Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Mavs Summer Squad: Who's Dream Will Become a Reality?

It's time to go jersey shopping with Dallas Dedicated!
As the NBA Summer League is now over, next for the Mavericks is filling the final two roster spots. The Mavericks currently have 13 guaranteed contracts. Guard Keith McLeod is also under contract, but it is not guaranteed. If McLeod is asked to stay, just one lone spot remains. 4 players that made a well enough impression to be invited to fall training camp are:

Shan Foster:The Mavs draft pick had a tough time getting off the bench, but once he did, he shot over 48 percent and averaged 8.6 points despite only playing 19 minutes per game. Shan Foster really looks like a player that the Mavs could use, and we here at DallasDedicated hope he can prove that at camp.



JaJuan Smith: JaJuan Smith is an undersized shooting guard at 6-2, but the rookie definitely showed his hustle in every game. We are not sure why Donnie Nelson is so keen on this young guy, he averaged only 7.6 points per game and really didn't stand out besides the game against Minnesota. We will see what is to come of the man with the best first name in summer league...JaJuan!

Charles Rhodes: Has made by far the biggest impression on the Mavs organization. Not a lot of expectations coming in for this guy, and he made sure everyone took notice. Rhodes reminds DallasDedicated of Brandon Bass, and really...who can't use another Bass? The rookie from Mississippi State shot an unbelievable 64 percent from the floor while also pulling down 6 boards and 11 points per game. We here at DallasDedicated are hoping to have a number 23 Mavs Rhodes jersey in the near future!

Reyshawn Terry: Started off very slow, but when McLeod was sent back to Dallas, Terry really showed that he could handle the point guard position. Terry displayed the consistency the coaching staff wanted to see during his second summer league season, averaging nearly 10 and 6, and even had a double-double in the last game. Will it be enough to get to play with the big boys?
A thought: Jason Terry is probably already confused in practice when coaches yell, "Jason" at Jason Kidd. Can you imagine now a player with the same last name on the team too?

We believe at DallasDedicated that James Singleton was given a guaranteed contract WAY too early. The staff really didn't get a chance to see everyone else's strengths before deciding to keep Singelton. It's hard to imagine Charles Rhodes getting a spot on the team with Singleton essentially blocking him. The good news though, is what GM Donnie Nelson said before leaving for China. "Rhodes is real athletic and showed really good promise," Nelson said. "We’re planning on having a good old-fashioned training camp with spots that are going to be won. We have 13 players with guarantees, but if one of the veterans shows up and is not prepared, we’re not afraid to cut guaranteed money." Maybe Eddie Jones or James Singleton will be cut after all to free up room for the explosive Charles Rhodes or sharp-shooting Shan Foster. Sources have also said that Charles Rhodes has recieved many European contract offers, which shows that he turned a lot of heads around not just the NBA, but the world.

In other Mavs news: Dirk had a great interview with mavs.com about his dream coming true, being able to take Germany to the olympics. You can read the interview here.

Later: My co-bloggger Patrick will give you his take on the Mavs Summer League...stay tuned!


--ND

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