+6
Former Wizards DeShawn Stevenson, Brendan Haywood and Caron Butler are now NBA champions, as their Dallas Mavericks knocked off the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.
In 2008, the Washington Wizards fell to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Three years later, Wizards fans can take some solace in that loss knowing that three-fifths of their team's starting lineup from 2008 (DeShawn Stevenson, Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood) was a part of the Dallas Mavericks' team that beat James' Heat and ended up being the 2011 NBA champions.
It's fun to gloat, of course, and given this city's history against James, it's particularly satisfying, especially after James' rant against his haters after the game ended. But it's also a subtle reminder that we're all finding glee in someone else failing, not one of our favorite teams succeeding. D.C. sports hasn't had a champion in one of the four major professional sports since 1991. The last real moment of glee in town was when Maryland won the NCAA basketball tournament in 2002, with D.C. United's championships being a smaller scale of that glee. It's been a while here.
That's unfortunate. For now, though, let the happiness continue. As noted here, the 2008 Wizards now have three more rings than LeBron James.
When the Mavericks wrapped up the 2011 NBA Finals on Sunday, the owner of one of the team's largest contracts was sitting on the bench. Brendan Haywood was acquired by the Mavs in a trade last season, then signed a six-year $55 million contract with Dallas this past Summer, presumably to be the starting center.
But the Mavs traded for Tyson Chandler, and Haywood failed to live up to the contract he signed this Summer, while Chandler was a revelation. Haywood graciously conceded his starting role to Chandler (a move that might not have been seen coming based on his tenure with the Wizards) and accepted his role as a back up.
Unfortunately for Haywood, an injury to his hip caused him to miss much of the 2011 NBA Finals. He was in uniform for Game 6, but he was on the bench, unwilling to play. But he is still getting an NBA Championship ring like the rest of the Mavericks.
Caron Butler was supposed to be the center piece of the trade that sent three Wizards to the Dallas Mavericks midway through last season. He was going to be the defensive stopper at small forward that would allow Dirk Nowitzki to focus on offense and play his game. For the beginning part of this season, he looked like just that.
But Butler suffered a knee injury in early January, and has not been able to play since. He's close, and with each new round the Mavs got to, there was hope that Butler may be able to lace 'em up and contribute. But he just never felt good enough to suit up in the 2011 NBA Playoffs. The Mavericks still performed admirably without Butler, and ended up winning the 2011 NBA Title on Sunday.
That has to sting for Butler. Sure, he'll get a championship ring just like everyone else, but he wasn't able to put his own mark on the series. Next year, the Mavs will be able to add Butler to a Championship rotation. That is a pretty nice luxury to have.
When the Washington Wizards orchestrated a trade with the Dallas Mavericks last year, DeShawn Stevenson was the smallest name heading to the Lone Star State. Caron Butler was a near All-Star level small forward, Brendan Haywood was a game changing defensive presence and Stevenson had a tattoo on his neck of Abraham Lincoln. But in Game 6 of the 2011 NBA Finals on Sunday, Stevenson was the only player in that trade to make an impact.
With about five minutes left in the first quarter, the Mavs were down by seven points when Dirk Nowitzki picked up his second foul and had to head to the bench. The Mavs were going to need their role players to step up and keep them in the game while their star was on the bench. That's when DeShawn Stevenson made his greatest impact. In about a three minute stretch, Stevenson hit three shots from beyond the arc, and actually gave the Mavs a big lead before the second quarter began.
Stevenson finished with those nine points on the game, but played some hard-nosed defense on some of the Heat perimeter players. Now he has his first Championship ring.
The Dallas Mavericks won the 2011 NBA Championship in Miami on Sunday night. Their roster feature three players that were n the Washington Wizards roster just a year and a half ago in Brendan Haywood, DeShawn Stevenson and Caron Butler. We'll examine the role each of those three players played in the NBA Championship in this thread.
PHOTO: DeShawn Stevenson Lobs Diss At LeBron James After Mavericks' NBA Finals Win
by Mike Prada
DeShawn Stevenson claimed before the beginning of the 2011 NBA Finals that his feud with LeBron James, stemming back to his time with the Washington Wizards, was over. Then, he went out and lobbed thinly-veiled shots at James, including one that suggested he "checked out" in Game 4. After the Dallas Mavericks finished off the Heat in Game 6 on Sunday, Stevenson apparently wore this shirt to celebrate afterwards.
The shirt says "Hey LeBron! How's My Dirk taste?" It's a reference to two things. First, it's a homage to Shaquille O'Neal's famous rap when he told Kobe Bryant to "tell me how my a** tastes." Secondly, it's a reference to when LeBron's friend Jay-Z recorded a rap song comparing Stevenson to Soulja Boy during the 2008 Playoffs, dismissing him as not being worthy enough to criticize.
It took several years, but Stevenson finally got his revenge. Clearly, he's not about to serve that dish quietly.
(via TMZ)
Jun 13 1:30p