Dallas Mavericks Blog – Page 33 – NBA Blog

Change of scenery may help Deron Williams

Change of scenery may help D-Will

Here’s the Dallas Morning News commenting on the Mavericks’ addition of Deron Williams and departure of Monta Ellis:

Change of scenery may help Deron Williams

Fan question: What does Deron Williams have left in the tank? Does he stay after this season?

Columnist Eddie Sefko: “That’s one of the many ifs we mentioned earlier. He signed for two years, so I’d say that will be a fair amount of time to see if he can revert to the kind of player he was a few years back. Perhaps this change of scenery will serve him well. But he’s been a curious player for a couple years and he’s never been the easiest player to coach. Perhaps this is a perfect situation for him because there won’t be a ton of pressure since this team doesn’t have championship aspirations at the moment.”

Fan question: Why did the Mavs let Monta Ellis get away? He was playing great before the Rondo trade.

Sefko: “He was scoring great. I’m not going to say he was a great player. He has holes in his game. But the Mavericks needed his scoring. You’re right about that. I think the biggest problem with Ellis is that he was the Mavericks’ best player. And if he’s your best player, the first round of the playoffs is probably your ceiling. If he’s your third-best player, then you can talk about deep playoff runs.”

Some key Mavs still recovering from injury

Some key Mavs still recovering from injury

With NBA training camps opening soon, preseason around the corner, and the regular season beginning in late October, some key Dallas Mavericks are coming off major surgeries. Here’s the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporting:

With the NBA regular-season opener a mere 34 days away, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban isn’t sure if two of his starters will be in the opening-day starting lineup when his squad plays at Phoenix on Oct. 28.

Shooting guard Wesley Matthews underwent surgery to repair a left torn Achilles tendon on March 11 while he was playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. Matthews signed a four-year, $70 million free-agent contract with the Mavericks on July 9.

Small forward Chandler Parsons had surgery on May 1 to address a cartilage injury to his right knee. Parsons signed a three-year, $46 million free-agent contract with the Mavericks in the summer of 2014.

The Mavericks are expecting both players to be leaders in their quest to help the team recapture its glory years. But will they be available for the season opener against Phoenix?

“They’re on schedule, so there’s a chance,’’ Cuban said Thursday afternoon. “But we’re not going to rush them.

Dallas Mavericks sign JaVale McGee

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed free agent center JaVale McGee.

McGee (7-0, 270) is a seven-year veteran with career averages of 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 19.9 minutes per game in 382 games (158 starts) with Washington, Denver and Philadelphia. He has shot 54 percent from the field for his career.

Famous for making mistakes on the court, McGee has talent, especially on defense. It’s tough for a winning team to count on him as their primary center, but he’s still a good addition provided there isn’t too much pressure on him.

McGee appeared in 23 games for Denver and Philadelphia in 2014-15, averaging 4.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 11.1 minutes per contest.

A native of Flint, Mich., McGee spent two seasons at the University of Nevada. As a sophomore, he averaged 14.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. McGee declared for the NBA Draft following his sophomore season and was the 18th overall selection by the Washington Wizards in 2008.

McGee’s father, George Montgomery, was a second-round draft pick of the Portland Trail Blazers in 1985 and his mother, Pamela McGee, played in the WNBA for the Los Angeles Sparks and Sacramento Monarchs.

Mavericks re-sign Charlie Villanueva

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have re-signed forward Charlie Villanueva.

Villanueva (6-11, 238) holds career averages of 10.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 21.7 minutes in 594 games (159 starts) with Toronto, Milwaukee, Detroit and Dallas. Villanueva was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team in 2005-06 after averaging 13.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 29.1 minutes in 81 games (36 starts). He had a breakout year in 2008-09 when he averaged 16.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 26.9 minutes in his final season with Milwaukee.

In his first season with Dallas, Villanueva averaged 6.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 10.6 minutes in 64 games (one start). He shot 37.6 percent (83-of-221) from beyond the arc in 2014-15.

The Queens, N.Y., native was a standout at the University of Connecticut where, as a freshman, he earned Big East All-Rookie Team honors and won an NCAA National Championship. As a sophomore, he led the team in scoring (13.6 ppg) and was named the team’s MVP. Villanueva declared for the NBA Draft following his sophomore season and was drafted seventh overall by the Toronto Raptors in 2005.

Mavericks sign Samuel Dalembert

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed free agent center Samuel Dalembert.

This will be Dalembert’s second stint in Dallas. He signed with the Mavericks as a free agent in July, 2013 and averaged 6.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 20.2 minutes in 80 games (68 starts) during the 2013-14 season. After one year with the Mavericks, Dalembert was traded to the New York Knicks, along with guards Jose Calderon, Wayne Ellington and Shane Larkin and two 2014 second round picks, in exchange for Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton.

Dalembert (6-11, 255) has played a total of 886 games (694 starts) with Philadelphia, Sacramento, Houston, Milwaukee, Dallas and New York and has career averages of 7.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 24.4 minutes per game.

Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Dalembert is the only Haitian-born player in the NBA. He spent 14 years in Haiti before moving to Montreal and becoming a Canadian citizen in August, 2007. He played collegiately at Seton Hall and averaged 7.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.83 blocks in 59 games over two years. He currently owns the school record for career blocked shots (267).

Mavericks sign first round draft pick Justin Anderson

The Dallas Mavericks announced today they have signed 21st overall pick Justin Anderson.

All first round draft picks are guaranteed to receive a contract, assuming they wish to come to the NBA right away. So, this signing was expected.

Anderson (6-6, 228) impressed at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas where he started all 6 six games for the Mavericks and averaged 17.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting .434 from the floor, .385 from three-point range and .900 from the foul line.

The Rockville, Md., native played three years at Virginia leading the Cavaliers to two Atlantic Coast Conference regular season titles and just the second ACC Tournament Championship in school history. As a junior, he averaged 12.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting .466 from the field, .452 from behind-the-arc and .780 from the foul line.

The versatile guard improved his three-point shooting from .294 (30-102) as a sophomore to an ACC-leading .452 (47-104) as a junior on his way to being named NABC All-America Third Team and All-ACC Second Team.

Mavericks sign Jeremy Evans

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed free agent forward Jeremy Evans.

According to ESPN Dallas, the deal is a two-year veteran’s minimum contract with no option.

Evans (6-9, 200) played his first five seasons in Utah (2010-15) where he averaged 3.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 10.8 minutes in 219 games (seven starts). He won the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend in 2012.

A native of Crossett, Ark., Evans played four seasons at Western Kentucky University. As a senior, he averaged 10.0 points and 6.9 rebounds in 34 games. He is the Hilltoppers’ all-time leader in blocks with 224. Evans was selected by Utah in the second round (55th overall pick) of the 2010 NBA Draft.

Mavericks sign center Salah Mejri

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed center Salah Mejri.

Mejri (7-2, 235) played in 34 games with Real Madrid last season and averaged 4.3 points and 2.1 rebounds in 8.6 minutes on the way to winning the Spanish League title. He increased those averages to 5.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 10.3 minutes in eight Euroleague games as Real Madrid went on to also capture the Euroleague Championship with a win over Greek-power Olympiacos in the final game.

A native of Jendouba, Tunisia, Mejri was a member of the Tunisian National Team that competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The team secured its bid to the London Olympics by winning the 2011 FIBA African Championships where Mejri was named Most Valuable Player.

Mavericks sign Jamil Wilson and Brandon Ashley

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed free agent forwards Jamil Wilson and Brandon Ashley.

Until we hear otherwise, we will assume these are non-guaranteed deals that merely bring these two players to training camp.

Wilson (6-7, 230) spent the 2014-15 season with the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA D-League. In 41 games (23 starts) for the Jam, he averaged 10.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 block in 26.2 minutes. The Milwaukee native played his final three seasons of college basketball at Marquette University (2011-14) where, as a senior, he averaged 11.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 32 games.

Ashley (6-9, 230) signs with Dallas after averaging 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steal and 21.7 minutes in seven games (two starts) for the Atlanta Hawks’ summer league team that competed in Las Vegas. He was an early entry candidate for the 2015 NBA Draft out of the University of Arizona and went undrafted after his junior season. Ashley started all 38 games as a junior, averaging 12.2 points and 5.2 rebounds in 27.8 minutes while helping Arizona return to the Elite Eight for the second straight year. He was also named Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 and the Most Outstanding player of the Pac-12 tournament as a junior.

Mavericks sign John Jenkins and Jarrid Famous

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed free agent guard John Jenkins and free agent forward Jarrid Famous.

Jenkins (6-4, 215) joins the Mavericks after spending the past three seasons with the Atlanta Hawks where he was drafted with their first round pick (23rd overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft. In 98 career games (5 starts) as a Hawk, Jenkins averaged 5.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in 13.8 minutes while shooting .451 from the floor, .375 from three-point range and .849 from the foul line.

As a standout Vanderbilt, Jenkins played three seasons for the Commodores before foregoing his senior year to enter the 2012 NBA Draft. He led the Southeastern Conference in scoring as both a sophomore and a junior and left Nashville as Vanderbilt’s 10th all-time leading scorer. In his final season as a Commodore, Jenkins averaged 19.9 points and tied the SEC single-season record with 134 made three-pointers. He was named First Team All-SEC and Third Team All-America.

Famous (6-11, 240) signs with Dallas after competing for the Washington Wizards at the 2015 Las Vegas NBA Summer League. In five games (all starts) for the Wizards’ summer league squad, he averaged 10.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in 20.2 minutes.

Famous went undrafted out of South Florida in 2011. He spent the 2014-15 season with the Iowa Energy and Texas Legends of the NBA D-League, before signing with GlobalPort Batang Pier in the Philippines.