# Training camp



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

It was today, FranzKafka, a poster over at lonemavsfan.com had a media pass and is going to be posting stuff that happened throughout the day later tonight, I'll update this thread then. For now, the two pictures he's put up so far:


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## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Media Day*

Nothing about interviews yet, just two more pictures:


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## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Media Day*

"One thing I noticed right away were the sloganned placards up on the walls in the gym. I don't know if these are old or new, but I wrote them down ...

"Contain"
"Take the defensive challenge"
"42%"
"Dallas Mavericks Full Throttle Basketball"
"Effort, Energy, Execution"
"Communicate your thoughts"
"Keep your man in front of you"
"Everybody rebound"
... and another that was obscured.

The gym 'feels' small. Kinda weird that. It's a story or two below the level of the main arena floor and locker-room. Million dollar talent walking miles of stairs during the season? Don't know how Cubes sleeps at night bearing that risk One slip and Austin Croshere is your 4. Gulp. 

Btw, speak of the devil ... I took a bathroom break about half way thru the proceedings and as I emerged from the water closet who falls in pace next to me under the stands but a certain ex-Pacer. Anticipating this moment, I even had a question ready for him. [can I dance or can I freakin' dance?] "Mr. Croshere," I sez I sez I sez, "Conseco Fieldhouse is considered to be possibly the best arena in the NBA. What do you think of the AAC? Does it measure up okay." He agreed that Conseco was pretty nice, but noted the facilities around us were pretty much the equal. He considered the Denver arena to be the nicest - which surprised me a bit - who knew? Anyway, I asked him what he thought of the atmosphere in the bowl during his trips in as a visitor. He sorta mulled it over and bobbed his head, thought the place could boil some water when the heat rose. [that's how the NBA guys talk in the fantasies constantly swirling thru my head] Croshere seemed like a good dude. Real relaxed but not cocky. Pleasant. Just two guys chattin' ... strollin' along under the stands. Mav media honcho Sarah Melvin saw me alone with one of her players and almost had a cow. She shooed me back down the stairs to the gym and outta AC's hair. LOL. 

I have a photo of Austin that I'll download later - it's in front of the white drapery. Dude was so white that between his pale magnificence, the home unie and the backdrop - almost all you could see was a blue 44 suspended magically in the air. You know how you hold a flashlight right up to your eye as long as you can? Like until you can smell your freakin' retinas burning? Well, AC's calves are just as deadly to one's vision. I had to take that photo just to prove my story. You'll see.

Anyway, I digress ... so I get there ... I note Josh looks to be in a good mood, constant smiles. Turn around and there's Dirk, like 10 feet from me, full home unie and sneaks, like 10 feet from me, just doin' the media day thing with the photogs, like 10 feet from me. Shootin' a grin my way occasionally as the jokes flow. Just like the 5th best baller on the planet, like 10 feet away just bein' a big kid. I yawned and moved on ... nothing to see there.

Around the corner I found Cubes taking his turn in front of the big green backdrop. [see panorama ya mopes] Whenever I meet Cuban it always strikes me how big a guy he is. Dude ain't little. Anyway, I lean in and say I'm Franz from LMF, "Thanks for the invite." He sez sure, no prob, big grin, havin' a ball, in his element. I move on - figuring [correctly] that I'll get some more pow-wow time with him later on. 

But, before I can walk a few paces away a very interesting thing happens -- Dirk and Cubes catch sight of each other and suddenly it's all, "Hey! Dirk! Long time no see! Welcome back!" "Hey! Mark! Good to see you! Yeah, just got back to town!" Kinda cool witnessing that scene - luckily I had my camera ..."










"Took another circuit around the gym. Media Day had an upstairs and a downstairs. Upstairs were proper press conferences featuring AJ, Cubes and Dirk. The NBA had a room of their own, too, for their photogs - and there were some other 'big media' doings about up there. I avoided all of that, just hung out in the gym downstairs. The players would move around a circuit of stations. Some photog, some video, you can kinda see the set-up in the pan. I found Mo Ager in the far corner..."










"See that expression and body language? Never left him. You could almost see the little gears movin' in his rookie brain: "Don't say anything stupid. Don't do anything stupid. Don't say anything stupid. Don't do anything stupid." Constantly grinding himself thru the NBA discovery process. Several players were asked their opinion of his game. To a man ... Stack, Buck and others ... they were impressed. A media guy there from Iowa, covered the Big 10, said he was the real deal. Kinda shot streaky, but good. I asked if he could defend. He shot back, "Oh yeah." We'll see. Never really saw anymore of Ager after that. Hmmmm, kinda odd. 

Anyway ... the other rooks - Barea, Washington, Carroll, Ebi [rookie-ish] and Pops were making the rounds then. I got a photo or two of them but they're still in the camera. Patience grasshoppers. Ebi was thin, 'bout the same height as Pops. But Pops is more filled in. Thought I'd wander back down Dirk's way, see what's up..."










"Got there just in time to see Dirk crackin' wise on Jason Terry. See the lady in black with the blue sweater around here waist? She was Dirk's personal Media Day handler or something. She was a sight. Her hair frightened me. I hid behind Croshere's calf whenever she came near. 

Somewhere about this time I spotted the Mavs' strength coach, Robert Hacket, standing up high on the stairs at the end of the gym. I thought I could get a good panorama photo from up there, so I ascended thusly. "

My own note, doesn't JET look quite a bit more buff in that picture? Also, I love Ager's body language. This guy isn't going to settle for the D-league, I guarantee it.


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## t1no (Jul 10, 2005)

*Re: Media Day*

Very nice thread Stackattack.


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: Media Day*

This is good stuff... :clap:

"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to StackAttack again."


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## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Media Day*

Thanks guys, but credit should go to Franz, he had the great idea to shoot off an email to Cubes and ask if it would be a possibility to have an LMF rep on site, and whaddaya know, Cubes gave him a pass. One of our two local grandpas should try that the next time something like this happens.

"Got up the stairs and took my pan photos ... yer welcome. Hacket was being interviewed by a female reporter. I am going to guess she is one of the female reporters for the FWST - didn't catch her name. Hacket was giving her a very thorough run down of the merry Hell he had planned for the players come Denton. It sounded BRUTAL. Check the FWST the next few days to see if she writes it up - could be a good read. He said the players all had to pass a grueling test before he would vouch for their fitness officially. The test was 10 up-and-backs the length of the court - or 5 round trips if that's clearer. The player then rested for 2 mins and repeated the run. Their average time had to fall below certain graded levels to be deemed acceptable - 60 secs for bigs [except for DJ - 58 secs for a big gazelle like he per RH], 58 for middles [except for medium gazelle's like Josh - 56 secs], and 54 secs for the scooters like Jet and Devin. He told a story about two players 3 years ago who took 5 weeks of daily tries before they finally passed. Commence the guessing of their identities - first prize is a trip home northward during rush hour from downtown Dallas. 

Anyway, being a jogger who has recently discovered the wonders of carbo-loading, I asked Hacket if NBA players carbo load. He said not so much. Their training and diet was more similar to a 400M or an 800M runner - sustained bursts. Hacket ain't shy and it didn't take much more than a nod and a mumble to keep him talking. He said the players aren't spoon fed their meals, but they are his nutritional captive audience on the planes and after practice. I got the feeling that the Mavs don't see everything the players eat, but they actively encourage and provide monitored healthy food within arm's reach around the players constantly. He has even instructed road hotel room service to limit the menus available to certain players. He did acknowledge that pasta was ALWAYS waiting for the players, however. I made the observation that NBA players bodies remind me of Olympic swimmer bodies. He agreed - lean and long just like a swimmer. I told him my concern about Dirk's back going out some day and drastically changing the way he plays the game. He said the Mavs medical people hawk stuff like that rabidly. Always trying to emphasize the core [abs, etc.] muscles on the player as a preventive to just such problems. I then popped him a bicep and was like what about that gun right there, huh? How about that, little man? And he ran away into the Mav offices. I descended thusly."

"About this time I noticed Mike Fisher was in the house. He was twirling a notepad and chatting with Greg Buckner - see http://www.dallasbasketball.com for his write-up of Media Day. Standing next to Fish was a mini-me version of Fish - 15-yr-old Tony Fisher, spittin' image of the old man. I should mention at this point that there were exactly 3 people in the entire AAC at that moment who were not working. Me, Tony Fisher and some awestruck youngster following a photog around. Can't express enough how nice it was for M to throw us this bone - he absolutely did not have to do it but he did and the LMF was repped and not all a God's chillens get repped so everybody note your thanks to M 'cause I'm sure he be peekin' in to make sure I'm not talkin' outta school or noffin'. Werd. 

Which brings us nimbly to Ben and Skin. I hope you are familiar with their fine work on 1310 The Ticket. They have a Saturday Show from noon to two and do plenty of post-game talk-radio action once the season starts. Also, they have big plans for a Mav-centric TV show on channel 21 - KTXA - come January. They plan a preseason episode and an X-Mas episode to whet your appetite for their 2007 TV debut. So, get your ears on. I knew Ben and Skin when they were just lads making their way. They've gotten pretty good at what they do. 

At their station they had each player take a turn reading a promo [stay tuned for the upcoming "Fun with Cardboard Dirk" segment of tonight's program] and submitting to a quick interview with Skin [we're here with a man who swam with dolphins during his off-season, Jerry Stackhouse]. Every time I got a bit lost or bored I'd wander back over to their station and observe the antics. The players enjoyed it, too. 

One player that sorta surprised me was newcomer Anthony Johnson. I sorta had my radar out for this guy the whole time. When he finally showed up he seemed very demure - quiet and hesitant to join the casual vibe. When I saw him headed to Ben and Skin's station I followed on his heels. Lo and behold he turned out to be a GREAT GUY. Very warm and funny - enjoyed Ben and Skin's silly antics and stuff. I left with a good impression of the guy. Johnson is taller than I imagined he would be, too. Stackhouse made the comment that Johnson is a 94-foot guy, no quit.

Somewhere around this time Buckner and Cuban sorta bumped into each other, sorta echoing the earlier scene involving Dirk and Cuban. I got a snap of Buck and Cubes slapping backs and trading hugs ..."'










"Stackhouse said Buck is a great clubhouse guy. Buck seemed pretty happy to be back."

"Before I continue, I wanna mention a guy I met and his website. His name is John Nagle. He writes for USAVoice.org - which is some sorta red-headed stepchild to USAToday or something. I imagine you'll find his Mav coverage at this link when he gets it rolling. He participates at the Mavscentral.com website as well, of which we are not familiar, but interested. MMkay? Seems a decent sort - a pro journalist that doesn't mind us common folk. spit

Oh, and before I continue, part deux ... here's a pic of Devin Harris. Some people wondered if there might be any extra meat on his bones. The answer appeared to be no, Hell no, and no not ever so quit askin'. The boy is what the boy is..."










"That is the last pic I have. I have perhaps 25 more or so that you will eventually see. But, I gotta keep my flickr.com powder dry for now due to limited monthly uploads, so ... keep hope alive in the meantime. I'll have a few photos from tomorrows TC in Denton, too, to add to the mix someday, maybe even tomorrow. Can you tell I'm getting sleepy ... yawn. Okay, let me just get these off the top of my head ...

Avery Johnson - photo to come - very quiet, moved with purpose from station to station - let's get it over with body language. He gave me a 'pardon' when I stepped outta his way on the stairs. Looked very fit. Musta spent HOURS with a mic in his face yesterday - gads.

Del Harris - photo to come, Captain Morgan style - Del moves around every room like it's his own living room. Casual personified.

Robert Hacket - no-nonsense purposeful dude - right temperament for the job of strength coach if you ask me.

Mo Ager - WAB suggested a competitive aloofness - no, just a wanna do right attitude - ready to go - ready to please - not ready to rock the boat at all - doubt he gives in to any vet when the ball's tossed, tho.

Jose Barea - he was there - good enough for ya? [I have a few photos of the rooks]

Greg Buckner - Buck's a casual dude - he, Ben and Skin kept each other doubled over with laughter at that station - they all go way back - sounds ready to rain the 3-ball

Pat Carroll - he was there - looks like a dude that knows even if he didn't miss one shot he still wouldn't make the team - he's no Adam Harrington [for Ron, if he happens by]

Austin Croshere - thinner perhaps than I expected, easy going guy, looked like he knew the score - I believe Buck said AC brings some shooting and versatility to the mix, IIRC

Erick Dampier - seemed very cheerful and jovial - looked like he enjoyed the Ben and Skin station - looked good, looked fit and ready to go - I heard Donnie [good Donnie story to come later this week, remind me] say that Damp's been seen on site working on his game more than anybody this offseason, IIRC [somebody said that, I think it was Donnie]

Donnie Nelson - photo and short funny story to come - always looks exhausted to me - very cordial dude

DeSagana Diop - photo to come - looked fit to me - still lean and mean - had some trouble pronouncing his promos sometimes but cheerfully hung in there until he got them right - near the end of my stay he entered the gym and casually reached up to hang on to the net hanging from a side rim ... so so tall

Ndudi Ebi - tall and lean, kinda taller than I expected, but kinda not-so-lean as I expected - he disappeared quite early - might have a photo of him and some other rook-types

Devean George - photo to come - I lurked this guy mightily looking for some sign of Laker uppityness, no joy, just seemed easy going and smiley - rather pleasant dude - sported an eye-catching sparkling diamond in each ear - looked fit and trim

Devin Harris - seemed to enjoy the event - got a little show-off in him, likes to perform for the peepus

Josh Howard - disappeared early, but seemed smiley and jovial when I saw him - seems like a real decent dude

DJ Mbenga - photo to come - never heard him speak - walked by him a coupla times - he's a specimen - I imagine Amare Stoudamire is DJ MBenga with hoop know-how - if I had to relay THE recurring buzz in the gym Monday it was "look out for DJ, 'cause he's coming HARD on Damp's tail-end" - it would be spectacular if his talent ever catches up with his body

Anthony Johnson - photo to come - can't add much to what I said earlier - definitely taller than I expected is the main thing - told a quick mysterious tale of spinning around in circles at 150 mph during the off-season, hinting that we might have a drag-racing buff on our hands ... needs looking into, that

Pops - photo to come - didn't hear him speak - he disappeared pretty quick, too - at this point, conventional Mav wisdom has him making the team, right? With Ebi and maybe Pat Carroll battling for the 15th spot?

Dirk - needs work - kinda uncoordinated and slow - HUGE ego

Jet - photo to come - he was saying all the right things - you've heard his interviews, they all kinda go the same way, he's a team guy - it's funny how somebody so short on TV towers over you when you meet them

Stack - kinda no-nonsense, but when he loosened up he was pleasant and funny - swam with dolphins down in Mexico over the off-season, also hung out at home in NC lots - rocks envy Stack's bulletproof-looking cranium [don't tell him I said that]

Darius Washington - I know he was there because I remember seeing him there - at least he'll get to experience Dynamic Denton while he's in the area ..."

VERY excited about Damp. And DJ. And...Dirk? That's not the guy I know. Oh well. As long as he's not selfish on the court, not much wrong with having an ego.


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## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Media Day*

*Media Day Blog Post by Stack:*

Dallas Mavericks

Posted by Jerry Stackhouse on Oct. 2, 2006 at 3:53 p.m. ET

Obviously we were disappointed after the Finals but, after a couple weeks I kind of got back to normalcy. I took a little time off with my family and went back to North Carolina. I messed around with some of the guys that’s coming in this year. They’re going to have an awesome class. It’s going to be fun to watch. I do a lot of trash talking around here about UNC. I took a vacation to Mexico, went down to Cabo St. Lucas. It’s all about enjoying it as much as you can, man. Having a short summer made the season seem like it got back here fast, but we’ll take that every time.

I’ve always been a guy that just loved to play, play, play. Even in the off-season. I had to be a little smarter with that. Still working out and doing things to keep moving, but not just take the pounding of running on the court. Knowing that I’m having long runs on teams like this, you have to kind of save yourself a little bit. I didn’t play as much pick-up as a normally play and I’m hoping that will kind of have my legs and everything feeling good pretty much throughout the course of the year.

We know the makeup of our team. We know we have a championship-caliber team and we’ve added some pieces who have championship experience and have Finals experience that maybe can help us get over that hurdle that we faced after we went up two games. For real, for real, we just feel that that team got what we was supposed to have and we’re looking to get that. We’re trying to get that, and have a little interest added on to it this year. Its been going out and setting the tone throughout the season. You gotta have intermediate goals, and our first goal is to start the season off well and to, at the end of the regular season, be the No. 1 seed because we feel that having that home-court advantage is important when it comes down to, you know, playing in the playoffs.

Devean was hurt a lot last year and I think he’s healthy now, so he has something to prove. It’s always nice to have guys that have something to prove. Ager, going the last pick in the first round, he has something to prove to all the teams that passed him over. And then there’s Anthony Johnson with his experience, I’m glad that I have another guy who is capable. He is a guy who scored 40 points in a playoff game just last postseason. So, you can never have enough weapons. Austin Croshere with his experience, playing in this league 9-to-10 years is going to be huge to be able to not have to play Dirk so many minutes during the regular season.

Dirk looks good. He spent a lot of time after the World Championship was over when he had a good time where he didn’t really do anything. He got to spend some time with his family and now he is here and we’re going to use this next month to kind of get him back to where he wants to be for when the regular season starts. Hopefully that time he has taken off over the last few weeks will give him renewed energy to start training camp.

*Media Day Blog Post by JET:
*
Posted by Jason Terry on Oct. 2, 2006 at 4:38 p.m. ET

The Finals was a great experience but our goal was not just to get there, it’s to win it all. I think we took strides towards doing so this season. We kept our guys in tact. We had myself as a free agent. I’m locked in now. Dirk’s locked in. We have J-Ho, Devean, Jerry Stackhouse, Ghana, Big Damp – you know, the key guys that were a part of that team are back and in addition we’ve added three solid veterans that have Finals experience. Austin Croshere, Devean George, Anthony Johnson – these are guys that are quality players and we can only get better as a team.

I took some time off, you know, came back and tried something new. I’m doing a little swimming this summer and increased my endurance and my stamina. But other than that I’m a family man, so I spend a lot of time with my girls taking them out golfing, playing soccer. You know, doing the little daddy things. I split time in between Seattle, Dallas and I have a home in Atlanta also that we spend time at. But my focus every night, it was always tough to sleep knowing that we let an opportunity pass us by. But going into this season’s training camp, I’m excited.

I played with Anthony Johnson in Atlanta my first two years and the thing about the guys we brought in, everybody came in early in September and started to work out. We’ve worked out together and we’ve already bonded and that’s going to be a big help.

The championship. That is THE goal. Everyone putting on that Maverick uniform, or, even around the city, the Maverick fans, they’re ready. They know what we got to do to get it done.


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## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Media Day*

Mike Fisher's Media Day write-up on DallasBasketball.com. I guess I'll post whatever training camp stuff that goes down in this thread as well, so if Bray or Ed or Yao could change the title to Training Camp.

Dirk Nowitzki opened this season the same way he closed the last one: By carelessly and violently destroying official team equipment. That and a skillion other assorted notes from Monday's Mavs Media Day:

# First of all, the new ball sux. It's slick, difficult to palm, features a faded-orange color, and is rumored (according to Mavs gossip) to have less "give'' when shot off the glass.

"I can't palm it,'' Jason Terry said, as he demonstrated just that. "It's too soft. It's too slick. It's like an indoor-outdoor ball. Man, I had one of those when I was 6. And I never used it, either.''

The official word from the NBA is that the new sphere "is a microfiber composite with moisture management that provides superior grip and feel throughout the course of a game."

Yeah, but did the NBA forget to ask the actually users of the actual ball what they think?

My media brother Skin gets credit for the ball-related line of the day, suggesting that maybe the NBA should continue the theme by installing chain-link nets.

# Nowitzki was chipper, his still-short hair starting to grow out, his willingness to visit with the media punctuated by him grabbing a microphone that was situated too low and pulling up on it, busting the electronic equipment.

At least it wasn't an exercise bike.

During Nowitzki's state-of-The-UberMan address, he was asked if he's tired from a short offseason (what with the NBA Finals appearance and then Germany's FIBA Worlds run).

"I'm 28, not 20,'' Dirk said as a sort of acknowledgement, "so I can't be up all night. ...''

Dirk froze, and chuckled, apparently with his own private Levitra commercial running through his head.

# You'll be happy to learn that Erick Dampier still doesn't look happy.

I mean that in the happiest way; Damp's gruff demeanor may hide a Mary Poppinsesque heart. But I eavesdropped when some ABC-TV people were asking him on-camera questions, and, well, Damp is Damp.

"Who's your current favorite player in the NBA?'' the ABC wonk asked.

Now, to this same question, other Mavs came up with something. (Convenient reply? JET said, "Dirk Nowitzki.'') But Erick pondered the question for a loooong time -- not trying to be difficult, I don't think, simply pondering -- before he finally replied.

"Um, I don't have current favorite player in the NBA,'' Dampier mumbled.

# Some of have wondered why the Mavs are bothering to travel to Denton for their four-day training camp, which commences Tuesday with two-a-days. What's the point of making the players drive 45 miles away? Will the Denton experience be a spartan one? Will players be coming back and forth to Dallas, or will they hang in Denton between workouts at, like, the mall? Or Grandy's?

The Mavs say that besides the ready availability of five courts (which should come in handy with 18 players, us bunch of media dorks, and the usual host of five dozen-or-so assistant coaches), they want camp to serve as a "bonding experience.''

So maybe the fellas will hang together at the Denton Mall, after all.

# Jason Terry performed for the cameras in the requisite arms-spread-like-an-airplane pose, told interviewers that the NBA legend he most compares his game to is Isiah Thomas (who knew?), swears that he's a terrible dancer (I somehow doubt it) and was more than willing to shill for the network by recording some sound bites.

"You're watching the NBA on NBC!'' JET squealed.

Which was good and all, but. ... the NBA is on ABC.

# FISHELLANEOUS: Almost without missing a beat, the legendary No. 44 once owned by the legendary Shawn Bradley now fits the legend-to-be Austin Croshere, who at 6-10 can't quite fill out the length but has the pigment part down pat. ... I remember Pops Mensah-Bonsu looking rather slight on TV. In person, he appears to be every bit his listed 6-9, 240. ... Free-agent rookie Juan Jose Berea might be stretching things to call himself 6-0. ... In terms of players' moods, there is no detectable hangover from having lost the NBA Finals. I say that, but at the same time, what was I expecting? A dozen Mavs 911 "depression'' phone-ins in by Kim Etheredge? ... It's early, and this is mostly likely a scary first experience for a kid, but at this point, it would be fair to say that top rookie Maurice Ager plans to let his playing do his talking. "Cooperative but reticent'' is how I would characterize Mo. ... Mark Cuban met the press featuring a nice haircut. ... The battle for Most Jovial Mav? After Day 1, DeSagana Diop and Jason Terry will get competition from new player development staffer Popeye Jones.

# Mavs President of Utopia Donnie Nelson and most other management folks left this day's stage for the players. Donnie stayed low-profile, but when he did greet media types with whom he is friendly, the exchange frequently followed the same path: A smile, a hug, and then a saluation that seemed quite fitting for the first day of a marathon NBA season.

"Here we go again!'' Donnie said, time after time.
_________________________________________

Really sad to hear about the new ball. Also, JET can't palm!? NOOOOOOOOO! JET dunks and the best dunks...heh, pretty funny about Dirk breaking the equipment...and I laughed out loud reading about Damp...also, the consensus about Ager? A no-talk all-business kinda guy, and I love it. His body language alone gives me a strong idea that this guy isn't settling for the D-League. But how would that work? We'd probably have the 15th man and Pops in the D-League. And DJ's not eligible for it anymore (neither is Ebi, so I hope we don't sign him, I'm a Barea guy myself). So if we stick Ager in the active lineup, someone, probably DJ, isn't going to be in the D-League or NBA rotations.


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## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Media Day*

Mavericks wait is 'almost' over

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

For the last three months, Avery Johnson heard one word way too often.

It became so prevalent – and nagged at the Mavericks' coach so much – that he decided to turn it into a rallying cry for training camp.

"This year, I heard this one word that I hate now: almost," Johnson said Monday. "That's all I heard the whole summer – 'almost, coach.'

"We got to find a way to get that out of our system. That's our theme. How do we go from almost to all?"

From almost to all. Maybe it's not a Hollywood script. But it's a suitable game plan for the Mavericks as they begin training camp today at the University of North Texas.

On Monday, they mugged for the cameras and hyped the new season at media day. The prevailing thought is that they have unfinished business. Dirk Nowitzki and Co. can't help but feel that they lost a great opportunity when Miami crawled out of a 2-0 hole and beat the Mavericks 4-2 in the NBA Finals.

"That's the one thing that's on your mind the most," Nowitzki said. "And you never know in this league if you'll make it back again. We had a heck of a year and you learn to appreciate it more over time. But a good year is not enough. We want a great year and, hopefully, a ring."

The close call in June was the main reason owner Mark Cuban, president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson and Johnson decided not to tinker with the top seven players.

Beyond that, they added key role players: Devean George, Anthony Johnson, Austin Croshere and Greg Buckner.

As camp opens, the process of finding out who fits in as the fifth starter and who earns playing time alongside Jerry Stackhouse and Erick Dampier off the bench begins.

And, as Cuban said, getting rid of lingering feelings from last season is a crucial step in the development of this team.

"It was two weeks before I'd walk out of the house," Cuban said of how tough the summer was. "The best analogy is it's like breaking up with the girl that you dated for four or five years. Everybody that sees you asks you about her. 'How's she doing? Well, we're not together anymore.' That's exactly what it feels like."

It should help that three of their newcomers have NBA Finals experience – George, Anthony Johnson and Croshere.

"I can relate," George said. "We won three, took a year off and went back to the Finals and got beat by Detroit. Almost is hard to deal with and hard to recover [from]. But you have to push through it."

Nelson added that the feeling the Mavericks still have after falling just short last year is most certainly a motivating factor.

"You feel like you got socked in the stomach," he said. "Usually, you go through a tough loss and you don't have time to sit on it. But I have a better appreciation for what they go through in the NFL, where that thing's in your belly for a week. This thing was in our gut for three months. So we are itching to get back on that floor."


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## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Media Day*

What-ifs still haunt Mavericks
By ART GARCIA
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

DALLAS - Almost.

The word haunts Mavericks coach Avery Johnson. Jason Terry sighs at its mere mention. No one remembers who finished second, reminded Dirk Nowitzki. Devean George wasn't even on the team last season, but he's all too familiar with the word.

It's synonymous with the Mavs of 2005-06. It's what the NBA championship runners-up are determined to change.

"How do we go from almost to all?" is Johnson's quest as training camp opens today at the University of North Texas.

The Mavs will hold two-a-day workouts the next three days, leading to a team scrimmage Friday on the Denton campus. It's the first camp away from American Airlines Center since the AAC opened in 2001.

The theme for 2006-07 is taking that final step. The Mavs won't take it, Johnson said, by skipping steps along the way.

"You don't go from Oct. 2 or 3 and think about the Finals," Johnson said Monday during media day at the AAC. "There are a lot of things that have to go right for you."

Even if they tried, the Mavs couldn't forget all that went wrong in the final four games against Miami. On vacation in the Bahamas, an overzealous Heat fan kidded Terry by calling him "D-Wade" at every turn.

Defending the Western Conference title against San Antonio and a host of improved contenders, and holding the trophy that Dwyane Wade already has is the Mavs' only objective.

"The goal is no secret: to win a championship," Terry said. "You've got to play who's on your schedule, and we're playing everybody, so it doesn't matter who's gunning for whom. Our mind-set doesn't change."

George, one of four playoff-tested veterans added to an untouched nucleus, said "almost" was hard to deal with after the Los Angeles Lakers fell to Detroit in the 2004 Finals. It didn't matter the Lakers had won three titles earlier in the decade.

Getting another shot isn't guaranteed.

"That's really the one thing that's on our mind the most," Nowitzki said. "We lost a great opportunity to win. You never know in this league if you'll ever make it again."

No-go Europe

Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns face Philadelphia in an exhibition game in Germany next week. Something about that just doesn't make sense to that country's most successful basketball export.

"For me it's not understandable to have a game in Germany and we're not there," said Dirk Nowitzki.

The Mavs won't be headed overseas anytime soon, owner Mark Cuban reiterated Monday. He said it just doesn't make financial or competitive sense.

Nowitzki hasn't given up hope of a homecoming.

"I would love to be there and represent the Mavericks in my home country," he said. "...We go to beautiful Pittsburgh this year."

The Mavs play Cleveland in Pittsburgh this preseason. Cuban is from the Pittsburgh area.


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Media Day*

Cuban: Team will continue to train in U.S.

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

The San Antonio Spurs are having training camp in France. The Los Angeles Clippers are in Russia. Philadelphia is in Spain.

And the Mavericks are in Denton.

This is by design. The Mavericks like the larger facilities at the University of North Texas and the bonding that they will do for four days. But they were asked by the NBA to train in Germany so that Dirk Nowitzki could be showcased in his homeland. Owner Mark Cuban elected to pass.

"No chance," Cuban said Monday. "I think it's ridiculous. It's hard enough on these guys as it is to prepare and avoid distractions and learn the system. It's been suggested that we go over because of Dirk. I fight it every chance I get.

"I'd rather play in Pittsburgh."

The Mavericks will do just that later this month in an exhibition game against Cleveland in Cuban's hometown.

"I don't have a problem training outside of Dallas," he said. "I just don't think there's any value in doing it overseas."

Nowitzki has a different outlook. He obviously would like the chance to train and play a couple exhibition games in Germany.

"Yeah, the NBA was trying to get us to go to Europe for quite some time, to play in Germany," he said. "There are games in Germany next week and we're not there. Steve [Nash] is playing over there. I'd love to be there and represent the Mavericks over there in my home country. But it hasn't really worked out.

"So we go to beautiful Pittsburgh this year."

Learning from the best: Centers DeSagana Diop and D.J. Mbenga spent some time during the summer in Houston to work with Hakeem Olajuwon.

"I think it will be beneficial, just like the guys who went through the summer leagues and our off-season programs," coach Avery Johnson said. "That work with Hakeem was pretty beneficial."

Briefly: Josh Howard's contract status probably won't get addressed until close to the Oct. 31 deadline. Cuban and president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson both said there's a chance it could be tabled until after the season, when Howard would be an *unrestricted* free agent.

Keith Van Horn technically remains a Maverick. He is mulling his options, including retirement. He may wait until the season begins and see if the right playing opportunity comes along. Until then, he and his family are living in Colorado.
_______________________________

I'm pretty sure he's restricted, right?


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Media Day*

From NBA.com.










And, not Mav related, but Pau's new look:


----------



## Ninjatune (May 1, 2006)

*Re: Media Day*



> Cuban and president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson both said there's a chance it could be tabled until after the season, when Howard would be an unrestricted free agent.


I don't like that idea one bit.


----------



## Ninjatune (May 1, 2006)

*Re: Media Day*

Mike Miller and Pau Gasol are two ugly dudes.


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Media Day*

Indeed.

Also, JET's not the only one unhappy with the new ball:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2610976

"I think the new ball is terrible," O'Neal said Monday. "It's the worst decision some expert, whoever did it, made. ... The NBA's been around how long? A hundred years? Fifty years? So to change it now, whoever that person is needs his college degree revoked. It's a terrible decision."

"Feels like one of those cheap balls that you buy at the toy store, indoor-outdoor balls," O'Neal said. "I look for shooting percentages to be way down and turnovers to be way up, because when the ball gets wet you can't really control it. Whoever did that needs to be fired. It was terrible, a terrible decision. Awful. I might get fined for saying that, but so what?"

"Hopefully over time, you'll hear nothing about it and we'll all stop complaining," Wade said. "But I think rebounds are going to go up this year. All around the league, I think there's going to be a lot of bricks thrown up there early on."


----------



## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*



> ...so if Bray or Ed or Yao could change the title to Training Camp.


Done.


----------



## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

*Re: Media Day*



Ninjatune said:


> I don't like that idea one bit.


 
Not at all, you don't play with a UFA, that's way too risky. Sign him now what you'll eventually relent to later.


----------



## Ninjatune (May 1, 2006)

*Re: Media Day*

Exactly, cause someone is going to some by and throw big money at him. Don't get in a bidding war. Pay him his due and move on. No need to waste time.


----------



## VeN (May 10, 2005)

*Re: Media Day*



StackAttack said:


> Dirk - needs work - kinda uncoordinated and slow - HUGE ego


at first I laughed, and then I was kinda disappointed. Details mang details lol. And what exactly has Damp been doing? Get any details on that?


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

"Erick Dampier - seemed very cheerful and jovial - looked like he enjoyed the Ben and Skin station - looked good, looked fit and ready to go - I heard Donnie [good Donnie story to come later this week, remind me] say that Damp's been seen on site working on his game more than anybody this offseason, IIRC [somebody said that, I think it was Donnie]"


----------



## VeN (May 10, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*

yea i got that part, I mean has he been workin on his post game or somethin lol


----------



## Ninjatune (May 1, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*



> Dirk..............HUGE ego


3 years and 60 Million tend to do that to some people. Unfortunately.


----------



## Saint Baller (May 3, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Good find StackAttack, I like the feel at media days. It's fun if you ever go.


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Tuesday's A.M. Practice Report
by Mike Fisher -- DallasBasketball.com


DENTON -- Training camp arrived Tuesday morning. So did the sort of prying media eyes usually concentrated on another compelling North Texas sports story. So the Quote of the Day goes to Dallas Morning News beat writer Eddie Sefko, who nodded at the mob of notepads, tape recorders, microphones and cameras and mumbled, "What, T.O.'s not getting his nails done today?"

Tough talk from the Mavs? Directed at the local football team? It fits what coach Avery Johnson is attempting to accomplish during this quartet of days in Denton.

"It was a typical first day,'' AJ says. "But one thing: We are going to be a physical basketball team. A lot of veteran guys, Anthony (Johnson), Devean (George), Buck (Greg Buckner). ... They bring a physical presence. And that's the kind of basketball I love.''

Says George: "I like (Johnson's) teaching and philosophy. I like how he's pushing us.''

AJ did say that amid all the macho stuff -- with all the talk, I half-expected the gym to be decorated not for basketball, but as if it was a dojo -- he would be careful with somebody like Jerry Stackhouse ("I'm not going to overexert his body, I know his body,'' Johnson says) and maybe with Dirk.

"I understand all our players' bodies,'' Avery says. "As much as I might like to run 'em into the ground, do some cute suicide drill, make 'em crawl back to their hotel, I'm not into having that image as a coach. I will do what's smart.''

# You know it's basketball season when Dirk Nowitzki is dressed as if he's getting shipped to the Russian Front. There he was, all bundled up, with the long-sleeved shirt worn under the jersey, and the socks worn high, and baggy sweatpants adding another layer.

Yet, something is different. ...

Aha! The Mavs' practice unis are bright and shiny and new, supplied (as is apparently NBA-wide custom now) by adidas. Three stripes down the side and everything. Spiffy.

# Mo Ager is a baby. I feel like I need to teach him, like, the facts of life. Or how to shave. Or maybe let him make some extra babysitting money. The rookie might not have looked completely at home during practice -- AJ noted that his rookies generally "don't know where they are'' -- but boy, after practice, he looked right at home on the University of North Texas campus. Headband around his neck. Joe Cool grin on his face. And a backpack strapped around his shoulders.

"It does remind me of college a little bit,'' Ager says.

At which time I slipped him 20 bucks and told him he could go meet the gang down at the soda shop.

# First thing J-Ho did after leaving the floor? Found him some headphones. Gotta have them tunes.

Interestingly, Josh Howard's music just happened to be the subject of an Avery Johnson comment on the bonding experience of camp. Avery says, "I want to be able to go to Josh's room and listen to some music.''

Oh, really, AJ? You like the same music J-Ho likes?

"That,'' Johnson says, "is another story.''

# Veteran newcomer Devean George seems fond of the idea of camping in Denton rather than exploring the Seven Seas. He agrees with owner Mark Cuban, who says the Mavs turned down an invite from the NBA to play in Germany. "No chance,'' Cuban says. "It’s ridiculous,” said Cuban. “It’s hard enough to prepare a team for the season as it is. I see absolutely no value in going over there. Plus, I’d rather see the NBA get fans in Louisville than in Moscow.”

So let the Spurs have France (yes, Tony Parker, you and Eva will always have Paris), and let the Sixers and the Suns play an exhibition in Dirk's homeland. The Mavs have multiple courts, two buses and a hotel in Denton. What more do you need?

"You've got all summer to travel,'' George says. "I like being in Dallas.''

And how, Devean, do you like Dallas as your home city as opposed to LA?

"I like it alot,'' George says. "A lot less traffic.''

# Dirk, by the way, would love to be part of a Mavs exhibition in Germany. "I don’t understand why NBA teams are playing in Germany next week and we’re not there,” Dirk says. “Instead, we get to go to beautiful Pittsburgh.”

No, don't read anything into that. Dirk is being playful, and knows very well that Pittsburgh is Cuban's hometown.

Tony Cubes takes a playful jab right back at The UberMan. Asked about that new $60 million contract given Nowitzki, Cuban jokes, “He gets me drunk with that German beer, and I’ll sign anything.”

# Starting just his second full year as the coach, Avery is developing the skill of speaking to the media, appearing to be cooperative, while actually saying nothing. Example: Somebody asked if there is a curfew for players, or a bedcheck. Good question, really, and AJ slapped it away by saying that wouldn't be necessary.

Yeah, but. ... what if?

"We have security guards,'' Avery says, "400-pound security guards.''

And -- the media, obviously trained like puppies now by Bill Parcells - chuckles. Still, really, what if?

"If we catch anybody out of their rooms, there will be ramifications,'' Avery says, ending the subject.

Pretty crafty.

# FISHELLANEOUS: The a.m. workout was closed to the media until the final minutes, when we were allowed to watch free-throw shooting and conduct interviews. That means we missed the brief scrimmage from the workout. And because the p.m. practice is completely closed, we'll miss that scrimmage as well. Dammit. ... I thought Devean George had a rather unusual first name. Then I learned he has two brothers, one named Eddie (not unusual), the other named Chafe (unusual). ... Ndudi Ebi's name is pronounced "En-dee Ee-bee.'' And "Ndudi'' means "life.'' I'm bettting announcers would just as soon Ndudi allow them to pronounce it "life.'' ... Rookie Darius Washington says he second favorite sport is "kickball.'' Good thing basketball is his first favorite, then. They don't have professional kickball leagues in these parts. ... One of Dirk's many trade secrets: He wastes not a moment. During free-throw shooting, when it was somebody else's turn and he was in the blocks as a ball-fetcher, he still used the time to perform some leg-stretching exercises. ... Just one practice in, and great care already being taken: Greg Buckner walked to the bus wearing ice packs on his knees the size of throw pillows. ... There was a group of about 20 fans waiting out by the buses. Most all the Mavs I watched stopped to sign. Biggest hit with the folks? Jason Terry.


----------



## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*



> And how, Devean, do you like Dallas as your home city as opposed to LA?
> 
> "I like it alot,'' George says. "A lot less traffic.''


(Cough)Bullpoop(Cough) :curse:


----------



## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

*Re: Training Camp*



> Asked about that new $60 million contract given Nowitzki, Cuban jokes, “He gets me drunk with that German beer, and I’ll sign anything.”


 
:laugh: Nice reads.


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

"The gym is good sized - 3 courts side to side. It was repeated several times this afternoon by Mav personnel that need is what drew them to UNT - all that court space appeared to make Avery a happy boy. Try as they might, the media guys tried to get the Mavs to say something negative about having to stay/train in Denton but the players weren't biting. Basketball was the focus, no time for nightlife anyway was the standard reply. 

As we entered we were herded against an end wall to simply gawk for a few mins at the players shooting FT's around the gym. Dirk's group was conveniently placed right in front of us instead of 50 yards away where Pat Carroll lurked. "










"Popeye shagging balls for DJ above. He shot repeated jumpers from each elbow. IMO, his arc was better, he always shot too flat, IIRC. His arc looked improved. He extended his arm UP better as he rose - I tried to catch his form with the photo - meh. I heard Cuban remark at Media Day about their delight at having Popeye Jones around to help the bigs. Mark seemed to try to emphasize the good job Popeye does nannying those guys.

As we gawked, I tried to write down the make-up of each group - Dirk, Anthony Johnson, DJ - George, Harris, Terry - Josh, Washington - Croshere, Damp, Buck - but I only got that far before Avery was standing right in front me ready for his media scrum. 

Avery just got in the middle of all those cameras and people and patiently waited for all the lights to rise and the gizmos to whir and for all us fat guys to huddle close enough to hear. I tell ya, I haven't felt that much groping since the HS wrestling team. [quick note to Mark Followill ... you are one SEXY smellin' man, Jack ... call me?] I'm sure you'll see the video on the news tonight - standard fare - how was practice, etc. [Buck, George and Anthony Johnson bring the noize physically, which makes coach happy ... the rookies all looked lost as he expected ... he kinda likes the team being crammed together in the hotel, got to sit in Josh's room and listen to Josh's music with him, rolled his eyes to laughter] And poof. Just like that he was done and striding back to the middle of the gym, Little General style. 

A few minutes later we were allowed to peel ourselves off the end wall and approach the players.

Before I continue, and while I remember it ... just after Avery walked away I overheard Followill and Melton discussing the new ball [the NBA has wisely decided to change to a new ball that the players seem to universally despise]. "They hate it" was the gist of Melton's reply. The ball is too slick - I saw Stack having trouble palming the ball for a photog during Media Day and he remarked that the ball sucks, more like a playground model in his opinion. Speaking of Stack ... I never saw him today. He coulda been there, I'm not saying he's hurt or anything but nobody in the press picked up on it or thought it worth mentioning. I musta just overlooked him. Maybe I'll try this sober tomorrow. hmm

The first scrum was around Mo Ager. Such a baby face. He seemed pretty relaxed tho -- just did the rookie cliche drill - standard fare.

Next was Jason Terry. When he was asked about the ice-pack on his elbow he grinned and said, "Full contact drills." Nodded his head like, "It's back ON, baby."

Devean George was herded to us. Very low talker this guy. Apparently, according to a Mav staffer, I have to wear a puffy pirate shirt to practice tomorrow because of something I misheard Devean say to me during his scrum. "But I don't wanna be a pirate!" George said he likes the way AJ runs practice, gettin' after it and all.

Anthony Johnson was drug into the mix. Cliche city. Same "how did it go being the new guy" questions as the Devean George scrum.

Finally, Dirk. As we gathered around him, Dirk suddenly plopped down on his rear at our feet and started cutting the tape off his ankles while we waited, huddled over him. I briefly considered foregoing any further media access by grabbing the spent, lathery, smelly, grimey tape that he cut off and running out the door with my next stop E-Bay. Regrets? A few ... maybe ... anyway. I fought thru my urges and remained professional until he slipped on his slaps and faced the scrum."










"Hard to get up for another year, Dirk? Disappointed, Dirk? Worn out after the busy off-season, Dirk? Denton suck, Dirk? Film at ten. 

By this time Dirk was the last player in the gym. It was announced that the first bus of two was leaving for the hotel. Jason Terry took charge and asked Dirk should they wait for him? Dirk said, nah, go ahead. And they all split. I basically followed Dirk from the scrum, outta the gym and thru a line of autograph seeking UNT students waiting near the bus."










"Dirk would sign, take a baby-step toward the bus, sign, take a baby-step toward the bus. That's Mav head trainer Casey Smith lugging equipment by DMN beat writer Eddie Sefko in the peach shirt in the background. Those were some happy folks - a few delighted squeals went up from them as Dirk went down the line. Good egg, Dirk is.

And then he finally got on the bus, Gus, presumably the only player who had to take the 2nd one to back to the hotel. 

I would advise any Denton/UNT people who want to see the players exit the gym and maybe snare a photo or an autograph to gather near the buses behind the Pohl rec center a little before noon Wednesday or Thursday. I don't think the Friday morning shootaround is in Denton - need to ask Melton about that. Make a note. There were only about 2 dozen kids out there today. Wasn't crowded at all. One guy there couldn't get over all the autographs he got on his Mav jersey. 

I'm gonna take a break. Will have more tonight - let me clear my bucket haid."


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Featured article on Yahoo Sports. The resurgence of the Mavs is the big story going into Training Camp week.

As camp opens, Mavericks ponder lessons learned in finals
By JEFF CARLTON, Associated Press Writer
October 3, 2006

DALLAS (AP) -- Avery Johnson has grown tired of hearing how close the Dallas Mavericks came to winning an NBA title.

The Mavericks' coach is ready for the next mission: learning from, and then forgetting about the team's collapse in the NBA finals. Miami won four straight games after falling into a 2-0 hole and trailing by 13 points midway through the fourth quarter of Game 3.

"That's all I heard all summer: 'Almost, coach,"' Johnson said Monday on the eve of the team's first training camp as the defending Western Conference champion. "How do we go from almost to all? If they are telling you almost, you probably didn't get what you are looking for."

The Mavericks said they aren't suffering a hangover from a devastating Game 6, when they blew a 14-point first-half lead and opened the second half by missing 14 of 16 shots. But some of those thoughts clearly linger.

The strong play of finals MVP Dwyane Wade haunted guard Jason Terry during the summer. Terry said he was on vacation in the Bahamas and a man at his hotel kept calling him "D-Wade" as a way of reminding him who won.

"We've got to refocus and try to get those memories out," Jason Terry said. "But it's always going to live in our minds."

The loss might have been tougher on Dirk Nowitzki, who had boosted his reputation with a strong postseason that included a series-saving play in the second round against San Antonio. But he spent the summer coming to terms with his erratic finals, while Wade landed on the covers of magazines and cereal boxes.

Although Nowitzki averaged 22.8 points and 10.8 rebounds against the Heat, those totals were was about three points and a rebound off his playoff numbers. He was 4-for-14 in the opener and 2-for-14 in Game 4. He shot 39 percent from the field, down from a high of 53 percent against the Spurs, who lost Game 7 at home after Nowitzki's three-point play in the final seconds forced overtime.

"We all know last season's over now, and we have to start all over again," Nowitzki said. "You never know in this league if you'll make it again. A good year is not enough. You want a great year, and hopefully, get a ring."

The way things ended doesn't obscure what was the finest season in team history. Dallas' 60 regular-season wins tied the franchise mark. The team swept Memphis in the first round of the playoffs, then followed the San Antonio series by beating Phoenix in the conference finals and preventing former teammate Steve Nash from reaching his first finals.

The organization has taken steps to reload, re-signing Terry and locking up Nowitzki, who agreed to a three-year extension that will keep him with the Mavericks through 2010-11. Although details of the deal were not disclosed, it's likely worth around $60 million.

Dallas also signed free agents Austin Croshere, Greg Buckner and Devean George to bolster the defense. Another new face is rookie guard Maurice Ager from Michigan State.

Johnson said his job is to blend the new faces with the team's core. He believes the Mavericks can get another shot at the title if they don't get caught looking ahead.

"You don't skip from October 2nd or 3rd and think about finals," Johnson said. "We'll still go through Basketball 101. Then we'll go to Basketball 201. Maybe because we have been together a little bit, we'll get to Basketball 201 a little sooner."

The biggest logjam on the roster appears to be at guard, where the Mavericks will audition a trio of wannabe Wade-stoppers in Ager, Buckner and George, who won championships with the Lakers. Figuring out how to stop the Heat star was perhaps the most important lesson the Mavs took from the Miami series.

"Well, that would be Basketball 501," Johnson said. "And sometimes you need five people to do that since it's a team sport."


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

http://mediastorage1.kntu.unt.edu/content/latestsports/10-3averyjohnson.mp3

Avery audio from the UNT website. Not sure if it's anything interesting, the file doesn't open on my computer for some reason. If someone could please type up what he says, I'd appreciate it.


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

I have too much time on my hands.

San Antonio Express News:

Loss to Heat in Finals has Dallas motivated to take the next step

Web Posted: 10/02/2006 11:18 PM CDT

Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer

DALLAS — The Spurs are in the scenic Rhone-Alpes area of France, working hard at training camp but also enjoying the views in and around Lyon, not to mention some of the world's best restaurants.

What is the training camp reward that awaits the Dallas Mavericks, who finally bested the Spurs in the playoffs last spring?

Beautiful downtown Denton.

"I hadn't even heard of Denton until I got here, but I'm sure it's fine," said new Mavericks forward Devean George at the team's media day session at American Airlines Center on Monday, painfully aware his former team, the Lakers, once again had headed to camp in Honolulu.

The Mavericks made the 35-mile drive to Denton on Monday understanding they now are equal with the Spurs as the teams to beat in the West. Former Spurs guard Avery Johnson, the Mavs' head coach, says the Spurs remain the gold standard in the West, "... but there are other teams that have catapulted themselves up there, and we're one of them."

George may not know Denton, but he knows how the Mavericks' Western Conference title will make life tougher for them this season.

"The Mavericks have a bull's-eye on their back," he said. "Once you go to the Finals, teams are gunning for you. Dallas is a measuring stick now. We're going to get every team's best every night."

The bull's-eye would have been larger had they not blown a 2-0 lead in the Finals, losing four straight to the Miami Heat.

"Nobody in a couple years is going to remember a second-place finish," said Mavericks MVP candidate Dirk Nowitzki. "You could see it was a great year, and we learned to appreciate it a little more after a period of time, but a good year isn't enough. We want a great year and to get a ring."

Johnson, whose guidance of the Mavericks in his first full season as head coach earned him coach of the year honors, grew weary over the months that followed the Finals of hearing how close his team had come.

"This year," said Johnson, "I heard one word that I learned to hate: 'Almost.' That's all I heard all summer: 'Almost, Coach.'

"We've got to find a way to get that out of our system. We've got to find a way to go from 'almost' to 'all,' and it's going to take work. The competition is still there, and there's a lot of things that happen in the course of an 82-game season. The ball bounces one way or another in the playoffs. You never know."

Indeed, Nowitzki understands how close the Mavericks came from another second-round elimination. His three-point play with 21 seconds left in regulation of Game 7 against the Spurs at AT&T Center tied the score and set up an overtime session that the Mavericks dominated, ending the Spurs' season.

"We could have easily lost to San Antonio in Game 7," Nowitzki said. "They were up three already and almost had the game won. So it's going to be hard to get there again, but we're all going to work very, very hard again to give this franchise a chance."

The Mavericks added some veteran help over the summer, including George, who won three titles as a member of the Lakers. They also acquired point guard Anthony Johnson and forward Austin Croshere.


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Mavs look lean, mean on Day 1

Johnson said he is impressed with their physical new players

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

DENTON – The new kids in camp for the Mavericks delivered the perfect message coach Avery Johnson was looking for on the first day of practices.

It's expected that players will arrive in superior playing condition when camp opens. And the Mavericks did.

But what wasn't necessarily a given is that the newest Mavericks would supply the hard-nosed edge that Johnson wants to make sure the Mavericks embrace this season.

Toughness sells at Camp Maverick.

"I'll tell you what, this is a physical basketball team," Johnson said. "A lot of the veteran guys who we brought in here ... they are physical players. And they know that's what I love.

"We came a long way defensively last year. But physicality wasn't good enough. We got to become more of a hit-first team. And we're not there yet."

Last season, Johnson talked about a championship even before the season started. This year, he's talking about being a physical team. If he could hand-pick a calling card for his team, that would be it.

And the newcomers fit right in. Devean George, Anthony Johnson and Greg Buckner, in particular, have proven they learned the value of a rugged style by making trips deep into the playoffs. George has the rings to show for it. Johnson was in the Finals with New Jersey once, and Buckner always has been a tough player, notably on defense.

"Just about everybody who came here in free agency or trades has Finals experience," Anthony Johnson said. "So that's good. It's not about two or three years from now. It's about winning now."

At the very least, the Mavericks are conditioned to win now, as are virtually all teams in the league. There wasn't a single Maverick who showed up for training camp and couldn't pass the mandatory stress test that strength and conditioning coach Robert Hackett administers.

It's a far cry from 10 or 15 years ago, when players often used training camp as a means to get into shape.

"The off-season programs are critical," Avery Johnson said. "We monitor their weight training, their running, how many shots they're taking, everything.

"I don't like guys when they're showing up and I have to get them in shape. Then I have to do all these cute running drills. I want to be able to play basketball."

That Anthony Johnson, Buckner and George came in acting like they did Tuesday was a bonus, Johnson said.

"He's mean," the coach said of Anthony Johnson. "He and Buckner, they're mean guys. And Devean George. He's a physical defender. That's why they're here."


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Mavs hope to play it safe, stay healthy

By ART GARCIA
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

DENTON -- With ice packs on both knees, Jerry Stackhouse had an early seat under the basket after the first practice of training camp Tuesday. There wasn't anything wrong with the Mavericks' sixth man.

There's also nothing wrong with being extra careful.

"I have to be more disciplined and make sure I ice down my knees," Stackhouse said from the Pohl Recreation Center at the University of North Texas.

"I didn't have to do that when I was 21. I'm 31 now, and you have to think about that stuff."

Stackhouse missed 26 games last season because of a slow-healing sore knee. Two other returnees -- Josh Howard (ankle, hamstring) and Devin Harris (shoulder, quad) -- each missed more than 20 games.

Though injuries can't be predicted or avoided, coach Avery Johnson plans to do a better job monitoring the health of his team. He admits not prioritizing that a year ago.

"That was my first training camp, and I wanted to make sure I get all this stuff in and set a tone," Johnson said. "Our guys are really good and not wanting to sit out. I've got to do a better job of understanding their bodies a little bit more, especially the key guys.

"There will be some pockets of time where I can let them get their legs back under them. If they're fatigued, it causes them to break down. We try to make the best human judgments we can make, and we're not always right. We feel we've got it pushed in the right direction."

If Johnson feels it's in the best interest for a player to take a practice session off here or a preseason game off there, then that's what will happen. Johnson also won't let a player talk his way back into the lineup after a more serious injury -- as Howard and Harris did last season -- until he's fully convinced they're 100 percent healthy.

Even for those who have avoided serious injury, it's important to play it safe. After another summer of international play, it's likely that Dirk Nowitzki will take it relatively easy for the rest of the month. At least as easy as a notorious gym rat such as Nowitzki can take it.

"I've taken the last two or three weeks off," he said. "That's really all I need."

Team trainer Casey Smith stressed the importance of communication with the coaching staff and being proactive when those otherwise minor aches and pains pop up.

"You want to discuss the little things a little more with Avery, whereas in the past a player might have practiced through it," Smith said.

Being in shape at the start of camp is also key in injury prevention. Thanks to off-season conditioning programs that include weight training and cardio work, players now arrive ready to go.

"I like to hit the ground running," Johnson said. "All of the good teams that I played on or been a part of, guys came into camp in pretty good shape."


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Mavericks day in camp

11:37 PM CDT on Tuesday, October 3, 2006

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

Full-court press: Jerry Stackhouse

A daily look at life off the court for the Mavericks

Jerry Stackhouse funded the building of a new church, House of Hope Free Will Baptist Church, in Kinston, N.C., for his mother, Minnie, who is a pastor. The dedication happened during the off-season.

How did the dedication go?

It was a great dedication service. She had been in it since last October, but our season went so long that they delayed having the dedication until I could be there.

How much different is the new church from the one your mom used to be pastor at?

It's a lot different. It's right in the heart of the city. From where we came from, it's a lot different. I grew up in a rural church that didn't have indoor bathrooms or air conditioning. Now she has an office and all the comforts of home with the touch of a button.

Were you the only dignitary at the dedication?

No, it was a standing-room only service, and the mayor was there. My mom called him out, too. She said he shouldn't be there just for the photo opportunity. There's not a lot of good things happening in that part of our town, and she wanted him to be aware of everything going on in our neighborhood. So she called him out to let him know that he needs to address some things.
Star of the day

Avery Johnson declined to pick one, so we'll go with Josh Howard, who has shown up with a wonderful attitude in spite of a potentially distracting contract situation. "What can I do?" Howard said Tuesday. "This is my job. I can't twist their arm and make them do it. So I'll just go about my job." Howard emphasizes that he wants to remain a Maverick. But he's more than willing to test restricted free agency next summer. The bottom line is that the Mavericks have the right to match any offer Howard might receive next summer, and they have every intention of keeping him.
Briefly ...

The official unveiling of the Western Conference championship banner at American Airlines Center will be at the Nov. 6 game against Golden State. Fitting that new Warriors coach Don Nelson, who helped build the Mavericks' powerhouse, will be in the building. ... Day 1 of training camp was typical in at least one respect, Johnson said. "Our rookies are running around, and they don't know what's going on right now," he said. "That's typical. We were kind of refreshing everybody's memories and getting our new guys acclimated. We threw the ball all over the gym, but that's part of it."


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

MAVERICKS TRAINING CAMP
Star-Telegram
29 Days to the Mavericks' season opener vs. the San Antonio Spurs, 7 p.m., Nov. 2, TNT

Physical presence

In the past, opposing players used to refer to the Mavericks as a "soft" team.

But that might not be the case anymore.

With the off-season acquisitions of rugged veterans Greg Buckner, Anthony Johnson, Devean George and Austin Croshere, the Mavs could be considered one of the NBA's more physical teams. Especially with the return of DeSagana Diop, Josh Howard and Jerry Stackhouse.

"This is a physical basketball team," coach Avery Johnson said after the Mavs opened training camp at the University of North Texas. "It's just what we thought in a lot of our veteran guys that we brought in here, especially Anthony, Devean and Buckner. Boy, they are physical players. And you know that's what I love."

UNT offered more room

Avery Johnson said the Mavs moved training camp to UNT because they wanted more space and an increased level of focus.

And because the Mavs are staying in a hotel, it gives the team more time to bond.

"I like seeing my team," Johnson said. "I like being able to go to Josh Howard's room and listen to some music."

Van Horn's status

Mavs general manager Donnie Nelson hasn't ruled out bringing back forward Keith Van Horn.

Van Horn is living in Colorado with his family and is considering retirement. However, Nelson said Van Horn could decide to join a team, maybe even the Mavs, for the regular season's stretch run.

"With Keith, his priority, as it should be, is his family," Nelson said. "Lord knows he doesn't need any money, so it's a good position to be in, and he can pick and choose. I'm sure he'll be sought after as the year kind of unfolds."

Party time

For the first time in team history, the Mavericks will hold a watch party -- for a preseason game. That party is 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at American Airlines Center for the preseason opener against the Hornets in Oklahoma City. Admission is free, and concession stands will be open.

-- Dwain Price

20-SECOND TIMEOUT

DJ MBENGA

Does NBA Live '07 do you justice?

I haven't seen myself on it. I don't like video games.

If you were a baseball player, what would be your song as you walk up to bat?

I would like to know baseball first before I play...but any song I like? Probably a rap song. My favorite song right now is a Toni Braxton song.

Do you have any pregame rituals?

I pray.

Do you have any favorite TV shows that are playing now, or an all-time favorite?

Right now, I like to watch The Steve Harvey Show.

If you starred in a movie, what actor would play you and who would star opposite of you?

Denzel Washington and Eva Mendes.


----------



## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*



StackAttack said:


> Mavs general manager Donnie Nelson hasn't ruled out bringing back forward Keith Van Horn.


 :curse: :curse: :curse:


----------



## Ninjatune (May 1, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

We are at our whiteboy capacity with Dirk and Croshere. Sorry Keith.


----------



## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*



Ninjatune said:


> We are at our whiteboy capacity with Dirk and Croshere. Sorry Keith.


Can you have too many? 

Yes. :biggrin:


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

As our 3rd string PF, I wouldn't mind having him back.






I'm going to get shot for saying that.

Also, I'm leaving for out of town later today, won't be back till Friday night, so either I'll update it then or someone can take the duty of adding articles and Franz's write-ups to the thread.


----------



## Ninjatune (May 1, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*



bray1967 said:


> Can you have too many?
> 
> Yes. :biggrin:


No doubt about it.


----------



## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*



StackAttack said:


> As our 3rd string PF, I wouldn't mind having him back.


It invariably would push someone off the active roster - sorry, vetoed.


----------



## Gambino (Feb 11, 2004)

*Re: Training Camp*



Originally Posted by StackAttack said:


> Mavs general manager Donnie Nelson hasn't ruled out bringing back forward Keith Van Horn.


Rule it out Donnie. Rule it out


----------



## t1no (Jul 10, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*



StackAttack said:


> As our 3rd string PF, I wouldn't mind having him back.


I agree.


----------



## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*

*New ball roundly disliked by Mavs*

Ever-growing list of players still trying to get a grip on switch

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News 

DENTON – As far as the Mavericks are concerned, the NBA can take its new ball and go home. 

The league decided to change official basketballs this season, replacing the pebbled, leather spheres with a microfiber composite ball that is getting widely ripped. 

"They stink," guard Jason Terry said of the new ball. "I've worked out with it all summer long, and I've grown accustomed to losing the ball out of bounds a couple times. It's going to happen." 

The ball has the look and feel of an indoor-outdoor ball, Terry said. And he's not the only one who has had trouble holding onto it. 

"Dirk [Nowitzki] had two or three layups [in practice] and they just popped right out of his hands," Terry said. 

Nowitzki, one of the NBA's biggest stars, gave a succinct impression of the new ball: a thumb's-down signal. 

The Mavericks are falling in line with just about every other player in the league. Shaquille O'Neal blasted the ball even before he'd played with it, although it's the same game ball used in the last two All-Star Games, league officials said. 

While the dimensions of the ball are the same as the previous ball, which had been used for more than 35 years, it simply looks and feels different. 

"It's like a volleyball," coach Avery Johnson said. "It feels smaller than the other ball. But I personally don't complain about that stuff. It's just different. We been using another ball for 100 years, and it's change. And you got to adjust to change." 

The league announced their would be new official game ball during the off-season. It was only the second change in the ball in 60 seasons. The ball has a special traction design that is supposed to offer superior grip and feel. But it seems to be more of a synthetic feel than anything else, according to players. 

About the only positive players could find with the new ball is that it doesn't need a break-in period like the leather balls. Of course, that means the new ball always feels new, which isn't necessarily a good thing, either. 

"Once the ball gets wet, it's going to go everywhere," guard Devin Harris said. "People going up for layups are having the ball slip out. I think there's going to be more turnovers and lower shooting percentages." 

Harris said the ball is particularly unruly when it gets moisture on it. 

"If they can keep the ball from getting wet, moving balls in and out, so it can stay dry, that might work," he said. "I don't see it getting any better." 

Like it or not, the players will have to live with it. The NBA has no intentions of going back to leather. 

And at least one Maverick thinks the new ball is an improvement. 

"I got no problem with it," Josh Howard said. "A ball's a ball. Once you get in the groove, it still goes in. And I got smaller hands, and this one is easier for me to palm."


----------



## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*

*Wednesday in Mavericks camp*

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News



*Full-court press: Avery Johnson * 

*A daily look at life off the court for the Mavericks* 

Avery Johnson has sequestered the Mavericks at a posh resort and prohibited vehicles during training camp. He talked about the decision to have training camp in Denton and keep the team from any temptations of driving to Dallas or Fort Worth for evening activities. 

*So, do you have bed checks?* 

No, no bed checks. We don't need them. We're all here, and we have security. I have some 400-pound security guards. But if you get caught outside your hotel room, there are ramifications. 

*What was the primary motivation to having camp away from American Airlines Center? * 

We wanted to stay close to home, but get away. I think training camp is critical because it lays the foundation for what you're trying to do. It sets a certain mindset, a certain tempo, for how you want to play offensively and defensively, and you find out who's going to buy into what you're talking about. And you get focused. This is a hungry group. 

*Aside from bonding, are there any hidden benefits to keeping everybody together for three or four days? * 

I like seeing my team. I like being able to go to Josh Howard's room and listen to some music and do that kind of stuff. 

*Is it good music? * 

That's another story. :clown: 


*Star of the day * 

It had to be Avery Johnson, who went out of his way to make sure Dirk Nowitzki doesn't put himself at risk. Tuesday night at practice, Nowitzki punted a basketball at the University of North Texas' Super Pit. The ball almost scraped the rafters. "That's $2,500," Johnson said. "That's some of that new money." On Wednesday, Johnson clarified. "He has all that tape and stuff on his ankles, and we don't want him doing anything like that. So we had to fine him." Nowitzki can afford it, of course. He's the proud owner of a three-year, $60-million contract extension he signed last week. 


*Briefly * 

Though Avery Johnson isn't close with Buck Showalter, he still was saddened by the firing of the Rangers' manager. "I talked to him about two weeks ago," Johnson said. "When you're in the profession, it hits you in the gut, even when you don't know the guy. Don't even talk about when it's the NBA. It might be a guy you don't get along with, but you're still mindful of his family." Asked if he had coaches in the NBA with whom he did not get along, Johnson added: "I wouldn't think that all 29 other guys are admirers." ... *So far, Johnson said there have been no players among the 18 in camp who are deserving of any special commendations. "They're all working hard," he said.*


----------



## Ninjatune (May 1, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Geez. How much complaining and dissaproval for this new ball does the league need to hear? This is just stupid. I could understand if a few here and there didn't like the ball, but this is league wide dissaproval from the biggest stars. Stern's not the one out there playing with it, he shouldn't have been the one to demand the change. :curse:


----------



## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*



Ninjatune said:


> Geez. How much complaining and dissaproval for this new ball does the league need to hear? This is just stupid. I could understand if a few here and there didn't like the ball, but this is league wide dissaproval from the biggest stars. Stern's not the one out there playing with it, he shouldn't have been the one to demand the change. :curse:


Seems like a no brainer - no doubt this was a license deal (read:money) that usually makes little sense.


----------



## Saint Baller (May 3, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

The way the players are complaining is kind of pathetic. Get over it guys, all it is is a new ball. Ask kids around the world, most play with a different ball every day. Just get used it.


----------



## t1no (Jul 10, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*

But most kids do not get paid playing basketball and do not get rings after winning a championship.


----------



## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*

And this shouldn't be confused with playground basketball.

The revenues - and the careers of thousands of "little people" who work in the sports and entertainment industry - are dependent upon the product on the court. If the sport suffers because of an equipment flaw...

...well, it is pretty inexcusable. Imagine FG percentages falling 10%, and the casual fan's interest falling by greater margins. That would get the owners' attention - and finally Mr. Stern would wake up to reality.


----------



## Saint Baller (May 3, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*



t1no said:


> But most kids do not get paid playing basketball and do not get rings after winning a championship.


 Still, would you be complaining if you made their cash?


----------



## t1no (Jul 10, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*

Yes, i want to win basketball games and if the balls are going to hurt my game then yes i want new balls.


----------



## Saint Baller (May 3, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

:rofl: Sorry, the way you said it was funny.


----------



## VeN (May 10, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*



t1no said:


> Yes, i want to win basketball games and if the balls are going to hurt my game then yes i want new balls.


lmao


----------



## t1no (Jul 10, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*

Yea i just noticed, what can i say.. i am a funny guy.


----------



## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*

*Mavs centers thinking big  * 

*Dampier wants to start; Johnson wants more production* :banana: 

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News 

DENTON – A popular theory in the NBA is that true centers are virtually extinct. Teams are going with quicker, smaller centers as opposed to traditional, back-to-the-basket, low-post players. 

If that opinion is indeed widely acknowledged, allow Erick Dampier to retort. 

"You tell me how many teams were in the Finals that didn't have a true center," Dampier says. "I don't know of many teams that have won a world championship that don't have a true center." 

He's right. Miami had Shaquille O'Neal last season, as did the Los Angeles Lakers when they won three titles earlier this decade. Detroit has Ben Wallace, who plays like a true center, even if he's somewhat undersized. 

San Antonio? You can argue whether Tim Duncan is a true center or not, but David Robinson was, and he was there for two of the Spurs' three titles. 

Which brings us to the Mavericks, who are stocked full of traditional centers with Dampier and DeSagana Diop. 

As training camp at North Texas winds down today, Diop remains the starter, just as he was for the second half of last season. But Dampier would like to dispel the notion that he's OK with his spot on the bench. 

Dampier's body language on the court is always hard to gauge. His facial expressions change about as often as the ones on Mt. Rushmore. But as he starts his third season in Dallas, he wants it known that he's not stoic on the inside. He cares more than he lets on. 

"I'm not going to say it doesn't matter because it does matter," Dampier says of his absence from the starting lineup. "I've been a starter since I've been in this league. If it's up for grabs, everybody's got a shot at it. May the best man win." 

That's as far as the 6-11 Dampier will go in terms of throwing down the gauntlet. He's not wired to be emotionally charged. He's not going to demand a starting job. 

Some would say that's part of the problem with Dampier. His passivity can be misread as a lack of passion. 

Meanwhile, Diop is coming off a remarkable summer in which he and coach Avery Johnson spent a couple of weeks in West Africa, including a stay in Diop's home country of Senegal. 

It was a rejuvenating trip, and Diop is ready to compete for a bigger chunk of the playing time in the paint. Johnson has said that Dampier was the star of the off-season workout programs. But that won't automatically translate into Dampier retaking the starting job. 

"I would venture to say four spots are spoken for, unless somebody gets beat out," Johnson said. "We don't need to play games with our guys. We got to the Finals with four guys who started and guys like Damp and [Jerry] Stackhouse who were major contributors off the bench." 

But no matter who starts and comes off the bench, Johnson wants more from his centers in at least one area – offense. 

"I need more than I got last year from them," Johnson said. "We can't allow teams to play us four on five. We can't allow five men to zone us. And that's my fault. We got to look for them more. So it's a combination of us looking for them more and them making quality moves."

link


----------



## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*

*Thursday in Mavericks camp*

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News 

*Full-court press: D.J. Mbenga * 

A daily look at life on and off the court for the Mavericks 

This summer, D.J. Mbenga spent some time in Houston, along with DeSagana Diop, working out with Hakeem Olajuwon, one of the best centers in NBA history: 

*Who or what gave you the idea to get together with Olajuwon? * 

Gallo (Amadou Gallo Fall, Mavs director of international affairs) hooked us up with Hakeem. He asked him if he'd work with us some and give us some tips. It was a great learning experience. Hakeem looks and plays like he could still play in the league. 

*What was it like learning from him?* 

He's the greatest. He is older now, but he still has those smooth moves just like when he was in his prime. They had it right all those years about him. He's like a dream. 

*What areas did you concentrate on most when you worked with him? * 

A lot of footwork. We worked on getting in the right position, then using the right moves, quick moves, to get where you want to go. And then we worked on vision, seeing the court and being able to make the right pass. He's unbelievable at how he can see things. And, of course, his footwork is incredible. 

*Can you see a difference in your game because of it? * 

Well, it's too early to tell. 

*Stars of the day * 

It had to be newcomers Anthony Johnson and Devean George. Both have picked up plays and terminology – not to mention the intensity – in a hurry.  Johnson was praised for his floor-general leadership by assistant coach Del Harris. "He's directing traffic and really showing the initiative, especially considering he's only been through a handful of practices," Harris said. George has begun showing the mettle that comes with multiple championship rings that he won with the Lakers. His defense has made him a star during drills and scrimmages. :banana: 

*Briefly ... * 

Don't expect Josh Howard's contract to be settled before the Oct. 31 deadline. More likely, he will go through this season, then become a restricted free agent next summer. The Mavericks still have every intention of wrapping him up with a long-term deal. It just isn't likely to happen until next summer. ... Elsewhere on the contract front, the team option on the fourth year of Devin Harris' contract has been exercised, president Donnie Nelson said. Harris is one year behind Howard on his rookie contract. ... 

Coach Avery Johnson called off Thursday night's practice, saying that the players needed to get their legs back underneath them. Instead of the workout, the Mavs had a team dinner at a Fort Worth steakhouse. Johnson promised "a pretty tough day" today, ending with a scrimmage that will wrap up the team's time in Denton.


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

I guess there's a lot of catching up to do, I'll do as much as I can now and I'll get the rest in a couple of hours, tons of interesting stuff.

Day 2

"Aaaaaaaaaalmost didn't go today. Kinda tired and thought today would just be a boring replay of yesterday's experience. Wrong. Glad I went - whole different vibe.

When I got there the gym doors were open and there were more security people than media people. Nobody stopped me so I just approached and stood in the gym entrance-way watching the Mavs scrimmage. After a few secs a very official-looking large man turned to me and scowled, wanted to know what I was doing there. I nodded at Sarah Melton and said that Cuban and Sarah invited me. Ha! THAT kinda changed the expression on his face a bit. I stood a bit longer until somebody politely informed me that the media really shouldn't be watching and they'll call me when they're done scrimmaging. So, I went out to the waiting area. No harm, no foul. All I really remember from the little bit of scrimmage I saw was Dirk botching an entry pass to Damp from the high post and shaking his head in frustration.

Same routine as yesterday when Melton came and got us a few mins later. We lined up against the end wall and watched FT practice for about 10/15 mins. There were waaaay fewer media people there. Lots less equipment - boom mics and cameras. I guess the TV people show up and get their stock footage the first day. It was basically the beat writers, a 1310 The Ticket guy, the UNT student press, Fish and me. Maybe a few other photogs and yahoos, too. 

This time I made a point to note the shooting groups at the 6 goals ...

Dirk+, Josh, AJ+ - right in front of us
Croshere, DJ+, Pops
Damp+, George, Buck
Jet, Devin, Ager+
Ebi, Carroll, Washington+ - way in the distance
Diop, Barea

Stack was sitting against the wall with his knees iced reading the label of the energy drink he was sipping from. Stack was there yesterday, I just missed him. The UNT website got his photo - you should explore the stuff the UNT student press are putting up on the school website. The bill of my cap was in one of their photos. heh The players with the '+' signs listed above were in grey tops - just in case you wanna know how the teams were divided up in the scrimmage I was shooed away from earlier."










"Here's the obligatory Dirk photo - kinda gives a good idea of the size and set-up of the gym they're using. Dirk was VERY flat-footed while shooting these - not even lifting his heals. I think I only saw him miss one.

Avery eventually approached us for his media scrum. [I'm just gettin' started folks.]"

"Avery seemed to be much more relaxed and jovial. He was in a great mood. Said all the standard stuff about training camp, wouldn't really point to any stand-out performances. He was asked about Buck Showalter's firing - he empathized with guys like Buck and Dusty Baker - said he talked with Buck just a coupla weeks ago. Coach was just kinda giddy - maybe camp is going pretty well so far in his eyes. He said the players know they're a contender and are showing some anger and want-to. But he emphasized that you gotta get to the playoffs first so concentrate on the steps to get there. Eventually Avery broke it up and returned to his fellow coaches ..."










"That's Gar Heard, Sam Vincent, Del, Avery and Prunty [I think] behind Avery. Del soon afterward walked to a goal toward the right in this picture and gathered the bigs around him for some post-practice lecture. Dirk, Damp, DJ, Diop, Croshere and some others - Gar and Vincent were by Del's side. I wasn't about to get caught eaves-dropping but I got the feeling it had to do with switching and defensive recognition. I noted that Dirk was as involved and attentive as anyone there to Del's lecture. Very nice.

One of the goals I had in mind for today's experience was to try and get close to Josh Howard - try not to miss any interviews he held. You've probably noticed the lack of Josh mentions in my stuff so far. Dude just fades into the background. He immediately sits down and puts his headphones on every opportunity to rest. Just not one to go looking for attention. I sorta assumed that Josh would conduct a media scrum today ..."










"But this was about as much as I could get of him. That's a 1310 The Ticket guy with the mic, so if you hear some Josh sound-bytes today you know how they came about. I'll keep trying, guy eventually will get cornered and I'll try to be there.

Next, I get my hands on that new official NBA ball everybody is complaining about ..."

"After I clicked that Josh photo I noticed that Devin Harris was cornered by a couple of the UNT guys - I wandered over to listen. They were discussing his off-season shooting program that's being talked about. Harris is a fun guy - not cocky but enjoys attention, kids and jokes - pulls faces, smiles and rolls his eyes. "










"I asked him if his work was on the technical aspects of shooting - his form and such. He said no, it was more on recognition, knowing his sweet spots on court, repetition - stuff like that. Not really so much about the technical aspects. Sound's like Devin's aim was comfort and freedom - letting it flow in the offense. Knowing when to hold 'em and when to fling 'em. He was asked about the new ball - he didn't have many complaints about it - which reminded me to see if I could get a hold of one of them muthahs. We broke it up with Harris and I spotted a ball to my right against the wall and Sarah Melton right in front of me. So I very politely asked her if I could try out the new ball - "Go 'head on, daddy cat!" she purred. 

The ball looks heavy - and I know that's a stupid thing to say. But it's very light in your hands - and I know that every regulation NBA ball weighs the same and that's a stupid thing to say, too. But it did. So there. It is very grippy in your hand and on the floor. Del's lecture was going on just about 25 feet away so I knew I shouldn't just stand there and dribble forever, but I did let loose anyway with a little Curly Neal action to see how das spheroid handles. I found that it creeps into the heel of my hand as I dribbled - the grippy action made the ball walk towards me unexpectedly with each bounce - away from my fingertips and down my hand. I can see how this thing might take some getting used to. I asked Equipment Manager Al Whitley about the ball and he said he gives it a one-year shelf-life - that was just his off-hand feeling - next year it will be different he thought, 'cause the players hate it. I also asked Whitley how much ice they go thru every day - the players get bag-fulls stuck all over them after practice - he figured it was HUNDREDS of pounds."










"Here's a pic of Pat Carroll and Stack - they were sitting over next to Josh after practice - just chillin'. Sounds like Avery is taking it easy on Stack's knees - not over-working them in training camp. I had wondered why I hadn't seen Ro Blackman around yet - well wonder no more 'cause Ro was there today. I haven't seen Cuban in Denton yet, he might come up for the Friday night public scrimmage I suppose - we'll see. FYI - the Friday morning shoot-around will not be in the Pohl rec center but over at the Super Pit. Autograph hounds take note. Sefko wrote that the team was not staying in Denton, so I asked Melton where the team hotel was ... but she wouldn't tell me [that minx] - but she did say it was only about 15 mins out of town. I'm guessing that they're not staying at the Krum RV park. heh

Next, we exit the building into the arms of our adoring fanz ..."

"The players go thru a short hallway as they exit the gym where the security and bldg staff get first shot at pics and autographs ..."










"Here's the easy-going Diop making some friends. [Tony Fisher, you're an Internet STAR!] 
Then the players walk out into the sun and face this ..."










"Here's Devin, Damp and Jet entering the fray. Word got out on campus because there were lots more students there waiting in line today. Dirk's exact words upon seeing all the kids outside were, "Jesus Christ!? Good God!" He smiled wide and threw himself into the fray, though - a boisterous "MVP" chant greeting him. Which reminds me - Avery did mention in his media scrum earlier that he plans on visiting Dirk in Germany next off-season - thought some might find that interesting.

Well, guess that's it. Tomorrow should be fun again. See you then."


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Day 3

"Another fun day in Mavland. Showed up a little late but it didn't matter - still took a good 30 mins before they let us in - practice must have run a little long. But then Mark Cuban strolled by us [frogging Mike Fisher in the arm] and it occurred to me that maybe they were waiting for the boss to show up. 

We finally got in, lots more media there today than yesterday, Tony Fisher reported that MTV was even in the house. Everybody musta heard Cubes was gonna be there.

We were pinned up against the wall in the corner for a loooong time watching FT practice. The groups were generally the same - Josh, Dirk and AJ were right in front of us ..."










"Here's Josh and Dirk gabbin' while shagging balls for AJ at the FT line. [btw, may I propose an LMF convention for this season? "AJ" is no longer Avery Johnson - "Avery" is now Avery Johnson and "AJ" switches to Anthony Johnson? Mull that idea over.]

I noticed Stack was up and at 'em today, shooting FT's instead of covered in ice-bags against the wall like the last coupla days. Stack and Jet were joking around once ... and Stack just turned and crammed a dunk down while he was laughing at one of Jet's wise-cracks. Then Stack grabbed the ball and did one of his quick turnarounds going over his left shoulder in the lane - swish - dude looked like his old agile self. Later he was stroking 3's in rather comfortably. 

Avery came over to us eventually for his media scrum - I got a photo of him, but you'll have to wait to see it. Be aware that for every pic you see here there are 3/4 more that you haven't seen yet. Hang in there - something to look forward to.

Avery was a little more Little General-like today, a little sterner than yesterday. They lifted and ran he said, did a little work on the playbook, but NO scrimmaging. The evening session tonight should just be more of the same. Hadn't really thought about how he's gonna divide up the teams for the UNT open scrimmage tomorrow night. Avery likes AJ - picking stuff up quick - hard-nosed dude, coach likes coach likes. Avery didn't go long before he ended the scrum. Then he went and sat down against the wall. AJ [see how easy this is now?] came over and talked to Avery about some stuff that maybe he was fuzzy about from practice. 

We started to peel ourselves off the wall and mingle with the players more. "










"Went ahead and snapped Cubes just in case he split while I wasn't looking. Here he is with FWST beat guy Art Garcia.
[just getting started]"

"Basically, I stood near the middle of the gym and just sorta let gravity pull me toward whatever caught my eye ...

Mo Ager had Avery and Cuban doubled-over with laughter over there.

Barea and Washington were trying to sink half-court shots over here.

Dirk put on a rubber resistance ankle-hobble thingie and did side-steps down the court - would that be a groin exercise? hmmm Got a pic - for later. Dirk later laid down [help? grammar police?] and did his leg-lift stretching ..."










"Devin Harris wandered over to stand over him - hurling sass down at Nowitzki - but Devin - he knows where his bread is buttered - he waited to see if Dirk needed a hand getting up before he moved away. 

Brad Davis started to throw entry passes to AJ practicing his post moves - hmmm interesting - anyway, Avery snuck over and started guarding him, hilarity ensued..."










"Not a quality photo, but I hope it conveys the playfulness of the moment. I guess Avery couldn't have been in too horrible a mood considering how relaxed and grinny he seemed after his media scrum broke up.

Still kept my eye on Josh Howard lots. No joy on any verbiage, but I did snap a great photo of him ..."










"Josh is checking his electronic doodad. I snapped the pic right as he broke up laughing at some text message he pulled up - from Marquis Daniels maybe? Nice timing. Stack's over on the ice-chest talking to the media. What can I say, typical Josh moment."

"I looked up and saw our buddy John Nagle of USAVoice.org interviewing DJ Mbenga - this I had to get in on. DJ was quite articulate - his English must have improved greatly from what I'd heard about it last season. He even eloquently quoted a proverb of some sort that had me grinning and nodding - very nice guy. John plans an entire article around the interview, but I will say that it was interesting to hear that DJ intends to return to the Congo someday with plans to try to import some of the civilization he's experiencing in the West back to his home twenty. Kid's gotta dream, right? Watch this space for John's coming pre-season articles - he also cornered Popeye Jones for an interview about the Mav bigs, so keep your eye out for that one, too. 

Jason Terry started a shooting drill nearby, Coach Prunty shagging and feeding him for a 'round-the-world tour of 16-footers. Misses physically hurt shooters like Jet, you could tell from his body language. Cat can sink 'em, no doubt about that. He later moved out to his sweet spots around the arc for some 3-point shooting. I crept up and stood right behind him - like RIGHT BEHIND him for this photo below ..."










"The ball is above frame outta sight. You could kinda put yourself in his jersey and experience what it must be like to have talent, being up as close as I got. It was dreadfully boring. I think that's Buck in the black shirt, he was scuffling back and forth along the baseline like a human ice-bag around this time. 

Dirk has disappeared briefly into a mysterious room on the far side of the gym the last coupla days before heading out to the bus. I asked the UNT lady with the keys to the room what was in there. Nice lady - she said it was just a store-room - Dirk was using it to change clothes - such a shy boy. She said that she told him, "You know this isn't a locker-room, right?" And Dirk playfully shot back, "It's MY locker-room!" Lady was grinning from ear-to-ear telling that story - Dirk's a pip.

With Cuban in the house there were a handful of UNT cops around the gym, covering the perimeter, looking out for any agro. One of the cops yanked Dirk aside for a quick photo with him. After Dirk walked away I leaned into the cop's ear and said, "That was pretty freakin' cool, wasn't it?" That cop was about to burst, he was floating. Couldn't really maintain his professionalism and AHthoooritAHH very well for a while after that. Ha!"

"I got a quick word in with m just before the Mavs headed to the buses, asked him if he's checking in on us here at the LMF forum. He said he had, thought the stuff we're doing covering camp is great. So, be sure to thank m for this opportunity, 'cause he's checking in on us and will note your gratitude. Sez he goes way back on the LMF board, might extend our access a bit to the pre-season sked he's so pleased. Cross yer fingers I don't tick him off and we might get to continue our behind-the-scenes peek a little longer than tomorrow night. Maybe I oughta quit calling her Sarah Melvin after all ... hmmmm ...

BTW, Mav Media Honcho Sarah Melton [scoreboard] is GREAT to work with. Girlfriend has been soooo helpful to my ignorant self. Made me feel right at home.

Today's afternoon media session was much longer than the first 2 days - but all good things must end. I noticed that the last three stragglers to leave for the buses [no doubt orchestrated] were Cubes, Jet and Dirk - in that order. The crowd of UNT students had grown even BIGGER today ..."










"That's Donnie making with the cell phone action - not sure anybody recognizes him there. The crowd's attention is on the doors over my left shoulder - where Dirk and Jet are about to exit. That mob was so wound up they even started a playful chant for ME when I walked out the doors, "Guy with glasses and a hat! Guy with glasses and a hat!" No lie, LOL.

I watched the crowd go nuts for Dirk and took a coupla photos of him in the mix - pics later - but then I spotted Eddie Sefko ducking out toward the media parking lot. I jogged after him until I caught up - wanted to ask him some questions for a later thing I'll write-up about Mav beat reporters. Sefko seems like a pleasant guy, always quick to grin, he's smooth ... like his writing style ... kinda on the Bing Crosby/Fuzzy Zoeller tip ... Sefko has probably sashayed before. You get the idea.

Anyway, I let Sefko escape me and waited for Donnie Nelson to lumber down the hill, no doubt to the same parking lot my rusted wobbly hooptie was resting in. I was able to ask Donnie if he'd ever been to Denton before, of course he had, he sez he sez, back with the Global Games and some other times watching hoops. Before I knew it we were in the parking lot - apparently we parked within feet of each other. Then ... I couldn't believe my luck. There he was, internationally-renowned basketball guru, highly-respected NBA general manager, Donnie freakin' Nelson ... getting help from a UNT cop because he'd locked his keys in his truck. Hilarious. I had to get a photo of this ..."










"Officer Lozano there whipped out a jimmie-bar and had that door open faster than you can say boo! I had to capture the moment. Sefko drove by about this time laughing at us. We were ALL gigglin' away. 

And that's how my day with the Mavs ended. Not bad, eh?"


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Quality stuff. I haven't gone article-hunting yet, I have to step out but I'll get to that once I get home. Also, I'm really excited to hear that we've exercised our option on Devin and I'm really not pleased to hear that Josh Howard will not be a Mav, because believe me, if he has a season anything like he had last year, he will get money enough to draw him away from here. Whatever. It's about 06-07 right now, and it's looking like it's going to be a strong, strong season.


----------



## Saint Baller (May 3, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Diop looks like he lost weight.


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Media Day*

Tons more pics:


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

And more:

























































































(No question, Saint, Diop's in MUCH better shape)









(Damp looks like he may have buffed up a bit)









(So does JET)


















(Devin's as scrawny as ever)


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

And more:


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Followill said at Mavs/Party Poker Night that AJ's insurance in case Devin's a bust, which he thinks he is. Says he still makes too many mistakes, still plays like he's looking over his shoulder, still is inconsistent with the jumper.


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Oh, and of course:










Popeye Jones.


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

MAVERICKS TRAINING CAMP
Star-Telegram

28 Days to the Mavericks' season opener vs. the San Antonio Spurs, 7 p.m. Nov. 2, American Airlines Center, TNT

Dirk fined $2,500

Just to make sure his players remain focused, Avery Johnson fined All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki $2,500 for "conduct unbecoming of the team."

Nowitzki's crime? Kicking the ball near the rafters during Tuesday's practice.

"That rule is unfortunately not new," Nowitzki said with a smile. "I've been fined before for doing that. Growing up in Germany, we kicked the ball, so it's a little sad that I get fined for it."

Sympathy for Showalter

Avery Johnson was surprised to learn of Rangers manager Buck Showalter's firing.

Johnson said the two had planned to get together during the baseball off-season.

"When you're in the profession, it kind of hurts and it hits you in the gut, even if you don't know a guy," Johnson said. "It could be a guy that you might not get along with, but you still are mindful about his family, and nobody wants to get released."

Don't believe the hype

Avery Johnson said too much was made of the pregame speech he gave the New Orleans Saints before their 23-3 victory last month over Atlanta.

"[Saints coach] Sean Payton, I'm going to hit him in the head the next time I see him," he said. "I had two or three minutes to say a few words, and that's not why they won it, by the way."

-- Dwain Price

20-SECOND TIMEOUT

MAURICE AGER

What did you think of Mark Cuban before you arrived? My perception of Mark Cuban was that he's a guy that really cares about his players, really has fun with his guys and takes care of his players.

What did you know about Avery Johnson? Just going back to him being a player, you just recognize what kind of player he was and how tough he was. His toughness as a player has carried over to him as a coach.

What can you contribute to the team? I have to continue to learn and continue to play hard, play my role...defend and bring some minutes offensively.

-- Mercedes Mayer


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Avery: Let's get physical
By ART GARCIA
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Anthony Johnson is known for his physical style of play, and he can be downright "mean," Mavs coach Avery Johnson said.
SPECIAL TO THE STAR-TELEGRAM/ RICHARD W. RODRIGUEZ
Anthony Johnson is known for his physical style of play, and he can be downright "mean," Mavs coach Avery Johnson said.

DENTON -- Four players can't change the complexion of a team. Or can they?

The additions of Greg Buckner, Devean George, Anthony Johnson and Austin Croshere aren't the second coming of the Bad Boys. And it's not as if the Mavericks needed a toughness overhaul after a season of obvious defensive improvement.

But there were shortcomings. Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant weren't the only ones exposing the Mavs' perimeter defense, though they did inflict the most pain.

The bench last season wasn't as loaded as many believed it to be, and questions resurfaced about the team's mental fortitude in the Finals.

Enter four newcomers with 32 combined years of NBA experience and 252 playoff games. George collected three title rings with the Los Angeles Lakers, while Croshere and Johnson have played in the Finals.

"They bring veteran experience, swagger and a confidence that they've been there before," Jason Terry said after Thursday's practice at the University of North Texas.

"We were definitely missing that experience, especially in our depth off the bench. For the rest of us, we didn't have that much experience going that far in the playoffs."

Mavs coach Avery Johnson was looking for more than just experience.

"We came a long way defensively last year, but the physicality area is not good enough for us," he said. "We've just got to become more of a hit-first team. We're not there yet."

When it comes to hit-first defenders, Buckner (6-4, 210) and Anthony Johnson (6-3, 195) jump to the front of the line. They have a reputation for roughing up offensive players without being dirty.

"I hated playing against Buck," Jerry Stackhouse admitted. "He makes it hard on you."

Johnson, 32, rehashed some old memories playing a little one-on-one with his coach after Thursday's only practice. There were considerably more laughs in this battle of AJs than when both played, but neither has lost his edge.

"He's mean," Avery said of Anthony. "AJ and Buckner, they're mean guys."

Buckner returned to the organization that drafted him in 1998 to help shore up the backcourt. A reserve his first five years in the league, Buckner started roughly half the games he played the last two seasons in Denver.

Buckner knows exactly what's expected of him in Avery Johnson's scheme.

"Make guys shoot contested jump shots and finish it off with a rebound," Buckner said. "If guys penetrate in this league, you're going to have problems, whether it's a basket for themselves or creating shots for others."

George earned minutes alongside Shaquille O'Neal and Bryant during his seven-year stay with the Lakers by displaying an all-around game. Croshere is another hard-working defender with an ability to knock down a 3-pointer. He essentially replaces Keith Van Horn as Dirk Nowitzki's backup.

"Winning teams are well-balanced," George said. "One-dimensional teams don't really win. You look at the San Antonio teams and the Laker teams, all the areas were filled. They had guys that score, guys that rebound, guys that come off the bench and knock down shots.

"That's what winning teams do."

And it's what the Mavs need from their four new veterans.

"That's why they're here," Avery Johnson said. "And they make shots. That's the whole thing. It's not all lopsided. We want to keep our defense going, but we've got to be able to put the ball in the basket."

ONLINE: mavs.com


----------



## Saint Baller (May 3, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Is Popeye part of the staff?


----------



## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*










Cuban looks prissy.

Sorry. :|


----------



## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*



Saint Baller said:


> Is Popeye part of the staff?


10-4. Working with the bigs.


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

God damn, I have to be out again later tonight. Somebody be sure to post Franz's write-up on the scrimmage tonight, finally a showcase on everything we've been wanting to see. Dirk's hook shot, DJ's footwork, Gana's offense, Devin's jumpshot, impressions on the ball, and first impressions on all the rookies.


----------



## Saint Baller (May 3, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

If Diop develops a good offense, we're title bound for the next few years imo. But it's not like we arent without it


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Day 4

"Back from morning shoot-around at the Super Pit. Got by the cop at the media entrance somehow and was shown to a media waiting area [holding cell] to wait until practice was over. The only media people there were Sefko, Garcia, the mysterious female FWST reporter I met on media day, our buddy John Nagle, the usual UNT student press and LMF's own. Twas a loooong wait - an hour maybe? Kinda fun listening to the media guys shoot the breeze for that long. Topics ranged from ...

Marquis Daniels' run in with the law [real smart hanging with Stephen Jackson there MD]
Donnie locking himself outta his car [almost put that on the DMN blog]
The angry emails Sefko got for the Damp article [dump Damp they screamed]
Dirk's $2500 punting of the basketball [wasn't angry or frustrated - just fartin' around after practice]
Local HS football [Aledo must be good this year]
Where to go for lunch [Fry Street evidently - Art Garcia didn't like the word 'buffet' in my Chinese food suggestion]

I asked the female FWST reporter [who I think usually covers HS football or something] when she's gonna write up the Robert Hackett info and she said look for it Monday - sounded like it should be interesting - she asked a few more questions to Avery about conditioning today. 

Cuban's blog post about his new attitude with the print media was discussed, too. Glad dude1394 pointed that out to us - clued me in. I raised the issue ... the beat guys really don't take advantage of the standing offer since 911 for them to travel on the team plane. Reasons are many - don't wanna be beholden to the team - inconvenient to beat reporters' deadlines because the team heads to the airport right after the game so it doesn't really give the reporters a chance to do good work before they leave - there aren't really any rent-a-car connections at the private gates which service the Mavs plane - reporters would lose their air miles which bags them a free vacation trip every year if they took the team plane. Just doesn't add up for them. Cuban may think he can ease the burden a bit on print media, but I don't know if it's gonna be all that simple to accomplish. The opinion that the Mavs were the most open team in the league with the press was expressed, though.

An asst trainer finally came and told us we could come out onto the court. He was given a playful hard time by us all."










"I climbed up into the stands and took a quick 'set the scene' pic - that's Sefko, John's hat, Garcia and the UNT cop who bagged a Dirk autograph along the bottom. 

After I climbed down I just sorta stood there and gawked at Dirk and Stack shooting FT's at that near goal with little Jose Barea. Dirk went up right underneath the hoop and tried to dunk with his left hand - the ball caught awkwardly on the rim and rejected him. He grinned sheepishly at Stack. I turned my head away and heard a rim rattling noise. When I turned back I saw little Jose Barea strutting away from the rim after cramming a noisy one down - Dirk and Stack were laughin' about it. Good for Jose.

I don't know if this is how the teams will be divided tonight, but here's how they were divided between grey and blue tops during the shoot-around today ...

Blues - Dirk, Diop, Ebi, Devin, Ager, Wash, Croshere [maybe], Stack, Josh

Greys - everybody else [and maybe Croshere - who had neither blue nor grey on]

Melton grabbed Avery for us after a few mins - coach: Casey Smith and Rogert Hackett are very important to the team, a lifeline for coach - training is so much more scientific today than when he played - he remembers very well 2-a-days and how tough they were - loves Ager's skill level, doesn't want him to just be content to be the 12th man, wants Mo to push the vets, fight for it - Ager definitely has a shoot-first/pass-second mentality, but that's okay, actually preferred in a young player by Avery since they can work on his recognition as his career progresses - Ft. Worth NBDL team works very well with the Mavs as far as coaching and PT desires, someday their association may be more official if the NBDL set-up changes/expands - asked about AJ again, coach likes him, tough, smart, take charge, mentioned his post-up game which when you put on top of what we saw yesterday [AJ practicing post moves with Brad Davis] might mean [to me anyway] that the Mavs will post him up some similarly to the way NVE was used in Dallas. Avery was very relaxed. If there's one myth that's been busted in my mind it is that Avery Johnson is this utter hard-a$$ - seems like a fair guy to me. Did admit to possibly understanding how to treat the players' emotions and bodies better this season - coach coached hisself maybe, sounds like. [got another short segment and pic before I take off to the scrimmage]"

"After shooting FT's Dirk just sorta wandered around near me doing little stuff and talking to this guy and that. Very relaxed, I almost asked him what the 2 fingers on the wrist meant, but I just don't wanna bother these guys anymore than what the MSM guys do. Besides, in my mind the 2 fingers on the wrist is a signal to somebody in the stands [a buddy?, a girlfriend?, Holger?] that Dirk will meet them shortly when he's done showering and stuff] I'm more interested in why he holds up an "I'm #1" finger after sinking a big shot.

Wasn't long before they were herded to the buses outside the tunnel. Close to a hundred people were probably out there again today. I opted to hold the door for the entire team as they exited the tunnel. I figured I might as well ensure my team doesn't suffer any unfortunate freak injuries wrestling with that massive awkward arena door by holding it patiently for everybody to exit into the mob of screaming fanz. I'm such a gamer."










"Here's Josh signing - Dirk stayed and signed for probably 2/3's of the people before he finally got on the 2nd bus. Josh stayed pretty long, Damp, too. Jason Terry is always a popular dude as well. 

Discussed with Melton about Cuban's idea to extend my media access for the rest of the pre-season home sked. That's looking very promising. I would attend the 6pm presser with Avery before games, lurk the pre-game locker-room, watch the game, attend the post-game presser, lurk the post-game locker-room ... then drive home to Denton and start writing for you guys. That would be the plan. Still working out the details. "

Feeling good about this season...the Mavericks' 7-peat begins this year baby!


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Several reports on the scrimmage last night. General statements have been:

Devin can't shoot whatsoever
AJ is an awesome DA-like defender
Devean is an awesome defender
Ager has game
Ebi doesn't
Stack's a year older
Barea's quick and a good floor general
Carroll can shoot
Centers are going to be a bigger part of our offense; DJ has game and Diop...CAN SHOOT

FranzKafka of lonemavsfan.com:

"Bowl was about half full, maybe a little over - fans were loud and the team looked pretty pumped.

They played 2 quarters - final score was White 48 Blue 45

The White team was coached by Vincent and Davis - Blue by Prunty and Popeye. The White team had Dirk, Josh, Stack, Diop, Wash and Devin - the Blue team had Jet, AJ, Damp, Barea and Buck. Avery swapped a few players during half-time ... Ager and Ebi started out on Dirk's team, but ended up on Jet's team. George and DJ started out on Jet's team, but ended up on Dirk's team. Barea and Washington ran each ragged facing each other. Carroll can shoot - did not know he's a lefty. Croshere and Pops didn't play - must be nicked up.

I would just transcribe the official score sheet in a table for you ... but it looks really really wrong. Not worth the trouble.

Dirk had just 1 or 2 buckets. Did not play that much. The centers and PG's dominated the game. All of these insanely long lanky fanatically aggressive swing men just ended up canceling each other out. It was played HARD. I'm glad Josh Howard is on my team - he's playing like he wants to be a VERY rich man. 

Mo Ager can shoot - no worries there. Defensively, his feet seem pretty quick, but he's just not as strong as these MEN he's guarding yet. He brought the ball up once with Jet hounding him, seemed to do alright protecting it. 

If you are dribbling the ball or plan to use an apparently available passing lane, it would behoove you to know EXACTLY where Josh, Devean, Buck, AJ or Devin are at - 'cause they are one step ahead of you and are holding your heart in their teeth. And it's not like Jet, Stack, Diop, Dirk and DJ are slow and fat either.

Teams are going to DREAD seeing Dallas pop up on their schedule. The Mavs are going to leave the TRUTH on the court after every game they play.

I'll just run down my quick impressions of what I saw from each name on the roster ...

Dirk - first player to all out dive for a loose ball in the game, a nice assist here, a Dirk mid-range J there, a post up lesson on Ebi here, a blind side steal there - mighta played half the game, mighta not - the fans went absolutely bonkers when the Mavs came out for the layup line - Dirk was late getting on court, but when he got there the noise doubled

Josh Howard - a ball was rolling out of bounds near mid-court, Josh Howard took one step from the FT line and LAUNCHED himself parallel to the floor in pursuit of it - just glad Josh is on my team, 'cause he's a handful, filthy filthy filthy

Devin - no other player on the court has that final unique top gear to select like he does - looked okay but don't remember any of his jumpers falling, had one no-look high-risk pass to Devean George that drew gasps from the crowd, had real wow factor that ball did

Jet - same old same old, like Dirk

Stack - ditto - didn't play much

Diop - looked great, dunked the ball a few times, he's your starting center, hit a jumper even

Damp - he's Damp, played hard ... he better 'cause those other 2 centers aren't waiting on him

DJ - very active, hit a jumper, drew a charge that was wrongly called a block, got a big rebound but then stupidly flung up a quick put-back instead of kicking the ball out to the point to restart the play like he should - seems to be an Achilles heal of his, stupid put-back attempts after big offensive rebounds - had a nice nice nice outlet pass to Devin once, kinda impressive actually

George - always has a hand in the passing lanes, good rebounder, athletic, plays hard, just a solid solid player and he's what? like 8th, 9th man? stupid, insane

Buck - same old buck, but kinda thinks he's got some offense now, just gives guys fits with his pestering and ball hawking

AJ - speaking of ball-hawking, had a steal and a break-away dunk right after nailing a jumper early on, don't think he played that much but he played hard

Ager - kid can shoot, no doubt about it - needs to work on his strength, imo - towards the end of the game, with the score tight, Ager was fouled and went to the line, Jason Terry got up and started egging on the fans by acting like he was gonna throw his shoes up in the stands, ran all around the arena like a maniac, had the crowd just going bonkers, the noise was insane, but Ager calmly sank both FT's in the din - that sorta impressed the heck outta me

Barea and Washington played alot and faced each other - both are small and quick and play really hard - Barea might be a better floor general, Washington's the better shooter [leading point man in the game, I think, sank 2 3's], Carroll hit a 3 and maybe another shot, Ebi would look good one minute but then get called for traveling or throw the ball into the 3rd row or lose a pass off his hands the next - just not consistent - but he's long and lanky and kinda gives any ball-handler near him fits - stole the ball from Dirk once and beat him in the pursuit of the loose ball"

Billie the Tree of Dallasbasketball.com:

"Just got back from the scrimmage, good times were had by all. Here's just some quick observations:


-Right off the bat 2 things were established. One is that Anthony Johnson is a very pesky defender, as he got an early steal from Josh Howard and took it all the way back for an easy dunk. And two, Devin still can't shoot. He missed two early, open shots from inside the 3 point line. Good news is he is still as quick as ever.

-Most of the new guys seemed to fit right in on the team. I really like Deaven Georges game. He started out guarding Dirk, and he did quite a good job for the limited time he had on him. Also knocked down a 3, and generally kept the offense moving. Bucker also did a really good job playing defense, and hit a few shots. AJ also did a good job of scoring in the limited amount of time he had.

-It really worries me to see Stack getting very limited time, and when he's not playing to have to huge bags of ice on his knees.

-Ebi is good at nothing. Even during layup drills, he spent the whole time shooting jumpers, and I don't think I saw him hit one.

-It's obvious that Avery is making good on his promise to get the big men more involved in the offense. Throughout the game you saw all Damp, Diop, and DJ getting the ball much more, usually just inside the elbow or at the free throw line. It looks like they are going to use them much like San Antonio typically uses their centers. Getting them short jumpers in the lane or just outside to keep the defense honest. It was very effective for both teams, except DJ who couldn't seem to hit a shot.

-Pops was MIA, where did he go? Croshere was there, but did not play. To bad.

-Pat Carrol has a really sweet jumper, too bad we have no room for him. Also, Jose Barea is quick as a whip, and he has a shot too. To bad he won't ever come close to sniffing the roster.

-Ager definitely lived up to the hype as he sure can shoot. Now whether he can finish at the rim or not is another question. He blew atleast 2 layups, though they were contested.


In the end everyone looked pretty sharp, except for Ebi who pretty much looked lost, and the Mavs fans in attendance who in typical Mavs fan style, cheered louder when tee shirts were being given away then when the Mavs were on the court."

BoysNmavS of Dallasbasketball.com:

"I just got back...here are some additional observations or additions to billie's:

- POPS wasn't there, and I don't think I saw him after their practices either (unless I just missed him)


- Devin still can't shoot

- Anthony Johnson plays D with an attitude like D.A. did, but has the talent to back his attitude

-DJ Mbenga hit a few midrange jumpshots

-Jose Barrea is really quick, plays aggressive on the ball defense (but will get beaten alot), is an instinctive and natural passer, and he can shoot a little bit...his height lets opponents shoot over him

-Pat Carroll has a nice shot, but missed 3 or 4 open perimeter shots

-Darius Washington won't make the team

-Stackhouse did the step back fade away jumper (I wanted to kill myself)

-Devean George plays very aggressive D, but his offensive game is shaky...he tried to penetrate at times when he had open shots, but then took shots with defenders in his face...he also doesn't have good lift when trying to attack the rim

-Diop and Damp looked the same as they always do...it looked like Diop slimmed down a little bit

-Croshere didn't play at all, and they also forgot to introduce him with all the other plays...which was funny and sad at the same time

-alot of fellow UNT students are morons

-Ndudi Ebi looked lost most of the time, but he hit a few mid range jumpers in the flow of the offense..he hustled on D"

scoop2mylou of Dallasbasketball.com:

"Ebi played a good game. I don't know why the orginal poster couldn't see that.

I agree about Harris. He has no confidence in his shot. No improvement. DJ has developed a consistent 10 ft jumper. Will be a welcomed addition at the 4.

Great lively crowd at UNT."

John Nagle of USAVoice.org:

"Newcomers Impressive at Mavs’

Annual Blue-White Scrimmage

By John Nagle 

DENTON -- The Dallas Mavericks kicked off the preseason with their annual Blue-White scrimmage before a raucous University of North Texas crowd of 5,000 at the UNT Coliseum Friday night.

The scrimmage featured two 12-minute quarters with evenly divided squads. In the end the White squad held off the Blue 48-45. While there was some scintillating play that brought the crowd to its feet, there was also a lot of the typical sloppiness that comes with only four days of practice

“It wasn’t too bad, considering we’ve only had four days of practice,” said Mavs assistant coach Joe Prunty. “I saw some things I really liked, especially the aggressiveness going to the hole, but it was also clear that we have a lot of things to work on.” 

DeSagana Diop led both squads in scoring with 16 points. Diop moved well without the ball and was recipient of several nice feeds that turned into dunks. One surprise was undrafted free agent Darius Washington from Memphis. Though a likely victim of the numbers crunch at guard, Washington dropped in 12 points and played well defensively. 

Although the Mavs core group of stars like Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Josh Howard and Jerry Stackhouse got plenty of minutes, this scrimmage was more about the newcomers and recently signed free agents.

Here are some of the highlights: Devean George, the free agent signing from the Lakers, was very impressive despite having to play out of position at power forward with Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Austin Croshere out. George was strong inside with seven boards, two assists and three steals. And he did manage to sneak outside and drain a three. Mavs fans are going to love this guy.

Another free agent expected to play a pivotal role on this year’s team, Anthony Johnson, demonstrated early why he has drawn raves from the Mavs staff. Johnson opened the scrimmage with a smooth jumper from the top of the key along with a steal and dunk.

Maurice “Mo” Ager may have flubbed his inaugural attempt at being a PA announcer in the pre-scrimmage ceremonies, but the rookie from Michigan State looks very comfortable with his jump shot from the wing.

Devin Harris finished the night with 10 points, including several of his trademark lightning drives to the hoop, but Harris did struggle a little from outside.

“He’s really been working hard on improving his jump shot, but I don’t think I would read too much into the misses tonight,” said Prunty. “It’s still pretty early.”

Undrafted free agent Jose Barea from Northeastern was perhaps the most entertaining player on the court. Generously listed at 6-feet, Barea showed some moxie by twisting in and around the trees for a nice reverse layup and nailing a three with time running down on the shot clock. Although certainly a longshot to make the team, Barea’s fearless hustle and court sense probably brought a smile to another smallish former point guard observing across the way."

FWST:

"Diop stars

Mavs center DeSagana Diop scored 16 points and grabbed three rebounds as the White team edged the Blue 48-45 in an intrasquad scrimmage Friday night at The Super Pit.

Diop hit 8 of 10 shots, which included a pair of 15-footers. His performance, along with 16 points from Devin Harris, was the highlight as the Mavs closed the University of North Texas portion of their camp.

"I'm just going to do what I do defensively, and offensively I'm going to let the game come to me," Diop said. "I've been working on my jump shot and working on being quicker when I get the ball."

Considering the Mavs are just four days into training camp, assistant coach Joe Prunty dubbed the scrimmage a success.

"I definitely saw some good things," Prunty said. "But obviously I saw a lot of things that we've got to work on to get better."

Pops and Croshere rest

Rookie free-agent power forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu did not make it to the UNT coliseum Friday night. The 6-foot-9, 240-pounder remained at the team's Denton County hotel suffering with a respiratory infection.

Forward Austin Croshere, who is experiencing back spasms, also did not play.

-- Dwain Price"

Windmill360 of dallas-mavs.com:

"I especially liked Jose Barea. He brought lots of hustle he reminded me of Nash/Arroyo/Najera rolled into one. I thought Diop was hustling a lot too."


----------



## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*

*Mavs get a taste of added grit*

Anthony Johnson's rugged style is leaving impression on other A.J. 

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News 

DENTON – It took Anthony Johnson exactly one fool's-gold season in the NBA to realize he was not a natural-born superstar. 

As a rookie with the Sacramento Kings, circumstances forced the second-round draft pick into the starting lineup for 62 games. He responded by accumulating 7.5 points and 4.3 assists per game – and a false sense of security. 

It would be seven seasons before he would surpass his rookie numbers. 

"I didn't work on my game at all," Johnson says. "My first year, I got to play a lot because of a situation in Sacramento that was to my benefit. After that, I just assumed that's how the NBA was going to be. And I didn't work hard to get better. Then I found myself bouncing from team to team and out of the league for a couple months. 

"That's when I decided that you get out of it what you put into it. That's when my work ethic got a whole lot better." 

It took awhile, but everything fell together and Johnson turned himself into a nice player. He came to the Mavericks in the off-season trade that sent Darrell Armstrong, Josh Powell and Rawle Marshall to the Pacers. 

It has not taken Johnson long to make an impression. He is solidly in contention for the open starting spot that is likely to go to either Johnson, Devin Harris, Greg Buckner or, perhaps, Devean George. 

Most likely, it will end up being a committee based on matchups that joins Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard, Jason Terry and DeSagana Diop in the lineup. 

Regardless, Johnson has made sure he has given the rest of the Mavericks a strong introduction to his style of play. He opened Friday night's blue-white scrimmage with a jump shot, a steal and a breakaway dunk. It was the tough defense and steal that had coach Avery Johnson gushing. 

"He's been Anthony Johnson – tough, good passer, posting up small guys, mean," the coach said. "He's done pretty much what we thought he would do. He's a tough, gritty player. And he's a point guard; there's no doubt about that." 

Johnson said there were times during the playoffs when the offense stalled, and the thinking is that Anthony Johnson has the skill set to help them out of those situations. 

The 6-3, 195-pounder is entering his 10th season in the league. But in many ways, it's a new beginning for him. He took it upon himself to show his rugged edge from the very first practice. 

"It's part of me, I guess," he said. "I'm a player that definitely possesses a great deal of toughness. My attitude is, nothing's going to be easy. And it starts with the first day of training camp. It's all about competition. We have a strong team, so it's important to go out and show the coaches what you bring to the table and let them know what kind of player I am." 

No problem there. The coach knows all too well how tough the new A.J. is. And vice versa. 

"I played against him when I was younger, and he was a tough guy to play against," Anthony Johnson said of Avery. "The way he played was something I admired as far as being tough and being ratty and being a player who is going to lead your team into battle." 

Ratty? 

"Yeah, you think of A.J., he's not afraid to hit you and get into your face as a player," Anthony Johnson said. "If you have a great deal of toughness throughout your team, that will keep you in most ballgames." 

The Mavericks are banking on getting that commodity out of their new point guard.


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

I really, really like Johnson. I felt DA's defensive talents went under-used because of his lack of offensive game. That's not going to be the case with AJ, who supposedly has a similar attitude to DA on defense. Him, George, and Buck are EXCELLENT additions to the lineup and just another reason why Donnie Nelson is the best GM in the NBA.


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

George brings Mavs champ's know-how

By DWAIN PRICE
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

DALLAS -- By his third season in the NBA, Devean George had lived a charmed life.

He already had collected three NBA championship rings.

Or two more than every player and coach in the Mavericks' organization combined.

As a member of a Los Angeles Lakers team featuring Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, George was winning titles with such regularity that he had no idea how the other half lived.

"I'm thinking winning titles is how it's supposed to be every year," George recalled. "Then one year we took the year off, and my fifth year we went back to the championship [series, losing to Detroit].

"It was a good experience, and it was fun. I enjoyed every moment of it, just year after year of getting in the routine of playing through June."

After the Mavs played in their first NBA Finals last June, it's a routine they would like to continue, only with different results. That's one reason the Mavs pursued George and his winning ways this off-season, signing the seven-year veteran to a two-year, $4.16 million contract.

"Maybe it's something he'll say, but more than that, it'll be something he'll do [to help us]," said coach Avery Johnson, who won a championship with San Antonio in 1999. "He'll be a guy that'll just be on the court, [and] he'll make big shots for you.

"You can put him on guys, and he's a good defender. He's a guy that's a ball-mover, and he's a guy that has the respect of the officials because he's a winner."

While legends such as Karl Malone, Charles Barkley and John Stockton never won an NBA title, it took some time for George to discover just how fortunate he was.

"I realized I was lucky once I started watching the playoffs and the media was making a lot of noise over certain guys that were just reaching the playoffs for the first time, and they had been in the league eight or 10 years," George said after Saturday's practice. "That's when I knew, 'You know what? I really walked into something real special and I have been blessed.'"

The Mavs players all recognize what George brings to the club.

"He's a very solid player and he plays very physical," point guard Devin Harris said. "You can tell he has the experience in the league, and he's been helpful in his demeanor and the way he carries himself on the court, coming from a championship-caliber team.

"Now that we've got a guy that's won three rings, that's experience you can't gain from normal guys. This is going to help us throughout the season, just preparing mentally as well as physically for that playoff run."

It's a playoff run that someone in the Mavs' organization other than Johnson can understand.

"I was the only guy in the locker room that's been part of [an NBA champion]," Johnson said. "But it's good when you've got a player that's actually done it."


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

MAVERICKS TRAINING CAMP

Star-Telegram

25 Days until the Mavericks' season opener vs. the San Antonio Spurs, 7 p.m. Nov. 2, American Airlines Center, TNT

DALLAS -- Most coaches don't believe in telling the media that their team is good enough to win a championship.

Mavericks coach Avery Johnson, however, doesn't buy into that. If Johnson believes the Mavs have the tools to win the NBA title, he doesn't mind shouting it out.

"I don't want us to be able to hide," Johnson said. "That's what I learned in my years down south [in San Antonio].

"If you've got a team that's good enough to win a championship, talk about it. If you don't, don't."

It's not that Johnson is saying the Mavs will finally win the franchise's first NBA championship this season. But he knows his chances are as good as San Antonio's, Miami's or Phoenix's.

"I don't think anybody is necessarily the favorite," Johnson said. "But at least we'll have a shot."

The Mavs have a shot because they might be deeper than last year. But Johnson wants more.

"I want them to prove to me that they're better [than last year]," he said. "I want them to prove to me that they're much more physical, prove to me that they can handle adversity.

"Do we have the potential for them to prove that? Yeah."

-- Dwain Price

20-SECOND TIMEOUT Pops Mensah-Bonsu

Have you played the NBA Live '07 video game, and does it do you justice? I played it at rookie transition camp. I wasn't even on the game yet, it was a preview edition. Rookies weren't on there yet. I hope it does, we'll see. I'm not really a big [video game] basketball player though. I play a lot of soccer games, the new FIFA game.

If you were a baseball player, what song would you have playing as you walk up to bat? "Simply the Best." No, I don't know (laughs).

Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions? I've got a bunch. I always like to have a piece of gum in my mouth before I go onto the floor, and I change it at halftime. With me, sometimes if something works the game before that I don't normally do and I played well, I'll keep repeating it until something bad happens, then I'll change it up.

Any favorite TV shows right now or all-time favorites? The Office *(THATS MAH BOY, POPS)* and Martin.


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Another report on the scrimmage from Patricia Bender:

"It was a fun evening and there were lots of people there as the lower bowl
of The Pit was fairly full - easily several thousand people in attendance.
The fans went over-nuts as usual when the Maniaacs and Fun Slingers came
out early and threw t-shirts into the stands. Finally 5 pm rolled around
and the players came out to a loud ovation. Dirk Nowitzki came out a
minute or 2 later and the crowd went even more nuts (especially when he
would wave) and a short chant of "MVP" started. The players shot around
for a while with occasional cheers for various players. Another loud
cheer went up when Avery Johnson came out.

After the National Anthem (and someone needs to point out to Mo Ager to
put his hand on his heart, as all on the team do so (even non-Americans)
as a sign of team unity), a little of bit of rookie hazing was done as
Ager was told to introduce his White team. Ager quickly mumbled through
the names and got razed for his poor performance. Jason Terry took over
the mike with an over-the-top introduction of his Blue team. Devin Harris
then took the mike and then did a better introduction of the White team.

Avery Johnson and Del Harris sat across from the teams watching the game -
passing instructions a couple of times for players to switch teams.

White team: Nowitzki, Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse, Harris, Ager,
DeSagana Diop, Darius Washington, Ndudi Ebi; coach: Jay Vincent;
assistants: Brad Davis, Bernard Griffith

Blue team: Terry, Erick Dampier, Anthony Johnson, Greg Buckner, Devean
George, DJ Mbenga, Greg Buckner, Pat Carroll; coach: Joe Prunty;
assistants: Popeye Jones, Greg Dreiling

Austin Croshere did not play and there was no sight of Pops Mensah-Bonsu.
The newspapers clarified that Croshere sat out with minor back problems
and Pops was at the hotel with a respiratory virus. 

Just to confuse things, at halftime Ebi and Ager were switched to the Blue
team and George and Mbenga were switched to the White team. And during
the 2nd half, Diop was moved to the Blue team 5 minutes in (at Del Harris'
instruction) and Dampier was moved to the White 7 minutes in. Which
basically made the boxscore worthless as the system was not set up for
players changing teams midgame (though the boxscore looks wrong anyways as
the minute numbers are way off [according to it, Dirk played all of the
2nd half, where he actually only played a few minutes]. Thus, I'm not
including any stats as I don't trust them (though I'm pretty sure the
numbers mentioned in the Fort Worth Star Telegram are wrong)).

The game consisted of 2 12-minute halves and was fairly competitive, but
sloppy at times and entertaining at times - often one right after the
other. The Blue team actually looked better than the White early on.
After the teams missed 4 shots, Johnson got the scoring started with a
bucket, and Harris scored at the other end. As it was a scrimmage, I'm
just going to scattershoot the rest of the way. The Blue team led 31-26
at halftime and the White team won 48-45.

Dirk, Josh, Terry, and Stack really didn't play that much except for the
first few minutes of each half. Buck also didn't play much and had his
left thumb heavily taped. Dirk had a really pretty assist early on and
Josh was aggressive when he was out there. It was weird seeing Stack's
calves - the league has outlawed the tights that he always wore. Johnson
looked good and George had a couple of nice anticipation steals. Diop
looked really good and was active on both offense and rebounding. Damp
was okay, but did have a really nice power move inside and hit all his
free throws. DJ was also active and his game looks to have matured as he
didn't show any of the dumb mistakes that I used to see a couple of times
during scrimmages like this. Maybe that is because Ebi had that market
cornered. I can't tell you how many times I saw Ebi do something stupid
(dumb foul or turnover). It would be understandable if he was a rookie,
but you'd think he'd have learned something in his 2 years with Minnesota.
Plus he needs to hit the weight room something bad. He's got some of the
skinniest legs I've seen. The surprise was Washington. He hit a number
of shots that helped the White team to the win and I can't recall him
doing anything stupid - it was between him and Diop for Player of the
Game. To continue using my word of the day, Barea was very active.
Unfortunately he is also still very short and that alone will probably
keep him off the team (he needs to find a team that has taller primary
point guards and shooting guards). It's not fair, but with just a glance
I can't help but think that Pat Carroll has absolutely no shot at making
the team. [Ebi, Washington, Barea, and Carroll are hoping to earn the one
open roster spot.] My wince moment of the night was when I saw Mbenga
playing power forward (with Dampier at center). Maybe bringing back Keith
Van Horn isn't such a bad idea. Heaven help us if Dirk has to missed a
number of games. What else... Devin is still quick as can be, but no
sign of an improved shooting touch this night. Hmm, can't recall anything
of Ager from the game that sticks out in my mind. Terry got the place
roaring near the end of the game as he started teasing tossing his shoes
into the stands. He finally did toss them, as did a number of players.
Other game items (towels, headbands, ...) were also tossed into the
stands."


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

As I posted in the other thread, the annual scrimmage is today and is free to everyone from 1-3pm at the AAC. I'm expecting some good game reports from you guys, can't be there.


----------



## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*



StackAttack said:


> As I posted in the other thread, the annual scrimmage is today and is free to everyone from 1-3pm at the AAC. I'm expecting some good game reports from you guys, can't be there.


We're celebrating my wife's birthday today, so I can't make it either. It's kind of nastalgic, because the first 'free for all' I went to was right before we were engaged - in '99. :kiss:


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Sunday in Mavericks camp

08:04 PM CDT on Sunday, October 8, 2006

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

Full-court press: Devin Harris

(A daily look at life on and off the court for the Mavericks)

Much has been made of Harris' work during the off-season, when he hoisted some 600 jump shots per day. That's all well and good. But he doesn't expect to become a Ray Allen jump shooter anytime soon. He was 1-of-6 from the field in Sunday's scrimmage.

Are you still more comfortable driving to the hoop than firing away from the perimeter?

My bread-and-butter is still going to be getting to the basket. I'm never going to give up that part of my game.

But no player wants to be known as one-dimensional, right?

The idea is to make some (outside) shots to keep the defense honest and open up the lanes. But that's still going to be my primary option. Hey, I worked hard on the shot all summer. It's going to pay dividends.

Do you feel any different now when you're shooting the ball than before the summer?

We tweaked a few things with my mechanics. They were just some subtle changes that the coaches picked up on film. I don't think my shot was bad. But I definitely want to pick up my percentage this year. Maybe I can even make a few more 3-pointers this year.
Star of the day

It had to be Josh Howard, but not just because he had a team-high 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting for the victorious Blue team in the scrimmage. It was because Howard is pictured on the cover of the NBA's 2006-07 rulebook. In the slick, color photograph, Dwyane Wade appears to be pushing Howard with his off hand. "Typical," Howard said. Interestingly, the Mavs had their meeting with NBA director of officiating Ronnie Nunn on Saturday, and one new enforcement got all the players' attention. Apparently, referees are going to be less tolerant of back-talk and hand or body gestures from players who feel they got a bad call. Several players said that, if they make a quick gesture and then run downcourt, they'll be fine. But if they go into any extended gyrations or histrionics, they will get whistled for a technical. "There will definitely be more techs this year if they call it the way they say they will," said one.
Briefly

Dirk Nowitzki had 10 points and five rebounds for White in the scrimmage, but he was not the team's leading scorer. That honor went to D.J. Mbenga, who had 12 points to go with his four rebounds. ... Jason Terry, who sat out the scrimmage to rest some aches and pains, was a hit with the crowd of about 8,000 when he started flinging game shoes into the crowd as souvenirs. ... Jerry Stackhouse also sat out, to rest his knees. ... The second scrimmage in three days was a treat for the players and fans. But seeing the same Mavericks faces is getting boring, Avery Johnson said. "We're ready for another [team]," he said. "I'm anxious to see how these guys respond in a real NBA type of setting. We just need time together. Obviously, we won't be able to play 18 players. We have a plan in place." The Mavericks visit Oklahoma City on Tuesday for their preseason opener against the New Orleans Hornets.


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Scrimmage notes from JoeFu12 of Dallasbasketball.com:

"Terry and Stackhouse did not play.

Dirk is still Dirk.

Josh's shot is better.

Devin is still fast and the shot is a little better.

Diop seemed about the same. Same with Damp.

DJ hit some jumpers.

Buck hit some shots, and made a nice shot in traffic.

AJ was pretty good. Almost had 2 steals, but missed a few shots.

Devean George looked pretty good. He should be a good back-up for Josh.

Austin Croshere can shoot.

Ager looked pretty good out there. No real mistakes and took it to the hole quite a lot.

Pops is pretty good, he didn't do that much, but had a few and 1's

Jose is fast and had a nice lay up.

Washington can shoot.

Pat Carrol did like nothing.

Ndudi Ebi is a foul machine."


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Mavs rookie Ager lays it on thick

Ager making impact with compact frame, aggressive style of play

09:13 PM CDT on Sunday, October 8, 2006

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

The Mavericks toyed with the idea of signing Bonzi Wells before the swingman landed in Houston.

They opted not to make a strong play for Wells for many reasons. One of those reasons is because they feel they have a Bonzi starter kit in their possession – without the potential headaches that could come along with the original version, who has had his share of off-court situations.

Maurice Ager is built like Wells. He has the same, rare combination of thickness and quickness. He's a good rebounder for his height, which is the same as Wells' 6-5. And he's quick, tough and doesn't mind working hard at the defensive end of the court.

In short, the Mavericks think the rookie out of Michigan State has the potential to play like Bonzi. That would give the team plenty of options at small forward and shoot- ing guard beyond this season.

Jerry Stackhouse will be a free agent next season, as will Josh Howard, although Howard will be restricted. Because of this, the Mavericks feel they need to see how strong Ager can be this season.

"I've always tried to be aggressive," Ager said Sunday. "If you're tentative, you're not going to play as well. We lift a lot of weights at Michigan State. You got to be tough. And that toughness has helped me get to this level. Honestly, I like going to the basket. Sometimes I'll settle for the 3. But my game is driving the paint."

He's definitely not afraid to be assertive, which is a nice way to say that a rookie is shooting too much.

Through the first week of training camp, Ager has been, as Mavericks coach Avery Johnson says, a typical rookie. He has flashed some solid signs of his considerable ability. And he's dribbled the ball off his feet a few times, too.

But mostly, Ager has shot whenever the opportunity presented itself. And, sometimes, even when it didn't. As Johnson said during two-a-days in Denton, "his name is not listed next to 'passing' in Webster's dictionary."
BRAD LOPER / DMN
Maurice Ager, shown holding his jersey at the Mavericks news conference welcoming him, took more shots than anyone in a scrimmage in Sunday's Fan Jam.

That much was clear Sunday during a scrimmage that was part of the Fan Jam at American Airlines Center. Ager had a long jumper and a tough layup in traffic in the first half. He finished 4-of-11 from the field and had 13 points for the victorious Blue team, which beat the White squad, 61-57. Ager took more shots than anybody else in the 40-minute game.

"He's aggressive," Johnson said. "He's full of energy. And he was really excited to put on his uniform. We want him to continue to feel that way in March and May and maybe June."

Ager said it was an indescribable feeling putting on the official uniform for the first time in a game situation. He told Jason Terry before the game that he was overwhelmed at the thought of finally reaching the NBA.

"This doesn't feel real," he said. "It's been a dream all my life. A lot of people don't get this far."

The Mavericks are banking on Ager getting even further before his career is done.


----------



## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Fans chomping at bit to get season started

By MERCEDES MAYER
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

DALLAS -- While the off-season might have been a little short for the Mavericks after a run to the NBA Finals, it couldn't have ended soon enough for Mavs fans.

Some 8,000 fans packed into the lower bowl of the American Airlines Center on Sunday to receive their first glimpse of the defending Western Conference champions at the annual Fan Jam.

Fans lined up around the building more than an hour before doors opened to check out the Mavs' newcomers and cheer their favorites.

"They're going all the way," said Dylan Benge, a 15-year old from Godley.

Benge's sentiments were echoed throughout the day, and even guard Jason Terry made sure the fans knew the Mavs have another late postseason run on their minds, too.

"Next year -- oh, I'm sorry, I mean this year," said Terry when he greeted the fans, "we will finish the job."

The Mavs already have sold out the season-ticket allotment for this season. Senior vice president of ticket sales and services George Prokos said that has never happened so early.

More than three-fourths of the arena was allotted for season tickets. The Mavs still have single-game tickets available, including family night packages and various discount specials.

"During our playoff run last year, we took a significant amount of deposits for this year," Prokos said. "We sold the majority of our inventory for this year just by virtue of that run."

The Mavs played four 10-minute quarters in their Blue-White scrimmage, with the Blue team winning 61-57.

Josh Howard led all scorers with 14 points for the Blue team on 6-of-8 shooting. DJ Mbenga led the White team with 12 points, hitting 6 of 9 shots. Terry and Jerry Stackhouse did not play.

Free-agent point guards Darius Washington and Jose Barea, both fighting for roster spots, played well. Washington scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including two 3-pointers, and Barea scored three points.

"They're going after it hard," Mavs coach Avery Johnson said.

From Johnson's view from owner Mark Cuban's suite, he saw some of the things his team has been working on in training camp, but he said the Mavs aren't where he wants them to be.

"We're ready for a game," Johnson said. "I'm anxious to see how these guys will respond in an NBA-type setting."


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*



StackAttack said:


> Jerry Stackhouse will be a free agent next season, as will Josh Howard, although Howard will be restricted. Because of this, the Mavericks feel they need to see how strong Ager can be this season.


Drama. Everyone knows Stack is out to win a new contract; Ager meanwhile, is out to beat out Stack for the position next season. 

I hope Ager shows enough to let Stack walk. :banana:


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## t1no (Jul 10, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*



bray1967 said:


> Drama. Everyone knows Stack is out to win a new contract; Ager meanwhile, is out to beat out Stack for the position next season.
> 
> I hope Ager shows enough to let Stack walk. :banana:


ummh i really hope Ager will turn out to be a good player but i don't want to see any veterans leaving the Mavericks until we win a champsionship.


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*



t1no said:


> ummh i really hope Ager will turn out to be a good player but i don't want to see any veterans leaving the Mavericks until we win a champsionship.


I can understand your reasoning, but also consider the role that Stackhouse plays; if Mo Ager could give similar production in a younger body...

...I know that's a longshot, considering the presence Stackhouse gives (Shaq tackler). No rookie or second year kid can pull that kind of stuff off, but Stack would command $5-8 million compared to Ager's rookie contract.

That would definitely give him the edge, imo.


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## edwardcyh (Dec 13, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*

Did anybody make the scrimmage?


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## t1no (Jul 10, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*



bray1967 said:


> I can understand your reasoning, but also consider the role that Stackhouse plays; if Mo Ager could give similar production in a younger body...
> 
> ...I know that's a longshot, considering the presence Stackhouse gives (Shaq tackler). No rookie or second year kid can pull that kind of stuff off, but Stack would command $5-8 million compared to Ager's rookie contract.
> 
> That would definitely give him the edge, imo.


I agree but when it's playoffs time, i would rather have Stackhouse thn Ager.


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## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

I'm too lazy to repost pics, so here's the link:

http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/lmf/vpost?id=1435685

Good pics. I'm anxious to get this game started, I know it doesn't count but I'm desperate for some Mavs.


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## Saint Baller (May 3, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Me too, but I cant watch the game...


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## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Most people can't, but it's on ESPN 103.3FM, better than nothing.


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## edwardcyh (Dec 13, 2005)

*Re: Training Camp*

Or you can go to Circuit City.... sit on their nice leather chairs and watch it on their big-o LCD's and Plasmas for sale.....

Assuming you don't mind the salespeople coming by asking you if you need help every 5 minutes or so. :biggrin:


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## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*

Enjoy your Tuesday evening, Ed.


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## Saint Baller (May 3, 2006)

*Re: Training Camp*



edwardcyh said:


> Or you can go to Circuit City.... sit on their nice leather chairs and watch it on their big-o LCD's and Plasmas for sale.....
> 
> Assuming you don't mind the salespeople coming by asking you if you need help every 5 minutes or so. :biggrin:


 I wish! Last time I did that I got kicked out of the store for cheering too loud. lol.


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## Saint Baller (May 3, 2006)

*Mavs didnt go after Bonzi because of Ager*



> By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
> 
> The Mavericks toyed with the idea of signing Bonzi Wells before the swingman landed in Houston.
> 
> ...


Link


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## Ninjatune (May 1, 2006)

*Re: Mavs didnt go after Bonzi because of Ager*

http://www.basketballboards.net/forum/showpost.php?p=4060124&postcount=84


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## Saint Baller (May 3, 2006)

*Re: Mavs didnt go after Bonzi because of Ager*



Ninjatune said:


> http://www.basketballboards.net/forum/showpost.php?p=4060124&postcount=84


 Didnt see it...


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## Ninjatune (May 1, 2006)

*Re: Mavs didnt go after Bonzi because of Ager*

No biggie, just letting ya know.


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: Mavs didnt go after Bonzi because of Ager*

Saint - I'll delete for (worthless) points. :biggrin: 

Bribery, the American way. :usa:


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## Ninjatune (May 1, 2006)

*Re: Mavs didnt go after Bonzi because of Ager*

He rules with an Iron Fist!


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: Mavs didnt go after Bonzi because of Ager*



Ninjatune said:


> He rules with an Iron Fist!


bwaaahaahhaaaa!!!!!!


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## Saint Baller (May 3, 2006)

*Re: Mavs didnt go after Bonzi because of Ager*



bray1967 said:


> Saint - I'll delete for (worthless) points. :biggrin:
> 
> Bribery, the American way. :usa:


 No thanks, I like my points 

haha just kidding, go for it. But I'd like some discussion on this topic. lol


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## croco (Feb 14, 2005)

*Trust the coach*

DALLAS -- The decision by coach Avery Johnson to rest several veterans during the preseason is pretty sound, according to one of those taking advantage of the time off.

"Avery has a philosophy about things, and we just roll with it," Jerry Stackhouse said Sunday. "We trust what he says."

Stackhouse, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry haven't played in any of the three exhibition games. The Mavericks face Houston on Tuesday night at American Airlines Center.

The entire team participated in Sunday's light workout, including two Mavs -- Devin Harris (hamstring) and Greg Buckner (knee) -- who suffered minor injuries last week.

"It's a good sign that we're moving in the right direction," Johnson said.

Getting a few extra games off isn't just about resting the body. The Mavs played into late June, and Nowitzki had even less of a summer playing for Germany in the World Championships.

"Mentally you need a little bit of time," Stackhouse said. "That time could pay dividends, especially in the first few months. That's when it's really tough.

"Once you get rolling and you get past Christmas, it seems injuries die down a bit. Avery is doing the smart thing about it. We're all on board. We've still got a long way before Nov. 2."

*Versatile George*

Devean George wasn't given any guarantees when he signed a two-year deal with the Mavs for $4.2 million after seven years with the Lakers.

The veteran swingman is competing with Greg Buckner for the starting off-guard spot opposite Jason Terry in the backcourt. Whether or not George claims the job, he knows his value to the team.

"I can play [shooting guard or small forward]," George said. "I wouldn't mind starting, but whatever is best for the team I'll do. The system I was in, all the spots were interchangeable."

*Carroll waived*

Rookie free agent Pat Carroll was released. Free agents Jose Barea, Ndudi Ebi and Darius Washington continue to battle for the one open roster spot.

--Art Garcia

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/basketball/15771021.htm



Barea or Ebi ?


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

croco said:


> (George) is competing with Greg Buckner for the starting off-guard spot opposite Jason Terry in the backcourt.


Confused - Terry at PG? 




croco said:


> Barea or Ebi ?


By the looks of things thus far, I like JJ.


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## edwardcyh (Dec 13, 2005)

coachMoe said:


> Yes I agree


What are you agreeing to? Or... are you just SPAMMING?


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## Krstic All-Star (Mar 9, 2005)

^ You got it in one.


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## edwardcyh (Dec 13, 2005)

Krstic All Star said:


> ^ You got it in one.


KAS comes to the rescue.

Our SPAM Nazi.... :lol:


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