Category: Dallas Mavericks Blog

For Monta Ellis, “efficient” might as well be a four-letter word.

He’s become a sort of analytics antihero the past couple seasons, a model of scoring inefficiency. Frankly, Ellis is sick and tired of hearing about it, which he made clear by shaking his head and chuckling when the subject was broached during the Dallas Mavericks’ media day Monday.

“I’m going to get criticized for what I do anyway,” Ellis said. “The only thing I can do is laugh it off because there’s a lot of guys that take a lot of bad shots in this league. A lot of bad shots. Don’t nobody want to talk about them, but everybody talks about shots that Monta take[s]. The only thing I’m going to do is take the punches and prove everybody wrong.”

There are a lot of guys in the NBA who take bad shots, but precious few put up more bricks than Ellis did in his final season with the Milwaukee Bucks, which explains why he settled for signing a three-year, $25 million deal with the Mavs that was far shy of his asking price when free agency opened.

Reported by Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas

Jae Crowder said at Mavericks media day on Monday that he’s 15 pounds lighter. A small of that portion might have to do with his hair.

Crowder shortened his dreadlocked pony tail on Sunday, cutting off what he estimates was an inch and a half of hair. It’s an annual tradition. Just before basketball season every year, he trims the nest.

“During the summer I just let it go, I don’t cut it at all,” Crowder said. “But during the season I keep it cut. This summer it got down to the middle of my back.”

Reported by Michael Florek of SportsDayDFW

The Dallas Mavericks on Monday signed forward Renaldo Balkman. We assume it’s a non-guaranteed contract that merely brings Balkman to training camp.

Balkman (6-8, 208) was selected by the New York Knicks with the 20th overall selection in the 2006 NBA Draft. He holds career averages of 4.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 13.9 minutes in 221 career games with New York and Denver.

The Staten Island, N.Y., native is a Puerto Rican-American who most recently played professionally for Brujos de Guayama in Puerto Rico. Balkman played collegiately at South Carolina where he was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Tournament Team and National Invitation Tournament (NIT) Most Valuable Player in his final season with the Gamecocks.

With the signing, the Mavericks’ current roster stands at 20 players.

Former New York Knicks draftee Renaldo Balkman is considering joining the Mavericks as the final member of their training camp roster.

The Mavericks were hoping to bring in active defensive-minded bodies to fill out their camp roster and Balkman would fit that need.

The 6-8 Balkman was the 20th overall pick in the 2006 draft by the Knicks. In six NBA seasons, he has averaged 4 points and 3.5 rebounds in limited playing time. He was traded to the Denver Nuggets in 2008 then traded back to the Knicks in 2011 as part of the Carmelo Anthony deal.

Reported by Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News (Blog)

Vince Carter led the Mavericks’ reserves last season, averaging better than 13 points per game while playing less than 26 minutes per game.

His per-minute scoring was his best since 2009-10 when he was in Orlando and was just slightly behind Dirk Nowitzki’s average points per minute.

And Carter likely will have more help on the bench this season. The addition of Wayne Ellington, Devin Harris and DeJuan Blair, all figuring to be backups, should again make the Mavericks’ reserves formidable.

The question, of course, is how they all come together. What the Mavericks have working for them is that most of their bench players have put in a lot of years in the league. Even the still relatively young Ellington and Blair are entering their fifth seasons.

“Yeah, it’s easier now than the first time,” Ellington said about getting adjusted to new players on a new team. “Just being able to make that adjustment and fit in where you need to be on that new team, it doesn’t take forever. We’re all professionals and we have experience. They’ll be some growing pains, but we’ll get there.”

Reported by Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News

Monta Ellis and Jose Calderon may have highlighted the Dallas Mavericks’ offseason. But Wayne Ellington could make a big difference this year.

In his four-year career, Ellington has averaged 6.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.

“I’m bringing a long-range threat, and I’m a guy that’s going to work really hard on the defensive end of the floor,” Ellington told Mavs.com. “I’m a team player, unselfish, and I want to win. That’s what’s most important to me.

“I’m very excited. I feel like we have a chance to do some good things this year.”

Reported by SportsDayDFW