Roster DEREK HARPER
Background: In his 10 years in the Dallas Mavericks' backcourt in the late 1980s, Derek Harper helped turn the club into a solid contender with his potent combination of offensive skills and defensive prowess. In 1994 he was traded to the New York Knicks, where he played a pivotal role in the team's run to the NBA Finals. A native of Elberton, Georgia, Harper spent his college career at Illinois. He declared himself eligible for the 1983 NBA Draft after averaging 15.4 points in his junior year, and the Dallas Mavericks selected him with the 11th overall pick. One of only six rookies to appear in all 82 games in 1983-84, he averaged 9.6 points in his inaugural campaign. Midway through the 1985-86 season, his third in the league, he replaced Brad Davis as the Mavericks' starting point guard. He held down that spot for the next seven years, and in six of those seasons he teamed with Rolando Blackman to form one of the best guard combinations in the league. The Mavericks put together the first of two straight 50-win seasons in 1986-87. That year Harper averaged 16.0 points and a career-high 7.9 assists, and he became the first Dallas player ever named to an NBA All-Defensive Team when he was voted to the second squad. In 1987-88 the Mavericks enjoyed their greatest postseason success, reaching the Western Conference Finals before falling to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. Harper ranked third on the club in scoring (17.0 ppg) during the regular season and averaged 13.5 points in the postseason. The Mavs slipped to 38 wins in 1988-89, then improved to 47 victories the following year. Harper continued his fine play, upping his scoring average each season and earning a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team in 1990 after setting a Dallas franchise record with 187 steals. The 1990-91 campaign was the first of a series of abysmal seasons for the Mavericks, as bad trades and bad luck stripped the team of its potential. Harper was one of the main reasons why the club managed to win even 28 games in 1990-91. He averaged a career-high 19.7 points, improving his scoring clip for the seventh consecutive year. Injuries limited him to 65 games in 1991-92 and to 62 games the following season as Dallas fell to 22 wins and then 11 victories. Midway through the 1993-94 season Harper was traded to the New York Knicks for Tony Campbell and a first-round draft choice. He left Dallas ranked first on the franchise lists for assists, steals, and three-point field-goals; second in minutes; and third in points and games played. Although he averaged in single digits in 1993-94 for the first time since his second year in the league, Harper was a key contributor in New York, where his hard-nosed defensive style was a perfect fit. The club's starting point guard for the final 27 games of the season, Harper helped the Knicks post a 21-6 record during that stretch. He averaged 11.4 points during New York's playoff run and starred in the NBA Finals, averaging 16.4 points in a seven-game loss to the Houston Rockets. He was a solid presence in 1994-95, averaging 11.5 points and 5.7 assists. Transactions: Selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round (11th pick overall) of the 1983 NBA Draft. Traded by the Mavericks to the New York Knicks for Tony Campbell and a 1997 first-round draft choice on 1/6/94. 1994-95: Harper, who was 33 years old when the season started, weathered his 12th season in fine fashion. He led the New York Knicks in assists in 44 games and topped the club with an average of 5.7 per game. After his scoring average slipped below 10 points per game in 1993-94 to end a run of eight consecutive seasons of double-digit scoring averages, he upped his offensive output to 11.5 points per game in 1994-95. He collected a career-low 79 steals, but that was the second-best total on the team, and it gave him 1,618 thefts for his career. He finished the year in the 10th spot on the NBA's all-time steals list, only 20 behind No. 9 Gus Williams. Harper turned in some of his best games of the year in January, when he recorded season highs for assists (13 against the Indiana Pacers) and points (26 against the Golden State Warriors). The Knicks' starting point guard in the first 80 games of the season, he sat out the final two games after suffering an injury to his left ankle and left shin. Harper turned in a fine postseason performance for the Knicks, as the club fought past the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs before falling to the Indiana Pacers in the conference semifinals. He shot .657 from the field in four games against the Cavs, including a scorching .643 mark from three-point range. In Game 4 he victimized Cleveland for 30 points, hitting 7 of 10 attempts from long range. He continued to stroke the ball well from downtown against the Pacers, sinking 18 of 33 treys for a .545 percentage. After being ejected in Game 1, he came back to lead the Knicks in scoring in Game 2 with 24 points. In 11 playoff games he averaged 14.3 points and 5.6 assists. 1993-94: Throughout the early part of the 1993-94 season the Dallas Mavericks made no secret of the fact that Harper was on the trading block. Dallas wanted to rebuild with youth, and it also wanted to give the 11-year veteran a chance to play for a contender. When the New York Knicks lost Doc Rivers to a season-ending knee injury in mid-December, they came after Harper. On January 6 Dallas sent Harper to New York for Tony Campbell and a conditional 1997 first-round draft pick. Harper departed the Mavericks as the team's all-time leader in assists (4,790), steals (1,459), and three-point field goals (645). In New York he was reunited with Rolando Blackman, with whom he started in the Dallas backcourt from the middle of the 1985-86 season through 1990-91. In his first 27 games with the Knicks, Harper learned Coach Pat Riley's system while coming off the bench as a backup to Greg Anthony. On March 1 Harper moved into the starting lineup for the rest of the season and the playoffs. During his 54 regular-season games in New York, Harper averaged 8.6 points and 4.4 assists. When the Knicks acquired Harper, they thought he could help them win a championship, and Harper nearly did just that. He was outstanding throughout the postseason, particularly in the NBA Finals against the Houston Rockets. Harper's 18-point effort in Game 2 at Houston, which included 4 three-pointers in 6 attempts, helped the Knicks pull out a crucial 91-83 road victory. For the seven-game series, Harper averaged 16.0 points, 6.0 assists, and 2.43 steals while hitting on 17 of his 39 three-point attempts (.436). The Knicks lost the series, despite Harper's team-high 23 points in the pivotal Game 7. 1992-93: The Mavericks traded Rolando Blackman to the New York Knicks in the offseason, leaving Harper as the last remnant of the Mavericks' glory years. Now the "old man" in Dallas, Harper provided leadership on a young team that would finish with the league's worst record (11-71). Playing in his 10th NBA season, Harper led the Mavericks in scoring with 18.2 points per game. He broke his own club record with 101 three-point field goals, but he also set a personal high with 20 missed games due to injury or illness. Hamstring and groin strains bothered him in training camp, and then plagued him during three separate stretches during the season. The Mavericks went 3-17 in the 20 games Harper missed. Harper led the team in steals (80) for the 10th straight year and in assists (5.4 apg) for the seventh consecutive season. He totaled 1,126 points for the year, joining Blackman as the only two Mavericks to score at least 1,000 points in seven straight seasons (Blackman did it 11 times). 1991-92: Harper missed only 14 games in his first eight NBA seasons, but he sat out 17 times in 1991-92 with a sprained right wrist. He suffered the injury in February but didn't miss a game until March 10, after which he was sidelined for 17 of the Mavericks' final 21 games. The veteran point guard averaged 17.7 points and 5.7 assists while recording at least 100 steals (101) for the eighth straight season. He started well, scoring 19.7 points per game in his first 41 games, then slowed to a 14.4 clip in his last 24 appearances. Harper scored his 10,000th career point and logged 16 assists against the Milwaukee Bucks on January 22. He scored a season-high 38 points against the Golden State Warriors on January 18. 1990-91: Harper became the first player in NBA history to increase his scoring output in each of his first eight seasons when he averaged a career-high 19.7 points in 1990-91. He had been tied with Alex English and Kevin McHale, both of whom made improvements in each of their first seven campaigns. A once mighty Dallas team began to unravel in 1990-91, finishing 28-54 and out of the NBA Playoffs. Harper and team scoring leader Rolando Blackman (19.9 ppg) tried their best to steady the ship, with Harper leading the team in steals (147) and assists (7.1 apg) for the fifth straight season. The eight-year veteran scored in double figures 75 times in 77 appearances, with a season high of 34 points at the Utah Jazz on April 10. 1989-90: Basketball Digest dubbed Harper the NBA's "best guard defending the ball" during the 1989-90 season. Indeed, Harper was a demon in his seventh season, recording a franchise-record 187 steals and earning a berth on the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Harper ranked fifth in the NBA in steals average (2.28 per game) and held opposing point guards to 12.6 points per game and .416 shooting. But his contributions weren't limited to the defensive end. Harper ranked second on the team in scoring (18.0 ppg), behind Rolando Blackman's 19.4, and contributed 7.4 assists per contest. He rained in a career-high 42 points in a triple-overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on December 29. Dallas returned to the playoffs in 1990 after a one-year absence, but the Mavericks were swept by Portland in the first round. Harper contributed 19.3 points and 7.7 assists per game in the postseason. 1988-89: The Mavericks struggled through a difficult season in 1988-89, finishing at 38-44 and out of the NBA Playoffs for the first time in six years. The team suffered from injuries and suspensions throughout the year, but Harper was a constant. He started in all 81 of his appearances and averaged 17.3 points and 7.0 assists. The six-year veteran led the Mavericks in steals (172) and three-point shooting (99-of-278, .356), ranking 13th in the league in steals and seventh in three-pointers made. He broke his own franchise single-season steals record for the fifth straight year, and he competed in the Long Distance Shootout at the NBA All-Star Weekend, finishing fifth. Harper scored a season-high 38 points on January 9 against the Philadelphia 76ers and set a club record with 18 assists on December 29 against the Boston Celtics. 1987-88: Harper got the Mavericks off to a good start by nailing a 25-foot three-point shot with one second remaining to beat the Utah Jazz, 95-93, in the season opener. The club went on to win 53 games and make its longest postseason run ever. Harper started all 82 regular-season games in his fifth NBA season, finishing with averages of 17.0 points and 7.7 assists per game. He ranked 10th in the NBA in steals (2.05 per game) and led the Mavericks in four statistical categories-minutes played (37.0 per game), steals, assists, and three-pointers (60-of-192, .313). The Mavericks reached the Western Conference Semifinals for the second time in the past three seasons, and this year they came within one game of the NBA Finals when they pushed the Los Angeles Lakers to the limit in a seven-game conference finals. The Lakers won Game 7 and the series, despite a 35-point effort from Harper in the Mavericks' Game 4 victory. 1986-87: In the midst of his first full season as a starter, Harper signed a 10-year contract extension with the Mavericks on January 26. He teamed with Rolando Blackman to form a formidable Dallas backcourt, helping the Mavericks to a 55-27 record and their first-ever Midwest Division championship. Harper continued to improve in nearly every category, finishing with averages of 16.0 points, 7.9 assists, and 2.17 steals per game. Known around the league as a tenacious defender, the four-year veteran finished seventh in the NBA in steals and earned a berth on the NBA All-Defensive Second Team at season's end. Dallas had high hopes for the postseason but fell to the Seattle SuperSonics in a four-game first-round series. Harper scored 30 points in Game 3 against the Sonics and contributed 16.5 points per game overall. 1985-86: Harper served as a backup to Brad Davis for his first 2½ seasons, but the tables turned on January 22, 1986. Coach Dick Motta made Harper the starting point guard for a game against the Los Angeles Clippers, and Harper remained in that role for the rest of the season-and the rest of his 10½-year Dallas career. Harper finished the year with averages of 12.2 points and 5.3 assists per game. He led the Mavericks in steals (153) for the third consecutive season while ranking second in assists and field-goal percentage (.534). The Mavericks advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals for the second time in three seasons, eliminating the Utah Jazz in four games before dropping a six-game series to the Los Angeles Lakers. In Game 3 against the Lakers, Harper hit a three-pointer with 46 seconds left to tie the game at 105-105, then hit another with 3 seconds remaining to win it. He started all 10 postseason games and averaged 13.4 points and 7.6 assists. 1984-85: Harper continued to serve as a backup to starting point guard Brad Davis, coming off the bench in 81 of 82 games and averaging 9.6 points and 4.4 assists in 27.0 minutes per game. The second-year guard led the Mavericks in field-goal percentage (.520) and steals (144) while ranking second on the team in assists. During one six-game stretch in December, Harper collected 25 steals, including a season-high 7 against the Bucks in Milwaukee on December 18. He notched his season scoring high with 22 points against the Bullets in Washington on January 24. Dallas advanced to the playoffs for the second straight year but lost to the Portland Trail Blazers in a four-game first-round series. Harper averaged 6.5 points and 5.0 assists in the postseason. 1983-84: Derek Harper led the University of Illinois to a 60-30 record in his three collegiate seasons. The 6-foot-4 point guard also led the Big Ten Conference in steals as a sophomore and a junior, and he earned Second-Team All-America honors in 1982-83 after averaging 15.4 points. Harper passed up his senior season to enter the 1983 NBA Draft, and the Dallas Mavericks selected him with the 11th overall pick, shortly after they picked Dale Ellis at No. 9. The two new Mavericks helped Dallas to the first winning record (43-39) in the franchise's four-year existence. Harper played caddie to incumbent point guard Brad Davis in his rookie season, coming off the bench in 81 of 82 appearances and averaging 5.7 points and 2.9 assists in 20.9 minutes per game. Dallas advanced to the postseason for the first time in franchise history. After the Mavericks upset the Seattle SuperSonics in a five-game first-round series, Harper made a critical mistake in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers. With time running out in regulation, Harper mistakenly thought Dallas was ahead, 109-108, when the score was actually tied at 108. He dribbled out the last 6 seconds, allowing the game to go into overtime. The Lakers won in overtime, 122-115, to take a three-games-to-one lead in the series. Los Angeles won the next game and advanced to the conference finals.
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