Dallas Mavericks Blog – Page 69 – NBA Blog

Justin Dentmon named 2012 D-League MVP

Austin Toros guard Justin Dentmon was today named the 2012 NBA Development League’s Most Valuable Player, as voted on by the NBA D-League’s 16 head coaches.

Dentmon, a 6-0, 185-pound guard out of Washington, started in all 40 regular season games he played for the Toros, averaging 22.8 points, 5.5 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 37.2 minutes. A 2012 NBA D-League All-Star, Dentmon ranked fourth in the League in scoring, finishing with double-digit points in 39 games. He led the Toros in scoring in 24 games and was the assist leader 26 times.

Twice honored for his play during the season, Dentmon was named the NBA D-League Player of the Month in January and the Performer of the Week on Jan. 17. He led the Toros to an NBA D-League 33-17 regular season record and the third seed in the NBA D-League Playoffs presented by BBVA. In two postseason game for the Toros since returning from the Raptors, he is averaging 18.0 points, 3.5 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 29.0 minutes.

A two-time Call-Up to the San Antonio Spurs and the Toronto Raptors, Dentmon appeared in six NBA games this season, averaging 4.3 points, 1.7 assists, 1.3 rebounds and 15.2 minutes.

“The impressive season that Justin had for the Toros is a testament to his talent and work ethic,” said Chris Alpert, Vice President of Basketball Operations and Player Personnel for the NBA D-League. “His leadership helped Austin to its best season yet, while individually he earned an NBA D-League All-Star selection and two trips to the NBA. He has emerged as one of the League’s top prospects, and I congratulate him on a fantastic season.”

Dentmon will be presented with the 2012 NBA D-League Most Valuable Player trophy prior to tonight’s semifinal game between the Toros and the Canton Charge, which tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET in Austin.

Dentmon joins Curtis Stinson (Iowa, 2011) Mike Harris (Rio Grande Valley, 2010), Courtney Sims (Iowa, 2009), Kasib Powell (Sioux Falls, 2008), Randy Livingston (Idaho, 2007) Marcus Fizer (Austin, 2006), Charlotte Bobcats guard Matt Carroll (Roanoke, 2005), Tierre Brown (Charleston, 2004), Devin Brown (Fayetteville, 2003) and Ansu Sesay (Greenville, 2002) as winners of the annual NBA D-League MVP award.

Delonte West fined $25,000 for giving `Wet Willy` to Gordon Hayward

Dallas Mavericks guard Delonte West has been fined $25,000 for a physical taunt by poking Gordon Hayward of the Utah Jazz in the ear, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred with 3:40 remaining in the second quarter of Utah’s 123-121 win over Dallas at EnergySolutions Arena on April 16.

You can read about the initial incident and see a video clip here. And also see more on Hayward’s reaction here.

Gordon Hayward wanted to fight Delonte West after finger in ear incident

Utah Jazz swingman Gordon Hayward said he initially felt like ripping Delonte West’s finger off and fighting him after he jabbed it into Hayward’s right ear during the second quarter of Monday night’s triple-overtime win against Dallas.

”I wanted to fight right there, but you can’t do that,” Hayward said before Tuesday’s practice. ”It wouldn’t have been the smart idea. I’d risk getting a technical foul, getting suspended for the season, whatever. There’s more important things than fighting someone out on the court. The more important thing was getting the win and we were able to do that.”

Hayward acknowledged Tuesday that many of his teammates might have reacted differently.

But Hayward, who raised both arms and walked away, said he ”got the last laugh” as the Jazz prevailed 123-121 to keep their slim playoff hopes alive with four games remaining.

— Reported by Lynn DeBruin of the Associated Press

Delonte West shoves a finger in the ear of Gordon Hayward

Delonte West has always been explosive.

As a scorer, the starting shooting guard for the Dallas Mavericks is capable of putting points up in a hurry. Off the court, he’s capable of becoming a train wreck, with his highly publicized gun possession case of a few years ago a shining example.

When he’s able to separate the two, West is an X-factor at the NBA level, a combination guard who can be a significant factor. Sometimes, like Monday night against the Utah Jazz, he goes overboard.

His “wet willy” of Gordon Hayward, sticking his finger in Hayward’s ear, earned him a technical foul and a seat on the bench. It earned him a spotlight in the media after Utah’s 123-121 triple overtime win at EnergySolutions Arena. It could earn him a fine from David Stern’s office as well.

“I went over the line,” West said. “I saw some lint in his hair, and I wanted to get it out for him. Seriously, we were like two warriors out there. But I forgot the NBA is a gentlemen’s game. They want us to battle and scrap, but they want us to do it nicely.”

— Reported by Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune

InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner says: Sometimes Delonte West thinks he’s an NBA player, other times he thinks he’s a q-tip. Things are confusing sometimes.

Video of Delonte West giving Gordon Hayward a “Wet Willy”

Al Jefferson shines, Jazz beat Mavericks in 3OT

Al Jefferson scored 28 points and tied a career-high with 26 rebounds to fuel Monday night’s 123-121 triple-overtime victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

”Right now we just got to win every game, no excuse,” said Jefferson, who had 10 points in the extra periods. ”This is a big test for us. We just got to see where our heart is and I know everybody in the locker room wants to make the playoffs. So we are going to fight and we are going to fight ’til the end. That’s all we can do.” …

Dirk Nowitzki scored 40 points against Utah for the second straight time. His 3-pointer forced the second overtime, but he couldn’t convert late in the third extra period.

The Jazz forced overtime on Paul Millsap’s put-back dunk with 2.2 seconds remaining in regulation…

Jason Terry and Nowitzki both missed 3s in the final 10 seconds. Terry finished with 27 points and four 3s…

Hayward added 24 points for Utah and Harris had 23, with five 3s…

Millsap finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and two blocks.

— Reported by Lynn DeBruin the Associated Press

Mark Cuban seeks change to rule on basket interference

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has lobbied the league to immediately begin making basket interference situations in the final two minutes of regulation and overtime reviewable after such a play worked against the Mavs in their 112-108 overtime loss Sunday to the Los Angeles Lakers.

It appeared that Lakers forward Matt Barnes touched a Pau Gasol 3-point attempt from the corner as it neared the cylinder with 3:49 to go in overtime. Barnes’ hands then came down on the rim and then he and Gasol instantaneously waived their arms in the air to suggest that Barnes did not make contact.

The basket was ruled good and the Lakers took a 103-101 lead.

“Any potential basket interference in the last two minutes of a game or overtime should be reviewed,” Cuban said he wrote in his email to the league. “I didn’t bring up that play up at all.

“You’ve got to make that reviewable. You have to ask them to change the rule.”

— Reported by Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas

Mavs recall Kelenna Azubuike from D-League

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have recalled guard-forward Kelenna Azubuike from the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League.

Azubuike (6-5, 215) was signed as a free agent by the Mavericks on March 23 and immediately assigned to the Legends. During his time in Frisco, he appeared in seven games and averaged 6.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per contest.

Dallas Mavericks to let Lamar Odom sit out rest of season

Lamar Odom’s brief and bumpy ride with the Dallas Mavericks has come to an abrupt end.

The Mavericks and Odom spent Easter Sunday working out a parting, according to sources close to the situation, that frees the struggling Odom to leave the team immediately without actually being released.

“The Mavericks and I have mutually agreed that it’s in the best interest of both parties for me to step away from the team,” Odom said in a statement to ESPN.com.

“I’m sorry that things didn’t work out better for both of us, but I wish the Mavs’ organization, my teammates and Dallas fans nothing but continued success in the defense of their championship.”

Sources said Monday that Odom’s departure will be immediate and that the Mavericks intend to simply list him as inactive for the rest of the season instead of outright releasing him, leaving open the possibility that they could still trade him after the season in conjunction with the draft. Any team that has Odom on its roster as of June 29 must buy him out by that date for $2.4 million or otherwise accept responsibility for the full $8.2 million that Odom is scheduled to earn in 2012-13.

— Reported by Marc Stein of ESPN.com

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Grizzlies take big early lead, hold off Mavericks

Rudy Gay scored 25 points, Zach Randolph added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies built a big early lead and held on to beat the Dallas Mavericks 94-89 on Saturday night.

Gilbert Arenas added 14 points and made three 3-pointers, while Mike Conley finished with 12 points for Memphis, which won its second straight and seventh in the last nine games.

Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 17 points and eight rebounds, and Brandan Wright added 16 points. Vince Carter had 14 points, while Shawn Marion finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the Mavericks’ second straight loss.

Memphis led 29-10 after one quarter and moved two games ahead of Dallas for fifth place in the Western Conference, also claiming the head-to-head tiebreaker by winning the season series 2-1.

The Mavericks weathered an early 20-point Memphis advantage and pulled close midway through the third period.

— Reported by the Associated Press

NBA considers selling ad space on jerseys

In an attempt to generate more revenue, the NBA is pondering the idea of placing ads on the jerseys of every player from the 30 teams.

This transition could create approximately $31.18 million in revenue in TV exposure alone.

The NBA Board of Governors will meet next month to discuss the possibility of adding advertising on jerseys.

The idea has been met with much support from players and coaches.

Meanwhile, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban also said it’s an idea whose time has come.

“I’ve been trying to tell [the NBA],” Cuban said. “If someone wants to give us $10 million, I’ll make it happen.”

Cuban believes NBA commissioner David Stern can be convinced that putting ads on jerseys is a viable concept for the league.

— Reported by Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

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