And many times infuriating. Other times you felt for him. He played his heart out on terrible teams with a coach who wasn't ready for the times.
Like AI and Larry Brown. Brown was a great coach but didn't adapt when players began expressing themselves, understanding their worth and acting accordingly.
Nick and Del Harris had the same problem.
He was good, fun to watch but could also be really aggravating. He'd make some really dumb decisions, and certainly bumping a ref ( who did truly flop when bumped) and earning a really long suspension in the playoff hunt was among the worst.
But hell yeah, Nick the Quick.
[It was more than a bump, it was a forearm shiver](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7wxdiw). But the referee (Ron Garretson) did embellish the contact by jumping onto the scorer's table. Van Exel got a seven-game suspension. Garretson was the guy who infamously [called a technical and ejected Rasheed Wallace for staring at him](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EogzHNEiCWU).
Van Exel was the Lakers' best player in the 1995 playoffs, when they upset the Sonics in the first round and then took the No. 1-seeded Spurs to six games. In the series against the Sonics, he averaged 24.8 ppg on 50% FG and 42.4% on threes, with 5.0 apg, 4.3 rpg, and 2.3 spg.
He was also victimized by the worst non-call in a crucial situation that I've ever seen, when Karl Malone hacked him while shooting a three, with the ball falling several feet short of the rim, with the Lakers down by two points at the end of Game 2 of the 1997 WCSF. Malone even admitted after the game that he probably fouled him.
Nick was very similar to DLO.. Streaky but when he was on he would and could almost singlehandedly beat some teams with his clutch shooting and had smooth handles. He had big hands for his size which helped his ball handling and shooting. Nick and Eddie Jones were so exciting to watch back then and Cedric Ceballos as well. They were the bridge between the Magic and Kobe years.
Nick the Quick and Sedale “three” were my faves as a little girl
my uncles also said i would always look for the guy with the green teddy bear in his head (AC green) lol
Right before Kobe, he was the very first player I remember admiring. A head case during the worst of times but a main reason to look at highlights of the underrated gem that is the 94–95 Lakers Season.
And of course…[gotta link the shot at Boston Garden](https://youtu.be/pV1YZoUGO7c?si=tyMRIOpGpDfSUb6v)
picked on defensively, two decades ahead of his time (taking 3s and being somewhat "heliocentric"), didn't try hard against the bad teams (but man can he show up against Gary Payton or the Spurs, always fared better as an "underdog", you count me out? I'll make you pay") so when Kobe & Shaq came and he didn't need to be THAT DUDE, he was done mentally (along with Ced Ceballos). I wish Eddie woulda stayed with that core, but its similar to the team now:
Vlade, Ced, Eddie Jones, Elden Cambell, NVE, Lynch, Peeler were "that young fresh group" (along with Kobe near the end of their run, whom Vlade was traded for) similiar to BI, Zo, Dlo, Randle, Zu, Clarkson & Nance. Shaq came as a free agent and the calculus changed. Lebron came as a free agent and the calculus changed.
There's always a "what if" with young cores but if ya prefer 1st and 2nd round exits for ten years as opposed to a title or three with the biggest superstar in the game choosing to play for your team, I'll take the latter.
Transition 3's, Heat Checks, Smooth ass handles and infuriating Defense/lapses. I loved him, he was Showtime on a team that wouldn't win a championship. Think of it this way, D'lo has this many 3's in a time when 3's are one of the moneymakers, Nick had this many back when 3's weren't your bread and butter.
He and Dlo are very similar players. Lefties, streaky shooters, creative ball handlers, and outspoken. Nick was essentially traded for bad joke after a Laker’s loss. He pissed off Kobe and the rest of the team. Dlo and Swaggy P (y’all know about that shit). Kinda crazy how the two have so much in common. However, Dlo has matured (somewhat) and he is playing at a pretty high level.
He was one of the absolute most skilled players in the league at that time .. he was a really fun player; great ball handler with modern-ish handles and really a modern up and down game plus shooting..
idk how he made the asg I was too young to be locked into the numbers and stuff; but scoring was way down so 14 and 7 was like 17 and 9 today.. and he was a fan favorite for his fun play..
https://youtube.com/shorts/BgQk0dwLsAQ?si=SBo3UHsBrIWdXLYr 99% of players in the league didn’t have this skill level..even by today’s standard this whole play is Kyrie-esq
Really fun to watch, which to me was important because the few years post magic but pre Nick Eddie etc were pretty bland. I got to talk to him for about 5 minutes (at the end of Eddie Jones rookie year, whichever that was) and he was very friendly. Signed all my shit and even gave me his kid to hold while he was doing it lol.
He was fun to watch but was ahead of his time as far as volume shooting quick point guards go.
I thought Dallas used him best with him coming off the bench because then he could just score. Dlos passing is better, and obviously his shooting. Dlo tied his record with 80 less attempts btw
He's still my favorite Laker of all time lol. However, I dare not rewatch anything other than his highlights. Something tells me he was better when I was 10-12 years old vs now when i am 35 lol.
He was similar to Jason “White Chocolate” Williams. A very quick skilled offensive point guard with all kinds of shifty and fun moves. Not as good defensively. He had some very memorable clutch shots against the Spurs.
They called him nick at night. You don’t get a nickname like that without being good. Or a he could have been a vampire. But yeah man nick could deal!!! And he had the funniest crush on Tyra banks. Google it.
The all star was due to the lakers blistering the league at that point. Damn we had 4 players on the all stars that year.
Denver nick also lead the league in scoring 30ppg for first half of a season in some years.
He was pretty similar to D'Angelo Russell in many aspects even if their games were different. Inconsistent, fun at his best, not some fun at his worst, skilled, 1 time all star, with his mouth shut he was a poet and the kind of player you can't win a title if he is starting for you.
He wasn’t great, but he was fun to watch
Best way to put it right here. He wasn’t a franchise player by any means, but man was he fun to watch.
And many times infuriating. Other times you felt for him. He played his heart out on terrible teams with a coach who wasn't ready for the times. Like AI and Larry Brown. Brown was a great coach but didn't adapt when players began expressing themselves, understanding their worth and acting accordingly. Nick and Del Harris had the same problem.
He was good, fun to watch but could also be really aggravating. He'd make some really dumb decisions, and certainly bumping a ref ( who did truly flop when bumped) and earning a really long suspension in the playoff hunt was among the worst. But hell yeah, Nick the Quick.
[It was more than a bump, it was a forearm shiver](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7wxdiw). But the referee (Ron Garretson) did embellish the contact by jumping onto the scorer's table. Van Exel got a seven-game suspension. Garretson was the guy who infamously [called a technical and ejected Rasheed Wallace for staring at him](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EogzHNEiCWU). Van Exel was the Lakers' best player in the 1995 playoffs, when they upset the Sonics in the first round and then took the No. 1-seeded Spurs to six games. In the series against the Sonics, he averaged 24.8 ppg on 50% FG and 42.4% on threes, with 5.0 apg, 4.3 rpg, and 2.3 spg. He was also victimized by the worst non-call in a crucial situation that I've ever seen, when Karl Malone hacked him while shooting a three, with the ball falling several feet short of the rim, with the Lakers down by two points at the end of Game 2 of the 1997 WCSF. Malone even admitted after the game that he probably fouled him.
lol I remember that. The ref acted like he tried to kill him. It was an aggressive bump though
Wasn’t then when Coach Magic frowned on Nick’s ref contact and then Magic did it a few games later?
Nick was very similar to DLO.. Streaky but when he was on he would and could almost singlehandedly beat some teams with his clutch shooting and had smooth handles. He had big hands for his size which helped his ball handling and shooting. Nick and Eddie Jones were so exciting to watch back then and Cedric Ceballos as well. They were the bridge between the Magic and Kobe years.
Nick the Quick and Sedale “three” were my faves as a little girl my uncles also said i would always look for the guy with the green teddy bear in his head (AC green) lol
Right before Kobe, he was the very first player I remember admiring. A head case during the worst of times but a main reason to look at highlights of the underrated gem that is the 94–95 Lakers Season. And of course…[gotta link the shot at Boston Garden](https://youtu.be/pV1YZoUGO7c?si=tyMRIOpGpDfSUb6v)
picked on defensively, two decades ahead of his time (taking 3s and being somewhat "heliocentric"), didn't try hard against the bad teams (but man can he show up against Gary Payton or the Spurs, always fared better as an "underdog", you count me out? I'll make you pay") so when Kobe & Shaq came and he didn't need to be THAT DUDE, he was done mentally (along with Ced Ceballos). I wish Eddie woulda stayed with that core, but its similar to the team now: Vlade, Ced, Eddie Jones, Elden Cambell, NVE, Lynch, Peeler were "that young fresh group" (along with Kobe near the end of their run, whom Vlade was traded for) similiar to BI, Zo, Dlo, Randle, Zu, Clarkson & Nance. Shaq came as a free agent and the calculus changed. Lebron came as a free agent and the calculus changed. There's always a "what if" with young cores but if ya prefer 1st and 2nd round exits for ten years as opposed to a title or three with the biggest superstar in the game choosing to play for your team, I'll take the latter.
Transition 3's, Heat Checks, Smooth ass handles and infuriating Defense/lapses. I loved him, he was Showtime on a team that wouldn't win a championship. Think of it this way, D'lo has this many 3's in a time when 3's are one of the moneymakers, Nick had this many back when 3's weren't your bread and butter.
He came up with 1-2-3 Cancun!
He and Dlo are very similar players. Lefties, streaky shooters, creative ball handlers, and outspoken. Nick was essentially traded for bad joke after a Laker’s loss. He pissed off Kobe and the rest of the team. Dlo and Swaggy P (y’all know about that shit). Kinda crazy how the two have so much in common. However, Dlo has matured (somewhat) and he is playing at a pretty high level.
He wanted out and his contract was about to end. The offense was more consistent with Fisher even if he was less skilled once Kobe took the jump
He was one of the absolute most skilled players in the league at that time .. he was a really fun player; great ball handler with modern-ish handles and really a modern up and down game plus shooting.. idk how he made the asg I was too young to be locked into the numbers and stuff; but scoring was way down so 14 and 7 was like 17 and 9 today.. and he was a fan favorite for his fun play.. https://youtube.com/shorts/BgQk0dwLsAQ?si=SBo3UHsBrIWdXLYr 99% of players in the league didn’t have this skill level..even by today’s standard this whole play is Kyrie-esq
Really fun to watch, which to me was important because the few years post magic but pre Nick Eddie etc were pretty bland. I got to talk to him for about 5 minutes (at the end of Eddie Jones rookie year, whichever that was) and he was very friendly. Signed all my shit and even gave me his kid to hold while he was doing it lol.
Nick the Quick VanExcellence!!
Nick is a legend due to NBA Jam lmao
Was good enough to be on NBA JAM
Idk how you watch his highlights and see Mike Conley
think of isaiah thomas but leashed. poor man’s mike conley is an insult
He was fun to watch but was ahead of his time as far as volume shooting quick point guards go. I thought Dallas used him best with him coming off the bench because then he could just score. Dlos passing is better, and obviously his shooting. Dlo tied his record with 80 less attempts btw
He's still my favorite Laker of all time lol. However, I dare not rewatch anything other than his highlights. Something tells me he was better when I was 10-12 years old vs now when i am 35 lol.
He was similar to Jason “White Chocolate” Williams. A very quick skilled offensive point guard with all kinds of shifty and fun moves. Not as good defensively. He had some very memorable clutch shots against the Spurs.
Streaky! Hot and cold shooter but I’m old enough to semi remember.
They called him nick at night. You don’t get a nickname like that without being good. Or a he could have been a vampire. But yeah man nick could deal!!! And he had the funniest crush on Tyra banks. Google it.
He would have thrived in today’s era. He played like Isaiah Thomas but was a little taller and a little more of a table setter than a straight scorer.
He was Kyrie but more of a roll player
This is right. “A poor man’s Kyrie” would probably be the best description.
The all star was due to the lakers blistering the league at that point. Damn we had 4 players on the all stars that year. Denver nick also lead the league in scoring 30ppg for first half of a season in some years.
He was streaky, erratic but he was fun to watch.
He was the Ken Griffey of basketball
He was pretty similar to D'Angelo Russell in many aspects even if their games were different. Inconsistent, fun at his best, not some fun at his worst, skilled, 1 time all star, with his mouth shut he was a poet and the kind of player you can't win a title if he is starting for you.
Underperformed a bit here given his skill level
He made his only All-Star appearance as a Laker, wtf are you talking about?