Donnell Harvey

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I know some on the list are hoping the Blount deal brings Donnell Harvey
with it. I remember he was pretty impressive during Florida's run to the
national title game when he was a freshman, but he's one of those undersized
power forwards with absolutely no chance of playing small forward (no ball
skills). Anyway, this story from a couple of days ago discusses Harvey's
continuing struggles.-Mark



Growing pains hamper Harvey 
Nuggets forward still struggles with inconsistent effort 
By Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News
February 18, 2003 
SAN ANTONIO - Pardon Billy Donovan if he sometimes wonders what might have
been. 
His University of Florida basketball team was ranked No. 1 in the nation two
weeks ago and remains in the Top 10. If forward Donnell Harvey had not
bolted to the NBA early, he now would be a senior and the Gators likely
would be a favorite to win the NCAA title. 
Of course, it's unrealistic these days to count on any NBA prospect hanging
around ivy-covered walls for four years or even three. But if Donovan only
had been able to keep Harvey until he was a sophomore . . . 
"I really thought Donnell should have (had) a little more (college
experience), and I think maybe people around Donnell thought the same
thing," the Florida coach said of Harvey, now in his third NBA season with
the Denver Nuggets. 
"That was a decision he decided to make on his own, that he thought was best
for his family, and I didn't feel like it was my place to tell him he was
making a wrong decision. Could he have used another year of development and
growth? Absolutely." 
Harvey is considered by many to be a prime example of a player who entered
the NBA much too early. As a Florida freshman in 1999-2000, he was solid but
hardly spectacular as he averaged 10.1 points and 7.0 rebounds. 
Then Harvey turned pro. He was taken by New York with the No. 22 pick, his
reputation perhaps keeping him from dropping into the second round. Harvey
was the top-rated high school player in the country when he was a senior at
Randolph Clay High School in Cuthbert, Ga. 
Harvey was dealt by the Knicks to Dallas on the day he was drafted. 
After playing sparingly with the Mavericks for 1 = seasons, he was traded to
Denver in February 2002. 
In portions of two seasons with the Nuggets, Harvey has driven coaches batty
with his inconsistency. During a three-game stretch in late January, Harvey
averaged 14.7 points. Soon after, though, he had a five-game stretch in
which he averaged 4.4 points on 9-for-27 shooting. 
"He needs to do something," Nuggets coach Jeff Bzdelik said before his
team's game at New Orleans on Sunday. "He needs to move better without the
basketball. He needs to continue to work on his game. He needs to run the
court with more consistency. He's getting the opportunity. It's up to him." 
Despite having more struggles than successes, Harvey has started 12 of the
Nuggets' past 13 games. But Bzdelik often has yanked him early, including
playing him only 7 minutes in a start last week against the Los Angeles
Lakers. 
Harvey might have gotten the message. In Denver's 100-92 loss to the
Hornets, he went 7-for-8 for 14 points. 
" 'D' was very active," said 
Bzdelik, who didn't use Harvey in the final 17 minutes Sunday. "He had his
juices flowing." 
It remains to be seen how long they will flow with the Nuggets, who face San
Antonio tonight at the SBC Center (6:30 MST, Fox Sports Net). The Nuggets
didn't pick up Harvey's option for next season, making him an unrestricted
free agent July 1. It's not out of the question he could be dealt by the
NBA's trading deadline Thursday. 
Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe insists he hasn't given up on
Harvey, that the decision to pass on his option was to give the team more
salary-cap flexibility. 
"He's going to be up and down, being a young player," Vandeweghe said. "But
he has flashes where he's pretty darn good." 
Asked if Harvey should have stayed in school longer, Vande- weghe said, "I
vote for everybody to stay in school." 
The soft-spoken Harvey shrugs when asked the same question. 
"Leaving early has nothing to do with it," said Harvey, who has seasonal
averages of 7.7 points and 4.9 rebounds. "Even great players have to wait.
When your time comes, you've got to take advantage of it." 
Staying at Florida might have helped Harvey develop his still-crude
offensive skills. During what would have been his sophomore season, he
languished on the bench for the Mavericks, averaging 1.2 points in 18 games.
It wasn't until Harvey came to Denver that he began playing substantial
minutes. 
"I think he needed to get better offensively, shooting the basketball,"
Donovan said of what he could have worked on with the Gators.