Sherrington Says Great Trade Mavs

[wayray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

You won't think that way Sherrington, when Walker starts cutting farts in the 
locker room and you have to interview him....

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dallas/sports/basketball/mavs/stories/102103dnsposherrington.558dd.html

Unbelievable steal for Raef 
10:17 PM CDT on Monday, October 20, 2003 



After wondering how Antoine Walker likes a crowded forward rotation and puzzling over how the Mavericks still don't have a center and what Mark Cuban does with the $35 million he just saved himself, you come to this conclusion: 
They got what for Raef LaFrentz? 
All morning and into the afternoon, you waited for the punch line. But apparently it's no joke, not unless you're a Celtics fan wondering what the heck Danny Ainge is doing. 
No, this wasn't the perfect deal. Donnie Nelson still hasn't found anyone that can go navel-to-navel with Shaquille O'Neal in next week's opener. 
Not that it makes any difference. 
"I'd say whichever guy it is," Don Nelson says, chuckling, "he's gonna get his [expletive] kicked." 
Exactly. And here's the point: Only Houston and San Antonio have any one man who can stand up to Shaq, and Raef LaFrentz was not going to get you Yao Ming or Tim Duncan. 
But Donnie used LaFrentz to bring the Mavericks the "point forward" they've always wanted, and that's more than you could ask. 
Forget trying to mimic the Lakers or even the Spurs. All the Mavericks can do is try to be more like Sacramento, and now Donnie has moved them closer than ever. 
Until now, the Mavs have been a jump-shooting team. A wonderful collection of jump shooters, no doubt, but still just that. 
What makes Sacramento's offense so much better is that it goes through more than just Mike Bibby or Bobby Jackson. The Kings' best passer is Vlade Divac, who runs a Harlem Globetrotters routine from the post. 
Antoine Walker won't do that, but he's averaged better than five assists per game the last three seasons, along with 20.8 points and 8.7 rebounds for his career. 
No forward or center on the roster until Monday was a potential triple-double threat in those areas. 
Hey, Donnie: How do you get those kind of numbers for Raef LaFrentz? 
"Raef, in our opinion, is one of the top 10 centers in the league," Donnie says, so deadpan it'd make Amarillo Slim look like Jim Carrey. 
Makes you wonder what could be wrong here with a three-time All-Star who's only 27. 
Walker doesn't have the best reputation, sometimes throwing fits on the floor or off it. 
Played with a balky right knee last season. A little heavy, maybe. 
Hasn't looked so hot in the preseason, either. 
"He definitely has struggled," Nellie says, "and they must have had some concerns about that." 
The Mavs don't. Before he made the deal, Donnie went to Michael Finley, who works out with Walker every off-season back home in Chicago, where Walker also took on Michael Jordan's personal trainer this summer. 
Result: Finley reports that Walker has slimmed down and is jumping like he did back at Kentucky. 
As for Walker's reputation? "When you're losing," Finley says, "and the media and the fans and everybody else criticizes you, it brings out the negative in a player." 
So how do you fix that? 
"Come around positive guys," Finley says, "and you've got no choice but to be positive." 
Hey, it worked for Nick Van Exel, and you'd hardly find anyone glad to see him go. 
Even at that, Van Exel for Antawn Jamison was a good deal. This trade is better because Van Exel can play. 
LaFrentz? Never answered the Mavericks' needs, particularly for what seven years and $69 million should bring. 
Never even stretched defenses as much as they hoped. He couldn't have lured Shaq out to the perimeter with cheeseburgers in both hands. 
Still, he could be an effective center in the East, which is what Alonzo Mourning was thinking when he turned down the Mavs for New Jersey. 
No, the Mavs still don't have a center. Just a bunch of forwards, and it'll be interesting to see how they get along. 
Don't expect too much, too soon. Even Nellie says they haven't figured out exactly what to do with all the players they got in the Golden Gate deal. 
Now, just a week before the opener, life gets more complicated. Dirk Nowitzki has to play more center, Jamison comes off the bench and Finley goes back to swing man. 
But it's a deeper and more versatile team, and it didn't cost them much, no matter what Donnie claims. 
"This is a win-win situation for both teams," he says. "Danny and I just have a great relationship." 
Not if he keeps this up, they won't. 
E-mail ksherrington@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx