Looking back to 2000

[chumdawg]

On this most exciting of days, I thought it would be fun to look back at the 2000 draft, when so much of this wheeling and dealing got started.

The Mavs had gone 40-42 the season before, and this was (more or less) their roster at the time:

Dirk
Nash
Finley
Bradley
Ced Ceballos
Gary Trent
Robert Pack
Hubert Davis
Greg Buckner
Sean Rooks
Bruno Sundov
Hot Rod Williams
Erick Strickland

They had their own first-round draft choice, #12. They had traded their own second-round pick to San Antonio the year before, to get Leon Smith. But they owned Chicago’s second-round pick, #31, which they received in a trade for Chris Anstey the year before. They also owned the #58 pick, via the Lakers.

They drafted Etan Thomas with the #12 pick.

They traded the #31 pick, along with their 2001 first-round pick and $3 million, to Orlando for the rights to the #13 selection, Courtney Alexander.

They traded Erick Strickland and the #58 choice, Pete Mickeal, to the Knicks for John Wallace and the rights to the #22 choice, Donnell Harvey.

They traded Sean Rooks to the Clippers for Eric Murdock and the #31 pick (which the Clippers received via Orlando).

They traded the #31 pick, Dan Langhi, to the Rockets for the #38 pick, Eddie Najera, and a second-round pick in 2001.

So, summing up, they traded:

the #31
the #58
Sean Rooks
Erick Strickland
next year’s #1
$3million

for:
Courtney Alexander (#13)
Donnell Harvey (#22)
Eddie Najera (#38)
John Wallace
Eric Murdock
Houston’s second-round pick in 2001

Later that offseason, the Mavs would combine Robert Pack, Bruno Sundov, Hot Rod Williams and $3million to get Howard Eisley and Dana Barros. Barros would be used, along with Ansu Sesay, to land Loy Vaught from the Pistons.

Earlier, the Mavs had combined Wallace and Murdock with Ced Ceballos to get Christian Laettner from the Pistons.

Then in February they combined Vaught, Laettner, Hubert Davis, Etan Thomas, Courtney Alexander, and $3million to land Juwan Howard from the Wizards.

Again, let’s recap. From the start of the offseason up to this point they had traded away:

Sean Rooks
Erick Strickland
Ced Ceballos
Hubert Davis
Robert Pack
Bruno Sundov
Hot Rod Williams
All three of their 2000 draft choices
2001’s #1
$9million

and they had received (more or less):

Eddie Najera
Donnell Harvey
Howard Eisley
Juwan Howard

They now had some chips to play. The next offseason they would trade Eisley for an exception that they would use to acquire Tim Hardaway from the Heat. In February they would trade Howard, Hardaway, Harvey, 2002’s #1, and $1million to the Nuggets for Raef, NVE, Avery Johnson, and TAW.

And then, of course, NVE and Avery (and junk) to the Warriors for Jamison, Fortson, and Welsch. And of course, Welsch and Raef (and this year’s #1) for Antoine Walker and Tony Delk.

And now then, Jamison for Stack, Laettner, and the #5.

A final recap:

The 2000 draft
The 2001 draft
The 2002 #1
The 2004 #1 (#24 overall)
Rooks
Strickland
Ceballos
Davis
Pack
Sundov
Hot Rod
$10million

for:

Najera
Fortson
Walker
Delk
Stackhouse
Laettner
#5 overall in 2004

A good result? Players for players, it would seem so. What about those draft choices? In 2000, the following players were available with the #12 and #13 picks:

Mateen Cleaves
Jason Collier
Hedo Turkoglu
Desmond Mason
Quentin Richardson
Jamaal Magliore
Speedy Claxton
Morris Peterson

Some notables from later in that draft:

Deshawn Stevenson
Jake Tsakalidis
Mark Madsen
Michael Redd
Brian Cardinal

The 2001 first-rounder we traded away ended up being Brandon Armstrong. Others available were:

Raul Lopez
Gerald Wallace
Samuel Dalembert
Jamaal Tinsley
Tony Parker
Mehmet Okur
Trenton Hassell
Gilbert Arenas
Brian Scalabrine

2002’s #1 ended up being Frank Williams. Not too much else available at the time, save Carlos Boozer.

Some talent in those drafts, to be sure, but you know how unpredictable draft choices can be. On the whole the building process seems quite impressive so far. Now let’s see what the next parlay brings!!