Van Exel interview/article - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

Hoopsmeister · 03-07-2002, 05:56 PM

What do people think of Nick Van Exel?

"Probably spoiled," Nick Van Exel says. "A little rich kid or whatever."

There are guys in the league who have terrible reputations, and those reps are steeled in some truth. But they don't run away from them. Rod Strickland is one of those kind of guys. So is Van Exel. He's out of hell (civilians know it as "Denver&quot

and playing for a contender, and he knows that many people think he's a jerk and a coach-killer, and he wishes that weren't the case, but there's not a lot he can do about it, because he can't do interviews with everybody in the world to change their minds.

"I got a negative reputation, and I put myself in those situations," he says. "Do I think I can get out of those situations? I don't know. But I know personally, that's not my character, not the way I am. The way I'm perceived is not the way I am."

Van Exel says now that he made a mistake by being so public with his demands to be traded. But he also disagrees with the notion that his $77 million contract should have been enough to keep him warm on those losing nights. That he should have just shut up and played.

"I did play," he retorts. "I played hurt. I played with two bad groins. Bad knee, back, played hurt all the time. I got (Antonio) McDyess here. I did a lot for that team and that franchise, but people tend to forget that...it's real hard to separate the two because people don't know me as a person. They only see me as a player. They only see me arguing with Del (Harris). They only see me talking about a trade or something like that. That's just how it is."

Van Exel knows he has been guilty of bad decisions. Lots of them. From shoving Ronnie Garretson to feuding with Harris his last two seasons in L.A., to seemingly encouraging a spat with Nuggets fans by asking for more boos when they rained down on him in the Pepsi Center this season. The losing ate at him.

"I would just, after games, go straight home. I wouldn't want to be seen in public," he says. "I just think losing really tears me up inside, because I put a lot of pressure on myself to win, to succeed, and it was just eating me up. I wouldn't want to been seen. I'd go straight home from practice and not leave the house until the next morning when I had to go to practice. Then come back home."

The Mavericks are adamant about their claim that Harris was adamant about getting Van Exel if he was at all available. For his part, Van Exel thought he would wind up in Minnesota after he couldn't reach an agreement with Boston on how to recoup money he agreed to defer from the last two years of his contract. (He deferred about $2 million with Dallas, which will repay him over a four-year period after he retires.)

And one of the first people Van Exel says he sought out when he arrived in Dallas was Harris.

"One thing I told Del was that was a big learning experience, for him to say 'Nick is a good person,' " Van Exel says. "Even though we had our little spats in L.A., he's definitely a good person, and that was a big step to mend our relationship."

Don Nelson says he doesn't know how he'll use Van Exel, except that he'll use him often. It's likely that he may play Van Exel at two guard alongside Steve Nash, and spot Van Exel at backup point as well. But Van Exel claims he doesn't care where he's used, or for how long.

"In L.A., when I got hurt, and then came back, I let Derek Fisher start in my place," Van Exel says. "Steve Nash is a great player. I can see if he was just an average point guard, but he's an all-star. So I'm not even thinking about trying to get Steve Nash's position. I just want to play. If Steve Nash goes out of the game and I come in, that's fine. If me and Steve are on the court together, that's fine."

But the spotlight is on Van Exel and Raef LaFrentz in Dallas. The Mavericks did a little more than tinker with a team that's fighting for the best record in the league. They have a lot of scorers, but they still need to get what Avery Johnson calls "dirty rebounds," the tough stuff in the paint that wins playoff games. When Shaq and The Big Fundamental are schooling you inside, it doesn't matter whether you have a DVD player in every locker or a spend-whatever-it-takes owner. Now, Van Exel can't get many rebounds. But he has a few intangibles.

"Energy off the bench, firepower off the bench," he says. "A lot of emotion. These guys here, they kick your butt, but they don't say anything about it...so I'm gonna try and bring a little toughness, get up in your face, talk a little trash here and there. But not to embarass anybody or anything like that."

--from David Aldridge, ESPN

Joe Joe · 03-07-2002, 06:20 PM

Nick just wants to win, and whos to blame him for that? He is a great guy, and an unbelievable basketball player!

Murphy3 · 03-07-2002, 06:21 PM

nick has always been a problem..but i do think he'll straighten out here.

one thing he won't do is disrupt the locker room..it's too strong for that

Flying Tiger · 03-07-2002, 06:22 PM

I typed a stupid joke in this post and am going to erase it.

ocelot_ark · 03-07-2002, 06:25 PM

Didn't take Joe Joe long to get to know ANOTHER Maverick player. Hey, are you planning on babysitting for NVE on the roadtrips?

Murphy3 · 03-07-2002, 06:48 PM

it's amazing that someone with such great mavs seats..and someone that is buddy buddy with so many professional athletes feels the need to come on here and make a complete ass out of himself on a very regular basis.

what do your NBA buddies think?

Joe Joe · 03-07-2002, 07:06 PM

Guys I would appreciate it if you had talked Mavs in this section just as I did. I know more than guys that plays for the Mavs, I knew NVE before he became a Mav. I hope the Mods take note of this, because everyone of those comments were out of line. It's very typical of some of you, which makes it even worse. Murphy, FT, and Ark you guys need to talk basketball, and don't worry so much about me. It's funny that I draw all that attention when I talk basketball. You say talk basketball and when I do, people like you 3 make comments like that. Please take note of them Mods, it would be very appreciated!

Flying Tiger · 03-07-2002, 07:09 PM

Did you not read where DJ said shut up and let the moderators do their job themsleves?

Oh...and what happened to the ignoring method you were trying out?

Hoopsmeister · 03-07-2002, 07:11 PM

<< "Energy off the bench, firepower off the bench," he says. "A lot of emotion. These guys here, they kick your butt, but they don't say anything about it...so I'm gonna try and bring a little toughness, get up in your face, talk a little trash here and there. But not to embarass anybody or anything like that." >>

Trying to get back the actual basketball content of the post after the seemingly mandatory burst of infantile static (read Joe Joe), I rather liked Van Exel's closing quote. Throughout, he says all the right things, but the close goes beyond those sort of 'standard' answers. I think Van Exel can bring something which Hardaway also brought, and that is swagger and attitude. Dirk, Nash, Finley are all top players and they will be the reason this team does or does not succeed in the playoffs, but they are all class acts--sometimes too classy. Having a player who's able to get inside the other team's heads is a plus.

MFFL · 03-07-2002, 07:23 PM

<< seemingly mandatory burst of infantile static (read Joe Joe) >>

That is a great line.

Back to the thread - NVE will be a great addition this year. The man can play pressure ball - look at his performance against a hostile Denver crowd. Whether he stays long term might be determined by how he plays in the postseason.

BTW - Nash is truly untouchable. He plays Nellie's system perfectly. The only way he would be traded is if someone offered something truly spectacular.

David · 03-07-2002, 08:23 PM

<< Didn't take Joe Joe long to get to know ANOTHER Maverick player. Hey, are you planning on babysitting for NVE on the roadtrips? >>

I liked the part in the NVE article where he said he played with two bad groins. Do people have more than one groin? Since JoeJoe knows him so well maybe he can clear the air on this issue.

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RCF is the Truth!! or was the truth or is first cousin to the truth or sat next to the truth back in grade school(a long time ago, a couple of years at least).[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

Joe Joe · 03-07-2002, 08:32 PM

I am just going to ignore some of you guys, it's obvious I am the focus of this board. I am the only 1 who is held to the rules, it's obvious noone else is. Hoop don't start BS, cause if you read the damn posts above it was obvious I was talking basketball.

Drbio · 03-07-2002, 10:01 PM

what a total retard!

Road Rage · 03-08-2002, 12:25 AM

It's tough being a martyr, isn't it Joe Joe?