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Funny Nick Van Exel Story
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 4:24 am
by Kobe>Jordan>God
Story about Nick Van Exel
Seattle, 1993. Van Exel was in Seattle for a predraft tryout with the Sonics. "We had a breakfast about 7:30 in the morning,'' recalled George Karl, a former North Carolina Tar Heel who was coaching the Sonics at the time. "And Nick had made a comment in his senior year about Dean Smith being just an ordinary coach. So during the breakfast I kind of ripped him -- for an hour -- on some of his questionable characteristics in his life. I was really hard on him. He was pretty good about it, but I was really tough on him.''
After breakfast, Van Exel went up to his room to dress for the workout. Downstairs in the lobby, Karl was threatening to cancel the workout and drive Van Exel back to the airport, to punish him for his heresy against the Carolina godfather.
"So I'm waiting for him in the lobby,'' Karl said, "and he walks off the elevator wearing a Duke hat.'' He came out of the locker room and walked right past Karl without making eye contact, his Duke turned sideways on his head. "He said it was coincidence,'' Karl said. "But he knew what was going on. I said to my assistant, 'That's really bull----! But it's good bull----.' "
Van Exel had an excellent workout for the Sonics, and he went on to have a strong 13-year career for six teams other than Seattle. But this week he has been an assistant coach for the summer league team of the Nuggets, whom Karl now oversees as head coach. "He's pretty good as a coach,'' Karl admitted grudgingly. "He knows the game.''
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/w ... own/1.html
Re: Funny Nick Van Exel Story
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 4:30 am
by bullzman23
An incredibly underrated player, and one of the most dangerous clutch players of the 90s.
Re: Funny Nick Van Exel Story
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 4:32 am
by hyper316
oh how i miss van exel days in lakers, good days
it's funny to see nick van exel dominate the joes in joes vs. pros now
Re: Funny Nick Van Exel Story
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 4:40 am
by TradeMachine
NVE was the sole reason the Mavs avoided being the first and only NBA team to lose a 3-0 lead in the playoffs. He was incredible in the fourth quarter in Game 7 vs. Portland.
Re: Funny Nick Van Exel Story
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 4:54 am
by Teddy KGB
I miss NVE
Re: Funny Nick Van Exel Story
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 5:11 am
by Teens On Acid
Van Ex..my alltime favorite player.
great story...made even better because he was sticking it to our hopeless coach.
Re: Funny Nick Van Exel Story
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 5:21 am
by HarlemHeat37
TradeMachine wrote:NVE was the sole reason the Mavs avoided being the first and only NBA team to lose a 3-0 lead in the playoffs. He was incredible in the fourth quarter in Game 7 vs. Portland.
Arvydas fouling out had a big impact as well..
Re: Funny Nick Van Exel Story
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 5:36 am
by TradeMachine
HarlemHeat37 wrote:TradeMachine wrote:NVE was the sole reason the Mavs avoided being the first and only NBA team to lose a 3-0 lead in the playoffs. He was incredible in the fourth quarter in Game 7 vs. Portland.
Arvydas fouling out had a big impact as well..
Yes, as did Rasheed getting called for some silly fouls. Check this out:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playbypla ... 6&period=4ESPN still has the pbp for that game. NVE tallied 12pts and 3asts in the fourth. Man, I can't wait to get back into the playoffs next year.
Re: Funny Nick Van Exel Story
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 5:39 am
by blazersmaniac8
ugh don't remind me. I remember z-bo helped us soo much and I love nick but that series made me sooooo mad. I remember leaving with 1min left to shoot hoops screaming that the refs screwed us over (would like to see game again to see if it was me being an irrational 8th grader). I hated the mavs with my nicknames nick van a** hole, dirk howbitshy, and steve trash
Re: Funny Nick Van Exel Story
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 8:05 am
by loflin3hree5ive
NVE is the man. No doubt about that. I'm pretty sure he stuck it to the Karl and the Sonics as a Laker one year in the playoffs.
Re: Funny Nick Van Exel Story
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 11:31 am
by Point forward
I heart NVE!
Re: Funny Nick Van Exel Story
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 1:50 pm
by magicfan4life05
From someone's sig
97-98
Nick Van Exel (LAL) on defending the Stockton-Malone pick-and-roll: "Yeah,
I got a way to defend it. Bring a bat to the game and kill one of them."
Re: Funny Nick Van Exel Story
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 2:53 pm
by And 1 Amare
He played for the Warriors, lol.
Re: Funny Nick Van Exel Story
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 3:58 pm
by Mr Smoke Weed
wow more proof that george karl is an idiot
not that i needed it
Re: Funny Nick Van Exel Story
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 5:17 pm
by rayofsunshine
I thought this was going to be the tyra banks story.
Re: Funny Nick Van Exel Story
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 5:42 pm
by 4ho5ive
NVE has always been one of my favorite players. Really liked that guy. The only Laker I have ever liked as they were playing for the Lakers.
I hope he gets a job as an assistant coach somewhere.
Re: Funny Nick Van Exel Story
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 5:43 pm
by Blame Rasho
Re: Funny Nick Van Exel Story
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:14 pm
by BillessuR6
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
Re: Funny Nick Van Exel Story
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:30 pm
by Rasho Brezec
Blame Rasho wrote:
I blame Rasho for this. Look how he's quietly smiling in the back.
Re: Funny Nick Van Exel Story
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 8:02 pm
by Point forward
Just imagine if NVE had been as accurate with the basketball as with the towel... he sucked at SAS.