MVN - Most Valuable Network

Catching up with the Mavs

It’s been more than a week since I last made an update to this here blog, and quite a bit has gone on during that span.  Here’s some quick items to get you all caught up with the Dallas Mavericks.

Diop, Barea and Wright ink new deals

As both Matt and I reported would happen last week, DeSagana Diop and J.J. Barea officially signed new contracts with the Mavericks last Thursday.  Diop’s five-year, $33 million deal has a starting salary of $5.585 million, which is the value of the midlevel exception.  Ex-Huskie Barea’s deal is for three years and is worth about $4.8 million.

On Friday, the Mavericks made another move in re-signing young swingman Antoine Wright to a new two-year deal worth about $2 million per season.  I didn’t expect this one and quite honestly I was surprised the team pulled the trigger, but I couldn’t be happier.  Before being traded to Dallas as part of the Jason Kidd deal, Wright was having one of his best seasons yet.  Once he arrived in Big-D, he saw his minutes get reduced to just about nothing.  A new coaching staff and full training camp should change his luck next season, as I expect him to be a contender for that starting two-guard spot.

Two summer league players get contracts

Two of the Mavericks’ summer league team members, Keith McLeod and James Singleton, also signed one-year deals on Friday, increasing the roster load to 14 players. Singleton’s contract is guaranteed but McLeod’s isn’t, meaning he will have to prove himself through the summer and at training camp to make the team.

McLeod, 28, went undrafted out of Bowling Green State in 2002.  The 6′2″ point guard has been with four NBA teams and holds career averages of 5.5 points, 2.7 assists and 1.3 rebounds in 200 career games. Last year he played in Italy as a member of Montepaschi Siena, winner of the 2007-08 Italian National Championship.  Expect him to put up a good fight against J.J. Barea for that backup point guard spot.

Singleton,who turns 27 this weekend, has been called by many around Dallas as “this year’s Brandon Bass.”  At 6′8″ and 230 pounds, he is capable of playing both forward positions but has the athleticism and defensive abilities to effectively play on the wing.  Singleton was a member of Spanish National Champion TAU Cerámica last year, and before that was a member of the L.A. Clippers for two seasons.

I’m not too familiar with either of these players, but I don’t doubt either of their abilities.  Here’s some video to familiarize yourselves: Singleton’s highlight reel and McLeod’s coast-to-coast dribble and dunk over in Europe.

Mavs off to 1-2 start at VSL

Vegas Summer League action kicked off on Friday after the signings became public, and in that first game it was clear that some of the players on the team might have been suffering from some lack of motivation.  After all, only one roster spot remained on the Mavericks’ roster, making it a long shot for players not named Green, Singleton and McLeod to make the team.  The Mavs dropped their first game, 86-69 (box score) to the Clippers.

On Sunday the Mavs faced off against the Golden State Warriors’ summer squad, which was led by European sensation Marco Belinelli.  The former first round draft pick led everyone with 25 points and the Mavs fell once again, though not as horribly as before, 95-86 (box score).

Last night the Mavs finally saw their luck change against Minnesota.  The Mavericks dominated throughout and in the end spoiled Kevin Love’s NBA debut in winning 88-74 (box score).  JaJuan Smith led the Mavs with 19 points in only 18 minutes off the bench, while second round pick Shan Foster had his best game of the summer with 17 points off 8-for-13 shooting.

The team has today off before facing the Kings on Wednesday and Pistons on Thursday to finish out their five-game stint in Las Vegas.

I’ll have more on the summer league later in the week.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 15th, 2008 at 1:56 pm and is filed under Keith McLeod, 2008 NBA Offseason, James Singleton, NBA Free Agency, Dallas Mavericks, Vegas Summer League, Showboating. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.