Mavericks Practice Report (01/11/10)
While the Dallas Mavericks' front office was wheeling and dealing on Monday, the team was getting back to business on the practice court.
The Mavericks announced Monday that they had acquired forward Eduardo Najera from the New Jersey Nets, sending big man Kris Humphries and forward Shawne Williams to the Nets. The move freed up an extra roster spot for the Mavericks, and took Williams' contract off of Dallas' hands. Williams, formerly the inactive 15th man on the Maverick roster, hadn't seen action since January 4, 2009. The Nets soon waived Williams shortly after the deal was completed.
(Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)
Eduardo Najera returns to Big D
"I don't know exactly when (Najera) is getting here, but he has to have a physical and get through that part of it," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "We know he's a good veteran player. He's very well thought of in these parts, and we obviously feel like he can help our team...We're looking forward to having him here."
Dallas did have to cut ties with the versatile Humphries, who had played in 25 games for the Mavericks this season while averaging 5.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in limited game time.
"Kris did a good job when he was here and he'll play well for New Jersey," the coach said.
But the Mavericks did get a familiar face back in the deal. The 6-foot-8, 235-pound Najera spent his first four seasons with the Mavericks after a Draft Day deal in 2000. Playing in 208 regular season games (34 starts), 39 postseason games and averaging 4.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in 17.4 minutes a game, Najera was a key contributor during his first stint in Dallas.
Najera became a fan favorite in Dallas during that four-year span, diving for loose balls and getting on the floor with hustle plays. The way he plays the game has always best been described as "all out," though it has caused the veteran to experience nagging injuries this season.
"He's going to be who he is...I've never coached him, but my perception is he plays one way, and that's full speed ahead," Carlisle said of his newest player. "He's a guy that contest everything on the court, and guys like that you always want to have as many as you can on your team.
"His health situation, he's had some injury things go on this year, but the understanding is that he's doing better."
The Chihuahua, Mexico native and former Oklahoma standout was excited when he got the news that he would be returning to Big D.
"When the news was starting to break, I was getting excited, but I didn't want to react until I knew for sure," Najera told Mavs.com in an exclusive telephone interview.
"My game hasn't changed...(The hustle plays) is what has kept me in the league and that's what I'm going to keep on doing."
Now Najera tries to help a team that is second in the Western Conference standings. It is a team that is ready to add the veteran role player into the fold as the quest for an NBA title continues.
"Me going to Dallas, I think I can provide the same energy that I've been playing with to try to help the team," the newest Mav said.
"Nejara is a veteran guy," point guard Jason Kidd said of his new teammate. "He's been here before and he understands what it takes to win...He's a guy that can help us."
(Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, the Mavericks hit the practice court in preparation for Wednesday's game against the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers. Though the two teams are knotted at 1-1 in the season series, the Mavericks are out to spit out the bitter taste of a 131-96 loss in L.A. on Jan.3. Now the Mavericks, still dazed from a 111-93 home loss to Utah on Saturday, try to get sweet revenge on the Lakers at the American Airlines Center.
Though the Maverick offense wasn't at its best in two of the last four games, the losses to L.A. and Utah, the Mavs say there must be more attention shown to the defensive intensity going into the matchup with the Lakers.
"Our defense has slipped, especially against the Lakers and again against Utah. If we don't play defense, we're not going to win. We understand that we have to get back to defending first and then getting out and getting some easy baskets," Kidd said.
The Mavericks-Lakers matchup will air locally on KTXA 21 and KTXA HD at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.
Dallas and the NBA have introduced the official NBA All-Star game ballot, featuring Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry. For more on how to vote for your favorite Mavs for the All-Star game, to be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, visit Mavs.com.
Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment