Attention All on Daniels This Summer

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Marquis Daniels is on the verge of an NBA record for summer-league appearances by a player with a $30 million contract.

For the third consecutive summer ? and second time since signing his free-agent deal last July ? Daniels is going through the boot camp that is summer league, where the competition is stiff, but the stress level for players with guaranteed contracts is usually low.

Not this time. For Daniels, the pressure is on, even if he prefers not to look at it that way.

Avery Johnson knows Daniels. He just doesn't have a firm grasp on what to expect from him. That's why Daniels' participation in the Reebok Summer League in Las Vegas, which starts today, is important to his growth. And to his future.

"I understand that Avery needs a chance to see me and what kind of player I am, and I need to get to know him, too," Daniels, 24, said. "But I don't want to put too much pressure on myself. I'm treating it like my first season. I just want to contribute."

But contributing is the low end of the expectations as far as the Mavericks are concerned. They want to see more from Daniels, who suffered through last season with a slow-to-heal ankle sprain and an appendectomy at midseason.

When he signed his six-year contract last summer (five years guaranteed) for $36.7 million ($29.4 million guaranteed), the Mavericks were banking on Daniels becoming more than just a contributor.

"It's always good to be set financially," Daniels said. "But anybody who is competitive wants to be able to perform to the best of their ability."

Daniels' situation is a primary reason why Johnson is coaching the Las Vegas portion of the summer-league team. Usually, it's a job farmed out to an assistant or developmental staff members.

But Johnson wants a firsthand look.

"I've got to find out what kind of player Marquis can be," Johnson said. </div>

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