#Dallas Group Van Hire

[auxriders]

Why Prefer Group Ride Share?

Choosing group ride share is an excellent option for those looking to enhance their travel experience while keeping costs manageable. Services like Dallas Premium Van Transport make it easy to accommodate larger groups, offering spacious vehicles that ensure comfort for all passengers. This convenience is particularly beneficial for events, such as weddings or corporate gatherings, where a coordinated transportation solution is essential.

One of the main advantages of group ride share is cost-effectiveness. Instead of each individual paying for their own transportation, costs are divided among the group. This is especially advantageous when using services like Private Event Vans Dallas, where groups can hire a dedicated van for their specific needs. By pooling resources, everyone can enjoy a premium ride without breaking the bank.

Traveling together also enhances the social experience. Sharing a ride allows friends, family, or colleagues to bond during the journey, making the trip as enjoyable as the destination itself. Services such as Dallas Group Van Hire provide the flexibility needed to cater to different group sizes, ensuring that everyone can travel comfortably and together.

Moreover, group ride share promotes sustainability by reducing the number of vehicles on the road. This eco-friendly aspect is becoming increasingly important for those who wish to minimize their carbon footprint. By choosing a shared ride, groups contribute to a more environmentally conscious travel option.

Finally, the convenience of group ride share cannot be overstated. With professional drivers and well-maintained vehicles, services like Dallas Premium Van Transport ensure a safe and reliable journey. This allows groups to focus on their event rather than the logistics of getting there.

In summary, opting for group ride share through services like Aux Riders not only makes travel easier and more affordable but also enhances the overall experience. Enjoy the journey together!

[onyxblackcar]

Explore Dallas Wineries: Transportation for Wine Tours

Dallas and its surrounding areas boast a growing number of wineries and vineyards, making it an excellent destination for wine enthusiasts. Planning a wine tour in Dallas requires thoughtful consideration of transportation options to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience. This guide explores various transportation choices for exploring Wine Tours Transportation in Dallas, allowing visitors to indulge in wine tastings and vineyard tours with convenience and comfort.

1. Private Transportation Services

For a personalized and exclusive wine tour experience, consider hiring private transportation services. Limousines, luxury vans, or chauffeured cars can be arranged to take you and your group on a tailored wine tour itinerary. Private transportation offers flexibility in scheduling and allows you to visit multiple wineries without worrying about driving or navigation.

2. Group Tours with Shuttle Services

Many tour operators in Dallas offer group wine tours that include transportation services with shuttle buses or vans. Joining a group tour is an excellent option for solo travelers or small groups who want to explore wineries without the hassle of driving. These tours often have pre-planned itineraries and knowledgeable guides who provide insights into the local wine scene.

3. Ride-Sharing Apps

For more flexibility and independence during a wine tour, using ride-sharing apps like Uber or Lyft can be convenient. You can plan your own itinerary, visit wineries at your own pace, and rely on ride-sharing services to travel between locations. This option is suitable for smaller groups or individuals who prefer a self-guided wine tasting experience.

4. Rental Cars

Renting a car is a practical choice for visitors who prefer to explore wineries at their own pace and on their own schedule. Dallas has several car rental agencies offering a range of vehicles, including compact cars and SUVs. Renting a car gives you the freedom to customize your wine tour route and visit lesser-known vineyards or boutique wineries in the area.

5. Organized Wine Tour Packages

Consider booking a comprehensive wine tour package that includes transportation, guided tours, and wine tastings. Many wineries in Dallas collaborate with tour operators to offer all-inclusive packages for visitors. These packages often provide door-to-door transportation from hotels or designated meeting points, making it easy for guests to relax and enjoy the wine tour experience.

6. Public Transportation (Limited)

While public transportation options like buses and trains are available in Dallas, they may not be the most practical choice for visiting wineries, as many vineyards are located in rural or suburban areas outside the city. However, for those interested in exploring wineries closer to the city center, public transportation can be a viable and budget-friendly option.

Choosing the Right Transportation Option

When planning transportation for a wine tour in Dallas, consider the following factors:

Group Size: Determine the number of participants to select a transportation option that comfortably accommodates everyone.

Customization: Decide whether you prefer a guided tour with a pre-planned itinerary or a self-guided tour where you can explore wineries independently.

Budget: Set a budget for transportation expenses and explore options that align with your financial plan.

Safety and Convenience: Choose a transportation mode that prioritizes safety and ensures a stress-free wine tour experience.

Conclusion

Exploring wineries in Dallas is a delightful experience enhanced by choosing the right transportation option. Whether you opt for private transportation, group tours with shuttle services, ride-sharing apps, rental cars, or organized wine tour packages, the key is to prioritize comfort, convenience, and enjoyment. By considering factors such as group size, customization preferences, budget constraints, and safety concerns, wine enthusiasts can select the transportation method that best suits their needs and allows them to savor the flavors of Dallas's vibrant wine culture. Plan ahead, book your transportation, and get ready to embark on a memorable wine tour adventure in Dallas and its picturesque wine country surroundings. Cheers to discovering new wines and creating lasting memories amidst the scenic vineyards of Dallas!

[dallasluxurylimo]

Navigating Dallas in Style: Dallas Car Service

When it comes to getting around the bustling city of Dallas, nothing beats the convenience and luxury of a professional Dallas car service. Whether you're a visitor looking to explore the city's attractions or a local in need of reliable transportation, hiring a car service offers a comfortable and stress-free way to navigate the streets of Dallas with ease.

Car Rental Services in Dallas are plentiful, but opting for a Dallas car service provides a level of professionalism and convenience that sets it apart from traditional car rental companies. With experienced and courteous chauffeurs at the wheel, passengers can sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride while leaving the navigating to the experts. This is particularly beneficial for visitors who may be unfamiliar with Dallas's roads and traffic patterns, allowing them to focus on enjoying their time in the city without the hassle of driving themselves.

One of the key advantages of choosing a Dallas car service is the flexibility it offers. Whether you need a ride to and from the airport, transportation for a special event, or a chauffeured tour of the city's landmarks, car services can accommodate a variety of needs and schedules. With options ranging from luxury sedans and SUVs to spacious vans and limousines, there's a vehicle to suit every occasion and group size.

Moreover, Dallas car services prioritize safety and reliability, ensuring that passengers reach their destinations safely and on time. Chauffeurs undergo rigorous training and background checks to ensure that they are qualified to provide a high level of service. Additionally, vehicles are meticulously maintained and inspected regularly to meet safety standards and ensure optimal performance.

In addition to their practical benefits, Dallas car services also offer a touch of luxury and sophistication that enhances the overall experience. From plush leather seats and climate-controlled interiors to amenities like Wi-Fi, refreshments, and entertainment systems, passengers can enjoy a comfortable and pampered ride from start to finish.

Furthermore, hiring a Dallas car service can also be a cost-effective option compared to traditional car rental services, especially for larger groups or longer distances. With transparent pricing and no hidden fees, passengers can enjoy peace of mind knowing exactly what to expect when it comes to the cost of their transportation.

In conclusion, Dallas car services offer a convenient, reliable, and luxurious way to get around the city. Whether you're traveling for business or pleasure, hiring a professional car service allows you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride while leaving the driving to the experts. So why stress about navigating Dallas's busy streets when you can travel in style with a Dallas car service?

[nbatrades]

Dallas Mavericks Acquire Nick Van Exel in Seven-Player 2002 Trade Deadline Deal

On February 21st, 2002, the Dallas Mavericks traded forwards Juwan Howard and Donnell Harvey, guard Tim Hardaway, $1 million in cash considerations and a 2002 first round draft pick (Frank Williams) to the Denver Nuggets for guards Nick Van Exel and Avery Johnson, center Raef LaFrentz and guard-forward Tariq Abdul-Wahad.

After a 1997-98 campaign that saw the Denver Nuggets finish with a franchise-worst 11-71 record, the team was in desperate need of a makeover. The first piece to a fresh start was its lottery draft pick.

Despite having the best chance of securing the first overall pick, the Nuggets ran into a bit of misfortune as the 17-65 Los Angeles Clippers won the draft lottery and ended up with the top pick. Next was the 19-63 Vancouver Grizzlies.

Unfortunately for the Nuggets, they would finish with the third pick. In the draft, Denver settled on Kansas big man Raef LaFrentz. A successful piece of the Jayhawks program, LaFrentz was a unique player. 

An All-American in his Junior and Senior seasons, LaFrentz became the first Jayhawk in 27 years to average a double-double (19.8 PPG and 11.4 RPG) over a full college season.

As an NBA prospect, LaFrentz was intriguing. At 6-foot-11, he could protect the rim on defense while being able to knock down shots from the perimeter and post up in the paint.

The next order of business on draft night was the decision to add an elite point guard. The Nuggets looked to the Los Angeles Lakers and unhappy All-Star guard Nick Van Exel. Denver acquired the slick shooting and passing guard in a deal with the Lakers for Tony Battie and the draft rights of guard Tyronn Lue.

Soon after, the NBA lockout happened which postponed the NBA season for nearly three months. During the lockout, the Nuggets hired Mike D’Antoni as head coach. 

When NBA owners and players agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement, business resumed. The Nuggets made a slew of deals acquiring guard Chauncey Billups and rookie Keon Clark in two separate deals. 

The headliner of all deals was Denver’s re-acquisition of its former player Antonio McDyess in free agency. McDyess was a rising star and the grouping together of him with Van Exel and LaFrentz created a nice young core for Denver to build around.

The 1998-99 season was rough from the start. Denver lost its first four games and began the year just 1-8. The Nuggets would win some games but losses continued to mount. Denver went 14-36 in the lockout shortened season.

After playing in 12 games in his rookie season, LaFrentz tore the ACL and the lateral meniscus in his left knee. He missed the rest of the year, finishing with 13.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.8 SPG and 1.4 BPG in 32.3 MPG.

Van Exel started in all 50 games. He led the club in assists (7.4), was second in scoring (16.5 PPG). The 6-foot-1 guard also posted 2.3 RPG and 0.8 SPG in 36.0 MPG.

In the summer of 1999, Van Exel signed a deal worth a guaranteed $50.5 million over five years. The contract contained incentives that could add two more years and make the total value of the agreement worth a total of $77 million. One incentive included winning the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award.

Denver continued to add young talent to its roster, acquiring Ron Mercer in a six-player deal with the Boston Celtics and bringing in forward James Posey through the draft.

Nuggets general manager Dan Issel fired D’Antoni and took over as head coach on a three-year deal.

With a solid starting lineup, Denver had hopes to compete in the West. Early returns were positive as the Nuggets began the year 15-12 in their first 27 games. The record was good enough for eighth in the conference.

The season would quickly turn as Denver lost nine of its next 11 games to fall to 17-21. Denver would soon make changes to its roster. With the club unable to come to terms on an extension with Mercer and his looming free agency hanging over the team, Issel moved Mercer, forward Johnny Taylor and guard Chauncey Billups to the Orlando Magic for veteran Chris Gatling, wing Tariq Abdul-Wahad and a future first round pick.

The Nuggets were 20-22 at the time of the trade and continued to fall down the West standings. Denver went 15-25 in its final 40 games to finish the year 35-47 and out of the postseason for fifth consecutive year.

Van Exel played in 79 games (all starts) and was second in the NBA with 9.0 APG. He also amassed 16.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG 0.9 SPG in 37.3 MPG. After missing most of his rookie campaign, LaFrentz was healthy and rebounded to have a solid sophomore season. The big man managed 12.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.5 SPG and a team-high 2.2 BPG in 81 appearances and 30.1 MPG.

Abdul-Wahad joined the Nuggets and played in 15 games (10 starts) after the trade from Orlando, recording 8.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.7 APG and 0.8 BPG in 24.9 MPG. He missed 22 of Denver’s final 23 games after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist.

In the 2000 offseason, the Nuggets kept their core intact but saw a significant organizational change after Stan Kroenke bought the team as well as the Pepsi Center.

Abdul-Wahad became a free agent and had several suitors including the Boston Celtics, New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors. 

A double sign-and-trade deal involving Denver, the Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers nearly happened. In the potential deal, Abdul-Wahad would’ve headed to the Celtics with the Nuggets receiving free agent Derek Anderson from Los Angeles. Denver would’ve also sent backups Keon Clark and Chris Herren to the Clippers and Celtics respectively while acquiring a future first round pick. There were also proposals involving Nuggets backup guard Bryant Stith. 

Giving up three players to acquire Anderson was a concern for Dan Issel and Denver pulled back on the rumored deal.

As free agency continued, both sides had little other options and came to an agreement. In a surprise, Denver signed Abdul-Wahad to a seven-year, $43.3 million contract. 

The 2000-01 season was a year of hope for the Nuggets but there were some rocky moments ahead. The team was 10-12 after its first 22 games. But that 22nd game would be the start of turmoil.

On that night, the Nuggets dropped a road game to the Boston Celtics 104-102 in overtime. In the game, LaFrentz was awful, going scoreless on 0-for-7 shooting in 27 minutes. The big man also was a -20 plus-minus.

Soon after, coach Issel let loose on LaFrentz for the performance, reaming the center out for his poor game. The moment drew the ire of the locker room. In protest to Issel’s dress down of the center on Sunday, most of the team chose not to attend Monday practice back home in Denver.

Tri-captains Van Exel, Antonio McDyess and George McCloud made the choice. Though some players with less job security still showed up to the locker room for the morning workout, the boycott still went through.

Publicly, the players tried to play off the ordeal, claiming that they missed the practice due to a need for rest from a long road trip. There were rumors of the Nuggets sustaining the boycott into a Tuesday game at home against the Miami Heat.

A recorded quote from sophomore player James Posey made to the Denver Post was the smoking gun.

“We don’t know if we are going to play or not (in Tuesday's game against the Miami Heat). We��ll be there for shootaround and we'll see what goes on.”

The situation brought national attention to a Nuggets franchise that saw very little attention due to its poor performance over the past several years. With a new owner and a mutiny, the move led to questions about coach Issel’s job security.

Denver found a way to bounce back after the ordeal. The team won 14 of its next 18 games to rise to 24-16. The West was super competitive as that record was good for eighth in the West. If Denver was in the East, it would’ve been in fourth place.

The Nuggets quickly fell after the surprise run, dropping 12 of the next 16 games. The Nuggets fell under .500 and never recovered, finishing 40-42, 11th in the conference.

Van Exel was suspended for one game late in the season for failing to show up to a practice and a shootaround in a span of two days.

Van Exel played one more game before sitting the rest of the season due to a foot issue. He played in 71 games (70 starts) and compiled 17.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 8.5 APG (third in the NBA) and 0.9 SPG in 37.9 MPG. 

A highlight for Van Exel was a 41-point explosion against the Charlotte Hornets.

LaFrentz continued to be solid in his third season. The big man was seventh in the league with 2.6 BPG and also contributed 12.9 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.4 APG and 0.5 SPG in 31.5 MPG and 78 appearances.

Abdul-Wahad was limited for much of the year. He began the year as a starter, but lost his spot by late November to Voshon Lenard. His six-year contract became burdensome immediately as he clashed with teammates on and off the court, and coach Issel.

Limited for much of the season due to tonsillitis and eventual tonsil surgery, Abdul-Wahad played in 29 contests (12 starts), recording 3.8 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.8 APG and 0.5 SPG in 14.5 MPG.

In the 2001 offseason, the Nuggets were relatively quiet but did sign veteran point guard Avery Johnson to a three-year, $14 million deal.

After Denver’s best regular season record in some time, there was hope for a possible playoff finish during the 2001-02 season, but those dreams quickly turned to nightmares.

After partially dislocating his left kneecap late in the 2000-01 season, McDyess rehabbed the injury in the offseason. However, the All-Star forward was still suffering from tendinitis in his knee. McDyess ended up having surgery to repair a partially torn patella tendon in his left knee during training camp.

The injury ruled McDyess out until February, leaving Van Exel and LaFrentz to shoulder the scoring load. The Nuggets had a rocky start without McDyess, dropping four of their first five games. Denver looked like it was headed to another losing season.

Van Exel’s frustration in Denver bubbled up in December after a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers when he expressed his willingness for a change of scenery. The Nuggets had just lost eight of nine games. (via The Denver Post):

“I’m tired of this. Tired of losing. Tired of all these trades we've made in four years. I’m just tired of everything right now. I think it is time for me to move on somewhere else. I’m sick of it.”

In the team’s next game (a loss to the Charlotte Hornets), coach Issel was caught on camera shouting an anti-Mexican slur at a fan. The Nuggets suspended Issel for four games before he resigned from his head coach and team president posts. 

Assistant coach Mike Evans took over on an interim basis while general manager Kiki Vandeweghe absorbed more power in the team’s front office.

The losses continued to pile up for the Nuggets as the team fell to 11-26 after 37 games. With the team at 16-35, Denver decided to make a significant midseason deal and blow up its roster by dealing two of its three best players in Van Exel, LaFrentz along with backups Abdul-Wahad and Johnson to the Dallas Mavericks.

Before the trade, Van Exel had appeared in 45 contests (44 starts) during the 2001-02 season and compiled 21.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 8.1 APG and 0.7 SPG in 38.6 MPG. LaFrentz started all 51 games he played in, contributing 14.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.6 SPG and 3.0 BPG in 32.7 MPG.

Abdul-Wahad opened the ‘01-‘02 season as a starter at the two-guard. After 12 games, Abdul-Wahad went down due to chondromalacia in his left knee, a roughening of the articular cartilage. The injury led to arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

Abdul-Wahad missed about two months, returning for eight games before the trade. The wing saw action in 20 games (12 starts) and produced 6.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.9 SPG and 0.5 BPG in 20.9 MPG.

Johnson backed up Van Exel at the point guard spot. The veteran guard appeared in 51 games (13 starts) and registered 9.4 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 5.1 APG and 0.7 SPG in 23.5 MPG.

Van Exel was good for 17.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 8.4 APG and 0.8 SPG with Denver. He shot 40% from the field, 34% on 1,245 three-point attempts and 81% from the free-throw line.

LaFrentz was solid but never became the star Denver hoped for after taking the center third overall in the 1998 draft. In 222 games, the 6-foot-11 player contributed 13.2 PPG, 7.7 RPG. 1.2 APG, 0.5 SPG and 2.5 BPG. The big man shot 46% from the field, 38% from beyond the arc and 69% from the charity stripe.

In nearly two seasons with the Nuggets, Abdul-Wahad only played in 64 games, producing 5.9 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.6 SPG and 0.5 BPG. The wing shot 39% from the field and 69% from the free-throw line.

As part of the trade, Van Exel agreed to make his $12.8 million salary for the final year of his deal (2005-06) a team option.

Donnell Harvey became a member of the Dallas Mavericks after his draft rights were acquired in a draft night deal with the New York Knicks involving guard Erick Strickland. He later signed a three-year deal with Dallas worth around $2.3 million with a team option for a fourth year.

Harvey joined the Mavericks for Summer League and contributed 7.8 PPG and 6.9 RPG in eight games despite a nagging groin strain.

Dallas was a surprise team during the 2000-01 season. Thanks to the growth and development of the nucleus of Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley and Steve Nash, the Mavericks began the year 18-10. As Dallas looked to make the playoffs for the first time in 11 years, the team was aggressive at the trade deadline.

In sixth place with a 33-21 record, the Mavericks made a splash, acquiring former All-Star Juwan Howard from the Washington Wizards in an eight-player deal that saw Dallas deal Christian Laettner, Hubert Davis and Courtney Alexander.

After Howard entered the lineup, Dallas went 19-8, finishing with a 53-29 record, tied for fourth-best in the conference.

Howard played in 27 games with Dallas after the trade, compiling 17.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.1 SPG and 0.6 BPG in 36.8 MPG. Harvey had a limited role in his rookie season, seeing action in 18 games and posting 1.2 PPG and 1.1 RPG in 3.6 MPG. 

In the first round of the 2001 postseason, Dallas faced the Utah Jazz. Both teams had the same record, but Utah held a conference record tiebreaker to gain homecourt advantage.

The series opener was close in the first half. In the third quarter, Utah built a 13-point advantage midway, but Dallas came back and managed to take a one-point lead into the fourth quarter.

With 1:12 left in the game, Steve Nash made two free-throws to give Dallas an 86-82 edge. Jazz reserve Danny Manning made a three, and starters John Stockton and Donyell Marshall combined on three freebies to give Utah an 88-86 win. Michael Finley missed a three at the buzzer that would’ve won it.

In the second game, Utah took a 20-point lead in the third quarter. Dallas pulled within three points after going on a 24-7 run in just under seven minutes. However, Karl Malone (34 points) scored eight points down the stretch as Utah held on for a 109-98 advantage and a 2-0 series lead.

Facing a potential sweep, Dallas returned home for Game Three. The Mavericks led for much of the game, and had a 13-point edge at one point. However, the Jazz kept fighting back. Utah took a 91-90 lead on a layup from Stockton with 34 seconds remaining. 

Nash answered, making a short jumper on the ensuing possession. Utah’s Marshall was unable to handle a pass from Stockton and Finley stole the ball. He was subsequently fouled and made both free-throws to give Dallas a 94-91 lead.

Stockton missed a three as Dallas won its first playoff game in 13 years. Utah took an early 10-point lead in Game Four, but Dallas took over from there. The Mavericks outscored he Jazz by 37 points in the final three quarters to win comfortably 107-77 and send the series to a fifth and final game.

Utah was in control during Game Five, building a 75-61 lead with 10:50 left in the fourth quarter, but the Mavericks were not done. They went on a 23-8 run the rest of the way to win 84-83. Mavericks center Calvin Booth made a layup with 9.6 seconds left to give Dallas the lead for good.

The series win was Howard’s first as a pro. In five games, the forward compiled 14.8 PPG on 40% shooting, 8.0 RPG, 2.0 APG and 0.6 SPG in 44.5 MPG. 

The Mavericks went on to the second round where they faced the 58-24 San Antonio Spurs. In the opener, Tim Duncan had 31 points and 13 rebounds and the Spurs never trailed in the second half of a 94-78 win. 

In the game, Howard was ejected after he committed a flagrant foul penalty 2 on Spurs guard Derek Anderson towards the end of the first half. The foul saw Howard knock Anderson out of mid-air. Anderson separated his right shoulder and was out for the rest of the series.

The second game saw Duncan (25 points, 22 rebounds and six assists) dominate again as the Spurs held Dallas to 34.2% from the field in a 100-86 Spurs victory. In Dallas, the Spurs continued to dominate. Duncan and David Robinson both had double-doubles and the Spurs held Dallas to 34.7% shooting in a 104-90 win.

Facing a potential sweep, Dallas put together its best game of the series. The Mavericks took a 17-point lead in the second quarter of Game Four, but the Spurs got back into the game, cutting the deficit to 105-103 with 1:42 to go in the game. Michael Finley (25 points) knocked down a jumper with 20.5 seconds left and Dallas held on for a 112-108 victory.

The fifth game saw San Antonio build a quick double digit lead within eight minutes. The Spurs led by as much as 22 points and held on for an easy 105-87 win. 

Howard struggled mightily in the series. In five games, he averaged 12.0 PPG on just 31.8% from the field, 8.6 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.6 SPG and 0.8 BPG in 33.4 MPG. Harvey did not play in any of Dallas’ playoff games in 2001.

The Mavericks traded backup guard Howard Eisley to the New York Knicks and acquired former All-Star Tim Hardaway in a sign-and-trade with the Miami Heat during the 2001 offseason. The contract the  12-year veteran signed was three years and $10 million with the last year non-guaranteed. Outside of that move, Dallas kept much of its roster intact.

During the 2001-02 season, Dallas had a slow 6-5 start. Stuck at 12-9 after 21 games, the Mavericks won 20 of their next 23 games to reach 32-12. In that time, the team rose from sixth to second in the conference.

Howard started the first 13 games before being benched for an eight-game period to open up more time for Dirk Nowitzki to play at the power forward. Howard was soon after re-inserted into the starting lineup but he always remained an awkward fit with Nowitzki positionally. Howard was averaging a career-low in scoring.

With the team at 37-17, Dallas decided to swing a deal for the unhappy Van Exel. The key to the deal though was LaFrentz who provided shot-blocking and three-point shooting from the center position. 

The deal meant Howard was being shipped for the second time within a year. He played in 53 games (44 starts) and tallied 12.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.5 SPG and 0.6 BPG in 31.3 MPG. Dallas also sent Denver their 2002 first round pick and $1 million in the deal.

Hardaway played in 54 games with Dallas mainly as a backup to Steve Nash. He produced 9.6 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 3.7 APG and 0.7 SPG in 23.6 MPG while shooting 36% from the field, 34% from the arc, and 83% from the free-throw line.

Harvey appeared in 18 games, managing 2.1 PPG and 2.6 RPG. He ended his Mavericks tenure with averages of 1.7 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 36 contests. He shot 55% on FGs and 42% on FTs.

Howard ended his run in Dallas with a stat line of 14.6 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.7 SPG and 0.6 BPG in 33.1 MPG. The former Michigan Wolverine shot 47% from the field and 76% from the charity stripe in 80 games.

With the Mavericks at 38-17 after winning on the day of the trade, the team went 19-8 in the final 27 games to finish the season 57-25. The mark was fourth-best in the West, just one game behind the second- and third-place teams, the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs.

Van Exel and LaFrentz made Dallas’ offense even more unstoppable. The team recorded an NBA-high offensive rating of 111.6 points per 100 possessions with both players in the lineup. The figure was nearly three points per 100 possessions better than the second-ranked Sacramento Kings.

In 27 games with the Mavericks, Van Exel posted 13.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 4.2 APG and 0.5 SPG in 28.0 MPG. LaFrentz started 25 of 27 games with Dallas and managed 10.8 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.9 SPG and 2.2 BPG in 29.1 MPG.

Avery Johnson played in 17 of the final 27 contests, recording 3.2 PPG and 1.6 APG in 8.9 MPG. Tariq Abdul-Wahad only saw action in four contests where he was scoreless and collected 1.5 RPG.

Dallas advanced to the postseason for the second consecutive year and was placed in a matchup with Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Dirk Nowitzki had 30 points and 15 rebounds and Dallas used a 12-0 run at the end of the third and into the fourth quarter to gain control and win 101-94.

The second game saw the trio of Nowitzki, Nash and Finley combine for 76 points. Van Exel (17 points) and LaFrentz (14 points) were also in double figures as Dallas comfortably won 122-110.

The Mavericks looked to put Minnesota away on the road, quickly building a 14-point edge in the first quarter of Game Three. Dallas led by as much as 20 points in the game. The Wolves managed to pull within three points with just over four minutes left. Dallas closed the game with an 11-1 run to win the series in a 3-0 sweep.

Starting at center, LaFrentz posted 10.0 PPG on 54.2% from the field and 37.5% from the three-point line, 5.3 RPG and 2.3 BPG in 28.8 MPG. Van Exel struggled for much of the series, shooting just 36.8% from the field and 35.3% from beyond the arc. In 30.9 MPG, the guard averaged 12.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 4.3 APG and 0.7 SPG.

In a competition of two high octane offenses, the Mavericks and Sacramento Kings had an intriguing second round series. Sacramento went to the low post in Game One as Chris Webber (20 points and 10 rebounds) and Vlade Divac (18 points and 16 rebounds) dominated in a 108-91 Kings win.

Nash had 30 points and eight assists including several clutch plays as Dallas broke a 93-all tie with eight consecutive points in Game Two. The Mavericks won the game 110-102 and stole homecourt advantage.

The third game was in Dallas, and the Kings jumped out to an early 38-25 lead after the first quarter. The Mavericks came back with their own run, tying the game at halftime 66-66.

Both teams traded the lead in the second half, but the Kings managed to create some distance in the fourth quarter and held on for a 125-119 win. In the loss, LaFrentz had 24 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks. The Kings lost forward Peja Stojakovic to a sprained ankle for the rest of the series.

In Game Four, Dallas had an early 12-1 lead. The Mavericks led by as much as 14 points before the Kings stormed back. Mike Bibby made a layup with 31 seconds to tie the game in regulation. Finley and Bibby both missed shots as the game went to overtime.

Even with Webber fouling out in the extra frame, Bibby was clutch again, nailing a baseline jumper with 12.4 seconds left. Nowitzki missed a layup on the final play and Dallas lost another contest at home.

Facing a 3-1 series deficit, Dallas stayed in Game Five at Arco Arena, but a 16-4 Kings run towards the end of the third quarter led by Hedo Turkoglu helped the Kings take full control. Sacramento led by a peak of 17 points to put the Mavericks away for good in a 114-101 victory.

In the 4-1 series loss, LaFrentz posted 12.0 PPG on 48.1% from the field and 30% on threes, 8.8 RPG and 3.0 BPG in 31.9 MPG. Van Exel was a liability in the series, shooting a ghastly 1-for-17 (9.5%) from the three-point line. The former All-Star mustered 10.2 PPG on 36.5% from the field, 3.4 RPG, 3.4 APG and 1.2 SPG in 33.9 MPG.

After the season, the Mavericks and LaFrentz agreed on a contract of seven years and $70 million. Other than that, the Mavericks made minor moves, adding free agents such as Raja Bell, Popeye Jones and Walt Williams to the roster.

Dallas believed it had a true title contender, and the early part of the 2002-03 season proved it. The Mavericks won their first 14 games of the year and began the season a sparkling 31-5. Behind an electric offense that had four players in Nowitzki, Nash, Finley and Van Exel capable of heating up, Dallas had the top-rated offense in the league. 

Defensively, the team was in the top-ten in efficiency with solid perimeter defenders like Bell and Adrian Griffin as well as elite rim protectors such as Shawn Bradley and LaFrentz.

Though Dallas slowed down later on, the team managed to be tied for the best record in the NBA (60-22) with the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs took the first seed in the West because they had a better in-conference record than the Mavericks.

Van Exel finished fourth in voting for the 2002-03 NBA Sixth Man of the Year. He appeared in 73 games with Dallas, recording 12.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 4.3 APG and 0.6 SPG in 27.8 MPG.

LaFrentz’ role was inconsistent at times as he only started 43 of the 69 games he appeared in. The big man produced 9.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.5 SPG and 1.3 BPG in 23.3 MPG.

Abdul-Wahad was out of the rotation for much of the season, The wing played just 14 games all season, amassing 4.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG and 1.5 APG in 14.6 MPG. Johnson saw limited action for Dallas, making 48 appearances and averaging 3.3 PPG, 0.6 RPG and 1.3 APG in 9.0 MPG.

The Mavericks faced the 50-32 Portland Trail Blazers in the opening round. Nowitzki went off for a franchise-record 46 points in a 96-86 Mavericks  Game One win.

Nowitzki and Nash had 53 points combined as Dallas held off a 45-point night from Portland guard Bonzi Wells in Game Two. Late in the game, Nash broke a tie with a three-pointer with just 29.7 seconds left. The guard also made two free-throws near the end of the game to give Dallas the game 103-99. 

In Portland, Nowitzki was once again unstoppable with 42 points (16 coming in the fourth quarter) and 10 rebounds. The Mavericks controlled most of Game Three and won 115-103. Dallas had a chance to sweep the first round for the second consecutive year, but Portland had other plans.

The Blazers broke free in the third quarter, outscoring the Mavericks 33-10. That decisive run contributed to a 98-79 rout in the fourth game. Game Five was back in Dallas and the Mavericks led for the first 46 minutes and 55 seconds. But Portland went on a 12-3 run in the final three minutes and 46 seconds to win 103-99 and make the series 3-2. 

Portland continued its winning ways in Game Six, leading by as much as 32 points in an easy 125-103 win. The rout made the series 3-3 and gave the Blazers an opportunity to become the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit.

Game Seven was tight but Dallas took control late, outscoring Portland 36-22 in the final frame. The Mavericks won 107-95 with Nowitzki (31 points and 11 boards) and Van Exel (26 points) excelling in the contest.

During the seven-game series, Van Exel was second on the team in scoring with 15.3 PPG on 47.2% from the field. The 6-foot-1 guard also managed 2.1 RPG, 5.0 APG and 0.7 SPG in 27.8 MPG. LaFrentz started all seven games, posting 6.9 PPG on 41.9% from the field, 4.0 RPG and 1.3 BPG in 27.7 MPG.

Dallas played the Sacramento Kings in the second round for the second consecutive year. This time, Dallas had homecourt advantage. In the series opener, Sacramento built an early lead and controlled the entire game. The Kings led by a peak of 28 points and assisted on 31 of 44 field goals in an easy 124-113 win.

Dallas responded well in the next game as it scored 83 points in the first half and led by 21 points at halftime. In the rout, the Kings suffered a devastating blow when star Chris Webber tore the ACL in his left knee late in the third quarter and was out for the rest of the postseason. Dallas went on to win 132-110 and gained a major advantage with Sacramento’s misfortune.

The third game was a classic. Without Webber, Sacramento held a 36-23 lead after one quarter. Dallas recovered, tying the game late in the second quarter 62-all. Both teams would trade the lead before Sacramento took a double figure lead. 

The Kings were up 101-89 with 8:11 left in the first quarter but the two-headed point guard monster of Nash and Van Exel got to work. As Dallas went on a 24-12 run to close out the fourth quarter and send the game to overtime, the twosome scored 22 of the team’s final 24 points in regulation. Van Exel hit a seven-footer with 3.8 seconds left to tie the game.

In the extra frame, both teams traded the lead with Kings guard Doug Christie knocking down two treys. A Walt Williams dunk with 16.3 seconds tied the game 125-all and Stojaković missed a shot at the end, taking the game to a second overtime.

The second overtime saw Van Exel score eight points and Kings guard Bobby Jackson missed a three with 3.3 seconds left that would’ve tied the game. Dallas held on for a thrilling 141-137 win. Van Exel was the hero of the game, racking up a game-high 40 points as well as seven rebounds and seven assists.

In Game Four, the Mavericks’ three-point shooting (3-for-20) took a nosedive after making 19-of-42 the previous game. Sacramento (3-for-21) wasn’t much better from the perimeter but the Kings still led by as much as 22 points in a rare back-to-back playoff game. All five of the Kings’ starters scored in double figures as they evened the series 2-2 with a 99-83 victory.

The Game Five scene shifted back to Dallas. Sacramento got out to a good start, building a 46-31 lead early in the second quarter. Dallas got back into the game and thanks to a strong performance from role player Raja Bell outscored the Kings 81-47 the rest of the way (32 minutes and four seconds) to win 112-93.

The Mavericks had a chance to end the series in Game Six and looked to accomplish the goal early on. Dallas built a 13-4 lead early on. The Kings recovered later. By the fourth quarter, the game was close. Dallas took a 95-94 lead with 8:15 in the fourth quarter, but failed to score for over five minutes.

In that stretch, the Kings scored nine points unanswered. The run was pivotal as Sacramento held on for a 115-109 win that sent the series to a seventh and final contest. Van Exel had 37 points in the loss.

In the seventh game, the Kings shot just 42% and only led on two different occasions. The Mavericks pulled away in the fourth quarter, leading by as much as 20 points in a 112-99 Game Seven win. Nowitzki led with 30 points and Van Exel added 23 points off the bench.

Van Exel proved to be the right acquisition for Dallas and arguably experienced the best moments of his career in the 2003 Semifinals. He scored in double figures in six of the seven games and scored at least 20 points in five. Van Exel’s top scoring games were 40, 36 and 35 points.

Overall, the 6-foot-1 guard managed 25.3 PPG on 51.9% from the field and 45.3% from the three-point line. He also posted 3.9 RPG and 4.4 APG in 35.3 MPG.

LaFrentz on the other hand struggled to be a consistent presence at the center position. He produced 8.1 PPG on 46.4% FGs, 4.7 RPG and 2.6 BPG in 20.8 MPG. The center shot just 1-for-11 from the three-point line. LaFrentz started the first game and was benched for the next three games before starting the final three contests. 

The Mavericks advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time in nearly two decades and took on the San Antonio Spurs. The series opener was a battle of the big men as San Antonio’s reigning two-time MVP Tim Duncan dropped 40 points. Nowitzki had 38 points for Dallas.

The Spurs led by 18 points in the second quarter and by 14 with 8:05 in the final frame. Thanks to a perfect 20-for-20 showing at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, Dallas went on a 26-9 to close the game and escape with a 113-110 win.

In Game Two, the Spurs dominated early, building a 69-44 lead at halftime. Dallas managed to cut the deficit to nine points midway through the fourth quarter, but Duncan (32 points and 15 rebounds) stopped a comeback as San Antonio won 119-106. 

The third game saw San Antonio dominate the glass 59-36 and outscore Dallas 58-37 in the second half to win 96-83. In the later stages of the game, Nowitzki suffered a sprained left knee keeping him out for the rest of the series.

Without its star, Dallas tried to play at an uptempo pace, inserting Van Exel into the starting lineup. The team was up 52-47 at halftime. Spurs guard Tony Parker had 11 of his 25 points in a key third quarter that helped the Spurs wrestle control and win 102-95.

Facing elimination, Dallas trailed by double digits in the first half of Game Five. Michael Finley had 31 points and Dallas made a massive run, outscoring San Antonio 29-10 in the final frame to win 103-91 and keep hope alive.

Game Six saw Dallas continue its run. The Mavericks led for much of the first half and took a 63-48 lead with 4:20 remaining in the third quarter. San Antonio answered back with a 42-15 run the rest of the way to win 90-78 and eliminate Dallas. In the run, the Spurs found the outside shot off of Dallas’ double-teaming strategy against Duncan in the post. A combination of Stephen Jackson, Steve Kerr and Manu Ginobili nailed eight three-pointers in that span.

Van Exel was not as efficient in the Conference Finals, averaging 17.5 PPG on 37.5% from the field and 34.5% from three. He also posted 4.3 RPG and 2.7 APG in 38.5 MPG.

LaFrentz continued his disappointing playoff run, managing 9.2 PPG on 41.4% from the field, 4.5 RPG and 2.7 BPG in 25.4 MPG. Abdul-Wahad scored two points in three games and 16 minutes. Avery Johnson was left off the playoff roster.

After Dallas’ playoff run, the organization went back to the drawing board. Looking to get bigger across its roster, the Mavericks dealt Van Exel, Johnson, Evan Eschmeyer, Popeye Jones and Antoine Rigaudeau to the Golden State Warriors for Antawn Jamison, Danny Fortson, Chris Mills and Jiří Welsch.

The deal to add Jamison brought back a 6-foot-9 scoring forward which Dallas coveted. Though the Mavericks pursued other options such as adding center Alonzo Mourning in free agency, the team realized it would be hard to continue to play Nash and Van Exel together and have a credible perimeter defense.

After Van Exel, LaFrentz was next to go. The center was dealt along with Chris Mills, Jiří Welsch and a first round pick to the Boston Celtics for Antoine Walker and Tony Delk.

Walker was the point forward that coach Don Nelson had yearned for. He thrived in his previous coaching stops with big forwards capable of handling the ball, passing and scoring such as Paul Pressey in Milwaukee and Billy Owens in Golden State.

To get the forward, Dallas dealt LaFrentz who initially was the centerpiece of the Denver-Dallas trade but disappointed. Largely a finesse center, LaFrentz was never able to excel on offense as a fifth option. Though he was a top notch rim protector, LaFrentz’ salary never fit what ended up being his role.

Van Exel ended his season and a half in Dallas with a stat line of 12.7 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 4.3 APG and 0.6 SPG in 100 games. He shot 41% from the field, 37% from the three-point line and 79% from the free-throw line.

Avery Johnson appeared in 65 games with Dallas and posted 3.2 PPG, 0.6 RPG and 1.4 APG. The diminutive guard also shot 42% on FGs and 75% on FTs. LaFrentz played in 96 career games with Dallas and contributed 9.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.6 SPG and 1.6 BPG. The big man shot 49% from the field, 36% from the three-point line and 71% from the charity stripe.

Abdul-Wahad remained on the Mavericks roster going into the 2003-04 season but was placed on the injured list with left knee tendinitis and remained there for the entire year. Dallas was 52-30 that season and lost to the Sacramento Kings in a five-game first-round series.

For the 2004-05 season, Abdul-Wahad found himself inactive again due to the same injury. The Mavericks finished the year 58-24 with Avery Johnson—yes, that Avery Johnson from the Nuggets-Mavericks trade—replacing Nelson as head coach for the final 18 games.

Dallas defeated the Houston Rockets 4-3 in the first round before losing to the Phoenix Suns in a six-game second round matchup.

By the start of the 2005-06 season, Dallas had moved on from Abdul-Wahad. The team waived the wing with two years left on his contract. Dallas had tried to workout a buyout with Abdul-Wahad, but he refused. There seemed to be growing tension between the club and player. Abdul-Wahad felt he was ready to play, but Dallas didn’t feel he was capable with his history of left knee issues.

Half of Abdul-Wahad’s salary ($3.656 million) was guaranteed for the ‘05-‘06 season and a quarter ($1.968 million) for 2006-07.

Abdul-Wahad played just 18 games over four seasons with Dallas, averaging 3.2 PPG, 2.6 RPG and 1.3 APG and shooting 45% from the field and 43% from the free-throw line.

From Denver’s perspective, the trade put a full-scale rebuild in motion. Howard and Harvey’s contracts expired after the 2002-03 season and Hardaway’s contract was only guaranteed through 2003.

The losing would commence soon after. Denver went 11-20 after the trade, finishing the year with a 27-55 record. 

Hardaway played 14 games (9.6 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 5.5 APG and 1.2 SPG in 23.2 MPG) with the Nuggets after the trade before he broke his left foot, ending his season.

The Nuggets agreed to a buyout of $1 million with Hardaway and subsequently waived the former All-Star. Hardaway’s biggest highlight—or lowlight—as a Nugget was when he threw a television monitor onto the court in frustration after an altercation with a referee.The incident cost Hardaway $10,000 and he was also suspended for two games. 

Hardaway returned to the NBA late in the 2002-03 season for a short stint with the Indiana Pacers.

Howard was disappointed in going from one of the best teams in the NBA in Dallas to one of the worst in Denver. He became Denver’s primary scoring option averaging 17.9 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.7 APG, 0.6 SPG and 0.6 BPG in 28 appearances and 34.9 MPG.

Harvey saw a significant bump in minutes after being traded. He appeared in 29 games (four starts) with Denver and amassed 8.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.6 SPG and 0.7 BPG in 23.4 MPG.

After the 2001-02 season, Denver continued its full-scale rebuild, focusing its energy towards acquiring young players and creating cap space for the summer of 2003. Denver dealt the oft-injured Antonio McDyess along with the first round pick (25th overall) it acquired in the Dallas trade and a second rounder to the New York Knicks for center Marcus Camby, guard Mark Jackson and the seventh pick in the 2002 draft.

New York selected Brazilian forward Nene Hilario for Denver. The Nuggets selected Illinois guard Frank Williams with the 25th pick for New York. The Nuggets also had the fifth pick in the draft and selected Georgian seven-footer Nikoloz Tskitishvili.

Denver declined to exercise the $1.6 million team option of Harvey, making him an unrestricted free agent in 2003.

On the coaching front, the Nuggets named longtime assistant coach and defensive ace Jeff Bzdelik as new head coach. At 29, Howard became the elder statesman or only veteran playing significant minutes all year for the 2002-03 Nuggets. Camby was limited to 29 games that year due to injury.

The team began the year 6-24 and it became clear they were not going to win many games. The Nuggets finished the year tied for the worst record in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers as both teams battled for the number one overall pick and the chance to draft high school phenom LeBron James. 

The 2002-03 Denver Nuggets were historic for the wrong reasons. Bzdelik had made Denver’s defense much better (sixth in the NBA), but the team finished with the lowest offensive rating (92.2 points per 100 possessions) of any team in a season in NBA history. 

Behind the struggles was inept shooting percentages. Denver pulled off the rare hat trick of finishing last in three-point percentage (27.8%), last in two-point percentage (43.0%) and last in free-throw percentage (69.9%).

Howard led the Nuggets in scoring (18.4 PPG), rebounding (7.6 RPG) and minutes (35.5 MPG). The forward also put up 3.0 APG and 1.0 SPG in 77 games. Harvey had his largest role in Denver. In his third season, Harvey recorded 7.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.3 APG and 0.6 SPG in 77 games and 20.9 MPG.

Howard became a free agent. Denver expressed mild interest in retaining the veteran but with a deep frontcourt that featured Camby, Hilario and prized number three overall pick Carmelo Anthony, there was little room to go after Howard. The Nuggets instead looked to fill an empty backcourt in need of shooting and playmaking.

Howard prioritized finding a team that gave him the best chance of making the playoffs. He saw Tracy McGrady and the Orlando Magic as a viable fit and signed a six-year deal worth an estimated $38 million.

Howard ended his brief stay in Denver with 18.3 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.9 APG and 0.9 SPG in 105 games. He shot 45% on FGs and 79% on FTs.

Harvey became a free agent and also signed with Orlando on a one-year contract. Harvey finished his time in Denver with a stat line of 8.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.2 APG and 0.6 SPG. The forward shot 46% from the field and 66% from the free-throw line in 106 career games.

Nick Van Exel on joining the Mavericks (via Mavericks.com):

“I am real excited to be here. What a game tonight, I don’t know what to say other than I am excited to be here. What these guys have right now is a championship caliber team. Hopefully with these 3 new additions, we can help.”

On his role:

“It doesn’t matter as long as we win. This team here, these guys just play basketball and I just want to play basketball.”

On his relationship with Del Harris: 

“We really haven’t had one since we left the Lakers. We are definitely going to sit down and talk. I was real surprised that Del stood up for me.”

On if he cares about minutes or starting (via The Dallas Morning News):

It doesn’t matter if I play two minutes one game and 40 minutes the next game... It’s definitely a blessing to be on a championship caliber team.”

His nervous feelings for a deal to happen at the deadline (via Fort Worth Star-Telegram):

“The last three hours before the trading deadline was terrible. The last three hours I felt like I was about to throw up and I was getting real weak I was pacing the floor. I have never been that nervous in my life.”

Raef LaFrentz on joining the Mavericks (via Mavericks.com):

“To be quite honest, my head is still spinning. I am very excited to be here and like Nick said, this is a great opportunity for the 3 of us to come into a championship caliber team.”

How the deal was a surprise to him (via Rocky Mountain News):

“This trade hit me in the head about 1 o'clock (p.m.). I just said, ‘Oh, wow.’ I guess Mark Cuban had asked about it earlier and Kiki had turned him down several times, but he kept coming and kept coming, and Kiki finally gave in.”

Avery Johnson on returning to the state of Texas after stints with the San Antonio Spurs in his past (via The Dallas Morning News):

“I’m just glad to be back in Texas and glad to be back in the playoff hunt. To win a championship you have to have two MVP-caliber players. We have three or four.”

On the team’s case to make some noise in the playoffs (via Mavericks.com):

“We definitely have the make-up for it. I just have a sense that chemistry is here. To win a championship, you must have two MVP caliber players. We probably have three or four in that category and we have some serious coaching. 

“Don Nelson is one of the best coaches in the league right now. We have a lot of characteristics that it will take to win a championship. I think Mark [Cuban] and his staff have given the Mavericks a [better] chance to win a championship.”

His excitement with being back in Texas:

“I am glad to be back in Texas. This is very exciting. Even though I am excited for myself, I am really excited for Nick and Raef. Nick, some time ago with the Lakers, had a chance to be in the playoffs and he was kind of successful against my team, the Spurs. This is new ground for him and I am really excited for both of them. 

“I really think we are going to be some key additions for this team. Naturally, we are overloaded now at the point guard position. I‘ve worked with Coach Nelson four years ago in Golden State, so I know his system. I am just glad to be back in Texas, glad to be in Dallas and glad to be in the playoff hunt. I am so glad I can watch the satellite now, hoping for some teams to win and some to lose.”

If he has any tips on beating the Spurs from his time with the club:

“A few that I don’t want to give away now. There are a few tweaks that we can use in a playoff situation. I know pretty much the strategy that we used against the Mavericks. It is not just the Spurs, there are a lot of teams out there that are top in the West. I just think this team needs to improve defensively. We have a great offense here and try to stay away from those 30 point quarters.”

Tariq Abdul-Wahad on joining the Mavericks (via Mavericks.com):

“Some pretty good news, wasn’t offended and I took it very seriously. They know a lot about basketball, .have a dedication to teaching to players like me, It is really an honor and a great opportunity to get better.”

How arriving with three other players in a trade might make the transition easier:

"It makes it better, easier you know them and you get to hang out with them, but I am going to meet the other guys as well. It’s a team sport and we are going to create a plan.”

What his role in Dallas will be:

“My role is the same on every team strong defense, run the floor, make it easier for the guys. Work as hard as I can and get better.”

What it feels like going from one of the worst teams to one of the best teams in the NBA:

“The penthouse is whatever you want it to be. In the NBA whether you play for the best team or the worst team in the league, you don’t have to look at it that way... I think the Mavericks have really turned it around in the past three years. It is a great staff, players and fans... I am going to join and be a part of it and enjoy.”

If he noticed a difference in the mood around Denver when the team started struggling:

“Most definitely, I’ve been on winning teams and losing teams... It is always the same when you lose, you have an extremely heavy weight on your shoulders and when you don’t, everything seems to be smooth and happiness is around the corner. We are a team of shooters and whenever you can make three’s you can always stay in the game. Guys like Steve, Dirk and Finley will always keep you in the game, which is a beautiful thing.”

Tim Hardaway on the trade a month after it happened (via Chicago Tribune):

“After it sunk in, I was mad. I was upset. I talked to my agent, he settled me down. I talked to my wife, she settled me down. I just watched those [new Mavericks] guys fit into our shoes. We could have done the same thing. 

“But stuff happens for a reason. Juwan Howard, myself... We’re good guys, hard workers. It’s kind of hard being on the other side of the fence. But you just have to deal with it.”

Dallas Mavericks general manager and head coach and Don Nelson on the trade (via Mavericks.com):

“It’s been quite a day, a busy day. It’s unfortunate that it had to happen on the day of a game. It puts us a bit behind the eight-ball for this particular game, but we feel it’s well worth it in the long run, the remaining part of the season and also for the playoff picture. It’s also important for the future of our franchise. We thought it was an opportunity that doesn’t come a long very often and something we needed to do. 

“It was available because we have an owner, Mark Cuban, who will spend the money to get the players. I’ve made a lot of trades in my 25 years and I feel really good about this one. It gives the players the opportunity to prosper in a bit of a different style. We’re looking to get our team stronger for a better playoff position and I think we’ve done that. We’ve accomplished quite a lot with the move that we made today. 

“It’s unfortunate that we lost some outstanding players who have really helped us all in their own way. They won games for us, they’ve made our team better and it’s hard to say goodbye to those players. It’s not an easy thing; I don’t take trades lightly because you are affecting people’s lives. 

“It’s movement of families and friends, but again that’s the nature of the business and part of the business is that you do what you need to do to get your team better and I feel that we’ve done that today.”

On specifically acquiring Raef LaFrentz:

“One of the problems that we had with Juwan [Howard] was that he was a power-forward and with the lineup that I put out there most of the time centers guarded him. It was unfair to him because he was always going against a stronger, tougher, more physical guy on a normal night and it affected his performance some. When he was able to match up with power-forwards he did a much better job. 

“They weren’t going to put their center on [Dirk] Nowitzki and that caused some problems. We’re getting more of a legitimate center, not that he [LaFrentz] is a center, but he plays there quite a lot. He also can play power-forward. He’s more of a shot blocker and you’ve seen the amount of layups that we give up on a consistent basis. It’s quite a concern and Bradley hasn’t been as big of a factor this year in that department. We needed to address that and we have. It makes my team more consistent.”

On concerns that assistant coach Del Harris had a rocky relationship with acquisition Nick Van Exel when he was head coach of the Lakers:

“He was the biggest fan to do this deal. They had some problems when Nick played for him in Los Angeles, but the respect that Del has for his ability is second to none. He [Del] thought it was a move that would help us. We relied heavily on Del’s opinion. We know who Nick Van Exel is and I hope he gets along with me and I’m going to work hard to try to accomplish that.”

On trading Tim Hardaway who he has coached in Dallas and Golden State:

“Well he’s a close friend. We’ve been friends for a long, long time and he knows the nature of the business. I simply called him and told him that I made a deal and he said ‘where am I going and who am I going with’. He treated it very professionally. I told him that there might be some interest by teams in the east. It’s hard because you become attached to your players and it’s not a pleasant day when they have to move on.”

How he feels the trade elevated the Mavericks in the Western Conference hierarchy (via The Dallas Morning News):

“We had elevated ourselves to a position where we actually had a better record than our team. I really didn’t think our team is better than the other seven schmoes that we’re battling against for playoff positioning. We were just another schmoe out there. Now, I think this may elevate us to the point where it will give us a real chance to win our division.”

On adding another perimeter shooting big man in LaFrentz as a complementary piece to Dirk Nowitzki:

“It just makes my team more consistent, where I have some players who are alike in the things we like to run.”

On finding minutes for both Steve Nash and Van Exel (via ESPN):

“I think both he and Steve will play together down the stretch. Nick is a big-shot maker and a big-game player. He always plays his best against the best teams. That was a factor in our thinking for the playoff situation. He has the capability of doing that.”

On finding chemistry with so many talented players:

“Everything is going to work out. This is a very fine group of men, the ones that left and the ones that remained. We’re adding winners to the locker room. We’ll see how things go, but I’m not going to be concerned about that.”

Denver Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe on the trade (via ESPN):

“We needed a bold stroke and something that would change the chemistry and the condition of the team, in both players and the salary cap situation and our future salary cap situation.

“It was extremely hard (to deal LaFrentz). It was very, very hard... I think he has a tremendous upside. He will be a great asset to the Mavericks and he will be able to play off great players like Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley.”

On the need to get out of the middle (via ESPN):

“The toughest situation for a team to be is in the middle of the road without a good draft pick and strapped financially. You're in a box and there is no way to improve under the rules of the (collective bargaining agreement). 

“You have to create something. You have to make a bold move. Obviously, you want to make a positive move. The inherent risk was not doing anything.”

 How the team’s cap sheet was a mess before the deal (via Rocky Mountain News):

“We were in a financial box. We didn’t have much flexibility at all in how we could improve this team.”

How Nuggets star Antonio McDyess was consulted on the deal:

“I told him, ‘Antonio, being the franchise player doesn’t mean just winning games. You’re now our partner in this. You’re involved in everything that we do. It gives us the flexibility to keep Antonio McDyess, and that’s what we're going to need if we really want to keep him.”

How the team accumulating draft picks adds flexibility for Denver:

“Draft picks are assets. You either use them in the draft or you can use them in trades. We’ll have the flexibility this summer to go out into the free-agent market without risking the luxury tax, whereas before we were already at the luxury tax and couldn't have done anything.”

How people in Sacramento and Los Angeles will be mad at his trade helping a West rival in Dallas (via Chicago Tribune):

“I’m probably being cursed in Sacramento and Los Angeles. No question, Dallas just got a lot better. The Mavericks now have a team that can make a championship run.”

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban on taking on $84 million in salary commitments through the deal (via The Dallas Morning News):

“I’m more than happy to pay for it if it gets me jewelry.”

If the trade was worth sacrificing cap space in the summer for a potential run at Tim Duncan in 2003:

“You have the risk factor vs. the here-and-now, in-your-lap factor. As much as we’d like to have Tim Duncan or somebody of that caliber, more importantly, this puts us in a great position to compete right now.”

On concerns about the previous relationship issues between assistant coach Del Harris and Van Exel when they were together with the Los Angeles Lakers (via Mavericks.com): 

“Del was the first one to stand up and say you are crazy if you don’t do this. It was X number of years ago and we are two different people now and this guy can help this team a lot.”

Mavericks assistant coach Del Harris on the player he coached in Los Angeles Van Exel (via Fort Worth Star-Telegram):

“I’m glad to see him. He can make and take the big shots but his value is way beyond that in that he’s such a great penetrator and can dish the ball. He makes the little short four-foot pass probably better than anybody else in the league right now and that’s a difficult pass to make. He’s just a very, very good basketball player.”

Mavericks guard Steve Nash on the trade (via ESPN):

“I’m glad to have some help now.”

Van Exel’s agent Tony Dutt on his client’s elation with the trade to Dallas (via ESPN):

“He’s ecstatic. I think it couldn’t have worked out any better.”

Minnesota Timberwolves general manager Kevin McHale on how many teams wouldn’t be able to compete with Dallas’ spending in trades (via Chicago Tribune):

“Move to move, we wouldn’t beat [Dallas in trades]. They made an unbelievable move. We just didn’t have the resources available to do that kind of deal. The good news for the rest of us is that they can still only play with one ball. If they could play with two balls, we would really be in trouble.”

Image Credit: 

Nick Van Exel: Getty Images/G Fiume

Raef LaFrentz: Getty Images/Ronald Martinez

Tariq Abdul-Wahad: Getty Images/Glenn James

Juwan Howard: Getty Images/Sam Forencich

Tim Hardaway: Getty Images/Rocky Widner

Avery Johnson: Getty Images/Glenn James

Donnell Harvey: Getty Images/Sam Forencich

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[iamtheroger]

Queen Index Part 1: The Video Directors

I finally got round to starting this pretty big operation. I start off pretty simply with all the video directors of Queen music videos or concert videos. Just to keep this manageable to me I’ll only cover 1973-1995 (with some exceptions along the way). I’ll do this chronologically and then make a masterpost of all the different posts I’ve made.

Mike Mansfield - Director of the first promo videos of Keep Yourself Alive & Liar shot at Brewer Street in London on 9th August 1973.

Bruce Gowers - Was first used as the director of the Bohemian Rhapsody video, shot on 10th November 1975 at Elstree Studios in London.

Faced with a difficult situation, the group improvised, setting aside a budget of £3,500 and hiring director Bruce Gowers for a four-hour (might have been three - yogurtbattle) shoot that took place without storyboarding or much of any rehearsal — and found Gowers rolling tape while the band members kept one eye on the clock, intent on getting out of the shoot in time to make it to the pub before last call (they did - yogurtbattle). (x)

(BTW, I’ve seen Roger say that they left on 2 AM that night to take the bus to their first concert, but the date of the video is widely reported as 10th of November so one of those has to be wrong and right now I’m going for Roger’s memory :P)

He also directed the video for You’re My Best Friend, no exact date. Now there is a bit of confusion over this video, and this is the closest I’ve found, from Ratty’s book, that makes sense:

So it was recorded it a disused barn at Ridge Farm but not in April (as widely reported), but in mid-June (that’s when they rehearsed there). Makes far more sense as the single was released in mid-June as well.

Next up he directed the video for Somebody To Love shot both at Wessex Studios and Hyde Park in London, the former on 4th November 1976 and the latter on 18th September 1976, during the concert. Lastly, on 18th February 1977 he flew out to Miami (not as sometimes reported at Nassau Colisseum in Uniondale) to direct the video of Tie Your Mother Down in the Sportorium. The reason he never worked for Queen again afterwards, as told by him:

Gowers worked with Queen three more times before falling out with late singer Freddie Mercury because he was booked for another job. The pair had a “shouting match” in a London restaurant. “Freddie felt betrayed,” he said, “but didn't understand I was not under contract with them, and as a freelancer took work where I could get it. We never spoke properly after that.” 

He did went on to work with (amongst others) Rod Stewart, the Rolling Stones, Genesis, Bee Gees, Elton John, Michael Jackson & Prince.

Derek Burnbridge - The director of We Are The Champions, shot on 6th October 1977 at New Royal Theatre in London. This was the first time the band called on the fan club for cheap extras and the band gave an impromptu short performance afterwards. It is unknown why the band never worked with him again, but he did went on to direct videos for The Police & AC/DC.

Rock Flicks - Now, this sounds more like the name of a company than a person to me, especially as the Queen videos are the only videos found related to it, but anyway ‘Rock Flicks’ was behind the Spread Your Wings/We Will Rock You video shoot, shot in January 1978 at Roger’s new home in Surrey, the one where Freddie was drunk and everyone cold. It is therefore unknown who really directed this videos.

Dennis De Vallance - This guy worked on several Queen videos, which is odd as the band didn’t like any of them. Not like the band which is normally so perfectionistic. Anyway, he first directed the Fat Bottomed Girls video on 28th October 1978 at the Convention Center in Dallas, where Queen were playing. At the same time, the performance footage for Bicycle Race was shot, but the band hated that so much only the footage of the nude cyclists was used in the original cut. This footage is also credited to Dennis as director, and was shot on 17th September at Wimbledon Stadium in London. He later returned to direct the Love Of My Life promo video on the 25th April 1979 in Tokyo. At last, he made a good Queen video when he directed the Crazy Little Thing Called Love one, on the 22nd September 1979 at Trillion Studios in London.

Interesting side note on the Crazy video: it was choreographed by Arlene Phillips, who also choreographed the We Will Rock You musical!

Now the next one is a bit tricky, his name is written as both Jorgen Kliebenst and Jörgen Kliebenstein (it certainly isn’t the first one), but I wonder if this might be the same guy as Hans-Jürgen Kliebenstein, as that is the only person with a similar name I can found on Google who is also working for TV - Anyway, this guy, whatever his name is, directed the Don’t Stop Me Now video shot at Forrest Nationale in Belgium before Queen’s concert there on 26th January 1979.

Keith McMillan - The guy that managed to fall down an orchestra pit at the Rainbow Theatre in London while working on the video for Save Me. Because the director injured himself, the band had to return to the video shoot a week later, on 22nd December 1979 at Alexandra Palace. This guy had worked before Queen with Kate Bush and Paul McCartney (who might have recommended him to them as he was the one behind the Concerts for the People of Kampuchea that Queen performed in the same month, which Keith also directed). He later worked with Blondie and Simple Minds.

Brian Grant - Directed multiple Queen videos, with mixed successes. His first was the video for Play The Game at Trillion Studios in London on 29th May 1980. Two years later he also shot the ill-fated videos for Back Chat and Calling All Girls back-to-back, in an unknown location in July 1982. He worked with various famous acts in the 80s, amongst them Kim Wilde, Peter Gabriel, Spandau Ballet, Whitney Houston and Van Halen.

Daniella Green - Hey, a female director! She directed the video for Another One Bites The Dust, shot on the 9th August 1980 in Dallas at the Reunion Arena. Nothing else I could find about her, sadly.

Mike Hodges - Just after Queen finished work on the Flash Gordon soundtrack, they shot a video for the theme song with Flash Gordon director Mike directing it - I’ll come back to him when discussing Flash Gordon. The video was shot in November 1980 at Anvil Studios and Roger had to take a break from recording his solo album to shoot it. Mike also shot the video for Body Language (yes, that one) in April 1982 in Toronto. Here’s Mike talking about that one:

Your promo video for Queen's song Body Language was apparently the first film banned by MTV. It's certainly the most erotic piece of work you've made. How did you and the band arrive at the concept? While recording the music for FLASH GORDON, I became friendly with all the members of Queen. They were fantastic fun to work with. In fact, shortly afterwards, I shot the movie’s music video. Then Freddie Mercury approached me to do the same with a song he’d written, Body Language. There’s the eroticism you talk about - in the song itself. The concept was Freddie’s and I was only too happy to capture it on film. We completed it in a Toronto studio after a truly exhausting 24-hour (okay, that makes the lack of enthusiasm by the band even more understandable - yogurtbattle) shoot! (x)

David Mallet - Now, there’s a guy that should have his own page, so much has he done with Queen. He came to work with Queen as he had worked with David Bowie previously. His first video was the one for Under Pressure, and he went on to do the videos for Radio Ga Ga, I Want To Break Free, Hammer To Fall, Who Wants To Live Forever, I Want It All, several of Freddie’s solo videos, and some work with Queen since Freddie’s death. Other people he has worked with include Joan Jett, Def Leppard, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Tina Turner, AC/DC and INXS.

Radio Ga Ga: Shot on the 22nd & 23rd of November 1983 at Shepperton Studios in London.

I Want To Break Free: Shot on 22nd March  (the audience part), 23rd March (the drag part), 1st April (the ballet part rehearsal) and 5th April 1984 (the ballet part performance) at Limehouse Studios in London.

Hammer To Fall: Shot on the 25th August 1984 at the Forrest Nationale in Brussels. Footage from the 24th was also used for audience shots, as not enough fans showed up.

Who Wants To Live Forever: Shot on 16th September 1986 at a warehouse in Tobacco Wharf in London (by now demolished). Of course Roger was drunk here.

I Want It All: Shot on 22nd April 1989 at Elstree Studios.

The producer on several of these videos was Jacqui Byford, mentioned in the liner notes of The Miracle.

Tim Pope - Right. This guy had previously done the oh-so-great Man On Fire video, so Queen decided to hire him to shoot the video for It’s A Hard Life. The shoot ended up lasting one week, by far the longest of any Queen video. It was shot in Munich of course, in mid-June 1984 at Arri Film Studios. Now it wasn’t just Pope, the band was getting a bit out of hand with their videos then anyway, which probably had other reasons as well. He also worked with Soft Cell, The Cure, The Cars, Hall & Oates, Talk Talk, David Bowie & Paul McCartney (there’s a bit of an eighties theme going on here).

DoRo, The Torpedo Twins or Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher - The other prominent Queen directors, from one of their favourite cities Vienna. Responsible for even more Queen videos than David Mallet, especially in Freddie’s dying days:

One Vision: Shot in August 1985 in Munich, where Queen where recording for A Kind Of Magic. Also directed the shot documentary surrounding the video.

Friends Will Be Friends: Shot at JVC Studios in London on 15th May 1986, another Fan Club call.

Breakthru: Shot in June 1989 on the Nene Valley Railway in Cambridgeshire. Starring of course Debbie.

The Invisible Man: A video for Roger’s song shot on Roger’s birthday! Not very surprising then that Freddie had those glasses on for Roger’s birthday party. Apparently there was also a birthday cake wheeled in during recording and large amounts of champagne were drunk! Date of course was 26th July 1989, location Pinewood Studios in London.

Scandal: Again at Pinewood Studios, this one was shot on 27th September 1989.

The Miracle: Shot at Elstree Studios on 23rd November 1989. Freddie was portrayed by Ross McCall, who went on to become a professional actor, playing most famously in Band of Brothers.

Innuendo: This one was actually a collaboration between Rudi Dolezal and Jerry Hibbert (mentioned in the album notes). Jerry is an animator who has also worked on Fireman Sam. The video was made in December 1990.

Headlong: Shot at Metropolis Studios in London on 23rd November 1991 and another unknown date late 1990.

I’m Going Slightly Mad: Shot on 15th February 1991 at Wembley Studios in London.

These Are The Days Of Our Lives: Shot on 30th May 1991 (Freddie’s last video) at Limestone Studios in London. Brian couldn’t attend as he was in the US promoting Innuendo, but he was later edited in, with his parts filmed in June.

The Show Must Go On: The band wasn’t in this as Freddie has become too ill, but an edited montage was release as the video in October 1991.

No-One But You: Filmed at the Bray Studios in London in 1997.

After Freddie’s death Roger and Brian also made appearances at DoRo parties in 1992 (Hannes’ 40th) and 1998 (Rudi’s 40th).

Saul Swimmer - The amongst Queen members not very popular director of We Will Rock You, by now known as Rock Montreal, filmed on the 24th and 25th November 1981. It was renamed to its current name after Queen bought out Saul in 2006, after spending 25 years trying to get of him basically.

Gavin Taylor - The director of Live At Wembley, filmed on 13th July 1986. Also directed Live At The Bowl on 5th June 1982. Sadly not with us anymore.

Zsombolyai János -The director of the Hungarian Rhapsody, filmed on 27th July 1986 in of course Budapest.

That was it for the first part of the Queen index!

[jlf23tumble]

I’ve got my glass of Little Black Dress in hand, ready to recap episode 12 of X Factor for @newleafover and @justlarried! Warning: this has almost zero Louis content, but I’ll still include pictures of him because why not? As ever, my caveat is that these are my own highlights/takeaways; other blogs are gonna give you an exhausting minute-by-minute transcript, but I’ll go to my grave saying you should just watch it yourself. This one’s only 44 minutes, and it’s mostly Simon, but it’s HILARIOUS, so let’s begin!

Can I say again how much I love the Bravo homage we get with these Judges’ Houses openings? That and the smirk on sbb’s face (my kink is hearing him say “Ihbeethza,” so I’m stoked for his episode five sure):

Dermot kicks off tonight from the beach, squinting in the bright sun like some kind of idiot because the budget for this garbage show only covers Simon’s shitty aviators (but we get t-shirt Dermot, so I count this as a win):

And I know we’re in for a great time when Dermot tells us that the Judges’ Houses are going “global,” that’s right, the globe is Beverly Hills (Robbie), “Los Angeles” (Ayda), Malibu (Simon), and....Spain (Louis). Me as Louis owning at least one house in LA but opting to go to fucking Spain instead, legends only!

Tonight is all Simon, so it’s Malibu, and I know for a fact that all British people have a shopping fetish for Santa Monica, but these poor girls are forced to do H’wood Blvd instead, so I hope they got their fix later!

Simon is clearly spooked about Louis’s ability to handle this show better than he can, so does he pick two powerhouse guest judges? NOPE, he goes for 50. That’s 5-0, including Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacrest, Diane Warren, Babyface, Adam Lambert, Dallas Austin, Sinitta, Tricky Stewart, Leona Lewis, and ...Paul Anka (others are there, but these were captioned).

Soooo much Ryan Seacrest, whyyyyy.

Simon’s house is so fucking GROSS, and it high-key looks like it was styled by Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant team, but he makes it even GROSSER by stuffing himself into a tight white button-up buttoned down to his navel (only one white man can pull this off, and you, sir, are no Harry Styles):

Me as Ryan, begging him to put that shit away (shout out to the design team at PUMP):

So I won’t drag this out, but all the girls have to sing in front of these 50 people, and they smash it (except for fucking Bella), and I love two things in this world, one of them being the fact that Dermot is lurking in the background of this shitty party, making obvious statements about the entire situation and looking vaguely hot), and the other being the face he makes about Bella:

I’ve really missed drunk Paula Abdul. Full stop.

One of the things I hate on this earth is the way Simon says, “KIDDING!” like he’s a big jokester instead of a massive douche.

There’s a lot of chatter about all the girls, but the editors focus on Bella because she’s being groomed to win this thing, and it’s pretty much as embarrassing as her actual performance (summary = lots of lolz).

We skip to the next day (?) and an unnecessarily tense showdown with Simon and each girl (Dermot’s lurking on the lawn a few feet a way to give warm hugs, yay or nay).

Shan is in, Molly (girl Louis #2) is in, Maria gets booted (by phone, ouch), and then we get the showdown of Georgia (girl Louis #1, uber talented) vs. Bella (conventionally pretty blonde white girl who isn’t very talented but is poor, damaged, and desperate)...who will take it, lol??

Spoiler, he kicks out Georgia: “You did nothing wrong, it’s simply a gut feeling,” and she’s EXTREMELY gracious, so I laff and laff when Simon mutters, “She’s a strong girl,” as she leaves (Georgia was BIG in the eyes of every single one of the actually talented people in that group of 50 judges, which says it allll about this “talent” show...she’ll be fine, nay, better than fine). 

If you’re curious about the psychological games Simon plays, watch this episode in particular because what he does to Bella is master class. She sits down, and I think she knows she was a disaster compared to the others, so she’s nervous as Simon tells her, “I've been dreading this moment...,” before draggggggging it out to make her EXTRA grateful for this chance. Rinse, repeat.

I could devote a whole post to Dermot’s warm hugs to every girl in this ep, so it’s extra funny to me that he’s sort of pat, pat, pat with Bella. Here’s a taste of him with Georgia, bless...even the sun recognizes this as holy:

This episode only makes me wish that I could hire Dermot to come to my next party and just narrate things around the backyard (that’s the grill on! looks like Meghan needs another drink!)

We get a gross group shot in Simon’s gross backyard (I’m sure he rented it, but it matches his awful taste, so I stand by my possessive pronouns). The gold is in the previews, though! Who cares about Robbie and his banana shirt or Ayda and her (knock-off) Versace...I’m here for Liam getting out of a van:

And Louis, “height’ng” how hard this whole experience is:

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[paydayximagines]

So Here’s a thing I Just thought of. Reader!Deliverer. They notice This one address always has a ton of spare parts, for the van And Rust’s bike but Also the weapons, Tons of medical supplies And munitions, but they never call the cops because, Hey, it’s a stable job And I’m not gonna jeapordize it. So they Just show up at the door And are like “Mr. Steele? Weekly delivery of ammo, meds And parts. Sign here Please.” And uhhh. Idk, This seemed like a cool idea with potential, sorry for rambling

{No don’t worry about it, I love this idea tbh, gonna add some more headcanons to this.}

-You were hired as a delivery person, from an unknown man for an unknown group of people. As much as it seemed insanely crazy, they offered you a lot of money to deliver for these people. As long as you didn’t tell anybody about it.

-Pretty weird for just a delivery person, but you rolled with it.

-It honestly would weird you out at the start for all the weird things that would be shipped in and that YOU had to deliver to this one address in a sketchy part of town.

-Though of course you do the job, how else are you gonna eat? Pay your rent? 

-The name is always under the name “Nathan Steele,” but whenever you go there it seemed like there was more than one person there. 

-Two men in the garage, an old butler, a blue-haired punk, you were always directed to one of the people in the safehouse. Sometimes Steele, sometimes another person. It’s always a surprise for you. 

-You noticed more every time you were directed in the safehouse to give one of them their package. An insane amount of guns, drugs, you name it.

-When you finally pieced together that it was the Payday gang you were practically working for, you nearly freaked out. You didn’t know what to do honestly.

-Though again, it’s a stable job, it’s keeping you together. You couldn’t believe yourself when you woke up the next day to keep going through with this.

-The more you deliver for the gang, the more they sort of grow on you. You get to know each of the members a bit more.

-You sometimes casually ask questions about what they’re working on or if they needed anything else.

-It eventually becomes a friendship with all of the gang, they all know you by name and sometimes haver conversations with you.

-”Got some art supplies for ya Sydney.”“Some new tools for ya Houston, gotcha an extra pair just in case Rust decides to take some.”“Hey Chains, Wick! Got some new ammo rounds that you requested.”“Dallas, heard ya needed a medic bag?”

{this is honestly pretty short but i honestly love the idea that they’d have their personal delivery person because trusting the outside world with that job would probably get their cover blown.}

[brn1029]

On this day in music history…this is what went down…

June 17th

1954 - Danny Cedrone

Guitarist Danny Cedrone died following a freak accident; 10 days after he had recorded the lead guitar break on 'Rock Around the Clock' with Bill Haley and His Comets. Session player Cedrone was paid $21 for his work on the session, as at that time Haley chose not to hire a full-time guitarist for his group. He died of a broken neck after falling down a staircase.

1955 - Elvis Presley

After a month of booking gigs in larger venues in Dallas and Houston, Colonel Tom Parker arranged a meeting with Elvis Presley's manager, Bob Neal, resulting in an agreement that saw the Colonel handle Presley's gigs and career strategy from now on.

1965 - The Beatles

Working at Abbey Road studios in London The Beatles completed work on the new Paul McCartney song 'Yesterday' with the overdubbing of an additional vocal track by McCartney and a string quartet. They also recorded ‘Act Naturally’ for Ringo's vocal contribution on the Help! album and the song ‘Wait’, in four takes. ‘Wait’ will not be included on Help!, it was included on the following LP, Rubber Soul.

1971 - Carole King

Carole King went to No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Tapestry’ for the first of 15 consecutive weeks. The album contained ‘It's Too Late’, ‘I Feel the Earth Move’, ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’’ and ‘You've Got a Friend’. The cover photograph taken at King's Laurel Canyon home shows her sitting in a window frame, holding a tapestry she hand-stitched herself, with her cat Telemachus at her feet.

1972 - Don McLean

Don McLean had his first UK No.1 single with 'Vincent.' The song was written about the 19th century artist Vincent Van Gogh. The song is played daily at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

1972 - The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones album Exile on Main Street started a four-week run at the top of the US charts. The double album, regularly regarded as one of the band's best, features 'Rocks Off', 'Rip This Joint', 'Happy' and 'Tumbling Dice'.

1977 - Elton John

After Jimmy Helms pulled out of a gig at Shoreditch College, the members of the social committee decided to call upon famous local, Elton John who lived up the road and ask if he would perform. Elton did the gig for two bottles of wine.

1987 - Motley Crue

Florida real estate agent Vittoria Holman sued Motley Crue and their concert promoter for hearing loss allegedly incurred at a concert in December 1985. Holman and her daughter had front row seats less than 10 feet (3 meters) from the speakers. The case was settled out of court with the band's insurance company paying Holman over $30,000. (£18,200).

1997 - Ozzy Osbourne

Fans rioted at an Ozzfest concert in Columbus Ohio, after Ozzy Osbourne couldn't perform due to throat problems. Angry fans broke windows, uprooted trees, and turned over a parked car.

2007 - The Traveling Wilburys

The Traveling Wilburys went to No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Collection.' The line of the Wilburys was: George Harrison (Nelson Wilbury), Jeff Lynne (Otis Wilbury), Roy Orbison (Lefty Wilbury), Tom Petty (Charlie T. Wilbury Jr.) and Bob Dylan (Lucky Wilbury).

2009 - Billy Joel

60-year-old Billy Joel and his third wife, 27-year-old Katie Lee Joel announced that were splitting up after nearly five years of marriage. Joel's nine-year union with model Christie Brinkley ended in 1994. His nine-year marriage to Elizabeth Weber, for whom he wrote 'Just The Way You Are', ended in 1982. It's believed that Billy had a prenuptial agreement to protect the millions his many hits have earned.

2012 - Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen played his longest show when he turned in a three-hour-and-48-minute, 32-song, set at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid. (This surpassed the previously longest show, Dec. 31, 1980 at the Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, New York, which clocked in at 3:43).

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Harris Faulkner Gets a Bigger Spotlight at Fox News Channel

By Brian Steinberg

Meghan McCain says one of the biggest lessons in her TV career came when she was working alongside Harris Faulkner in the run up to the 2016 election at Fox News Channel.

A viewer had slipped into her direct messages on Twitter with an unpleasant remark, and McCain, who says she is prone to react to such things, learned a different strategy from Faulkner, with whom she appeared regularly on the  Fox News early-afternoon program “Outnumbered.”  The advice? “You’ve got to give people like that honey,” she recalls. If you’re going to respond, give that person something other than what they served you.

“I’m very impulsive,” acknowledges McCain, who speaks out regularly on the current panel at ABC’s “The View.” Faulkner, however, “is very cool under pressure,” she says. “She’s still water.”

Harris Faulkner will have reason to maintain her unflappable demeanor. On Sunday at 10 p.m., she will host a special primetime event that – for the first time in her career at Fox News –  leads with her name.  “Harris Faulkner Presents: The Fight for America” is supposed to offer a look at civil unrest and race relations in the U.S., and marks the latest in a series of special-format programs she has anchored this year (Sean Hannity will take part in the proceedings). More are on the way, notes Faulkner, who expects to continue to lead town-hall discussions as well as news  specials with her name in the title.

“We are going to take some important voices to the conversation, and we are going to talk real and raw,” she says of Sunday’s broadcast during a recent interview conducted from her home over Zoom. Faulkner, one of the few Black women anchoring weekday slots on the mainstream U.S. cable-news outlets, is in a bi-racial marriage, and says she and her husband have tough discussions about such topics every day. “We are raw with each other,” she says. “I think that’s where we all need to be as Americans. We can take it.”

As Faulkner leads these programs, she is quickly becoming more integral to the business of the Fox Corporation-owned network for which she works. Faulkner already anchors two hours each weekday on Fox News. But executives in recent months have begun to add “America Together” specials and other programming aimed at kitchen-table topics like distance learning or mental health, and create elements different from the opinion programming that represents the network’s most-watched fare. Several advertisers have steered their commercials away from programs hosted by Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham after polarizing remarks they have made (the recent resignation of a Carlson staffer who was discovered to have been posting racist remarks online under a pseudonym hasn’t helped matters), and the new segments are meant to give sponsors other pieces of content with which they can align.

“Harris is very important,” says Suzanne Scott, CEO of Fox News Media, in an interview. “I think she has a lot of strength and a lot of grace and she knows how to stay steady even through tough breaking news.” That serves her well on her regular programs – the panel show “Outnumbered” and the single-anchor “Outnumbered Overtime” — but it also helps when asking viewers to come together to work their way through thorny issues. “We agreed it made sense to have her lead this conversation and help people find common ground,” says Scott.

Faulkner is also getting more prominent assignments. She and Bill Hemmer co-anchored a town hall with President Trump and she traveled solo to Dallas in mid June to interview him directly. The conversation, she said, was an opportunity for Americans to hear from the Commander-in-Chief not only as the pandemic spiked in parts of the country, but in the wake of protests over the death of George Floyd while in custody of police in Minneapolis. Her opening question set the tone for a conversation during which Trump fell short at nearly every opportunity: “You know, Mr. President, with all that’s happened in the last couple of weeks, I feel like we are at one of those historical moments where future generations will look back and they’ll decide who we were. Are you the president to unite all of us? Given everything that’s happening right now?”

Faulkner proceeded to ask him about his use of the phrase, “When the looting starts, the shooting starts,” and explained to him its troubling origins. When Trump made a bizarre comment about President Abraham Lincoln, who ended the Civil War – “He did good. Although it’s always questionable, you know, in other words, the end result.” – Faulkner had a mike-drop rejoinder: “Well, we are free, Mr. President.”

Journalism critics are not always generous with Fox News, but one prominent academic recently praised Faulkner’s work. In a piece written for Columbia Journalism Review, Bill Grueskin, a professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism who is a former senior executive at The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, suggested other reporters could take cues from her approach.

Faulkner wasn’t prosecuting Trump on air, Grueskin says, as many White House reporters seem to do every day. She was trying to engage him in a conversation. “She gave him every opportunity to talk about this in the grand sweep of American history and racial justice,” Grueskin says in an interview. “She did challenge him,” he adds, but not in a way that would put him on automatic defense. “She wasn’t in any way a pushover, and she really held her ground.”

The key to the exchange, Faulkner says, was being ready to have a discussion. She purposely did not carry cards or papers with briefs on various issues.  “I owe those moments with the President of the United States 100% of me. I have to be present and I have to be present with the facts,” she says. “Can you imagine if I’d sat there shuffling through notes?”

She might have missed important remarks.  “I didn’t know where the conversation was going to go. I could not have predicted he was going to talk about Lincoln. I wouldn’t have known. But I’m glad I was listening closely,” she says. Her line “was an honest reaction. I spit the facts. It wasn’t like I had some feeling. It’s not that I feel free. I am free. You can’t argue with that.”

Harris Faulkner’s long march in the news business took her through several local TV stations, but it’s not a stretch to say it started with the U.S. military. Like ABC News’ Robin Roberts and CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell, Faulkner grew up in a military family. Her father, a former Army pilot, did two tours of duty in Vietnam, and Faulkner often had to make connections quickly in new situations as the family moved around to accommodate her dad’s career.

That facility with reaching out to people helped her at a pivotal moment. Faulkner was working as a correspondent for the syndicated newsmagazine “A Current Affair” in 2005 when she was dispatched to Aruba. While sitting in a hotel lobby, she noticed an American woman who seemed a little lost. Faulkner asked if she needed any help. “She said ‘My name is Beth Holloway, and my daughter is missing.’” Faulkner would stay on the island for a month.

The disappearance of teenager Natalee Holloway near the end of a graduation trip to Aruba captured the fascination of the U.S. media, and Faulkner was able to deliver several scoops on the subject. That led her to make appearances on Fox News as well as on Nancy Grace’s program and helped her make connections with Sean Hannity and Greta Van Susteren, among others. When “A Current Affair” was canceled, Grace asked Faulkner to fill in for her while she went on vacation. Faulkner joined Fox News that same year.

She spent many years working weekends at Fox News, until executives began to think about launching a panel show in the early afternoon, recalls Scott. The early-evening program “The Five” had long been a success for the network and there was some thought that a female-focused version would work well during the day. “Obviously, there are others in the marketplace, but we wanted our own version of it,” Scott remembers. Faulkner emerged as the moderator of the noontime “Outnumbered,” where female panelists spar with a male guest.

Many cable-news outlets have relegated journalists of color to weekend slots. Indeed, Faulkner continued to work weekends as well as maintain her “Outnumbered” duties. “I’m not talking out of school: executives at Fox felt it was just in case things didn’t work out,” says Faulkner. In 2017, she was given a second hour on weekdays – her own.

There are new signs the cable-news outlets are giving more notice to the issue, with MSNBC naming Joy Reid to anchor its 7 p.m. hour and CNN announcing earlier this week it will hire new journalists to cover the issue of race in America. NBC News’ Craig Melvin has been hosting a number of news specials during MSNBC’s daytime schedule and Don Lemon has carved out a unique role in CNN’s primetime. “It has been a long time. It has been an extremely long time. and I welcome the competition to jump in the water at any hour of the day,” says Faulkner. “At the end of the day, it’s driven by ad sales, and if you want to broaden out your revenue base, you’ve got to reach more people. And how do you do that? You make sure your people come from all different walks of life, with different points of view.” 

Faulkner is part of an internal committee at Fox News that discusses matters of diversity and inclusion. It’s something Scott says she put in place several years ago, and it helps executives hear concerns from employees in editorial, technology and other places. She recently asked if members of the group would hold an open forum after the death of George Floyd. The CEO says she spent hours trying to put together opening remarks, but in the end, “I just wanted to listen.”She heard a lot. “She meant it when she said she wanted an earful, because she sat there for an hour or more, and people had some things to say,” notes Faulkner. “We have had a journey at Fox,” she says, referring to allegations of harassment and discrimination that took place under former chief Roger Ailes, who was ousted from the company in 2016. “What you hope is that everyone shares their voice and you get to the bottom of the things that are out there.”Fox News viewers are likely to hear more from Faulkner in months to come. “I would like to see her involved in more of our political coverage,” says Scott, “The audience connects with her.”Faulkner says she is likely to stick to news, even if the network’s opinion programs snare its biggest audiences. “I don’t know that I would do a primetime opinion show, because I think the space is flooded right now, and I think there’s neither a hunger nor a thirst in America right now to hear Harris Faulkner’s opinion,” she says. “Everybody’s got a lane. I’m going to drive hard in mine.”

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Can Bergdorf Goodman Win the Barneys Race?

The bankruptcy and liquidation of Barneys New York, the cutting-edge department store critical to the career starts of many designers, and that was adored by a set of young, fashionable Manhattanites, has spurred hand-wringing throughout the shopping world.It has also unleashed a wave of high-stakes competition in Manhattan, now playing out against a backdrop of festooned holiday windows and the annual influx of tourists.“There will be a battle for that consumer,” said Terry Lundgren, the former chief executive of Macy’s and the Neiman Marcus Group. “Bergdorf’s, Bloomingdale’s, Saks, the new Neiman Marcus and the new Nordstrom are all going to be after that business,” especially given the younger profile of Barneys shoppers.The winner in that tussle could very well be Bergdorf Goodman.“It’s an opportunity for Bergdorf’s to put their foot on the accelerator and really go after this consumer because of their uniqueness of only having one store,” Mr. Lundgren said.Whether it succeeds or not will be largely the responsibility of a new driver: Darcy Penick, who became president in September 2018. Along with Yumi Shin, the brand’s chief merchant since last year, and Linda Fargo, its fashion director, she completes a troika of power women at the helm of the heritage store.Previously the chief executive of Shopbop, an online retailer owned by Amazon, Ms. Penick, 41, has been charged with shepherding Bergdorf’s, which is owned by the Neiman Marcus Group, into the digital age in the midst of a radically changing landscape for New York department stores. Just this year, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus opened enormous splashy emporiums, while historic stores have vanished. Lord & Taylor closed its flagship Fifth Avenue store after more than 100 years; Henri Bendel shuttered in January. While Ms. Penick, who speaks in measured tones and has a blond pixie cut, aims to propel Bergdorf’s forward, her office is steeped in reminders of the store’s legacy. There is a letter from Jacqueline Kennedy to a Bergdorf’s associate about hats, and a photo of a young Michael Kors, who got his start at the store. Bobbi Brown’s 10 original lipstick shades are displayed in a frame. The walls are their own exhibit, papered in vibrant photographs of Bergdorf’s famous windows.“I appreciate that it’s complete sensory overload,” Ms. Penick, clad in a more serene black-and-white floral Prada dress, said of the décor. “For me, it’s thinking about digital translations of this.”Ms. Penick is part of a wave of new talent hired by Geoffroy van Raemdonck, the chief executive of Neiman Marcus since February 2018, who has been beating the drum of “transformation” and “modernization” for his company’s luxury retailers (Neiman’s, MyTheresa and Bergdorf’s).Among those, Bergdorf’s is “really at the tip of the pyramid in terms of luxury,” he said in a phone interview, pointing to its customers, sales associates, location (two facing stores next to the Plaza Hotel) and brands.“I was looking for a team that understands fashion, but beyond fashion — taste, and a taste for life and luxury,” Mr. van Raemdonck said. “And then it was very important to me that we expand beyond the world of the store on Fifth Avenue.”Under Ms. Penick, the brand just introduced its first real app (it tested a shoe-centric app long ago) and its website is undergoing an overhaul that will make it look more like a magazine, with new bells and whistles for viewing merchandise and a better reflection of its in-store selection. In fact, Bergdorf’s just started building its first team to “live and breathe” the dot.com, Ms. Penick said, after relying mainly on shared services with the broader Neiman Marcus Group.Some of those changes may seem elementary, for a retailer in 2019, but Ms. Penick pointed out, diplomatically, the internet isn’t that old compared to Bergdorf’s. “The reality is we have a brand, a store, a history that is 120 years old,” she said. “That is, what, six times how long the online environment has been around? And so it’s still in a nascent form.”Words like “modernization” and “transformation” can strike fear into the hearts of Bergdorf’s devotees, from consumers to designers to employees, whose loyalty has been cataloged in documentaries like “Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s.” (The title was based on a New Yorker cartoon, but the phrase was supposedly overheard at the store at least once.) Doormen, gilded revolving doors and chandeliers line the path to Bergdorf’s nine floors — six, if you exclude the ornate BG restaurant on No. 7, the event space on No. 8 and salon on No. 9. Handbags are displayed and often priced like museum pieces, “fur services” remain on offer, and the occasional penguin statue suddenly pops up next an artfully posed mannequin to take some of the stuffing out.Ron Frasch, chief executive of a namesake consulting firm and a former head of Bergdorf’s, has likened it to “the Willy Wonka of retail.” It was singular, he said, in that the chief executive could walk around the store daily and talk to its top customers and top sales associates. Clients were catered to in multiple ways: flown to fashion shows in Europe; allowed into the store at night so they didn’t have to be trailed by bodyguards during the day. “The challenge with Darcy and her team is how you respect that uniqueness and maintain it,” Mr. Frasch said. “The biggest challenge for anyone running Bergdorf’s is to not screw up the value of what Bergdorf’s means to its customer.”Despite her digital pedigree, however, Ms. Penick understands the allure of bricks and mortar.She began her career in Neiman’s training program in Dallas, after college at Wellesley, where she majored in peace and justice studies. While she is from St. Louis, she has been an East Coaster since her college days and currently lives in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. (Surely that adds a dose of hipness to the store?)She went on to become one of two buyers for Bergdorf’s fifth floor, responsible for contemporary women’s clothing brands like Vince, Joie and Juicy Couture. She repeatedly referred to a reaction she calls “the ‘Ooh, Bergdorf’s,’ which flies from people’s mouths when you say the brand.” Next came a short-lived clothing start-up focused on 30-to 50-year-old women, five years at Saks Fifth Avenue working on designer footwear, and Shopbop, where she entered Amazon’s orbit. (No, she never met Jeff Bezos, despite ample time in Seattle and at Shopbop’s headquarters in Madison, Wis.)Now, Ms. Penick said, she is merging the two “underpinnings” of her career in luxury stores and digital shopping.She is overseeing a staff of about 900, including some of retail’s best store associates: More than 60 percent of the salespeople bring in at least $1 million in annual revenue each, the company said. And the new app has a Wishlist tab that will eventually allow associates to build assortments for customers, which can be pulled into fitting rooms on visits or shopped for online. “We really liked the idea of building an environment that supported that exact same type of work online that we’re doing in store,” Ms. Penick said. “It isn’t technology for technology’s sake.”Some technology can be lighter fare, though. Bergdorf’s is creating a separate app tied to a new bar and restaurant — Goodman’s Bar — that is set to open in mid-December in the men’s store, across the street from the flagship. On a recent October morning, Ms. Penick shared a sampling from the restaurant, including avocado toast topped with Russ & Daughters lox, and pastries from Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery in the West Village.“If you’re shopping for a Kiton suit down away from the bar, we’ll give you the experience of ordering your favorite cocktail or learning about a new spirit,” Ms. Penick said. “We’ll bring that to you in your fitting room.”Bergdorf’s also started a series this spring called Designers Off Duty, which invited customers to spend time with designers in unusual settings. Phillip Lim, who recently published a cookbook, taught a cooking class for one event where clients made one of his mother’s recipes and then shared a meal with him. At another event, Jason Wu held a private sketching class with models wearing pieces from an upcoming collection. Then there’s the new initiative known as BG Radar, which showcases emerging designers in stores and online — just as Barneys used to do. Coincidence?While Mr. van Raemdonck acknowledged that “it’s never something great for anyone in the industry to see an established household name like Barneys be challenged and go through liquidation,” he said that he believed that Bergdorf’s would benefit from its exit.While Bergdorf’s does not disclose its sales, Mr. van Raemdonck said he expected that its business could increase significantly in coming years, noting that its digital revenue is not yet at the level of the Neiman’s chain, where online sales exceed 30 percent of total sales.“I do think that the growth of Bergdorf from a fashion standpoint is going to continue to accelerate,” he said. “We are at the beginning of our journey.” Read the full article

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Dallas Cowboys Star Wars Stopper shirt

The whole movement Dallas Cowboys Star Wars Stopper shirt . has made box-fresh sneakers seem like a tired idea—the thing. instead, is to wear a grungy pair that look like they’ve been worn and loved to the point of falling apart. Sanitary? Perhaps not. But undeniably cool-looking? Strangely so! And now, Brooklyn Beckham is taking the scruffy sneaker to even scruffier heights.Along with his stylish girlfriend Hana Cross in a sheer lace top, Beckham attended the Man About Town launch party in London, England last night. Dallas Cowboys Star Wars Stopper shirt, hoodie, sweater, longsleeve and ladies t-shirt

Classic Ladies

Hoodie

LongSleeve

Sweatshirt

Unisex On his feet, a pair of once-white Vans low tops were dirtied to a faded yellow, with a few deep mud stains—ain’t no bleach gonna fix that!—past the point of salvaging Dallas Cowboys Star Wars Stopper shirt . It’s unclear whether Beckham’s footwear was bought that way, or if it's the result of natural wear-and-tear. Still, he styled the tricky shoes in his signature hipster way, wearing a newsboy cap, striped button-up, a white T-shirt, and carpenter-style pants.It’s been a news-filled week for Kering. Yesterday, the luxury group announced its commitment to working only with models over 18 (a standard that’s also been adopted by Condé Nast and the CFDA), which means every Gucci show, Saint Laurent video, and Alexander McQueen campaign will exclusively feature women and men of legal age as of 2020. Earlier in the week, the company also launched its new animal welfare standards to “ensure and verify the human treatment of animals across the group’s supply chains.” And yesterday in his opening address at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit, Kering chair and CEO François-Henri Pinault revealed he’s been hired by French president Emmanuel Macron for a first-of-its-kind role: to create a “coalition” of CEOs and top brands in the fashion industry to join forces and set ambitious sustainability targets together. What’s significant about this is that it could mark a new era of collaboration and open-source cooperation across the fashion industry, and eventually other industries, too. You Can See More Product: https://hottrendtees.com/product-category/trending/ Read the full article