WASHINGTON – Michael Jordan figures he's staved off the
boos for a while. Juwan Howard is bidding them good riddance.
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| Laettner |
Jordan pulled off the improbable Thursday, trading the
supposedly untradeable Howard from the Washington Wizards to the
Dallas Mavericks in an eight-player deal.
"We've still got a long ways to go. I'm pretty sure you guys
are going to stay on (me) until we start winning," said Jordan,
who has endured a tumultuous first year as the Wizards president of
basketball operations. "Right now, we've just made a step in the
right direction. I've only kept you off (me) for a little while."
Howard and his salary cap-consuming contract were sent to the
Mavs along with Calvin Booth and Obinna Ekezie for Christian
Laettner, Courtney Alexander, Loy Vaught, Hubert Davis, Etan Thomas
and $3 million.
To make room on their roster, the Wizards released Gerard King,
Mike Smith and Felipe Lopez and placed Rod Strickland on the
injured list.
"Michael Jordan has made a good deal for his team. He got a
bunch of good guys and he's cut his payroll," Mavericks coach Don
Nelson said. "They gave us an opportunity to acquire a very fine
player, and we took advantage of that."
Jordan, who received a smattering of boos at a recent home game,
had been working frantically to trade one of the three veterans –
Howard, Strickland or Mitch Richmond – whose huge salaries and
long-term contracts were paralyzing the Wizards' ability to acquire
major free agents. Howard has two full seasons remaining on his
contract and will earn about $40 million over that span.
"Sure, everyone said Juwan was an untradeable situation," said
Jordan, who was swinging a baseball bat in his office as he
negotiated on a speaker phone hours before the trade. "But you
never know – when you get to a situation where a team needs a
particular player. ... He played well enough to create interest for
himself."
Howard had been a disappointment since signing a seven-year,
$105 million contract in 1996. However, he recently stepped up his
game and was a rare bright spot for a losing team. He was leading
the team in scoring with an average of 18.2 points and was second
in rebounding with 7.0 per game.
"I would say it's a relief from all the booing I've
experienced," Howard said. "It's a test of strength. I've shown a
lot of people that know me personally that I'll remain strong
through those tough times. Hopefully, no other professional athlete
will ever have to experience something like I've lived through the
last couple of years."
And, as a bonus, Howard is heading for a playoff-bound team.
"They could have put me in a situation that is totally
different from Dallas," Howard said. "It could have been a bad
situation where a team does not win. Dallas is a team that's on the
rise. As we all know, (Mavericks owner) Mark Cuban, he's a guy
who's proven he wants to turn his franchise into a winning team."
Jordan said the Wizards should be close to getting under the cap
at the end of this season – when the remainder of Strickland's
contract will likely be bought out – and that the team will be in
excellent shape to pursue free agents during the summer of 2002.
Strickland did turn out to be untradeable, having lowered his
value with a suspension for missing a road trip and a drunken
driving arrest in the last two months. He's now suffering from sore
hamstrings.
"Quite naturally, teams are very leery of Strickland," Jordan
said.
Laettner is averaging 7.5 points and 4.0 rebounds, but he comes
with a prickly reputation and likely won't figure into the Wizards
plans when his contract expires at the end of the season.
"In all honesty, Laettner is the only way we could make the
deal work. We know Christian Laettner, and hopeful he can come in
with a positive attitude," said Jordan, trying to suppress a
chuckle.
Alexander, the 13th overall pick of the 2000 draft, is averaging
4.2 points and 1.7 rebounds. He and Thomas, who is out for the
season with a toe injury, are the only two players in the trade who
would appear to figure in the Wizards long-term plans.
Booth has been a pleasant surprise with his gritty play this
season and at one point displaced Jahidi White as a starter. He is
averaging 4.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in 22 starts.
Cuban said he got involved at 11 o'clock in the morning and
didn't think the deal would get done. He's said the $3 million in
cash helped seal the deal.
"We've said all along that we didn't really feel we were going
to be in a position next year to use cap room to go out and get a
player. But we were trying to develop a base where if we needed to
make a trade we could.
"It was not a consideration in trying to save cap room. When
you're over, you're over. It doesn't really matter," Cuban said.
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AUDIO VIDEO
 Juwan Howard says he will play hard no matter what the cost.
avi: 1482 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Michael Jordan believes the Juwan Howard trade is a move in the right direction.
wav: 177 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
ESPN's Dr. Jack Ramsay likes the addition of Juwan Howard in Dallas.
wav: 763 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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