The AP reports: Jason Terry scored 15 points, including a 40-foot 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer, in the Dallas Mavericks’ 105-79 preseason victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night… Dirk Nowitzki added 11 points in 18 minutes for Dallas (3-0). Jerry Stackhouse also scored 11 points for the Mavs, who led by as many as 25 in the third quarter. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes for the Bucks (0-3). Ramon Sessions led the Bucks with 11 points, while Luc Mbah a Moute added 10 in 33 minutes. Richard Jefferson, acquired in an offseason trade with New Jersey for Bobby Simmons and Yi Jianlian, scored nine points for Milwaukee.
Category: Dallas Mavericks Blog
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Pacers, Mavs trade Shawne Williams, Eddie Jones, picks, cash
The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they acquired forward Shawne Williams from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for guard Eddie Jones and two future second-round draft picks.
Williams (6-9, 225) was selected by Indiana with the 17th overall pick in the 2006 draft. The third-year forward averaged 6.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in 65 games (3 starts) last season with the Pacers improving on his rookie numbers of 3.9 points and 1.8 rebounds per game in 2006-07.
A native of Memphis, Tenn., Williams played one year of college basketball at the University of Memphis before declaring himself eligible for the 2006 NBA Draft. As a Tiger, Williams helped lead Memphis to a 33-4 record while averaging 13.2 points and 6.2 rebounds and being named Conference USA Freshman of the Year. In his lone collegiate postseason, Williams was named Most Valuable Player of the Conference USA Tournament after averaging 18.0 points and 6.7 rebounds.
“On behalf of the Mavericks organization, we would like to thank Eddie Jones for the valuable contributions he has brought to our team,” President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Donnie Nelson said. “We appreciated his professionalism both on and off the court as a Maverick. Shawne Williams is an exciting young prospect with a bright future. We look forward to developing him into the player he aspires to be.”
InsideHoops.com editor says: The Mavs must see some talent in Williams. The Pacers just see that he occasionally gets in legal trouble, and they aren’t particularly in love with his basketball ability or brains. Eddie Jones is all washed up at this point and doesn’t really count. Second rounders don’t have much value these days. And then there’s the cash. It’s basically Williams for second rounders and cash. Which sounds like a somewhat even deal, assuming Williams avoids getting arrested and turns out to be good enough to help the Dallas bench sometime in the near future.
Shawne Williams to Mavs
The Indianapolis Star (Mike Wells) reports via blog: The Indiana Pacers have traded swingman Shawne Williams to Dallas, two people with knowledge of the situation said today. The Pacers will receive guard Eddie Jones, two second-round picks and approximately $1.8 million in cash. Williams averaged 6.7 points in two seasons with the Pacers, but several off-court incidents put the franchise in a bad light and made him expendable.
UPDATE: The trade has happened and is official. Read this.
Oct 9: Mavs 110, Bulls 102
The AP reports: Gerald Green scored 18 points to lead six Dallas players in double figures, helping the Mavericks beat the Chicago Bulls 110-102 in a preseason game on Thursday night. Bulls rookie Derrick Rose, last spring’s No. 1 draft pick, played nearly 27 minutes and scored 10 points in Chicago’s preseason opener… Luol Deng, Aaron Gray and Darius Washington paced the Bulls with 14 points each, while Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes each added 11. Dirk Nowitzki scored 15 points for the Mavericks, Antoine Wright and Jose Barea each had 11 and Brandon Bass added 10.
Oct 7: Mavs 108, Wizards 82
The AP reports: Dirk Nowitzki and Brandon Bass each scored 17 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 108-82 victory over the injury-depleted Washington Wizards on Tuesday night in the preseason opener for both teams. Wizards forward Antawn Jamison left in the first quarter with a right knee injury and did not return… Andray Blatche’s 18 points paced the Wizards. Dallas’ Josh Howard, who finished with 15 points, was greeted by a mixture of cheers and boos from the crowd when he was introduced with the starting lineup following a controversy-filled offseason.
Nuggets sign Juwan Howard
The Denver Nuggets have signed F Juwan Howard to their training camp roster, team Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien announced today. Both local newspapers covering the Nuggets have said this will be a nonguaranteed deal.
Howard, a 14-year NBA veteran, played in 50 games for the Dallas Mavericks last season. In 1,001 career regular season games, he has averaged 15.3 ppg and 6.8 rpg and was an All-Star with Washington in 1996.
Howard, 6-9, 250, played in 105 games for the Nuggets from 2002-03, averaging 18.3 ppg and 7.7 rpg. Originally drafted by Washington with the fifth overall pick of the 1995 NBA Draft, he has also played for Orlando and Houston.
The addition of Howard brings Denver’s training camp roster to 19 players.
Mavericks name Paul Westphal VP of basketball operations
The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have named Paul Westphal executive vice president of basketball operations. He will work directly with President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Donnie Nelson and assist in all areas of management as well as scouting.
Westphal, a 12-year NBA veteran, brings 25 years of coaching experience to his new role. Westphal owns a .627 winning percentage as an NBA coach and led the Phoenix Suns to the 1993 NBA Finals. In 1995, he became the second-fastest coach in NBA history to reach 150 wins. The Suns surpassed the 55-win mark in each of his three seasons in Phoenix. Last season, Westphal served as an assistant coach for the Mavericks.
As a player, Westphal was the 10th overall selection by the Boston Celtics in the 1972 NBA Draft. His career included stints in Boston, Phoenix, New York and Seattle. He was a member of the 1974 NBA Champion Boston Celtics and played in the 1976 Finals as a member of the Suns.
“I can’t tell you how excited we are to add Westy to our management team,” Nelson said. “The Mavericks have gained a valuable asset. As a player and coach, Paul has pretty much seen and done it all. He has a wealth of experience and expertise. Now he has the opportunity to apply that knowledge on the management side of the ball and the Mavericks are a much better team for it.”
Mavs players wanted Avery Johnson gone
The Dallas Morning News (David Moore) reports: Mark Cuban said multiple players told him they wanted to be traded if Avery Johnson returned as coach this season… Cuban said these sentiments were relayed to him by the players or their agents over the course of last season… When asked if more than five players requested a trade, Cuban said yes. More than seven? “Close,” Cuban said.
InsideHoops.com editor says: Wow. I had heard through someone I know who knows a certain someone that a few players absolutely wanted Avery gone, but didn’t know it was literally half the team that wanted The Little General to pack his things and take his speech pattern elsewhere. Also, it needs to be said that Mark Cuban is cool as heck for revealing this. No reason not to, but still.
New Mavs offense
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Jeff Caplan) reports: Rick Carlisle is promising a motion-oriented scheme in the half-court that should allow Jason Kidd to handle the basketball and use his vision and quick wrist passes to connect with cutters. The Mavs are hopeful that a new offensive approach will also better integrate Josh Howard, the team’s most athletic and best slashing forward, into the offensive flow. Howard figured to be an easy target for Kidd on the break, but the two never really clicked, and Howard’s production waned in the final two months. Only Dirk Nowitzki, and in spurts center Erick Dampier, seemed to consistently benefit from Kidd’s arrival.
Jason Kidd in pivotal year
The Dallas Morning News (David Moore) reports: Jason Kidd is in the final year of a contract that pays him $21.3 million. The end of last season does not allow his agent, Jeff Schwartz, to negotiate from a position of strength. The Mavericks’ front office believes former coach Avery Johnson was wrong about Kidd, hence the title former coach. They think Kidd has something left to give. But is owner Mark Cuban confident enough in that assessment to sign the future Hall of Fame guard to an extension? No. The first 3 ½ months of this season are crucial. If Kidd plays well and the team clicks under new coach Rick Carlisle, fears about moving into the future with an AARP point guard will subside.