<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> DENTON ? The new kids in camp for the Mavericks delivered the perfect message coach Avery Johnson was looking for on the first day of practices. It's expected that players will arrive in superior playing condition when camp opens. And the Mavericks did. But what wasn't necessarily a given is that the newest Mavericks would supply the hard-nosed edge that Johnson wants to make sure the Mavericks embrace this season. Toughness sells at Camp Maverick. "I'll tell you what, this is a physical basketball team," Johnson said. "A lot of the veteran guys who we brought in here ... they are physical players. And they know that's what I love. "We came a long way defensively last year. But physicality wasn't good enough. We got to become more of a hit-first team. And we're not there yet." Last season, Johnson talked about a championship even before the season started. This year, he's talking about being a physical team. If he could hand-pick a calling card for his team, that would be it. And the newcomers fit right in. Devean George, Anthony Johnson and Greg Buckner, in particular, have proven they learned the value of a rugged style by making trips deep into the playoffs. George has the rings to show for it. Johnson was in the Finals with New Jersey once, and Buckner always has been a tough player, notably on defense. "Just about everybody who came here in free agency or trades has Finals experience," Anthony Johnson said. "So that's good. It's not about two or three years from now. It's about winning now." At the very least, the Mavericks are conditioned to win now, as are virtually all teams in the league. There wasn't a single Maverick who showed up for training camp and couldn't pass the mandatory stress test that strength and conditioning coach Robert Hackett administers. It's a far cry from 10 or 15 years ago, when players often used training camp as a means to get into shape. "The off-season programs are critical," Avery Johnson said. "We monitor their weight training, their running, how many shots they're taking, everything. "I don't like guys when they're showing up and I have to get them in shape. Then I have to do all these cute running drills. I want to be able to play basketball." </div> Source
