For $2 Million, No Sympathy : Harper Is Paid Well, but He Would Like a Chance to Win

That’s hope passing Derek Harper by, not merely victories.

This is his 10th NBA season, all with the Dallas Mavericks. But whereas that once meant being paired with Rolando Blackman in a highly respected backcourt on a team that seemed destined for greatness, Harper now contemplates his career winding down on a last-place team.

“Feel bad for him?” General Manager Norm Sonju asked, repeating the question. “I re-did his contract three times. What do you mean, ‘Bad for him?’ For what? . . . Derek’s a winner. He’s a man. He came to us the other day and asked to be here the rest of his career. I don’t feel sorry for anyone that makes over $2 million a year.”

Feel bad for him?

“Sure,” said Blackman, who was traded to New York in the off-season and has his chance to win a championship.

“He’s a player. He’s a warrior. He’s a guy who wants to use his supreme talent to win. Being in a situation like that makes it very, very difficult because they don’t have many opportunities, and he’s there using up all his talent. There’s not going to be any fruitfulness out of that.”

Harper, averaging 19.8 points and 4.9 assists despite being the No. 1 target of opposing defenses, says he is happy for Blackman and wishes “it could be me.” He also counters Sonju’s claim by saying his lawyer went to the Mavericks as early as last summer in hopes of prompting a trade.

“It puts me in a peculiar situation, is what it does,” Harper said. “From the standpoint of when this team is good, I don’t think I’ll be able to taste the honey. I won’t be playing. When this team is competing and being a playoff-contending basketball team again, I’ll probably be out of the league. With all of that said, I think it’s fair for me to want an opportunity to win.

“It’s a tough adjustment. But you’d trade places with me, I’ll bet you that. A lot of people would. I don’t take it in stride, but at the same time I try to make the best out of the situation, stay as positive as you can stay.

“They’ll be back again. I might not be here to see them back. I might not experience them being back, but they’ll be back. The same people who are down on us now, when things get turned around, they’ll jump on the bandwagon and they will be right there.”