id love to but i dont wanna play babysitter' he nods understanding 'thats steves job' you grin biting your lip, dustin rolls his eyes and chuckles along with you. The subject of prom quickly dropped as he goes back to his notes. 

Its currently wednesday and your sat in your seat in maths class waiting for Ms. O Donnell's to come in when your crush Joshua Long walks over to you grinning, 'hey sweetheart, i was wondering if you'd want to go to prom with me' you go red in the cheeks and nod 'yeah okay' he smile down he chuckles handing you a folded note before walking away. You grin to yourself and kick your legs under the table. Ms O Donnell's enters the room shortly after followed by Eddie Munson the school freak, who wasnt at all as half as bad as what everyone made him out to be. You smile at the boy as he takes the seat next you. You hand him a pen and a piece of paper knowing full well he hadnt brought his own 'thanks sweetheart' he chuckles leaning back into his chair. 

The rest of the day drags on for what feels like forever, you see dustin in the hallway talking to his friends and the rest of hellfire, he smiles and waves for you to come over. 'whats up dusty?' you grin patting his head, he shakes his head 'we've got a meeting after school, would you be able to pick me up?' he smiles holding his hands together 'please?' you chuckle nodding 'of course dusty, we can get dinner afterwards as well yeah?' you smile 'you are the best cousin!' he grins hugging you tightly, you chuckle rubbing his back 'meet me out front okay' you grin before walking to your next class. 

The end of the school day slowly came by and you sat on the hood of your car waiting for dustin to come out, you had been in the library finishing up some homework until that point. All of the members of hellfire walk out of the double doors laughing, you grin in their direction 'hey Dust! do your friends need a lift as well?' you smile playing with your nails the four younger boys grin and race to your car before arguing who's in shotgun, you chuckle getting into the drivers seat waving off at the older hellfire players. 'So where to' you grin at your cousin and his friends as they begin arguing over food. 

It was now Saturday and you had gone to the mall with Robin to look for a prom dress, nothing was catching your eye and you just sighed and fell into the dressing room chair 'i just want to look good rob' you sigh she chuckles 'and you will y/n, you'll be the prettiest princess at the ball' she grins taking your hand before twirling you round, you chuckle pulling her into a hug, you and robin had always been close like this 'thanks rob' you smile sighing, she nods 'i think i have an idea' she grins before pulling your hand and into another shop. 

Pulling you into a shop she pushes you lightly into the dressing room before running out and grabbing what she wants before handing it to you in the dressing room, 'really robin?' you chuckle, she hums in response 'just put it on!' she chuckles, you do as told and look at yourself. 'oh wow' you smile softly, a long baby blue dress covers your body, the chest bit hugging your boobs, as the rest of the material from your hips puffs out like a big princess dress. 'robin this is beautiful' you chuckle she grins as you open the door 'i know' she smiles 'the princess shall go to the ball' you look at yourself in the mirror again then at the dress. 

You both go to Scoops after buying the dress, since robin works there you get free ice cream, you chuckle as you sit in the booth laughing at something steve had said, or more tired to say to one of the girls at the till before she gave him an evil look and walking out the shop. 'well well well if it isnt little miss henderson' you can hear the smile in his tone 'well well well if it isnt the towns freak' you grin facing eddie 'oh im wounded' he chuckles holding his hand over his heart. 'what are you ladies up to on this fine saturday afternoon' he grins looking at you and robin from his booth, you shrug 'we just brought y/ns prom dress' she grins, eddie smirks and pushes his empty bowl of ice cream away before moving over to your guys booth 'mhm, fancy' he chuckles bowing his head as he tries to peak a look at the dress in the dress bag 'uhh nooo' you chuckle moving the bag 'get your chocolate fudge fingers off of the dress munson' you grin, he nods putting his hands up, 'see you later henderson' he chuckles before walking out the shop. 'hes so strange' robin grins, you shrug and go back to your icecream. 

Its the day of prom and dustins mum is helping do your hair as you sit and read one of your old comics, the nerves hitting you as she pins in the curls to let them sit, 'oh sweet your going to look amazing' she grins doing the finishing touches you smile at her as she walks over to the kitchen turning the timer off. 'be a dear and grab dustin' she chuckles, you nod running up the stairs 'dusty!' you shout 'whatt' he chuckles opening his door 'your mother wants you' you smile softly, he nods you smile and turn to go to your room to start doing your makeup. 

'y/n the guys are here!' dustin shouts as you hear foot steps running up the stairs, you chuckle finishing off your eyeshadow and opening the door, still in your pjs and your hair all rolled in curlers. 'hii' you grin only expecting to see the younger hellfire club members. 'hey sweetheart' eddie grins leaning against the door 'oh my god' you blush quickly closing the door, you hear him chuckle, you shake your head and open the door 'dustin why didnt you tell me all of your club was here!' you shout, he grins and shrugs his shoulders 'sorry' he mumbles eating a cookie his mother had made. 

Joshua had told you he would pick you up at 7pm to take you to prom, it was now 6:49pm and you decide to finally get into your dress so dustins mother can take photos of her niece and son. you take one last look into the mirror and grin removing the last curler and smiling softly at your reflection, you truly felt like a princess, you felt good for once, you put on your little heels and walked down the stairs. 

You grin as everyone turns to you 'hii' you mumble going red 'oh sweet you look beautiful' Dustins mum smiles walking up to you and holding you by the arms, you nod and smile at her, the last year had be difficult on you, having lost your mother at a young age and then your dad just upping and leaving you, Dustin and his mum were your only family right now. 'oh wow, you clean up nice' you grin at the hellfire crew, they all grin at you 'stop it making me blush' eddie says 'photos?!' Dustins mum grins grabbing her camera, you chuckle nodding. Everyone standing up and getting into place for some photos. 

it was now 7:05pm, Joshua still hadnt arrived, Dustin and the younger hellfire boys were still sat eating cookies that his mother had made, you said nervously playing with your nails 'he'll come! probably just nervous' his mother grins getting up to grab everyone another drink. 

7:45pm and still no sign of Joshua 

8:10pm everyone buy dustin and eddie had left to go to prom, dustin wanting to wait with you for company and eddie because dustin would need a lift, or so thats what he told everyone. 

9:35pm and still no sign of joshua, you had taken your heels off at this point and your nails were chipped from picking at them, dustin was now on the phone and his mother was in the kitchen keeping herself busy. 'you what?' dustin shouted, getting your attention, 'he what?' he shook his head, eddie looked at you and then to dustin before getting up and going over to the phone 'who is it?' he mumbles, dustin mumbles back but you cant quite make out whats being said, dustin hangs up the phone and they both looked pissed. 

9:45pm and dustin and eddie had finally come back to where you were sitting 'wha- whats going on?' you mumble, knowing full well youve been stood up, tears now filling your eyes. 'hey no dont' dustin mumbles coming to sit next to you 'im so stupid dusty' you mumble hiding your face into your hands 'why did i think he'd actually want to take me to prom' you mumble sniffing, fanning your face to stop the tears but it doesnt help. 

Dustin sits there and doesnt know what to say 'he didnt stand you up' he mumbles, you look at him 'well he did but i mean hes there' he shrugs 'what?' 'apparently he was dared to ask you to prom, he was always going with Jennifer' he sighs looking at you with sad eyes, you let out a sob as if your heart had just been ripped out, not only had you been stood up but it was all a lie. All a dare. You really thought you had a chance with your crush. 

 Eddie stands up from his seat and shakes his head 'such bullshit man' he says  'dont waste your tears on him sweetheart' he mumbles taking your hand into his 'not worth it' he says kissing your hand, dustin looks at eddie then at you 'how bout we show him what hes missing huh?' he says, you shake your head 'no' you mumble, 'i feel stupid' you sob both boys sigh, eddie pulling you into a hug 'come on' you shake your head again 'im so stupid' you cry getting up and running to your room. 

Eddie sighs and follows you up, dustin not saying a word as he does 'hey sweetheart' he says knocking on your door 'how about we go just for one dance?" he mumbles as he opens the door slightly, you shake your head 'sweetheart' he mumbles seeing your sobbing figure on the bed, he walks over and sits beside you rubbing your back 'oh sweet' he mumbles, he pulls your hair to the side and rubs your shoulder 'come 'ere' he mumbles pulling you into a hug 'im so stupid' you mumble, he shakes his head 'no your not' he mumbles into your hair 

after some convincing from eddie, dustin and robin at this point you had made your way to the school for the last part of prom, your heels long gone, your feet now covered in your converse and your hair in a half up half down kinda style to keep it out of face as you tried to fix your makeup, Eddie looked at you from the drivers seat, 'ready sweetheart?' he smiles, you nod slowly 'i suppose' you mumble, you can hear the music from his van, dustin long gone off to find his friends. 

'Eddie?' 'mhm' he hums as he helps you out of the truck 'why are you here? this isnt your type of thing' you half smile he chuckles nodding 'well' he grins wrapping his arms around your waist slowly rocking back and forth to the music, you chuckle putting your arms around his neck 'dustin had convinced me, i originally said no, but i uh' he sighs shaking his head 'i saw you and robin and you had your dress and i uh' he grins nodding 'you what?" you smile up at him 'i guess i wanted to see the pretty princess at the ball' he smiles softly. you shiver a little, which he notices quickly pulling away and pulling his denim jacket from the van wrapping it around you. 

'i wanted to ask you but then he did and i uh' he sighs, you nod leaning your head on his chest 'thank you' you mumble looking up at him again 'eddie?" he hums down at you 'i uh' you sigh leaning closer 'hmm?' he hums again 'fuck this' you mumble and pull his neck closer to you, letting your lips touch. he smiles into the kiss before pulling away taking a breathe before pulling you in for another kiss you grin  wrapping your hands around his neck as his hands go to your waist. 

'woooo' you hear in the distance, grinning you pull away and hide into his chest, he chuckles 'hey!' you hear dustin shout making you laugh 

you turn to see all your friends at the double doors looking at your and eddie 'its about damn time' robin chuckles, you bite your lip looking back up at eddie 'i mean' he chuckles 'i may have had the biggest crush on you for the longest time' he chuckles going red. 

you nod 'i can deal with that' you grin pressing your lips against his again. 

[thisisntmyrightera]

This give me a vibe like

Dustin and Mike where talking about you all day thinking that no one listen their silly conversations about “A senior can date a freshman?”

But Eddie have a crush on you and he’s tired so on the school cafeteria he face this two little brats.

Eddie: are you both talking about the newie? The pretty girl with those shiny smile?

Dustin: of course who doesn’t note her? She’s so pretty! Actually we where talking about the possibilities about a senior dating a fresh man right?

Mike: right! It’s like you read or minds

Eddie: i listen your stupid chitchat about that cutie and you both are far away from have a piece of her, she’s the future Mrs. Munson and if someone of you try to steal her from me i swear in Jesus H. Christ that my Van would accidentally kick your both little ass!

Dustin: is…is she your girlfriend?

Eddie: no…but she’s a motivation to have that D with Miss O’ Donnell and no one can change that, are we clear?

[avabananas13]

Why Did It Have to Be Me? (Ch. 2)

Summary: Summer break was hell after your step-brother Billy died, you and your sister Max both falling into a depression. Now you’re entering your senior year at Hawkins High and are trying to get back out there and get some friends other than Steve and Robin. Who knew one of those new friends would be resident ‘freak’ Eddie Munson.

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of harm, mentions of death, slow burn, hurt/comfort, eventual friends to lovers, Mayfield reader

Pairing: Eddie Munson x fem!mayfield!reader

word count: 1.8k

A/N: Hi! Here is part 2 to Why Did It Have to Be Me! I hope y’all enjoy it. Also, this is the first fic I’ve ever written so I’m sorry if it’s like really unorganized or whatever. I feel like that’s an important disclaimer. I also know I said in the last part I was planning on this being based off the ABBA song of the same name. I don’t know if I’m still going to go with that premise or not, I obviously will try my hardest to keep up with that but if it starts to drift I really do apologize as I get caught up in writing. Anyways, heres part 2. I hope you like it!

You can find Part 1 here!

You had very few interactions with Eddie the rest of the week. You would spot him in the halls at school and every now and again at the trailer park but neither of you really acknowledged the other, besides an occasional nod and smile from Eddie. It was now Friday and you had your movie “date” with Eddie tonight. 

You were really nervous for some reason, probably because you would be going over to Hawkins High's resident drug dealer's trailer to watch a movie. You went to school that day hoping to get some details from him but by the time lunch rolled around, nothing. Maybe we’ll talk in O’ Donnells class, you think to yourself. You take your usual seat next to Robin and Max joins soon after.

“Are you ok Y/N?” Robin asks with a confused expression.

“I’m fine it’s just that-” as you say this all three of you are startled by a sudden boom on the table

“Hey sweetheart, what time works best for you tonight? I got a hellfire campaign but I should be free around 9. Is that good?” sweetheart? Why the sudden pet name? “Yeah, 9 works. What movie are we watching?” that being the more important question on your mind. You used to love horror movies like Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween but ever since summer break you haven’t been able to handle the genre. 

“I was gonna swing by family video after school and pick up some options. Anything I should stay away from?” you were glad he asked this so you could have a chance to tell him to stay away from the horror movies. “Well, I assume you’re a horror movie fan but if we could stay away from that, I would really appreciate it.” he nods and smiles taking in your suggestion. “Sure thing princess” again with the pet names. He winks and returns to his table, where Dustin and Mike are now permanently seated. 

“Um I’m sorry but what the hell was that?” Robin leaned in with a slight chuckle

“Y/N why didn’t you tell me you have a date with Eddie Munson??” Max questions, saying more than she has this whole week.

“Well it’s actually not a date. He just wants to hang out,” you can tell that there’s some sadness in your voice but you decide to brush it off “besides, I don’t think I could date someone like Eddie. He’s so out there and I really do not want to be seen this year, the more unnoticed I am the better.” you explain. 

“Y/N you looked totally smitten with him when he was over here” Robin says and Max nodded in agreement. You just roll your eyes at the statement. Sure, you found Eddie to be attractive but you did not want to bring any more attention to yourself, dating the ‘freak’ wouldn’t exactly help with that.

The rest of the day goes by pretty quickly. In Ms. O’ Donnells class Eddie smiles at you and you smile back at him before turning your attention to the front of the room. You can feel his eyes on you during the rest of class but you don’t feel creeped out by it, all you can do is have a small grin about it.

After class you feel his hands on your shoulders behind you. He leans in and whispers to you “see ya tonight sweetheart” you dont think you’ve ever heard his voice this quiet before and it sends a shiver down your spine. Before you have a chance to respond, his hands are gone and he is on his way out of the school.

9 o’clock rolls around but you’re still sitting in your trailer. There was no sign of Eddie being home so why would you go over there? 9 turns into 9:30 and 9:30 turns into 10. Eddie is now an hour late. Finally you hear the screeching of wheels and heavy metal music. Eddie has finally arrived, about time. You let out a nervous sigh and head out your front door and Eddie is exiting his van at the same moment.

“Hey princess! Ready for movie night?” he really needs to stop making a habit of having these conversations with you through yelling. You nod your head and walk over to Eddies. He waits for you to get to him and once you do he puts his hand on your back to guide you into his trailer. 

His trailer isn’t anything spectacular. It’s pretty much the exact same as yours except for the obvious fact that no girls live here. Mugs and trucker hats are everywhere. You assume these belong to his uncle.

“Ok so I know you said no horror, and I respect that but I figured I would at least pick up Nightmare on Elm. We totally don’t have to watch it or anything but if we do and you get scared I’ll be right here!” At first you were pissed that he went against your wishes but his follow up made you blush so hard that you weren’t so opposed to the idea. “What else did you get?” trying to discover all other options. 

“Let's see… I also got The Goonies, The Dark Crystal, and The NeverEnding Story'' you can’t help but giggle at the last one after remembering Dustin's performance over his cerebro. “What’s so funny? Not a fan of Falkor?” 

“No, no Falkor is great! I just had a funny experience with that movie over summer break”  

“You wanna tell me about it?” he asked shyly. You really did want to tell him all about your life and the truth about what happened at Starcourt but you knew you couldn’t. That would put him in danger. There wasn’t any harm in telling parts of the truth though.

“You know that kid who just joined your group? Dustin. Well, he sang the song with his girlfriend while using this weird communication system he made. You might have an evil genius on your hands,” you say with a giggle. He can’t help but laugh too. “You’re telling me Henderson's girlfriend is real?” you nod while laughing.

“Suzie! Yes she is real. I heard her voice for myself. I don’t know if she's hotter than Phoebe Cates though” you say still giggling. Eddie just shakes his head with a smile. There are a few moments of silence before either of you remember what you were just talking about before. 

“So… what movie should we watch? Is there a certain time you need to be home? We could watch 2 if there isn’t” Eddie says, breaking the silence.

“No, my mom doesn’t really care where I am. If I choose one, you choose the other. Deal?” you say, smiling hard you can feel yourself blushing. 

“Ok well then my pick has got to be The NeverEnding Story” he says confidently. You burst out into yet another fit of laughter at his choice. “You’re up sweetheart” you can never stop yourself from blushing at his pet names. 

“What about… Nightmare on Elm?” Eddies furrows his brows in confusion, knowing you didn’t have any intention of watching a horror movie tonight. “Are you sure? I don’t have a problem with it but if it gets to be too much tell me, alright?” you nod and smile in response. 

You sit on one end of Eddie's sofa and he’s sitting on the floor at the opposite end. You are nowhere close to touching yet there is still tension there that you could cut with a knife. You can’t help but think just how attractive he is. His smile is the most attractive thing about him though. Whenever he smiles your stomach flips. You get through the NeverEnding Story and he goes to put in your pick. 

You get visibly nervous when you think about this being the first time you’ve watched a horror film since your brother's death. You are bouncing your knee and you suddenly feel a dip in the sofa and a hand on your knee. “We don’t have to watch it. It’s ok. Really.” Eddie says in his most calm and soft voice. 

“No, I’ll be fine. I just haven’t watched a horror movie since… well y’know.” you say looking down at your hands that are placed in your lap. Eddie looks at you with a sympathetic expression. You both sit in silence that feels like it last hours but realistically wasn't any longer than 30 seconds. 

“If you want, you can sit next to me. When you get scared you can just turn your head away and I’ve got you,” he starts to blush and look in ever direction but your eyes as he says this. You smile widely at his suggestion. 

“That sounds great, Eddie. Thank you” you say making eye contact with him. He just smiles back and rubs the nape of his neck awkwardly trying to hide his cherry red face. He finds a spot on the sofa next to you and you immediately rest your head on his chest and curl up, melting into him. He pulls you in and rests his chin on your head and the movie starts. 

You wake up with the sun beaming down on your face, nearly blinding you. You sit up and once you regain your vision you realize that you never made it home last night and you were still on Eddie's sofa. A wave of confusion hits you as you realize Eddie is nowhere in sight. You stand and stretch with a wide yawn. Your shirt lifts up a bit as you stretch and of course as you do this, Eddie walks into the living room. His eyes going straight to your bare abdomen. 

“Uh morning. princess” he says trying to recover from the sight of you. You face and return the sentiment through a sleepy voice. 

“I see I never made it home last night, hopefully I wasn’t too much of an innoconvince. I totally didn’t mean to fall asleep. You could’ve woken me up and kicked me out too you know-” you ramble not letting him get a word in, even though he is desperately trying, he eventually decides to fuck manners and interupt

“It really was no trouble sweetheart. You fell asleep and looked so,” beautiful he wants to say, “peaceful I couldn’t even imagine waking you up” he decides on a more appropriate word, not knowing how you would take the beautiful comment. Either way, you end up blushing and try to fight back a smile. You sit in silence for just a few seconds before you respond

“You’ll have to let me return the favor sometime, let me know what I can do to make it up to you” you suggest. Eddie has a few ideas as to how you could make it up to him but he decides on a more friendly answer, “Come to hellfire next week.”

“It’s a date” you respond with a smile, and leave.

Thanks for reading! 

Taglist: @ynmunson

[pulseintlradio]

'Mamalade4Soul' will REPLAY TODAY at 5pm ET - 2pm PT - 10pm UK time on PULSE INT'L RADIO ? https://embed.radio.co/player/173e571.html?popout

www.pulseintlradio.com

Featuring Keith Henry Robertson, Joel Treece, Donnell Isaac, Kim Tavar , Ingram Street, J'Cenae, Mike Starintheghetto Robinson, Lionel Cornelius & many more!

Please share the L.O.V.E.!

[wolfcrisp-69]

Brothers Grayson of Portsim

Part 21

Previous post | Next post

Hank's MC travels away from PortSim to a secluded region of the state bordering the Appalachian mountains, a town named Blue Hollow, a coal mining town.

Curtis: "I need you all to be on your best behavior, Tania McCoy runs this town, trading with her will be good for us, you all keep your mouth shut and let me talk to her"

The McCoy cabin was not too far away from the pitstop the MC had stopped by, the matriarch and her sons awaited.

Tania: "Welcome to Blue Hollow, I am Tania McCoy, and these are my dear sons, Abel, Mike, and Donnel, you are free to run amock the property, Curtis and I have stuff to talk about."

Curtis: "Keep an open eye boys" the MC president instructed, then he headed inside.

(I tried editing my pics for first time in photoshop, i totally didnt know what I was doing, but hey, its a start lol)

[twittercomfrnklin2001-blog]

Playing Roy Scheider in THE SHARK IS BROKEN Colin Donnell delivers a very good performance and does some impressive sunbathing, even if you can see the mike wire taped to his back and the power pack bulging out the back of his shorts.

[clemsfilmdiary]

The Best of July 2023

Best Rewatch: Tron

          Runners Up: Mike's Murder, Network

Most Enjoyable Fluff: Barbie

           Runners Up: The Baker's Son, A Lifelong Love, A Little Daytime Drama, To Catch a Spy

Best Performance: Faye Dunaway in Network

           Runners Up: Peter Finch in Network, Harvey Keitel in Fingers, Debra Winger in Mike's Murder,

Best Supporting Performance or Cameo: Darrell Larson in Mike's Murder

Most Enjoyable Ham: Jeannie Berlin in The Heartbreak Kid

           Runners Up: Karen Black in Mirror Mirror, Franco Nero in 21 Hours at Munich

Best Mise-en-scène: Tron

           Runners Up: Barbie, Mike's Murder

Best Score: Tron (Wendy Carlos)

           Runner Up: Mike's Murder (John Barry)

Best Hunk: Franco Nero in 21 Hours at Munich

           Runners Up: Jim Brown in Fingers, Colin Donnell in To Catch a Spy, Patch May in A Lifelong Love

Assorted Pleasures:

- Lavish sets and matte paintings, nostalgic Classical-Hollywood-style musical numbers in Barbie

- Dazzling cyber-world of darkness and neon luminescence, uncanny blending of live action and cutting-edge 80s CGI in Tron

[beautifulguycollector]

Pan Am 1.07 - Mike Ruskin

[nbatrades]

Dallas Mavericks Acquire Nick Van Exel in Seven-Player 2002 Trade Deadline Deal

On February 21st, 2002, the Dallas Mavericks traded forwards Juwan Howard and Donnell Harvey, guard Tim Hardaway, $1 million in cash considerations and a 2002 first round draft pick (Frank Williams) to the Denver Nuggets for guards Nick Van Exel and Avery Johnson, center Raef LaFrentz and guard-forward Tariq Abdul-Wahad.

After a 1997-98 campaign that saw the Denver Nuggets finish with a franchise-worst 11-71 record, the team was in desperate need of a makeover. The first piece to a fresh start was its lottery draft pick.

Despite having the best chance of securing the first overall pick, the Nuggets ran into a bit of misfortune as the 17-65 Los Angeles Clippers won the draft lottery and ended up with the top pick. Next was the 19-63 Vancouver Grizzlies.

Unfortunately for the Nuggets, they would finish with the third pick. In the draft, Denver settled on Kansas big man Raef LaFrentz. A successful piece of the Jayhawks program, LaFrentz was a unique player. 

An All-American in his Junior and Senior seasons, LaFrentz became the first Jayhawk in 27 years to average a double-double (19.8 PPG and 11.4 RPG) over a full college season.

As an NBA prospect, LaFrentz was intriguing. At 6-foot-11, he could protect the rim on defense while being able to knock down shots from the perimeter and post up in the paint.

The next order of business on draft night was the decision to add an elite point guard. The Nuggets looked to the Los Angeles Lakers and unhappy All-Star guard Nick Van Exel. Denver acquired the slick shooting and passing guard in a deal with the Lakers for Tony Battie and the draft rights of guard Tyronn Lue.

Soon after, the NBA lockout happened which postponed the NBA season for nearly three months. During the lockout, the Nuggets hired Mike D’Antoni as head coach. 

When NBA owners and players agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement, business resumed. The Nuggets made a slew of deals acquiring guard Chauncey Billups and rookie Keon Clark in two separate deals. 

The headliner of all deals was Denver’s re-acquisition of its former player Antonio McDyess in free agency. McDyess was a rising star and the grouping together of him with Van Exel and LaFrentz created a nice young core for Denver to build around.

The 1998-99 season was rough from the start. Denver lost its first four games and began the year just 1-8. The Nuggets would win some games but losses continued to mount. Denver went 14-36 in the lockout shortened season.

After playing in 12 games in his rookie season, LaFrentz tore the ACL and the lateral meniscus in his left knee. He missed the rest of the year, finishing with 13.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.8 SPG and 1.4 BPG in 32.3 MPG.

Van Exel started in all 50 games. He led the club in assists (7.4), was second in scoring (16.5 PPG). The 6-foot-1 guard also posted 2.3 RPG and 0.8 SPG in 36.0 MPG.

In the summer of 1999, Van Exel signed a deal worth a guaranteed $50.5 million over five years. The contract contained incentives that could add two more years and make the total value of the agreement worth a total of $77 million. One incentive included winning the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award.

Denver continued to add young talent to its roster, acquiring Ron Mercer in a six-player deal with the Boston Celtics and bringing in forward James Posey through the draft.

Nuggets general manager Dan Issel fired D’Antoni and took over as head coach on a three-year deal.

With a solid starting lineup, Denver had hopes to compete in the West. Early returns were positive as the Nuggets began the year 15-12 in their first 27 games. The record was good enough for eighth in the conference.

The season would quickly turn as Denver lost nine of its next 11 games to fall to 17-21. Denver would soon make changes to its roster. With the club unable to come to terms on an extension with Mercer and his looming free agency hanging over the team, Issel moved Mercer, forward Johnny Taylor and guard Chauncey Billups to the Orlando Magic for veteran Chris Gatling, wing Tariq Abdul-Wahad and a future first round pick.

The Nuggets were 20-22 at the time of the trade and continued to fall down the West standings. Denver went 15-25 in its final 40 games to finish the year 35-47 and out of the postseason for fifth consecutive year.

Van Exel played in 79 games (all starts) and was second in the NBA with 9.0 APG. He also amassed 16.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG 0.9 SPG in 37.3 MPG. After missing most of his rookie campaign, LaFrentz was healthy and rebounded to have a solid sophomore season. The big man managed 12.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.5 SPG and a team-high 2.2 BPG in 81 appearances and 30.1 MPG.

Abdul-Wahad joined the Nuggets and played in 15 games (10 starts) after the trade from Orlando, recording 8.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.7 APG and 0.8 BPG in 24.9 MPG. He missed 22 of Denver’s final 23 games after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist.

In the 2000 offseason, the Nuggets kept their core intact but saw a significant organizational change after Stan Kroenke bought the team as well as the Pepsi Center.

Abdul-Wahad became a free agent and had several suitors including the Boston Celtics, New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors. 

A double sign-and-trade deal involving Denver, the Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers nearly happened. In the potential deal, Abdul-Wahad would’ve headed to the Celtics with the Nuggets receiving free agent Derek Anderson from Los Angeles. Denver would’ve also sent backups Keon Clark and Chris Herren to the Clippers and Celtics respectively while acquiring a future first round pick. There were also proposals involving Nuggets backup guard Bryant Stith. 

Giving up three players to acquire Anderson was a concern for Dan Issel and Denver pulled back on the rumored deal.

As free agency continued, both sides had little other options and came to an agreement. In a surprise, Denver signed Abdul-Wahad to a seven-year, $43.3 million contract. 

The 2000-01 season was a year of hope for the Nuggets but there were some rocky moments ahead. The team was 10-12 after its first 22 games. But that 22nd game would be the start of turmoil.

On that night, the Nuggets dropped a road game to the Boston Celtics 104-102 in overtime. In the game, LaFrentz was awful, going scoreless on 0-for-7 shooting in 27 minutes. The big man also was a -20 plus-minus.

Soon after, coach Issel let loose on LaFrentz for the performance, reaming the center out for his poor game. The moment drew the ire of the locker room. In protest to Issel’s dress down of the center on Sunday, most of the team chose not to attend Monday practice back home in Denver.

Tri-captains Van Exel, Antonio McDyess and George McCloud made the choice. Though some players with less job security still showed up to the locker room for the morning workout, the boycott still went through.

Publicly, the players tried to play off the ordeal, claiming that they missed the practice due to a need for rest from a long road trip. There were rumors of the Nuggets sustaining the boycott into a Tuesday game at home against the Miami Heat.

A recorded quote from sophomore player James Posey made to the Denver Post was the smoking gun.

“We don’t know if we are going to play or not (in Tuesday's game against the Miami Heat). We’ll be there for shootaround and we'll see what goes on.”

The situation brought national attention to a Nuggets franchise that saw very little attention due to its poor performance over the past several years. With a new owner and a mutiny, the move led to questions about coach Issel’s job security.

Denver found a way to bounce back after the ordeal. The team won 14 of its next 18 games to rise to 24-16. The West was super competitive as that record was good for eighth in the West. If Denver was in the East, it would’ve been in fourth place.

The Nuggets quickly fell after the surprise run, dropping 12 of the next 16 games. The Nuggets fell under .500 and never recovered, finishing 40-42, 11th in the conference.

Van Exel was suspended for one game late in the season for failing to show up to a practice and a shootaround in a span of two days.

Van Exel played one more game before sitting the rest of the season due to a foot issue. He played in 71 games (70 starts) and compiled 17.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 8.5 APG (third in the NBA) and 0.9 SPG in 37.9 MPG. 

A highlight for Van Exel was a 41-point explosion against the Charlotte Hornets.

LaFrentz continued to be solid in his third season. The big man was seventh in the league with 2.6 BPG and also contributed 12.9 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.4 APG and 0.5 SPG in 31.5 MPG and 78 appearances.

Abdul-Wahad was limited for much of the year. He began the year as a starter, but lost his spot by late November to Voshon Lenard. His six-year contract became burdensome immediately as he clashed with teammates on and off the court, and coach Issel.

Limited for much of the season due to tonsillitis and eventual tonsil surgery, Abdul-Wahad played in 29 contests (12 starts), recording 3.8 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.8 APG and 0.5 SPG in 14.5 MPG.

In the 2001 offseason, the Nuggets were relatively quiet but did sign veteran point guard Avery Johnson to a three-year, $14 million deal.

After Denver’s best regular season record in some time, there was hope for a possible playoff finish during the 2001-02 season, but those dreams quickly turned to nightmares.

After partially dislocating his left kneecap late in the 2000-01 season, McDyess rehabbed the injury in the offseason. However, the All-Star forward was still suffering from tendinitis in his knee. McDyess ended up having surgery to repair a partially torn patella tendon in his left knee during training camp.

The injury ruled McDyess out until February, leaving Van Exel and LaFrentz to shoulder the scoring load. The Nuggets had a rocky start without McDyess, dropping four of their first five games. Denver looked like it was headed to another losing season.

Van Exel’s frustration in Denver bubbled up in December after a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers when he expressed his willingness for a change of scenery. The Nuggets had just lost eight of nine games. (via The Denver Post):

“I’m tired of this. Tired of losing. Tired of all these trades we've made in four years. I’m just tired of everything right now. I think it is time for me to move on somewhere else. I’m sick of it.”

In the team’s next game (a loss to the Charlotte Hornets), coach Issel was caught on camera shouting an anti-Mexican slur at a fan. The Nuggets suspended Issel for four games before he resigned from his head coach and team president posts. 

Assistant coach Mike Evans took over on an interim basis while general manager Kiki Vandeweghe absorbed more power in the team’s front office.

The losses continued to pile up for the Nuggets as the team fell to 11-26 after 37 games. With the team at 16-35, Denver decided to make a significant midseason deal and blow up its roster by dealing two of its three best players in Van Exel, LaFrentz along with backups Abdul-Wahad and Johnson to the Dallas Mavericks.

Before the trade, Van Exel had appeared in 45 contests (44 starts) during the 2001-02 season and compiled 21.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 8.1 APG and 0.7 SPG in 38.6 MPG. LaFrentz started all 51 games he played in, contributing 14.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.6 SPG and 3.0 BPG in 32.7 MPG.

Abdul-Wahad opened the ‘01-‘02 season as a starter at the two-guard. After 12 games, Abdul-Wahad went down due to chondromalacia in his left knee, a roughening of the articular cartilage. The injury led to arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

Abdul-Wahad missed about two months, returning for eight games before the trade. The wing saw action in 20 games (12 starts) and produced 6.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.9 SPG and 0.5 BPG in 20.9 MPG.

Johnson backed up Van Exel at the point guard spot. The veteran guard appeared in 51 games (13 starts) and registered 9.4 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 5.1 APG and 0.7 SPG in 23.5 MPG.

Van Exel was good for 17.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 8.4 APG and 0.8 SPG with Denver. He shot 40% from the field, 34% on 1,245 three-point attempts and 81% from the free-throw line.

LaFrentz was solid but never became the star Denver hoped for after taking the center third overall in the 1998 draft. In 222 games, the 6-foot-11 player contributed 13.2 PPG, 7.7 RPG. 1.2 APG, 0.5 SPG and 2.5 BPG. The big man shot 46% from the field, 38% from beyond the arc and 69% from the charity stripe.

In nearly two seasons with the Nuggets, Abdul-Wahad only played in 64 games, producing 5.9 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.6 SPG and 0.5 BPG. The wing shot 39% from the field and 69% from the free-throw line.

As part of the trade, Van Exel agreed to make his $12.8 million salary for the final year of his deal (2005-06) a team option.

Donnell Harvey became a member of the Dallas Mavericks after his draft rights were acquired in a draft night deal with the New York Knicks involving guard Erick Strickland. He later signed a three-year deal with Dallas worth around $2.3 million with a team option for a fourth year.

Harvey joined the Mavericks for Summer League and contributed 7.8 PPG and 6.9 RPG in eight games despite a nagging groin strain.

Dallas was a surprise team during the 2000-01 season. Thanks to the growth and development of the nucleus of Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley and Steve Nash, the Mavericks began the year 18-10. As Dallas looked to make the playoffs for the first time in 11 years, the team was aggressive at the trade deadline.

In sixth place with a 33-21 record, the Mavericks made a splash, acquiring former All-Star Juwan Howard from the Washington Wizards in an eight-player deal that saw Dallas deal Christian Laettner, Hubert Davis and Courtney Alexander.

After Howard entered the lineup, Dallas went 19-8, finishing with a 53-29 record, tied for fourth-best in the conference.

Howard played in 27 games with Dallas after the trade, compiling 17.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.1 SPG and 0.6 BPG in 36.8 MPG. Harvey had a limited role in his rookie season, seeing action in 18 games and posting 1.2 PPG and 1.1 RPG in 3.6 MPG. 

In the first round of the 2001 postseason, Dallas faced the Utah Jazz. Both teams had the same record, but Utah held a conference record tiebreaker to gain homecourt advantage.

The series opener was close in the first half. In the third quarter, Utah built a 13-point advantage midway, but Dallas came back and managed to take a one-point lead into the fourth quarter.

With 1:12 left in the game, Steve Nash made two free-throws to give Dallas an 86-82 edge. Jazz reserve Danny Manning made a three, and starters John Stockton and Donyell Marshall combined on three freebies to give Utah an 88-86 win. Michael Finley missed a three at the buzzer that would’ve won it.

In the second game, Utah took a 20-point lead in the third quarter. Dallas pulled within three points after going on a 24-7 run in just under seven minutes. However, Karl Malone (34 points) scored eight points down the stretch as Utah held on for a 109-98 advantage and a 2-0 series lead.

Facing a potential sweep, Dallas returned home for Game Three. The Mavericks led for much of the game, and had a 13-point edge at one point. However, the Jazz kept fighting back. Utah took a 91-90 lead on a layup from Stockton with 34 seconds remaining. 

Nash answered, making a short jumper on the ensuing possession. Utah’s Marshall was unable to handle a pass from Stockton and Finley stole the ball. He was subsequently fouled and made both free-throws to give Dallas a 94-91 lead.

Stockton missed a three as Dallas won its first playoff game in 13 years. Utah took an early 10-point lead in Game Four, but Dallas took over from there. The Mavericks outscored he Jazz by 37 points in the final three quarters to win comfortably 107-77 and send the series to a fifth and final game.

Utah was in control during Game Five, building a 75-61 lead with 10:50 left in the fourth quarter, but the Mavericks were not done. They went on a 23-8 run the rest of the way to win 84-83. Mavericks center Calvin Booth made a layup with 9.6 seconds left to give Dallas the lead for good.

The series win was Howard’s first as a pro. In five games, the forward compiled 14.8 PPG on 40% shooting, 8.0 RPG, 2.0 APG and 0.6 SPG in 44.5 MPG. 

The Mavericks went on to the second round where they faced the 58-24 San Antonio Spurs. In the opener, Tim Duncan had 31 points and 13 rebounds and the Spurs never trailed in the second half of a 94-78 win. 

In the game, Howard was ejected after he committed a flagrant foul penalty 2 on Spurs guard Derek Anderson towards the end of the first half. The foul saw Howard knock Anderson out of mid-air. Anderson separated his right shoulder and was out for the rest of the series.

The second game saw Duncan (25 points, 22 rebounds and six assists) dominate again as the Spurs held Dallas to 34.2% from the field in a 100-86 Spurs victory. In Dallas, the Spurs continued to dominate. Duncan and David Robinson both had double-doubles and the Spurs held Dallas to 34.7% shooting in a 104-90 win.

Facing a potential sweep, Dallas put together its best game of the series. The Mavericks took a 17-point lead in the second quarter of Game Four, but the Spurs got back into the game, cutting the deficit to 105-103 with 1:42 to go in the game. Michael Finley (25 points) knocked down a jumper with 20.5 seconds left and Dallas held on for a 112-108 victory.

The fifth game saw San Antonio build a quick double digit lead within eight minutes. The Spurs led by as much as 22 points and held on for an easy 105-87 win. 

Howard struggled mightily in the series. In five games, he averaged 12.0 PPG on just 31.8% from the field, 8.6 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.6 SPG and 0.8 BPG in 33.4 MPG. Harvey did not play in any of Dallas’ playoff games in 2001.

The Mavericks traded backup guard Howard Eisley to the New York Knicks and acquired former All-Star Tim Hardaway in a sign-and-trade with the Miami Heat during the 2001 offseason. The contract the  12-year veteran signed was three years and $10 million with the last year non-guaranteed. Outside of that move, Dallas kept much of its roster intact.

During the 2001-02 season, Dallas had a slow 6-5 start. Stuck at 12-9 after 21 games, the Mavericks won 20 of their next 23 games to reach 32-12. In that time, the team rose from sixth to second in the conference.

Howard started the first 13 games before being benched for an eight-game period to open up more time for Dirk Nowitzki to play at the power forward. Howard was soon after re-inserted into the starting lineup but he always remained an awkward fit with Nowitzki positionally. Howard was averaging a career-low in scoring.

With the team at 37-17, Dallas decided to swing a deal for the unhappy Van Exel. The key to the deal though was LaFrentz who provided shot-blocking and three-point shooting from the center position. 

The deal meant Howard was being shipped for the second time within a year. He played in 53 games (44 starts) and tallied 12.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.5 SPG and 0.6 BPG in 31.3 MPG. Dallas also sent Denver their 2002 first round pick and $1 million in the deal.

Hardaway played in 54 games with Dallas mainly as a backup to Steve Nash. He produced 9.6 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 3.7 APG and 0.7 SPG in 23.6 MPG while shooting 36% from the field, 34% from the arc, and 83% from the free-throw line.

Harvey appeared in 18 games, managing 2.1 PPG and 2.6 RPG. He ended his Mavericks tenure with averages of 1.7 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 36 contests. He shot 55% on FGs and 42% on FTs.

Howard ended his run in Dallas with a stat line of 14.6 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.7 SPG and 0.6 BPG in 33.1 MPG. The former Michigan Wolverine shot 47% from the field and 76% from the charity stripe in 80 games.

With the Mavericks at 38-17 after winning on the day of the trade, the team went 19-8 in the final 27 games to finish the season 57-25. The mark was fourth-best in the West, just one game behind the second- and third-place teams, the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs.

Van Exel and LaFrentz made Dallas’ offense even more unstoppable. The team recorded an NBA-high offensive rating of 111.6 points per 100 possessions with both players in the lineup. The figure was nearly three points per 100 possessions better than the second-ranked Sacramento Kings.

In 27 games with the Mavericks, Van Exel posted 13.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 4.2 APG and 0.5 SPG in 28.0 MPG. LaFrentz started 25 of 27 games with Dallas and managed 10.8 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.9 SPG and 2.2 BPG in 29.1 MPG.

Avery Johnson played in 17 of the final 27 contests, recording 3.2 PPG and 1.6 APG in 8.9 MPG. Tariq Abdul-Wahad only saw action in four contests where he was scoreless and collected 1.5 RPG.

Dallas advanced to the postseason for the second consecutive year and was placed in a matchup with Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Dirk Nowitzki had 30 points and 15 rebounds and Dallas used a 12-0 run at the end of the third and into the fourth quarter to gain control and win 101-94.

The second game saw the trio of Nowitzki, Nash and Finley combine for 76 points. Van Exel (17 points) and LaFrentz (14 points) were also in double figures as Dallas comfortably won 122-110.

The Mavericks looked to put Minnesota away on the road, quickly building a 14-point edge in the first quarter of Game Three. Dallas led by as much as 20 points in the game. The Wolves managed to pull within three points with just over four minutes left. Dallas closed the game with an 11-1 run to win the series in a 3-0 sweep.

Starting at center, LaFrentz posted 10.0 PPG on 54.2% from the field and 37.5% from the three-point line, 5.3 RPG and 2.3 BPG in 28.8 MPG. Van Exel struggled for much of the series, shooting just 36.8% from the field and 35.3% from beyond the arc. In 30.9 MPG, the guard averaged 12.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 4.3 APG and 0.7 SPG.

In a competition of two high octane offenses, the Mavericks and Sacramento Kings had an intriguing second round series. Sacramento went to the low post in Game One as Chris Webber (20 points and 10 rebounds) and Vlade Divac (18 points and 16 rebounds) dominated in a 108-91 Kings win.

Nash had 30 points and eight assists including several clutch plays as Dallas broke a 93-all tie with eight consecutive points in Game Two. The Mavericks won the game 110-102 and stole homecourt advantage.

The third game was in Dallas, and the Kings jumped out to an early 38-25 lead after the first quarter. The Mavericks came back with their own run, tying the game at halftime 66-66.

Both teams traded the lead in the second half, but the Kings managed to create some distance in the fourth quarter and held on for a 125-119 win. In the loss, LaFrentz had 24 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks. The Kings lost forward Peja Stojakovic to a sprained ankle for the rest of the series.

In Game Four, Dallas had an early 12-1 lead. The Mavericks led by as much as 14 points before the Kings stormed back. Mike Bibby made a layup with 31 seconds to tie the game in regulation. Finley and Bibby both missed shots as the game went to overtime.

Even with Webber fouling out in the extra frame, Bibby was clutch again, nailing a baseline jumper with 12.4 seconds left. Nowitzki missed a layup on the final play and Dallas lost another contest at home.

Facing a 3-1 series deficit, Dallas stayed in Game Five at Arco Arena, but a 16-4 Kings run towards the end of the third quarter led by Hedo Turkoglu helped the Kings take full control. Sacramento led by a peak of 17 points to put the Mavericks away for good in a 114-101 victory.

In the 4-1 series loss, LaFrentz posted 12.0 PPG on 48.1% from the field and 30% on threes, 8.8 RPG and 3.0 BPG in 31.9 MPG. Van Exel was a liability in the series, shooting a ghastly 1-for-17 (9.5%) from the three-point line. The former All-Star mustered 10.2 PPG on 36.5% from the field, 3.4 RPG, 3.4 APG and 1.2 SPG in 33.9 MPG.

After the season, the Mavericks and LaFrentz agreed on a contract of seven years and $70 million. Other than that, the Mavericks made minor moves, adding free agents such as Raja Bell, Popeye Jones and Walt Williams to the roster.

Dallas believed it had a true title contender, and the early part of the 2002-03 season proved it. The Mavericks won their first 14 games of the year and began the season a sparkling 31-5. Behind an electric offense that had four players in Nowitzki, Nash, Finley and Van Exel capable of heating up, Dallas had the top-rated offense in the league. 

Defensively, the team was in the top-ten in efficiency with solid perimeter defenders like Bell and Adrian Griffin as well as elite rim protectors such as Shawn Bradley and LaFrentz.

Though Dallas slowed down later on, the team managed to be tied for the best record in the NBA (60-22) with the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs took the first seed in the West because they had a better in-conference record than the Mavericks.

Van Exel finished fourth in voting for the 2002-03 NBA Sixth Man of the Year. He appeared in 73 games with Dallas, recording 12.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 4.3 APG and 0.6 SPG in 27.8 MPG.

LaFrentz’ role was inconsistent at times as he only started 43 of the 69 games he appeared in. The big man produced 9.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.5 SPG and 1.3 BPG in 23.3 MPG.

Abdul-Wahad was out of the rotation for much of the season, The wing played just 14 games all season, amassing 4.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG and 1.5 APG in 14.6 MPG. Johnson saw limited action for Dallas, making 48 appearances and averaging 3.3 PPG, 0.6 RPG and 1.3 APG in 9.0 MPG.

The Mavericks faced the 50-32 Portland Trail Blazers in the opening round. Nowitzki went off for a franchise-record 46 points in a 96-86 Mavericks  Game One win.

Nowitzki and Nash had 53 points combined as Dallas held off a 45-point night from Portland guard Bonzi Wells in Game Two. Late in the game, Nash broke a tie with a three-pointer with just 29.7 seconds left. The guard also made two free-throws near the end of the game to give Dallas the game 103-99. 

In Portland, Nowitzki was once again unstoppable with 42 points (16 coming in the fourth quarter) and 10 rebounds. The Mavericks controlled most of Game Three and won 115-103. Dallas had a chance to sweep the first round for the second consecutive year, but Portland had other plans.

The Blazers broke free in the third quarter, outscoring the Mavericks 33-10. That decisive run contributed to a 98-79 rout in the fourth game. Game Five was back in Dallas and the Mavericks led for the first 46 minutes and 55 seconds. But Portland went on a 12-3 run in the final three minutes and 46 seconds to win 103-99 and make the series 3-2. 

Portland continued its winning ways in Game Six, leading by as much as 32 points in an easy 125-103 win. The rout made the series 3-3 and gave the Blazers an opportunity to become the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit.

Game Seven was tight but Dallas took control late, outscoring Portland 36-22 in the final frame. The Mavericks won 107-95 with Nowitzki (31 points and 11 boards) and Van Exel (26 points) excelling in the contest.

During the seven-game series, Van Exel was second on the team in scoring with 15.3 PPG on 47.2% from the field. The 6-foot-1 guard also managed 2.1 RPG, 5.0 APG and 0.7 SPG in 27.8 MPG. LaFrentz started all seven games, posting 6.9 PPG on 41.9% from the field, 4.0 RPG and 1.3 BPG in 27.7 MPG.

Dallas played the Sacramento Kings in the second round for the second consecutive year. This time, Dallas had homecourt advantage. In the series opener, Sacramento built an early lead and controlled the entire game. The Kings led by a peak of 28 points and assisted on 31 of 44 field goals in an easy 124-113 win.

Dallas responded well in the next game as it scored 83 points in the first half and led by 21 points at halftime. In the rout, the Kings suffered a devastating blow when star Chris Webber tore the ACL in his left knee late in the third quarter and was out for the rest of the postseason. Dallas went on to win 132-110 and gained a major advantage with Sacramento’s misfortune.

The third game was a classic. Without Webber, Sacramento held a 36-23 lead after one quarter. Dallas recovered, tying the game late in the second quarter 62-all. Both teams would trade the lead before Sacramento took a double figure lead. 

The Kings were up 101-89 with 8:11 left in the first quarter but the two-headed point guard monster of Nash and Van Exel got to work. As Dallas went on a 24-12 run to close out the fourth quarter and send the game to overtime, the twosome scored 22 of the team’s final 24 points in regulation. Van Exel hit a seven-footer with 3.8 seconds left to tie the game.

In the extra frame, both teams traded the lead with Kings guard Doug Christie knocking down two treys. A Walt Williams dunk with 16.3 seconds tied the game 125-all and Stojaković missed a shot at the end, taking the game to a second overtime.

The second overtime saw Van Exel score eight points and Kings guard Bobby Jackson missed a three with 3.3 seconds left that would’ve tied the game. Dallas held on for a thrilling 141-137 win. Van Exel was the hero of the game, racking up a game-high 40 points as well as seven rebounds and seven assists.

In Game Four, the Mavericks’ three-point shooting (3-for-20) took a nosedive after making 19-of-42 the previous game. Sacramento (3-for-21) wasn’t much better from the perimeter but the Kings still led by as much as 22 points in a rare back-to-back playoff game. All five of the Kings’ starters scored in double figures as they evened the series 2-2 with a 99-83 victory.

The Game Five scene shifted back to Dallas. Sacramento got out to a good start, building a 46-31 lead early in the second quarter. Dallas got back into the game and thanks to a strong performance from role player Raja Bell outscored the Kings 81-47 the rest of the way (32 minutes and four seconds) to win 112-93.

The Mavericks had a chance to end the series in Game Six and looked to accomplish the goal early on. Dallas built a 13-4 lead early on. The Kings recovered later. By the fourth quarter, the game was close. Dallas took a 95-94 lead with 8:15 in the fourth quarter, but failed to score for over five minutes.

In that stretch, the Kings scored nine points unanswered. The run was pivotal as Sacramento held on for a 115-109 win that sent the series to a seventh and final contest. Van Exel had 37 points in the loss.

In the seventh game, the Kings shot just 42% and only led on two different occasions. The Mavericks pulled away in the fourth quarter, leading by as much as 20 points in a 112-99 Game Seven win. Nowitzki led with 30 points and Van Exel added 23 points off the bench.

Van Exel proved to be the right acquisition for Dallas and arguably experienced the best moments of his career in the 2003 Semifinals. He scored in double figures in six of the seven games and scored at least 20 points in five. Van Exel’s top scoring games were 40, 36 and 35 points.

Overall, the 6-foot-1 guard managed 25.3 PPG on 51.9% from the field and 45.3% from the three-point line. He also posted 3.9 RPG and 4.4 APG in 35.3 MPG.

LaFrentz on the other hand struggled to be a consistent presence at the center position. He produced 8.1 PPG on 46.4% FGs, 4.7 RPG and 2.6 BPG in 20.8 MPG. The center shot just 1-for-11 from the three-point line. LaFrentz started the first game and was benched for the next three games before starting the final three contests. 

The Mavericks advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time in nearly two decades and took on the San Antonio Spurs. The series opener was a battle of the big men as San Antonio’s reigning two-time MVP Tim Duncan dropped 40 points. Nowitzki had 38 points for Dallas.

The Spurs led by 18 points in the second quarter and by 14 with 8:05 in the final frame. Thanks to a perfect 20-for-20 showing at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, Dallas went on a 26-9 to close the game and escape with a 113-110 win.

In Game Two, the Spurs dominated early, building a 69-44 lead at halftime. Dallas managed to cut the deficit to nine points midway through the fourth quarter, but Duncan (32 points and 15 rebounds) stopped a comeback as San Antonio won 119-106. 

The third game saw San Antonio dominate the glass 59-36 and outscore Dallas 58-37 in the second half to win 96-83. In the later stages of the game, Nowitzki suffered a sprained left knee keeping him out for the rest of the series.

Without its star, Dallas tried to play at an uptempo pace, inserting Van Exel into the starting lineup. The team was up 52-47 at halftime. Spurs guard Tony Parker had 11 of his 25 points in a key third quarter that helped the Spurs wrestle control and win 102-95.

Facing elimination, Dallas trailed by double digits in the first half of Game Five. Michael Finley had 31 points and Dallas made a massive run, outscoring San Antonio 29-10 in the final frame to win 103-91 and keep hope alive.

Game Six saw Dallas continue its run. The Mavericks led for much of the first half and took a 63-48 lead with 4:20 remaining in the third quarter. San Antonio answered back with a 42-15 run the rest of the way to win 90-78 and eliminate Dallas. In the run, the Spurs found the outside shot off of Dallas’ double-teaming strategy against Duncan in the post. A combination of Stephen Jackson, Steve Kerr and Manu Ginobili nailed eight three-pointers in that span.

Van Exel was not as efficient in the Conference Finals, averaging 17.5 PPG on 37.5% from the field and 34.5% from three. He also posted 4.3 RPG and 2.7 APG in 38.5 MPG.

LaFrentz continued his disappointing playoff run, managing 9.2 PPG on 41.4% from the field, 4.5 RPG and 2.7 BPG in 25.4 MPG. Abdul-Wahad scored two points in three games and 16 minutes. Avery Johnson was left off the playoff roster.

After Dallas’ playoff run, the organization went back to the drawing board. Looking to get bigger across its roster, the Mavericks dealt Van Exel, Johnson, Evan Eschmeyer, Popeye Jones and Antoine Rigaudeau to the Golden State Warriors for Antawn Jamison, Danny Fortson, Chris Mills and Jiří Welsch.

The deal to add Jamison brought back a 6-foot-9 scoring forward which Dallas coveted. Though the Mavericks pursued other options such as adding center Alonzo Mourning in free agency, the team realized it would be hard to continue to play Nash and Van Exel together and have a credible perimeter defense.

After Van Exel, LaFrentz was next to go. The center was dealt along with Chris Mills, Jiří Welsch and a first round pick to the Boston Celtics for Antoine Walker and Tony Delk.

Walker was the point forward that coach Don Nelson had yearned for. He thrived in his previous coaching stops with big forwards capable of handling the ball, passing and scoring such as Paul Pressey in Milwaukee and Billy Owens in Golden State.

To get the forward, Dallas dealt LaFrentz who initially was the centerpiece of the Denver-Dallas trade but disappointed. Largely a finesse center, LaFrentz was never able to excel on offense as a fifth option. Though he was a top notch rim protector, LaFrentz’ salary never fit what ended up being his role.

Van Exel ended his season and a half in Dallas with a stat line of 12.7 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 4.3 APG and 0.6 SPG in 100 games. He shot 41% from the field, 37% from the three-point line and 79% from the free-throw line.

Avery Johnson appeared in 65 games with Dallas and posted 3.2 PPG, 0.6 RPG and 1.4 APG. The diminutive guard also shot 42% on FGs and 75% on FTs. LaFrentz played in 96 career games with Dallas and contributed 9.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.6 SPG and 1.6 BPG. The big man shot 49% from the field, 36% from the three-point line and 71% from the charity stripe.

Abdul-Wahad remained on the Mavericks roster going into the 2003-04 season but was placed on the injured list with left knee tendinitis and remained there for the entire year. Dallas was 52-30 that season and lost to the Sacramento Kings in a five-game first-round series.

For the 2004-05 season, Abdul-Wahad found himself inactive again due to the same injury. The Mavericks finished the year 58-24 with Avery Johnson—yes, that Avery Johnson from the Nuggets-Mavericks trade—replacing Nelson as head coach for the final 18 games.

Dallas defeated the Houston Rockets 4-3 in the first round before losing to the Phoenix Suns in a six-game second round matchup.

By the start of the 2005-06 season, Dallas had moved on from Abdul-Wahad. The team waived the wing with two years left on his contract. Dallas had tried to workout a buyout with Abdul-Wahad, but he refused. There seemed to be growing tension between the club and player. Abdul-Wahad felt he was ready to play, but Dallas didn’t feel he was capable with his history of left knee issues.

Half of Abdul-Wahad’s salary ($3.656 million) was guaranteed for the ‘05-‘06 season and a quarter ($1.968 million) for 2006-07.

Abdul-Wahad played just 18 games over four seasons with Dallas, averaging 3.2 PPG, 2.6 RPG and 1.3 APG and shooting 45% from the field and 43% from the free-throw line.

From Denver’s perspective, the trade put a full-scale rebuild in motion. Howard and Harvey’s contracts expired after the 2002-03 season and Hardaway’s contract was only guaranteed through 2003.

The losing would commence soon after. Denver went 11-20 after the trade, finishing the year with a 27-55 record. 

Hardaway played 14 games (9.6 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 5.5 APG and 1.2 SPG in 23.2 MPG) with the Nuggets after the trade before he broke his left foot, ending his season.

The Nuggets agreed to a buyout of $1 million with Hardaway and subsequently waived the former All-Star. Hardaway’s biggest highlight—or lowlight—as a Nugget was when he threw a television monitor onto the court in frustration after an altercation with a referee.The incident cost Hardaway $10,000 and he was also suspended for two games. 

Hardaway returned to the NBA late in the 2002-03 season for a short stint with the Indiana Pacers.

Howard was disappointed in going from one of the best teams in the NBA in Dallas to one of the worst in Denver. He became Denver’s primary scoring option averaging 17.9 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.7 APG, 0.6 SPG and 0.6 BPG in 28 appearances and 34.9 MPG.

Harvey saw a significant bump in minutes after being traded. He appeared in 29 games (four starts) with Denver and amassed 8.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.6 SPG and 0.7 BPG in 23.4 MPG.

After the 2001-02 season, Denver continued its full-scale rebuild, focusing its energy towards acquiring young players and creating cap space for the summer of 2003. Denver dealt the oft-injured Antonio McDyess along with the first round pick (25th overall) it acquired in the Dallas trade and a second rounder to the New York Knicks for center Marcus Camby, guard Mark Jackson and the seventh pick in the 2002 draft.

New York selected Brazilian forward Nene Hilario for Denver. The Nuggets selected Illinois guard Frank Williams with the 25th pick for New York. The Nuggets also had the fifth pick in the draft and selected Georgian seven-footer Nikoloz Tskitishvili.

Denver declined to exercise the $1.6 million team option of Harvey, making him an unrestricted free agent in 2003.

On the coaching front, the Nuggets named longtime assistant coach and defensive ace Jeff Bzdelik as new head coach. At 29, Howard became the elder statesman or only veteran playing significant minutes all year for the 2002-03 Nuggets. Camby was limited to 29 games that year due to injury.

The team began the year 6-24 and it became clear they were not going to win many games. The Nuggets finished the year tied for the worst record in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers as both teams battled for the number one overall pick and the chance to draft high school phenom LeBron James. 

The 2002-03 Denver Nuggets were historic for the wrong reasons. Bzdelik had made Denver’s defense much better (sixth in the NBA), but the team finished with the lowest offensive rating (92.2 points per 100 possessions) of any team in a season in NBA history. 

Behind the struggles was inept shooting percentages. Denver pulled off the rare hat trick of finishing last in three-point percentage (27.8%), last in two-point percentage (43.0%) and last in free-throw percentage (69.9%).

Howard led the Nuggets in scoring (18.4 PPG), rebounding (7.6 RPG) and minutes (35.5 MPG). The forward also put up 3.0 APG and 1.0 SPG in 77 games. Harvey had his largest role in Denver. In his third season, Harvey recorded 7.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.3 APG and 0.6 SPG in 77 games and 20.9 MPG.

Howard became a free agent. Denver expressed mild interest in retaining the veteran but with a deep frontcourt that featured Camby, Hilario and prized number three overall pick Carmelo Anthony, there was little room to go after Howard. The Nuggets instead looked to fill an empty backcourt in need of shooting and playmaking.

Howard prioritized finding a team that gave him the best chance of making the playoffs. He saw Tracy McGrady and the Orlando Magic as a viable fit and signed a six-year deal worth an estimated $38 million.

Howard ended his brief stay in Denver with 18.3 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.9 APG and 0.9 SPG in 105 games. He shot 45% on FGs and 79% on FTs.

Harvey became a free agent and also signed with Orlando on a one-year contract. Harvey finished his time in Denver with a stat line of 8.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.2 APG and 0.6 SPG. The forward shot 46% from the field and 66% from the free-throw line in 106 career games.

Nick Van Exel on joining the Mavericks (via Mavericks.com):

“I am real excited to be here. What a game tonight, I don’t know what to say other than I am excited to be here. What these guys have right now is a championship caliber team. Hopefully with these 3 new additions, we can help.”

On his role:

“It doesn’t matter as long as we win. This team here, these guys just play basketball and I just want to play basketball.”

On his relationship with Del Harris: 

“We really haven’t had one since we left the Lakers. We are definitely going to sit down and talk. I was real surprised that Del stood up for me.”

On if he cares about minutes or starting (via The Dallas Morning News):

It doesn’t matter if I play two minutes one game and 40 minutes the next game... It’s definitely a blessing to be on a championship caliber team.”

His nervous feelings for a deal to happen at the deadline (via Fort Worth Star-Telegram):

“The last three hours before the trading deadline was terrible. The last three hours I felt like I was about to throw up and I was getting real weak I was pacing the floor. I have never been that nervous in my life.��

Raef LaFrentz on joining the Mavericks (via Mavericks.com):

“To be quite honest, my head is still spinning. I am very excited to be here and like Nick said, this is a great opportunity for the 3 of us to come into a championship caliber team.”

How the deal was a surprise to him (via Rocky Mountain News):

“This trade hit me in the head about 1 o'clock (p.m.). I just said, ‘Oh, wow.’ I guess Mark Cuban had asked about it earlier and Kiki had turned him down several times, but he kept coming and kept coming, and Kiki finally gave in.”

Avery Johnson on returning to the state of Texas after stints with the San Antonio Spurs in his past (via The Dallas Morning News):

“I’m just glad to be back in Texas and glad to be back in the playoff hunt. To win a championship you have to have two MVP-caliber players. We have three or four.”

On the team’s case to make some noise in the playoffs (via Mavericks.com):

“We definitely have the make-up for it. I just have a sense that chemistry is here. To win a championship, you must have two MVP caliber players. We probably have three or four in that category and we have some serious coaching. 

“Don Nelson is one of the best coaches in the league right now. We have a lot of characteristics that it will take to win a championship. I think Mark [Cuban] and his staff have given the Mavericks a [better] chance to win a championship.”

His excitement with being back in Texas:

“I am glad to be back in Texas. This is very exciting. Even though I am excited for myself, I am really excited for Nick and Raef. Nick, some time ago with the Lakers, had a chance to be in the playoffs and he was kind of successful against my team, the Spurs. This is new ground for him and I am really excited for both of them. 

“I really think we are going to be some key additions for this team. Naturally, we are overloaded now at the point guard position. I‘ve worked with Coach Nelson four years ago in Golden State, so I know his system. I am just glad to be back in Texas, glad to be in Dallas and glad to be in the playoff hunt. I am so glad I can watch the satellite now, hoping for some teams to win and some to lose.”

If he has any tips on beating the Spurs from his time with the club:

“A few that I don’t want to give away now. There are a few tweaks that we can use in a playoff situation. I know pretty much the strategy that we used against the Mavericks. It is not just the Spurs, there are a lot of teams out there that are top in the West. I just think this team needs to improve defensively. We have a great offense here and try to stay away from those 30 point quarters.”

Tariq Abdul-Wahad on joining the Mavericks (via Mavericks.com):

“Some pretty good news, wasn’t offended and I took it very seriously. They know a lot about basketball, .have a dedication to teaching to players like me, It is really an honor and a great opportunity to get better.”

How arriving with three other players in a trade might make the transition easier:

"It makes it better, easier you know them and you get to hang out with them, but I am going to meet the other guys as well. It’s a team sport and we are going to create a plan.”

What his role in Dallas will be:

“My role is the same on every team strong defense, run the floor, make it easier for the guys. Work as hard as I can and get better.”

What it feels like going from one of the worst teams to one of the best teams in the NBA:

“The penthouse is whatever you want it to be. In the NBA whether you play for the best team or the worst team in the league, you don’t have to look at it that way... I think the Mavericks have really turned it around in the past three years. It is a great staff, players and fans... I am going to join and be a part of it and enjoy.”

If he noticed a difference in the mood around Denver when the team started struggling:

“Most definitely, I’ve been on winning teams and losing teams... It is always the same when you lose, you have an extremely heavy weight on your shoulders and when you don’t, everything seems to be smooth and happiness is around the corner. We are a team of shooters and whenever you can make three’s you can always stay in the game. Guys like Steve, Dirk and Finley will always keep you in the game, which is a beautiful thing.”

Tim Hardaway on the trade a month after it happened (via Chicago Tribune):

“After it sunk in, I was mad. I was upset. I talked to my agent, he settled me down. I talked to my wife, she settled me down. I just watched those [new Mavericks] guys fit into our shoes. We could have done the same thing. 

“But stuff happens for a reason. Juwan Howard, myself... We’re good guys, hard workers. It’s kind of hard being on the other side of the fence. But you just have to deal with it.”

Dallas Mavericks general manager and head coach and Don Nelson on the trade (via Mavericks.com):

“It’s been quite a day, a busy day. It’s unfortunate that it had to happen on the day of a game. It puts us a bit behind the eight-ball for this particular game, but we feel it’s well worth it in the long run, the remaining part of the season and also for the playoff picture. It’s also important for the future of our franchise. We thought it was an opportunity that doesn’t come a long very often and something we needed to do. 

“It was available because we have an owner, Mark Cuban, who will spend the money to get the players. I’ve made a lot of trades in my 25 years and I feel really good about this one. It gives the players the opportunity to prosper in a bit of a different style. We’re looking to get our team stronger for a better playoff position and I think we’ve done that. We’ve accomplished quite a lot with the move that we made today. 

“It’s unfortunate that we lost some outstanding players who have really helped us all in their own way. They won games for us, they’ve made our team better and it’s hard to say goodbye to those players. It’s not an easy thing; I don’t take trades lightly because you are affecting people’s lives. 

“It’s movement of families and friends, but again that’s the nature of the business and part of the business is that you do what you need to do to get your team better and I feel that we’ve done that today.”

On specifically acquiring Raef LaFrentz:

“One of the problems that we had with Juwan [Howard] was that he was a power-forward and with the lineup that I put out there most of the time centers guarded him. It was unfair to him because he was always going against a stronger, tougher, more physical guy on a normal night and it affected his performance some. When he was able to match up with power-forwards he did a much better job. 

“They weren’t going to put their center on [Dirk] Nowitzki and that caused some problems. We’re getting more of a legitimate center, not that he [LaFrentz] is a center, but he plays there quite a lot. He also can play power-forward. He’s more of a shot blocker and you’ve seen the amount of layups that we give up on a consistent basis. It’s quite a concern and Bradley hasn’t been as big of a factor this year in that department. We needed to address that and we have. It makes my team more consistent.”

On concerns that assistant coach Del Harris had a rocky relationship with acquisition Nick Van Exel when he was head coach of the Lakers:

“He was the biggest fan to do this deal. They had some problems when Nick played for him in Los Angeles, but the respect that Del has for his ability is second to none. He [Del] thought it was a move that would help us. We relied heavily on Del’s opinion. We know who Nick Van Exel is and I hope he gets along with me and I’m going to work hard to try to accomplish that.”

On trading Tim Hardaway who he has coached in Dallas and Golden State:

“Well he’s a close friend. We’ve been friends for a long, long time and he knows the nature of the business. I simply called him and told him that I made a deal and he said ‘where am I going and who am I going with’. He treated it very professionally. I told him that there might be some interest by teams in the east. It’s hard because you become attached to your players and it’s not a pleasant day when they have to move on.”

How he feels the trade elevated the Mavericks in the Western Conference hierarchy (via The Dallas Morning News):

“We had elevated ourselves to a position where we actually had a better record than our team. I really didn’t think our team is better than the other seven schmoes that we’re battling against for playoff positioning. We were just another schmoe out there. Now, I think this may elevate us to the point where it will give us a real chance to win our division.”

On adding another perimeter shooting big man in LaFrentz as a complementary piece to Dirk Nowitzki:

“It just makes my team more consistent, where I have some players who are alike in the things we like to run.”

On finding minutes for both Steve Nash and Van Exel (via ESPN):

“I think both he and Steve will play together down the stretch. Nick is a big-shot maker and a big-game player. He always plays his best against the best teams. That was a factor in our thinking for the playoff situation. He has the capability of doing that.”

On finding chemistry with so many talented players:

“Everything is going to work out. This is a very fine group of men, the ones that left and the ones that remained. We’re adding winners to the locker room. We’ll see how things go, but I’m not going to be concerned about that.”

Denver Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe on the trade (via ESPN):

“We needed a bold stroke and something that would change the chemistry and the condition of the team, in both players and the salary cap situation and our future salary cap situation.

“It was extremely hard (to deal LaFrentz). It was very, very hard... I think he has a tremendous upside. He will be a great asset to the Mavericks and he will be able to play off great players like Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley.”

On the need to get out of the middle (via ESPN):

“The toughest situation for a team to be is in the middle of the road without a good draft pick and strapped financially. You're in a box and there is no way to improve under the rules of the (collective bargaining agreement). 

“You have to create something. You have to make a bold move. Obviously, you want to make a positive move. The inherent risk was not doing anything.”

 How the team’s cap sheet was a mess before the deal (via Rocky Mountain News):

“We were in a financial box. We didn’t have much flexibility at all in how we could improve this team.”

How Nuggets star Antonio McDyess was consulted on the deal:

“I told him, ‘Antonio, being the franchise player doesn’t mean just winning games. You’re now our partner in this. You’re involved in everything that we do. It gives us the flexibility to keep Antonio McDyess, and that’s what we're going to need if we really want to keep him.”

How the team accumulating draft picks adds flexibility for Denver:

“Draft picks are assets. You either use them in the draft or you can use them in trades. We’ll have the flexibility this summer to go out into the free-agent market without risking the luxury tax, whereas before we were already at the luxury tax and couldn't have done anything.”

How people in Sacramento and Los Angeles will be mad at his trade helping a West rival in Dallas (via Chicago Tribune):

“I’m probably being cursed in Sacramento and Los Angeles. No question, Dallas just got a lot better. The Mavericks now have a team that can make a championship run.”

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban on taking on $84 million in salary commitments through the deal (via The Dallas Morning News):

“I’m more than happy to pay for it if it gets me jewelry.”

If the trade was worth sacrificing cap space in the summer for a potential run at Tim Duncan in 2003:

“You have the risk factor vs. the here-and-now, in-your-lap factor. As much as we’d like to have Tim Duncan or somebody of that caliber, more importantly, this puts us in a great position to compete right now.”

On concerns about the previous relationship issues between assistant coach Del Harris and Van Exel when they were together with the Los Angeles Lakers (via Mavericks.com): 

“Del was the first one to stand up and say you are crazy if you don’t do this. It was X number of years ago and we are two different people now and this guy can help this team a lot.”

Mavericks assistant coach Del Harris on the player he coached in Los Angeles Van Exel (via Fort Worth Star-Telegram):

“I’m glad to see him. He can make and take the big shots but his value is way beyond that in that he’s such a great penetrator and can dish the ball. He makes the little short four-foot pass probably better than anybody else in the league right now and that’s a difficult pass to make. He’s just a very, very good basketball player.”

Mavericks guard Steve Nash on the trade (via ESPN):

“I’m glad to have some help now.”

Van Exel’s agent Tony Dutt on his client’s elation with the trade to Dallas (via ESPN):

“He’s ecstatic. I think it couldn’t have worked out any better.”

Minnesota Timberwolves general manager Kevin McHale on how many teams wouldn’t be able to compete with Dallas’ spending in trades (via Chicago Tribune):

“Move to move, we wouldn’t beat [Dallas in trades]. They made an unbelievable move. We just didn’t have the resources available to do that kind of deal. The good news for the rest of us is that they can still only play with one ball. If they could play with two balls, we would really be in trouble.”

Image Credit: 

Nick Van Exel: Getty Images/G Fiume

Raef LaFrentz: Getty Images/Ronald Martinez

Tariq Abdul-Wahad: Getty Images/Glenn James

Juwan Howard: Getty Images/Sam Forencich

Tim Hardaway: Getty Images/Rocky Widner

Avery Johnson: Getty Images/Glenn James

Donnell Harvey: Getty Images/Sam Forencich

[dylanmunson]

summary: okay okay so your steve the hair harringtons younger sister, little miss sunshine with the cool kids, co captain of the cheer team. 

(there may be a part two to this if you want it? let me know!)

Vol 2 /// Vol 3

word count : 2.7k

wattpad /// masterlist /// request

//////////////

Welcome to hellfire

Starting your junior year after the summer break was nerve racking to say the least, Steve was no longer there to guide you through the hell hole that is hawkins high. 

You werent fussed about school, you had everything going for you, a decent friend group, co captain of the cheer team, reasonably good grades across the board, you just craved something, you just werent sure what that something was. 

'y/n youve got 10mins till we need to leave' steve says popping his head into your room, him driving you to school along with dustin and mike. Who you had grown close to, thanks to your older brothers babysitting the teens. You sigh pulling your cheer outfit on, putting your hair into a braid over your shoulder and pulling on your converse before walking down the stairs to grab a poptart. Smiling at Steve as he grabs an apple and his keys. 

You arrive at school with mike and dustin arguing about some dnd thing, 'good luck today' steve says looking into the mirror at the younger boys, they stop bickering and look at the older boy 'thanks steve' dustin smiles before getting out the car, mike following behind him. 'keep an eye on each other yeah' he smiles at you, pulling you into a hug, you hum in response 'have a good day at work' you grin, he rolls his eyes,before opening your door 'go' he chuckles, you nod waving getting out of the car. 

You walk towards the big double doors, and heading to your first class sighing when you realise its maths with Ms O Donnels. Her lessons were the worst, you and everyone else in that class would count down the minutes till the bell went. 

You walked in and sat near the back of the room, not wanting to have to deal with this first thing on a Monday morning. The second bell goes and more students start filling up the empty chairs, before Ms o Donnels enters with a student 'Mr munson, front and centre' she sighs 'repeating senior year again i see' she looks down at the papers on her desk 'take a seat mr munson' she sighs sitting in her chair behind the desk. You frown if hes repeating senior year why is he in your junior math class? 

The only chair now left empty is the one next to you, you quickly move your bag from the chair as he pulls it out to sit next to you, you look up at the older boy, his doe like eyes twinkling in the sun, making all the different shades of brown melt together. His pink pillow like lips forming into a smirk,you blink a few times before turning away, coughing trying to ignore the fact you were just checking him out. He chuckles lightly and sits down. 

Now instead of doing the actual class work, this munson kid is sat drawing what looks like a half elf half human character person thing, you frown and look at the drawing, watching him concentrate on the drawing in front of him. 'Its rude to stare sweetheart' he chuckles not even looking up, 'i uh im not' you mumble looking away back to your work. He chuckles looking towards you 'i could feel your eyes burning into my skin doll' he smirks, you groan 'whatcha think' he grins passing the piece of paper with the drawing on to you. You look down at the paper and look at the character he's drawn, little notes written around it. 

'whats it for?' you mumble, to which he just shrugs his shoulders 'Eddie Munson eyes on the front' Ms O Donnel calls, the boy next to you rolling his eyes looking forward, resting his chin on his hand with a bored look on his face. 'its for my campaign' he smiles softly still facing the front. 'campaign?' 'yeah my dnd campaign, yano dungeons and dragons' 'ohh the fantasy game with' 'wait you know it?' he looks at you surprised, you frown 'yeah kinda? i mean the kids my brother babysits play and sometimes i watch' you shrug, he nods his head 'ever played sweetheart?' you shake your head 'but id like to?' you say, it coming out more of a question then anything else. He grins 'of course you would sweetheart' he chuckles shaking his head 

'whats that meant to mean?' you mumble as the bell goes, he gets up, shoving the piece of paper into his back pocket. 'nothing doll' he smiles before walking out of the class room. You groan and quickly pack everything up before following him out 'hey, eddie wait' you shout walking towards the taller boy but before you reach him, hes disappeared. Your next few class go by quiet quickly, and at lunch time you decide to sit with dustin and mike to see how their first day of high school is going. Both boys looking semi defeated with the day already, you chuckle wrapping your arms around them both 'it cant be that bad' you grin at them before sitting across the table from them. The two of them now talking about dnd again 'i wonder if theres any dnd clubs' dustin says, playing with the food in front of him, mike shrugs 'i dunno man' Lucas runs over sitting next to the boys 'lucas!' you grin getting up and giving the younger boy a hug, he chuckles before letting go. 'hows your fi-' 'did i hear you mentioning dnd' you look up to be faced with mr doe eyes. 'yeaah?' mike says unsure of whats about to happen, looking up at the older boy. 

'Oh well' he chuckles 'we have a dnd club here, called hellfire if you dare to join that is' he grins at the younger three, dustin quick to shot up 'can we really?' he grins, the older boy chuckling nodding his head 'taster session, wednesday, after school in the old drama block, im eddie by the way.' he grins 'sweetheart' he nods at you before walking away, the three younger boys to focused in their own conversation to notice. You frown at the older boy as he walks away back to his table, the rest of lunch filled with the three younger boys talking about the taster session. 

The rest of the day flying by as you have a free period then cheer practise, Wednesday soon rolls around and your about to leave your final class and head to the old drama block to watch the younger three in their game, when Jennifer pulls you by the arm. 'where you going silly, we've got cheer' she chuckles, 'oh. oh yeah' you smile softly, kinda disappointed you cant go straight to the drama studio. You get to the gym and notice some of the basketball team are pissing about as you get to business working on your new cheer routine. 

An hour later and cheer is over, all the other girls now walking home, you look towards the old drama building before walking towards the doors and down the hallway where you see a sign that reads 'Welcome to Hellfire' you can hear shouting from the three younger boys, followed by laughing. You sigh raising your hand to knock before dropping it. Shaking your head then knocking on the door. The room goes quiet and you hear someone quietly swearing before the door is opened. 

'y/n what are you doing here?' you hear dustin say from in front of you, but your attention being on the little fairy lights and props hanging around the big throne that is sat at the end of the room. 'oh i uh, do you guys need a lift home?' you smile, Dustin looks back to the other boys then to you. 'y/n we're no where near done here, we'll just bike home, thank you though' he smiles going to close the door. 'wait dustin' you sigh putting your hand on the door pushing it back open, Eddie now standing from the throne and making his way over to you both. 

'i was um' 'speak up princess' eddie says looking down at you, you groan playing with your nails, 'can i watch?' you look up at the boy with long curly hair, he grins nodding moving out of the way, dustin frowns looking between you both as you walk in, all the other boys slightly surprised that little miss sunshine has entered their space. 'make space for the lady' Eddie says making his way back to his throne, sitting down and crossing his hands. The boys all look among each other before moving slightly, 'm'lady' eddie says hand out towards the chair next to him. You bite your lip and sit next to him 'sorry' you mumble 'what was that princess?' he grins, seeing you squirm at the nickname. 

'Sorry' you say more clearly, he chuckles 'dont be, these boys dont know how to behave in front of a lady such as yourself' he smiles softly at you, 'now where were we' he grins clapping his hands and carrying on with the game. 

The game coming to an end, Eddie turning towards the younger boys and grinning 'so?' 'can we join?!' 'whens the next campaign?!' they start saying and talking over each other which just makes eddie chuckle leaning back into his throne. 'Welcome to hellfire boys' he grins shaking their hands 'next campaign starts friday, same time, same place, but i must warn you' he smiles standing up and beginning to pack everything away. 'i wont be going as easy as today' he grins turning towards them'Friday' he nods as everyone begins leaving the room. Everyone slowly leaving, but you stay behind to help clean up, 'um could i' you start to mumble before clearing your throat. 'mhm?' Eddie hums looking at you 'would i be able to watch again on friday?' you says looking down biting your lip. Causing eddie to chuckle nodding 'you sure you wanna spend your friday evening in a room with 6 sweaty boys' he laughs 'doesnt jason have a party that everyone and their mothers are invited to?'

You shake your head 'i mean he does, but' you shrug your shoulders 'parties arent really my thing' you sigh, 'if not its ok, i just i had a good time watching you guys play is all' you shrug playing with your nails again. He smiles picking up your bag 'then of course you can princess' he grins, walking towards the door 'wa-' 'come i'll give you a lift home, its getting late and a lady as pretty as yourself shouldnt be walking home alone at this time of the evening' he smiles 'its barely even 8 eddie' you chuckle following the boy. 'i know' he grins walking you towards his van. 

++++++++++

It was now Friday and you were sat in the library finishing up your character sheet for dnd, you werent planning on playing but since you had sat in on the game the other night, your head was full of ideas for your own character. The way Eddie was as dungeons master was something else, and to be honest with yourself it was making you feel something. You sigh as you pull out your note pad and start sketching up your character, only getting a rough sketch before the final bell goes signalling the end of the day. 

You grab your bag and begin walking to the old drama building where hellfire was being held, you open the door and are met with Eddie and Jeff. 'am i early?' you say looking around the room, 'yeaa-' 'no princess, everyone else is just late' he shots Jeff a look to which the shorter boy just rolls his eyes and moves to his seat. You nod your head finding your seat next to eddie, since nobody else was here you open your notebook again and begin working away at your character. 'and whats this'  eddie grins taking the book from you 'hey' you sigh 'eddddddieee' you whine, 'well well well' he chuckles looking down at you, 'if you wanted to play all you had to do was ask sweetheart' he chuckles putting your book down. 

'Absolutely not ' Jeff says 'shut it' Eddie says harshly back to the boy 'i dunno how to' you shrug, 'ill walk your through it, how about that' he grins coming to eye level with you, you shrug your shoulders trying to look away from the beautiful boy in front of you 'sweetheart' he grins 'can i just watch today, maybe play another time?' you mumble as he has his hand on your cheek making you face him. 'of course' he smiles letting go of your cheek as everyone else slowly starts filling into the room. 

You nod, kind of disappointed he let go of your face, his hands were warm, rough but felt nice against your cheek, your cheeks turning a pink shade as you think about it, Eddie noticing from the corner of his eye. 

The campaign now in its third hour and your beginning to feel more confident around the boys, you grab another drink that Gareth had so kindly brought along for everyone, it being the first campaign of this school year and everyone knowing it could easily go on into early hours of the next morning. So Gareth being a little sweetheart brought snacks and drinks for everyone. 

You turn to Eddie as he stands from his seat. 'Your walking through the woods, swords and bows at the ready, when you see lady sunshine being held hostage by trolls' he grins 

'what?!'

'who?'

'noo, we just beat off those bastards' 

'who the fuck is lady sunshine' 

'now now boys, what do you do?' he grins taking a seat, looking towards you 'lady sunshine, catches the eye of eddie the banished, put under a spell what do you do?' he grins at you, you go red in the cheeks shaking your head. 

Jeff groans shaking his head 'we move on, let eddie the banished be' he rolls his eyes 'Hey' eddie shouts, making the boys sit back and rethink their next move. 

'we save lady sunshine?' dustin shrugs 'we save her, end the trolls and eddie the banished is no longer under a spell' lucas shrugs looking at eddie, Eddie grins at the boys, a smirk pulling at his lips 'is that your plan?' he chuckles, the boys groan and come up with a plan to save lady sunshine, chuckle just grins and turns to you smiling softly. You shake your head looking down, eddie grins 'lady sunshine' he smiles looking at you. 

+++++

The campaign now in its fifth hour, the boys having saved lady sunshine and moving forward. 'Right i think now would be a good place to pause' eddie chuckles making all the boys groan 

'what?!" 

'but we're just getting to the good bit' 

he chuckles shaking his head 'well carry on where we left off next week' he smiles the boys groan, and roll there eyes but begin to pack away, knowing better then to argue with their dungeons master. Once again you stay to help tidy everything away, it just you and eddie now left in the old drama room. 

'Eddie?' you smile playing with the sleeves of your jumper, he hums and turns to you 'would you consider teaching me?' you smile biting your lip, he looks down at you 'of course lady sunshine' he grins wrapping a hand around your waist 'as long as it doesnt hurt your reputation' he chuckles, you shake your head rolling your head 'i dont care even if it does' you smile at the boy. He nods his head 'yeah i'll teach you, but itll cost ya' he grins 'how about you teach me to play and well go out for food afterwards?' you grin biting your lip 'its a date' he chuckles 'i mean like a day, its a date as in a day' he smiles going red 'oh, so not a date' you smile softly at the boy, he looks at you with an open mouth but no words coming out. 

'tomorrow?' you smile, he closes his mouth and nods his head 'tomorrow.' he chuckles 'come i'll drop you off at home' he smiles leading you out of the room. 

[latestinbollywood]

Kyle Shanahan Wife, Wiki, Biography, Age, Height, Parents, Career, Net Worth, Ethnicity & More

In this article, we are talking about Kyle Shanahan's Wiki, Biography, Age, Wife, Ethnicity, Parents, Career, Height, Weight, Net Worth, social media accounts, About Kyle Shanahan's early life, FAQ & More. Kyle Michael Shanahan is the full name of Kyle Shanahan. He is serving as a head coach of the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL).

Kyle Shanahan's Wife, Children

He is married to Mandy Shanahan. Her full name is Amanda O' Donnell Shanahan. She is an entrepreneur by profession. They got married in 2005. They welcomed their first child Stella in 2007. Then in 2008, they welcomed Carter and In 2012 they welcomed Lexi Louise.

                                         Kyle Shanahan With His Wife

Kyle Shanahan Wiki, Biography, Age

Shanahan was born on December 14, 1979. He is 42 years old as of 2022. He belongs to Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. His zodiac sign is Saggitarius. By profession, he is an American football coach who is the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL).

                                                    Kyle Shanahan Full Name Kyle Shanahan Nick Name Kyle  Date Of Birth  December 14, 1979 Age  42 Years Birth Place  Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States Zodiac Sign  Saggitarius Marital Status Married Wife Mandy Shanahan Net Worth $20Million

Kyle Shanahan  Height, Weight

Kyle is 6 Feet 2 Inches tall and his weight is 81 kg. His eye color is Hazel and his Hair color is Black. Height   6 Feet 2 Inches Weight 81 kg Eye Color Hazel Hair Color Black Kyle Shanahan's Parents , Siblings Kyle's father's name is Michael "Mike" Edward Shanahan and his mother's name is Peggy Shanahan. He also has one Sister named Krystal Shanahan. Michael "Mike" Edward Shanahan is also an American coach.

Kyle Shanahan's Early Life & Career

He completed his graduation from Saratoga High School in Saratoga, California. Further, he attended Cherry Creek High School in Greenwood Village, Colorado. In 2003, he became a graduate assistant to Karl Dorrell at UCLA. Later, he was hired by Gary Kubiak to serve as wide receivers coach for the Houston Texans. In 2021, he was fined $50,000 by the NFL for violating practice rules during organized team activities. Kyle Shanahan's Net Worth His net worth is $4 Million approx. He earns through his profession which is serving as a coach of football. He is very famous among all the football coaches. Kyle Shanahan Ethnicity, Nationality Kyle's nationality is American and his ethnicity is White. He follows Roman Catholicism. Nationality American Ethnicity White Religion Roman Catholicism Kyle Shanahan 's Social Media Account  Instagram   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Kyle Shanahan (@kyleshanahan49) FAQ About Kyle Shanahan   Q.1 Who is Kyle Shanahan ?  Ans. Kyle Shanahan is an  American football coach. Q.2 Where did Kyle Shanahan play football? Ans. Kyle Shanahan Plays football at San Francisco. Q.3 Where did Kyle Shanahan come from? Ans. Kyle Shanahan is born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Q.4 How old is Kyle Shanahan? Ans. Kyle Shanahan is 42 years old as of 2022. Q.5  Is Kyle Shanahan married? Ans. Kyle Shanahan is married to Mandy Shanahan. Read Also:- Adrian Martinez's Girlfriend Read the full article