Dallas Mavericks Blog – Page 28 – NBA Blog

Dirk Nowitzki already a big Andrew Bogut fan

Dirk Nowitzki and Andrew Bogut are already familiar with each other thanks to their years in the NBA, plus tons of international competition. But it’s always different when a guy becomes your teammate. Then you really get to know what kind of player and guy somebody is. Here’s the Dallas Morning News reporting on the Mavs:

Dirk Nowitzki is already a big Andrew Bogut fan

Andrew Bogut hasn’t played in the preseason yet, although that could change Saturday or certainly in the games next week.

But his impact has been quickly felt by his teammates and coaches, specifically a certain tall German who is No. 6 on the all-time scoring list.

“He wants to share the ball and he’s fun to play with,” Dirk Nowitzki said. “Playing with him the last two weeks, it’s no wonder Steph (Curry) was always open (at Golden State). He (Bogut) is so smart, he just picks the right angles and spots to set great screens. He’s one of the smartest players I’ve ever played with.”

Big expectations for Mavs this season

On paper, the Mavericks look pretty nice on both ends of the floor coming into the 2016-17 season. New small forward Harrison Barnes on offense is still learning his way, but on defense both he and new center Andrew Bogut know what they’re doing. Here’s the Fort Worth Star-Telegram with more:

Bogut and Barnes won an NBA title with Golden State in 2015, and were part of the Warriors’ contingent that set a single-season league record with 73 wins last season before ultimately losing to Cleveland in the NBA Finals. The Mavericks signed Barnes to a four-year, $94 million contract in July and acquired Bogut in a trade.

In effect, Bogut will replace Zaza Pachulia and Barnes will replace Chandler Parsons in the Mavericks’ starting lineup. Pachulia (one year, $2.9 million) and Parsons (four years, $94 million) eventually signed free-agent contracts with the Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies, respectively.

“Zaza and Chandler gave us a real nice presence at the center and small forward positions,” said Donnie Nelson, the Mavericks’ president of basketball operations. “But I think it was imperative for us to be younger and a little bit more athletic and defensive minded, and that’s certainly something that both Harrison and Andrew Bogut bring to the table.” …

Barnes (6-8, 225) will also have a refreshing change in that he’ll finally escape the shadows of Warriors’ All-Stars Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. The Mavericks are banking on that escape propelling Barnes — who won an Olympic gold medal last month — and his game to a new level.

Mavericks sign guard C.J. Williams

The Mavericks have signed free agent guard C.J. Williams.

We will assume this is a non-guaranteed contract that brings Williams to training camp.

Williams (6-5, 225) spent the 2015-16 season with JDA Dijon Bourgogne in France, where he averaged 11.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game in 34 games. Williams also played for the San Antonio Spurs’ 2016 summer league teams that competed in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.

Before joining Dijon in 2015-16, Williams played for Michelin Etha Engomis Nicosia in Cyprus (2012-13), the D-League’s Los Angeles D-Fenders (2013-14) and Giorgio Tesi Group Pistoia in Italy (2014-15).

A native of Fayetteville, N.C., Williams played four years at North Carolina State (2008-12), where he helped the Wolfpack reach the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 as a senior in 2011-12. In 37 games as a senior, Williams averaged 10.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 31.1 minutes. He went undrafted in the 2012 NBA Draft.

The Mavericks’ 2016-17 training camp roster is now set at 20 players.

Mavericks sign Keith Hornsby and Jameel Warney

The Mavericks on Wednesday signed free agent guard Keith Hornsby and free agent forward Jameel Warney.

Until we hear otherwise, we will assume these signings merely bring these players to training camp, where they will then try to earn a regular season contract.

Hornsby (6-4, 210) went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft after a 1,000-point collegiate career at the University of North Carolina-Asheville and Louisiana State University. After graduating from prep power Oak Hill Academy, Hornsby began his collegiate career at UNC-Asheville before transferring to LSU for his junior and senior seasons.

In two years at LSU, the Williamsburg, Va., native played in 53 games (52 starts) and finished with averages of 13.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 33.6 minutes. As a senior, Hornsby averaged 13.1 points, second on the team to 2016 NBA Draft first overall pick Ben Simmons, before his year was cut short by a season-ending abdominal injury that required surgery.

Warney (6-8, 260) played in all six games for the Mavericks at the Samsung NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. He averaged 6.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.0 block in 16.5 minutes per contest. He led Dallas in field goal percentage, shooting .593 from the floor while making .875 from the foul line.

The native of New Brunswick, N.J., went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft after four successful seasons at Stony Brook University where he averaged 15.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 2.0 blocks and 30.7 minutes in 135 career collegiate games. In his senior season with the Seawolves, Warney averaged 19.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 3.0 blocks in 33 games on his way to earning America East Player and Defensive Player of the Year. He finished his career at Stony Brook as the school’s all-time leader in points (2,132), rebounds (1,275), blocks (275) and games (135).

Mavericks re-sign Dirk Nowitzki

The Mavericks on Wednesday re-signed 13-time NBA All-Star Dirk Nowitzki.

Dirk is past his prime, but still a serious player and scorer. He can’t be counted on to carry a team anymore, but he’s still a starter-worthy player with a lifetime experience of winning.

The Mavs this upcoming season are built around PG Deron Williams, SG Wesley Matthews, new well-paid SF Harrison Barnes, Dirk at PF, and new C Andrew Bogut.

During his 18-year tenure in Dallas, Nowitzki has guided the Mavericks toward many of the franchise’s greatest achievements. Nowitzki led Dallas to its first-ever 60 win season in 2002-03, first NBA Finals appearance in 2006, a franchise-high 67 wins in 2006-07 and to the organization’s first World Championship when the Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals. He is currently the longest-tenured player in the NBA with one team.

Nowitzki (7-0, 245), the most decorated Dallas Maverick in franchise history, is a 13-time NBA All-Star, earned All-NBA Team honors 12 consecutive years (2000-12), was named Most Valuable Player of the 2006-07 season and was MVP of the 2011 NBA Finals. He is a six-time Western Conference Player of the Month, a 17-time Western Conference Player of the Week, has competed in the All-Star Saturday Night Three-Point Contest four times and was the 2014 Magic Johnson Award recipient.

The career Maverick holds averages of 22.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 35.3 minutes in 1,340 career games (1,309 starts) and holds the franchise’s top-spot in several categories including points, rebounds, field goals, three-point field goals, free throws, games, starts and minutes.

In the NBA Playoffs, Nowitzki’s game elevates to average 25.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 40.6 minutes in 145 postseason games (145 starts). He has led the Mavericks to three Western Conference Finals and two NBA Finals while moving into first place in several of the franchise’s postseason categories including points, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals, field goals, free throws and games.

Mavericks sign Kyle Collinsworth

The Mavericks have signed free agent guard Kyle Collinsworth.

According to the Deseret News, it is a two-year, partially guaranteed contract.

Collinsworth (6-6, 210) recently competed for the Mavericks at Samsung NBA Summer League 2016 in Las Vegas. In six summer league games, he averaged 4.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steal in 15.3 minutes per contest.

A native of Provo, Utah, Collinsworth played four years at BYU and averaged 12.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 30.9 minutes per game in 140 games. He was a three-time First Team All-WCC selection (2014-16) and set the NCAA career triple-double record with 12.

As a senior for the Cougars (2015-16), Collinsworth averaged 15.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 2.0 steals and 33.8 minutes per game en route to being named the WCC Player of the Year. The 6-6 guard also tied the NCAA single-season triple-double record (set by himself in 2014-15) with six. He went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Mavericks sign Quincy Acy

The Mavericks have signed free agent forward Quincy Acy.

Acy (6-7, 240) holds career averages of 4.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 15.3 minutes per game in 219 games (51 starts) with Toronto, Sacramento and New York. He averaged 5.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 14.8 minutes per game in 59 games (29 starts) with the Kings last season.

Acy played four years at Baylor before being selected by Toronto with the 37th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. As a senior in 2011-12, he was named Second-Team All-Big 12 and earned Big 12 All-Defensive Team honors.

Born in Tyler, Texas, Acy went on to attend John Horn High School in Mesquite, Texas.

Acy will wear No. 4 for the Mavericks.

Mavericks sign Jonathan Gibson

The Mavericks signed guard Jonathan Gibson today.

Gibson (6-2, 185) is currently playing on the Mavericks Summer League team in Las Vegas. In five games, he has averaged 18.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 28.0 minutes while shooting 50.7 percent (35-69 FGs) from the field, 46.9 percent (15-32 3FGs) from 3-point range and 81.8 percent (9-11 FTs) from the free throw line.

Gibson has played internationally for the last six years in four different countries (Turkey, Israel, Italy and China). Most recently, he played 36 games for Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles (China) and averaged 42.0 points (2nd in the league), 6.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.1 steals. He shot 50.9% from the field, 41.3% from 3-point range and 86.1% from the FT line.

He went undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft after playing four years at New Mexico State. As a senior, he averaged 17.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals in 34 games while shooting 44.7% (197-441 FGs) from the field, 40.6% (106-261 3FGs) from 3-point range and 84.8% (95-112 FTs) from the line. He was named All-WAC Second Team and led the WAC in 3-pointers made, ranked second in 3FG%, fifth in scoring average, fourth in FT%, eighth in FG% and seventh in steals per game.

Mavericks sign Nicolas Brussino

The Dallas Mavericks have signed guard-forward Nicolas Brussino.

According to SportsDayDFW, it’s a three-year deal.

Brussino (6-7, 195) is an Argentinian swingman who spent the 2015-16 season with Penarol Mar del Plata, averaging 14.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game in 59 games. He shot 55.6 percent from the field, 39.4 percent from 3-point range and 72.1 percent from the foul line last season.

Brussino has represented the Argentinian National Team since 2012. He went undrafted in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Mavericks sign Harrison Barnes

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed forward Harrison Barnes. He was a restricted free agent, and his former team, the Warriors, declined to match the Mavs’ offer sheet.

Barnes’ deal is reportedly a $94 million dollar contract over four years.

Barnes has shown flashes of big-time talent, but his role on the Warriors was mostly that of a role player. Which is understandable, considering how great some of his Golden State teammates were. Still, it remains to be seen if Barnes can emerge as a leading man himself.

Barnes (6-8, 225) played his first four NBA seasons with the Golden State Warriors (2012-16) and was a restricted free agent with the club. He holds career averages of 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 28.1 minutes in 307 games (246 starts) while shooting 44.6 percent (295-of-633) from the field, 37.6 percent (287-of-764) from 3-point range and 73.9 percent (484-of-655) from the line. He was a member of the Warriors’ 2015 NBA championship team.

The Warriors selected Barnes with the seventh overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. As a rookie in 2012-13, he appeared in 81 games (all starts) and averaged 9.2 points and 4.1 rebounds en route to earning NBA All-Rookie First Team honors.

In 2014-15, Barnes started all 82 regular-season games for the eventual NBA champion Warriors. He averaged 10.1 points and 5.5 rebounds while posting career highs in field goal percentage (.482) and 3-point field goal percentage (.405). The following season (2015-16), Barnes averaged 11.7 and 4.9 rebounds while helping the Warriors win an NBA-record 73 games.

Barnes increased his scoring average in each of his first four seasons. After drafting Barnes in 2012, Golden State went on to reach the playoffs in each of the next four years. What’s more, when Barnes helped the Warriors reach the playoffs as a rookie in 2012-13, it was just their second playoff appearance in the last 19 years and their first since 2006-07.

The Ames, Iowa, native played two seasons at the University of North Carolina, earning First Team All-ACC honors as a sophomore in 2011-12. He declared for the NBA Draft following his sophomore season.