A Trade That Still Reverberates

Erstwhile Wizards Stackhouse and Harris Are Finding Success in Dallas

PHOENIX, May 29 -- The Washington Wizards have had more than their share of "why-did-we-do-that?" deals in past 10 years -- Rasheed Wallace for Rod Strickland, Chris Webber for Mitch Richmond, Ben Wallace for Ike Austin, to name a few -- but President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld appeared to pull one over on the Dallas Mavericks in June 2004, when he shipped disgruntled forwards Jerry Stackhouse and Christian Laettner and the draft rights to the No. 5 pick, Devin Harris, to Dallas in exchange for Antawn Jamison.

The Wizards got more than they bargained for in Jamison -- a veteran who helped lift the franchise out of draft lottery purgatory -- while the Mavericks increased their depth with the additions of Stackhouse and Harris. (Laettner was later dealt to Golden State in exchange for Erick Dampier in an eight-player deal.) After one year, the deal looked especially lopsided for the Wizards, with Jamison making the all-star team and Washington not only making the postseason for the first time in eight years but advancing as far as the playoff-tested Mavericks.

This postseason, however, the scales have certainly shifted -- with the Wizards making a first-round exit against Cleveland and Stackhouse and Harris serving as difference makers for a Dallas team that is just two wins from advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

"Stack and Devin have been a big part of our success," Mavericks Coach Avery Johnson said before Stackhouse and Harris helped Dallas beat the Phoenix Suns, 95-88, on Sunday at US Airways Center to take a two-games-to-one lead in this best-of-seven series. Game 4 is Tuesday night in Phoenix.

The would-be Wizards combined to score just 13 points on 5-of-15 shooting but came up with huge plays when it counted. Harris, the second-year lightning bolt of a point guard, nailed a pull-up jumper that ignited the game-changing 8-0 run in the fourth quarter; and Stackhouse, often classified as a stat-hungry prima donna early in his career, scrapped and clawed for a game-saving offensive rebound and a critical tip in the final 90 seconds.

"I've been known my whole career as a scorer," Stackhouse said. "I think [Sunday] night, you get a chance to prove to everybody in the world, on the highest stage, it's the other things you can do to help a team win."

In his 11th season, Stackhouse has been asked to assume a different role in Dallas than he had in previous stops in Philadelphia, Detroit and Washington, where he was a primary scorer. On a team that features all-star forward Dirk Nowitzki and numerous other offensive weapons, he has been a valued sixth man. His production has decreased, but trade-off has been more wins.

"I looked at the calendar: It was May 29, and I've never been playing at this point before in my career. It's a little overwhelming, but it's a great overwhelming," he said. "This is what I envisioned . . . getting to the Western Conference finals and a chance to go to the [NBA] Finals. In Washington, it was more of 'Let's make the playoffs.' This was a better situation for me, going to a better team and having a chance."

Stackhouse said that if his injured right knee hadn't kept him from missing 56 games his final season in Washington, he could have had some success playing with Gilbert Arenas and Larry Hughes.

"I think if we would've had that three-headed monster, I think we would've been a playoff team. It didn't work out," Stackhouse said. "But Antawn was a good piece for them. Devin added another point guard to us. It was always like Dallas was kind of a soft team. I don't think anybody ever depicted me as soft. That just helped from that sense."

Knowing that he was drafted strictly to get traded, Harris said he has never thought about what it would've been like to possibly play with Arenas. After basically serving as Jason Terry's apprentice his rookie season, Harris had a productive second year and completely turned around the Mavericks' second-round series against San Antonio with his speed after he was inserted into the starting lineup in Game 2.

"It's been a blessing," Harris said. "I took this time last year to learn the system and learn how the playoffs work and use that experience to my advantage and get a lot more playing time."

Harris had one of the more amazing highlights of the postseason during overtime of Game 4 of the Mavericks-Spurs series when he took an outlet pass from teammate DeSagana Diop and raced down the court so quickly that the midcourt cameraman for TNT couldn't move right to left fast enough. Asked if he had seen the footage, Harris laughed and said, "The non-footage, you should say."

Said Johnson of the play: "Pretty quick. I was a little jealous because I never was that quick."

Johnson also has raved about Harris's endless energy, but he praised Stackhouse for his professionalism and contributions to the team both on and off the court.

"You know, you hear certain things about players, and I always give players the benefit of the doubt and Stack has been incredible, been a good role model for our players," Johnson said. "He supposedly didn't practice, but I haven't seen it. We talked all year about winning a championship and one of the themes this year is do it for [Darrell Armstrong], do it for Stack. Kind of like that Jerome Bettis-type thing. Stack is sensing something."

Said Terry: "Big Bro is big for us, that's what I call him, 'Big Bro', because he's been through a lot in his years as a player. He's our leader, spiritually. If anything, we want to do it for him."

Stackhouse appreciates the gesture, but he doesn't believe that this is his final chance. He just doesn't know when he'll get another.

"I don't feel that my basketball clock is ticking," Stackhouse said. "I feel that I'm 31 years old with a lot of basketball left in me. But do I know from year to year, if I'm going to have an opportunity like this? Look at teams that won the championship and see where they are the next year. Look at the Lakers. You can't take any of this stuff for granted. So from that standpoint of being in this position and maximizing it to its fullest, yeah, there is a sense of urgency."