Mr.Bottomtooth
05-27-2007, 09:33 AM
http://dallasbasketball.com/newmainArticle.asp?id=133
'Del's Farewell Tour'
DB.com Scoop: Harris Interview
By Mike Fisher -- DB.com
Del Harris had been planning his retirement from the Mavs for the past year “to write a new chapter in my life,’’ he says. But that was before Mark Cuban became Del’s co-author.
“I’m going to take a year off and see if I still want to do something,’’ Harris tells DallasBasketball.com in an exclusive interview announcing his departure from the Dallas bench. “But Mark is making it so I can still be part of the Mavericks family, and I’m overwhelmed by that.’’
Harris, voted the NBA’s top assistant in three of the last four seasons by NBA general managers, is credited with serving as an important buffer between the high-profile owner and the strong-willed former coach Don Nelson. For the last three seasons, he’s served as a mentor (and probably a buffer, too) for volatile young head coach Avery Johnson. And all the while, he’s been an invaluable resource to Cuban, from front office to locker room.
For that reason, Harris – who was already the NBA’s highest-paid assistant – will now be a highly-paid consultant. Cuban essentially politely refused Harris’ offer of retirement, countering with a handshake offer that allows Del to remain with the organization in a capacity of his own design.
“For Mark to show this sort of appreciation towards me,’’ Harris says, “it’s overwhelming, really.’’
Cuban’s generosity in these types of matters is well-known. But it might come as a surprise to some, in that Del is seen in some quarters as a “Nellie guy,’’ and because the door remains somewhat open for Harris to change jobs in the future. Clearly, Cuban appreciates the classy way with which Harris is able to both maintain his friendships with those outside the organization and his loyalty to those within it.
Harris is among the NBA’s most sophisticated and eclectic figures. He’s a member of four Hall of Fames, has his Screen Actors Guild card, speaks fluent Spanish, is an icon in China for his work with Yao Ming and their national team, possesses the demeanor, devotion and religious education of a minister and, to top it off, has 556 wins as an NBA head coach.
“I suppose I might coach again some day,’’ says Harris, who will be 70 next month. “Maybe I’ll just lay out for a year. But I don’t know what the future holds. I know we love it here.’’
Harris and wife Ann are in the process of building a new (and smaller) home in Frisco. Son Nik is going to be a senior in high school, and Del desires to be more involved there. Nik missed the second half of his season last year with a viral infection, and “I wasn’t able to be there,’’ Harris says. “I want to be able to be there.’’
Harris – well-connected in the NBA, with his son Larry serving as the Milwaukee GM and his close friend Don Nelson in Golden State -- says there is no truth to rumors that he has pursued other NBA jobs. One report claimed he was interviewing in Indiana. In fact, he tells DB.com, he was in Indiana for four days visiting friends and relatives (Harris received his masters degree from IU) but had no contact with the Pacers.
Harris is clearly proud of his diverse and notable NBA career, including the relationships he has with literally hundreds of NBA people, the development of Avery and his involvement in the rise of the Mavs.
“It’s all good,’’ Harris says. “This is going to continue to be a very good basketball team. We just ran into the wrong matchup (with Golden State) at the wrong time, and performed poorly while doing it. You go over the disappointments, though, and outside of a few playoff losses, there aren’t very many. Over the course of seven years, I feel like we’ve built something very special here.’’
His plan to step away from the bench has been so entrenched in his mind that he nearly made an announcement about it at the beginning of the season.
“The perfect way to do it was for us to win an NBA Championship this year,’’ Harris says. “And then retire right there. It doesn’t get any better than that, probably.’’
But, Harris adds, laughing, “Short of that, announcing a year ago that I was retiring wouldn’t have had much impact, I don’t think. It’s not like they were going to put on a Del Harris Farewell Tour around the league, right?’’
'Del's Farewell Tour'
DB.com Scoop: Harris Interview
By Mike Fisher -- DB.com
Del Harris had been planning his retirement from the Mavs for the past year “to write a new chapter in my life,’’ he says. But that was before Mark Cuban became Del’s co-author.
“I’m going to take a year off and see if I still want to do something,’’ Harris tells DallasBasketball.com in an exclusive interview announcing his departure from the Dallas bench. “But Mark is making it so I can still be part of the Mavericks family, and I’m overwhelmed by that.’’
Harris, voted the NBA’s top assistant in three of the last four seasons by NBA general managers, is credited with serving as an important buffer between the high-profile owner and the strong-willed former coach Don Nelson. For the last three seasons, he’s served as a mentor (and probably a buffer, too) for volatile young head coach Avery Johnson. And all the while, he’s been an invaluable resource to Cuban, from front office to locker room.
For that reason, Harris – who was already the NBA’s highest-paid assistant – will now be a highly-paid consultant. Cuban essentially politely refused Harris’ offer of retirement, countering with a handshake offer that allows Del to remain with the organization in a capacity of his own design.
“For Mark to show this sort of appreciation towards me,’’ Harris says, “it’s overwhelming, really.’’
Cuban’s generosity in these types of matters is well-known. But it might come as a surprise to some, in that Del is seen in some quarters as a “Nellie guy,’’ and because the door remains somewhat open for Harris to change jobs in the future. Clearly, Cuban appreciates the classy way with which Harris is able to both maintain his friendships with those outside the organization and his loyalty to those within it.
Harris is among the NBA’s most sophisticated and eclectic figures. He’s a member of four Hall of Fames, has his Screen Actors Guild card, speaks fluent Spanish, is an icon in China for his work with Yao Ming and their national team, possesses the demeanor, devotion and religious education of a minister and, to top it off, has 556 wins as an NBA head coach.
“I suppose I might coach again some day,’’ says Harris, who will be 70 next month. “Maybe I’ll just lay out for a year. But I don’t know what the future holds. I know we love it here.’’
Harris and wife Ann are in the process of building a new (and smaller) home in Frisco. Son Nik is going to be a senior in high school, and Del desires to be more involved there. Nik missed the second half of his season last year with a viral infection, and “I wasn’t able to be there,’’ Harris says. “I want to be able to be there.’’
Harris – well-connected in the NBA, with his son Larry serving as the Milwaukee GM and his close friend Don Nelson in Golden State -- says there is no truth to rumors that he has pursued other NBA jobs. One report claimed he was interviewing in Indiana. In fact, he tells DB.com, he was in Indiana for four days visiting friends and relatives (Harris received his masters degree from IU) but had no contact with the Pacers.
Harris is clearly proud of his diverse and notable NBA career, including the relationships he has with literally hundreds of NBA people, the development of Avery and his involvement in the rise of the Mavs.
“It’s all good,’’ Harris says. “This is going to continue to be a very good basketball team. We just ran into the wrong matchup (with Golden State) at the wrong time, and performed poorly while doing it. You go over the disappointments, though, and outside of a few playoff losses, there aren’t very many. Over the course of seven years, I feel like we’ve built something very special here.’’
His plan to step away from the bench has been so entrenched in his mind that he nearly made an announcement about it at the beginning of the season.
“The perfect way to do it was for us to win an NBA Championship this year,’’ Harris says. “And then retire right there. It doesn’t get any better than that, probably.’’
But, Harris adds, laughing, “Short of that, announcing a year ago that I was retiring wouldn’t have had much impact, I don’t think. It’s not like they were going to put on a Del Harris Farewell Tour around the league, right?’’