Interesting article about the Kidd/Finley trade

[MFFL]

Zaccanelli measures up to test of time
RICHIE WHITT -- COMMENTARY
Fort Worth Star Telegram


Michael Finley deserves the cash. Frank Zaccanelli deserves the credit.

You're familiar with Finley, the All-Star hub of the Mavericks. Plays seemingly every minute of every game without complaint. Go-to guy in the clutch. The player/person you actually want your son to look up to. The player about to sign a well-deserved seven-year, $102 million contract.

But do you remember Zaccanelli?

Five years ago he embarked on the most tumultuous general manager era in Fort Worth-Dallas sports history. Before he stepped down from his day-to-day duties he was the most vilified man in Fort Worth-Dallas. For trading Jason Kidd. For hiring Don Nelson. And for helping push an expensive new arena on taxpayers.

While Finley is here to stay, Zaccanelli is gone but certainly not forgotten. Even on vacation in Paris, he wouldn't let that happen.

"There are three or four major accomplishments you can point to that our ownership group can be really proud of," Zaccanelli said this week from France. "Personally, I take a lot of satisfaction in looking at where the Mavericks are and where they're headed, knowing I had a lot to do with it. We took a lot of heat at the time, but now all the positive things happening kind of validates us."

When Ross Perot Jr. and David McDavid bought the Mavericks from Don Carter in May 1996, Zaccanelli became the hands-on point man. After long-time GM Norm Sonju retired, Zaccanelli wore the interim hat. And kept it on, uncomfortably snug at times, for 10 long months.

"I was painted as the guy who had no concept of basketball, but I played the game, and I'd been around it all my life," Zaccanelli said. "I became famous for my comment that running a basketball team wasn't brain surgery. But looking back, it still isn't."

The hiring of coach Jim Cleamons, signing of Oliver Miller and drafting of Samaki Walker were all Zaccanelli hiccups. But, more important, the acquisition of Finley was his heist.

After conferring with Cleamons and then director of player development Mark Aguirre, Zaccanelli convinced Perot to trade Kidd, the popular All-Star who just two seasons before had energized Reunion Arena and put Dallas back on the basketball map. On Dec. 26, 1996, Zaccanelli announced the Mavs were dealing Kidd, Loren Meyer and Tony Dumas to Phoenix for Finley, Sam Cassell, A.C. Green and a draft pick that was used to take Greg Buckner.

Now you know why GM's implore fans to wait five years before judging trades.

"People were furious for the most part," Zaccanelli said. "But to me it was clear in black and white that Jason wasn't the guy to invest the whole franchise in. Now people come up to me and say, 'Hey, maybe you were right after all'."

Kidd, whom the Suns recently traded to the Nets for what they hope is a better point guard in Stephon Marbury, has blossomed into a first-team All-NBA superstar. Finley, meanwhile, has become Dallas' Rolando Blackman of the 21st Century for what he does, and what he doesn't do.

He does humbly lead the league in minutes played, serve as team captain, start 331 consecutive games and make back-to-back All-Star teams with one of the league's most athletic and persistent games. He doesn't whine about money or shots, ever do a postgame interview in anything but a suit, or get stopped for weaving down North Dallas Tollway at 3 in the morning with a Glock 17 in his pocket and a blood-alcohol level of Foster Brooks.

Like Kidd, Finley is an All-Star who, unlike Kidd, led his team to 50 victories last season. Unlike Kidd, he hasn't slapped his wife. Unlike Kidd, he won't be traded to New Jersey.

"I'm not shocked at all how it's turned out," Zaccanelli said. "One of the premises in trading Jason was that he had a hell of a lot of issues off the court. People don't remember that he broke his collarbone in a car accident in LA and didn't even tell us. That's not the kind of guy you make your franchise centerpiece. We realized that, and now, after gloating about how he supposedly skinned us at the time of the trade, I guess [Suns owner Jerry] Colangelo has come to the same conclusion."

After his controversial hiring of Nelson as an expensive, permanent GM in February '97, Zaccanelli disappeared. He no longer has an official capacity with the Mavericks or Perot, choosing to spend the bundle of money made from Mark Cuban's purchase of his share of the team traveling and reflecting on his extended 15 minutes of fame.

"I'm enjoying life a little more," he said. "Running the team, I was going 100 mph. I'm learning to slow down. I'll still play golf or cards with Nellie, but I was a fan before we bought the team, and that's kind of where I've naturally headed back to."

Next season, Zaccanelli will strut into the American Airlines Center he helped plan to watch the man he hired coach and the player he traded for.

Zaccanelli is still smug, still cocky and still thinks he's right.

Big difference now - thanks to Finley - is that most of us are starting to agree with him.

[TheKid]

Great article. Personally I don't think this says anything about a person, but the other day I was driving on the west side of Chicago when I heard on the radio advertising for Michael Finley's basketball camp. As EVERYONE on this board knows that's my favorite player so I decided to drive by the camp to see if I could see him and maybe get an autograph for my nephew who is a huge fan as well(I will be driving by there today also by the way because Mark Cuban is going to be there, I want to see if I could meet this man).

Anywa I get to the camp and I see all this kids crowded around this tall guy who obviously is Fin. When he stands up, I recognize Fin now has CORNROWS IN HIS HAIR!! Now I KNOW this says nothing about the person because they actually looked good in my opinion. I don't know if he plans on keeping them, but I wonder if he'd be viewed in any different way now that he has cornrows in his hair. (This also explains why the man didn't comb his hair for the last two months of the season [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img])

[TheKid]

Since I'm on my Fin kick today, I was reading an article that Joe Smith may resign with Detroit. Then I realized, I completely forgot this man was the #1 pick in the draft, and it was the year Fin was drafted. So I took out the list of people that was drafted that year, this is very interesting, it goes to show you how the draft is a hit or miss thing, here are the 20 people who were drafted before Fin.

1. Joe Smith
2. Antonio McDyess
3. Jerry Stackhouse
4. Rasheed Wallace
5. Kevin Garnett
6. Bryant Reeves
7. Damon Stoudamire
8. Shawn Respert
9. Ed O'Bannon
10. Kurt Thomas
11. GARY TRENT
12. Cherokee Parks
13. Corlis Williamson
14. Eric Williams
15. Brent Barry
16. Alan Henderson
17. Bob Sura
18. Theo Ratliff
19. Randolph Childress
20. Jason Caffey
21. Michael Finley

There are only two people on this list who averaged more points than Fin last year and that would be Stack and Garnett. On this list, there are only three players I would probably say are more of an impact on a team and that would be Wallace, McDyess and Garnett.

[TheKid]

Another thing, that year, Dallas had two picks in the first round only. They picked Cherokee Parks and Loren Meyer. Whatever happened to Loren Meyer???

[FINtastic]

Man that trade would have been great if we would have kept Cassell. We wouldn't have even needed Nash (but I still like Nash). Finley was so underrated when he came into the league.

That's interesting about your experience in Chicago. So Finley really has Cornrows? Must be why he let that fro grow out (it started looking bad there for a while). His cornrows are almost as surprising as Jerry Jones' facelift. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] But the cornrows don't change my perception about him at all. As a matter of fact, I don't see what is so "thuggish" about cornrows. It's just a hairstyle. Guys like Iverson get them because they are supposed to be easy to take care of. BTW, did you get that autograph?

[Big Boy Laroux]

i think the only thuggish-looking cornrow hair-style is spree's corn-mullet.

otherwise, it's just a style. now, oakley looked like a pothead with his, but he looks like one with any hairstyle.

we had a debate on that a bit ago (milwaukee's big three vs. ours), and most said that nash vs. cassell was a wash. they're pretty similar now. hopefully nash can stay healthy. Personally, i'd rather pay to see stevie play that E.T., even though they're both great players. Nash is just more exciting, in my opinion...

Cherokee Parks! damn... i read something about him the other day. it was something like, "how does he continue to stay in the league? well, every backup center needs a backup. that's cherokee." ahead of Fin? that's ridiculous. so many guys on that list aren't even in the league anymore.

oh, and welcome to the board, FINtastic. something tells me you'll fit in great. watch out for murph with a name like that. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[djb]

Loren Meyer..haha haven't seen that stiff in a while. I think he went to play in Europe after breaking both Ced's wrists a couple years back in the Mavs/Nugs game.

[Murphy3]

hey, finley is one of my 14 favorite mavs

[Big Boy Laroux]

14 favorite of all time, or 14 current favorites? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

[Murphy3]

he's in my top 14 favorites..once the season starts

[TheKid]

No I didn't get the autograph, and it looks like I'm not going to make it out to see Cuban either. I just spoke to a friend of mine. I love the guy, he rolled up in a limo, but got out in some jeans, t-shirt and sneakers. I was told he was with a woman and if you didn't know it was Cuban, you would have thought he was some average guy on the street.

Damn I'm pissed I didn't go by there today.

[Mavinator]

Sam Cassell's a great player and one of my favorites, but Steve Nash is already a top 5 point guard when he's healthy...

And I'm definitely a big fan of Finley's no-nonsense hairstyle. It reflects his personality and his game. I'm not gonna be real happy if he goes to cornrows...

[The Crippler]

if we would of kept casell, we could also have marion (nellie liked him before that draft) and garrity (another good shooter) assuming all things would of remained the same...

Not a bad lineup here.
Bradley
Dirk
Marion
Fin
Cassell

Garrity off the bench.

But I still like the canadian. He fits well on this team.

[Mavinator]

Nope- we wouldn't have Bradley if we hadn't traded Cassell. We currently have Nash, Fin, Dirk, and Bradley. We could have Cassell, Fin, Dirk, and Ed O'Bannon. Or we could have Cassell, Fin, Dirk, Marion, Garrity, and Bubba Wells. Or how about Kidd, Nash, and Dirk? What about Nash, Cassell, Fin, Dirk, Jim Jackson, Chris Gatling and Ed O'Bannon? Fin, Marion, Garrity, and Bradley? The possibilities are endless! Anyone have a favorite?

[PeterVesceyisdumb]

That was a good article on the kidd/finley trade. The thing I like most about finley is he is a very good basketball player, but he is a better person.

[Mavinator]

The amazing thing about Sam Cassell that no other NBA player can say is that he has been the centerpiece of every major trade in NBA history. He is largely responsible for Charles Barkley being a Rocket, Jason Kidd being a Sun, Michael Finley and Shawn Bradley being Mavericks, AND Stephon Marbury being a Net.


But what are Sam I Am's real motives?

[PeterVesceyisdumb]

If anyone doesn't believe in aliens, just take one look at that picture.

[The Crippler]

good point...I forgot that's what it took to get the mantis.

[#41]

Oh no, why did the Mavs trade Jason Kidd??? I can't believe this.

[#41]

And why Jamal Mashburn?