At the trade deadline the Mavericks made no moves to strengthen their team. They didn’t add a Chris Weber as the Pistons did. Or Eddie Jones as Miami did. But since the passing of the trade deadline, Dallas may have made the most significant player acquisition of all—Devin Harris.

In the 2.5 years since Harris was taken with the 5^th pick in the first round of the draft, the Mavericks have waited patiently for him to arrive and become a major contributor.

He’s arrived. Flatly, Harris’ emergence is happening primarily because of the injury to Devean George. Avery Johnson had moved George into the lineup and let Jason Terry run the point believing that this combination gave him a better chance of attaining balance as a guard pair. George was solid defensively, could cover very big guards and his offensive game emerged to the point that he was a solid, yet not spectacular contributor. Then George got hurt. Harris re-entered the lineup.

Check that…someone wearing Harris’ jersey re-entered the lineup. This “new” Devin Harris suspiciously looks like the guard that the Mavericks thought they were getting in that ’04 draft. He’d quickly become a solid defensively player. But this Devin Harris is the player Dallas waited patiently for. He’s learning to control his speed. He seems to have much more control during his slashes to the basket. His jumpshot has significantly improved.

As good as the Mavericks are, they still really needed a true slasher to complement the best jump shooting team in the league. Suddenly Harris looks like he knows what he’s doing. The light has come on. And, it has come on just in time for the playoffs to arrive.

What took so long? Well, first he left Wisconsin a year early and had played only one year of point guard while with the Badgers. In Dallas and everywhere else in the NBA, unless you’re desperate, you don’t turn your team over to a rookie point guard. Especially, when an excellent veteran like Jason Terry is available at that position.

Oddly, George’s injury now looks like a small stroke of luck. Harris has seized the opportunity. He’d already become an excellent defensive guard. Did you watch him pester Lebron James early this week? Now Harris appears to be arriving at the offensive end.

Just what Dallas needed. Just what their opponents were afraid would happen.

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