Bye George!
Last week the Dallas Mavericks signed Devean George, formerly of the Los Angeles Lakers, to a two-year, $4.2 million contract. Most basketball fans probably thought this rather insignificant news. Frankly, most Lakers and Mavericks fans probably didn’t care much either. But for me the signing marked the end of an era.
George started his Laker career as a pleasant surprise but he turned into a serious disappointment. He was drafted by Jerry West in the first round of the 1999 NBA draft out of a small Division III school named Augsburg. He was taken with the 23rd pick, just one spot ahead of Andrei Kirilenko. In fairness to Jerry West, Kirilenko had a contract with a Russian team and wouldn’t actually play in the NBA until the 2001-02 season.
As expected, George didn’t produce much in his first two seasons with the Lakers, playing only 7 minutes the first season and 10.1 the next. He made some progress in his third season and averaged 7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 21.5 minutes. These numbers along with 11 points and 6 rebounds in the fourth game of the 2002 NBA finals garnered him a four-year, $18.4 million contract.
That’s when the surprise started to turn into disappointment. George’s game hit a plateau after his third year and his averages hovered around 7 and 3.7. There were some bright moments like when he returned from injury during the playoffs against San Antonio in 2003 and when he was the fifth Beatle with the four hall of famers at the beginning of the 2003-04 season. But for the most part, Laker fans felt George was stealing money from the team with his mediocre performance.
Nonetheless, I couldn’t help feeling a little sadness when I heard the news. I actually wouldn’t have objected if the Lakers had kept George around for the veteran’s minimum. Right now it looks like the Lakers will be playing Vladimir Radmanovic and Luke Walton at the small forward position with Lamar Odom playing at the 4. While I like Radman and Luke, neither is really known for his defensive ability or athleticism. Having George available on the bench would have been a nice luxury.
But that’s not why George’s departure marked an end of an era for me. Aside from Kobe Bryant, Devean was the only other player that remained from the Lakers mini-dynasty. The pieces have been falling away over the years. It started with Robert Horry signing with the Spurs, one of Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak’s biggest mistakes. Then Shaq was traded, Derek Fisher signed with the Golden State Warriors, and Rick Fox was traded/retired.
I realized that the team hasn't been the same since then. But I wanted to keep some connection from those glory years. However with George gone and Kobe changing his jersey number from 8 to 24 next season, the ties have been severed. It really is a new team. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just the end and I guess all things must come to an end.
George started his Laker career as a pleasant surprise but he turned into a serious disappointment. He was drafted by Jerry West in the first round of the 1999 NBA draft out of a small Division III school named Augsburg. He was taken with the 23rd pick, just one spot ahead of Andrei Kirilenko. In fairness to Jerry West, Kirilenko had a contract with a Russian team and wouldn’t actually play in the NBA until the 2001-02 season.
As expected, George didn’t produce much in his first two seasons with the Lakers, playing only 7 minutes the first season and 10.1 the next. He made some progress in his third season and averaged 7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 21.5 minutes. These numbers along with 11 points and 6 rebounds in the fourth game of the 2002 NBA finals garnered him a four-year, $18.4 million contract.
That’s when the surprise started to turn into disappointment. George’s game hit a plateau after his third year and his averages hovered around 7 and 3.7. There were some bright moments like when he returned from injury during the playoffs against San Antonio in 2003 and when he was the fifth Beatle with the four hall of famers at the beginning of the 2003-04 season. But for the most part, Laker fans felt George was stealing money from the team with his mediocre performance.
Nonetheless, I couldn’t help feeling a little sadness when I heard the news. I actually wouldn’t have objected if the Lakers had kept George around for the veteran’s minimum. Right now it looks like the Lakers will be playing Vladimir Radmanovic and Luke Walton at the small forward position with Lamar Odom playing at the 4. While I like Radman and Luke, neither is really known for his defensive ability or athleticism. Having George available on the bench would have been a nice luxury.
But that’s not why George’s departure marked an end of an era for me. Aside from Kobe Bryant, Devean was the only other player that remained from the Lakers mini-dynasty. The pieces have been falling away over the years. It started with Robert Horry signing with the Spurs, one of Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak’s biggest mistakes. Then Shaq was traded, Derek Fisher signed with the Golden State Warriors, and Rick Fox was traded/retired.
I realized that the team hasn't been the same since then. But I wanted to keep some connection from those glory years. However with George gone and Kobe changing his jersey number from 8 to 24 next season, the ties have been severed. It really is a new team. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just the end and I guess all things must come to an end.
posted by The Pocho at 1:33 PM
3 Comments:
I like the Mo Evans pick up too. But he's more of a back up 2 rather than a 3.
Well, so much for the unvaunted end of the Devean George era, soon to be followed by the even less productive and vaunted end of the Slava Medvedenko era. To me both these guys are stiffs who were lucky to ride the Laker gravy train at precisely the right time. Still, Devean would have been worth keeping at the minimum . . . but only because by definition that is as little as you can pay anyone in the NBA.
I completely forgot about Slava. Was he even officially on the roster by the end of last season?
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