<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">One of the best shooters in Mavericks' history will be rejoining the team this season ? as a coach. Hubert Davis, who led the NBA in 3-point shooting in 1999-2000, has been hired as a player-development coach, said president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson. Davis was with the Mavericks from 1997 to 2001 before being dealt to Washington in the Juwan Howard trade. Davis averaged 8.8 points in 3 ? seasons for the Mavericks and shot 45.4 percent from 3-point range, which remains a team career record. Davis played 17 games last season for Detroit and New Jersey. "Hubert is going to be an exciting addition to our player-development staff," Nelson said. Training camp begins Monday. Veteran in limbo: The Mavericks are awaiting word on Tariq Abdul-Wahad's status. The veteran swingman underwent a physical exam by independent doctors Tuesday to determine if there is a chance he could play this season. Abdul-Wahad has suffered from chronic knee pain for the last three seasons. If he fails the exam, the Mavericks could waive him and pay the remainder of his salary, although insurance would cover most of the $6.75 million. If he is deemed healthy enough to play, the Mavericks probably would have to hold onto Abdul-Wahad and alleviate a logjam of players some other way. The Mavericks will have 17 guaranteed contracts after Avery Johnson joins the squad. Rookie in limbo: Pavel Podkolzin, the 7-5 rookie, has been stuck in his native Russia awaiting clearance to re-enter the United States. Podkolzin has been experiencing visa problems, which Mavericks officials said should be resolved soon. When he does get back, he will have surgery to correct a pituitary gland problem and remove a tumor. Podkolzin is expected to begin the season on the injured list. </div> http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...date.23285.html If this is another decision factored by Avery Johnson, it could be a sign Nellie is preparing to step down pretty soon and give the command to Avery if the season does not go all that well. I really hope Mavs can waive Abdul-Wahad to reduce payroll and the logjam at SF.
Yeh, I heard Avery on the Ticket yesterday, that guy is a coach in waiting. I loved hearing him talk about the kind of defense you need to win a championship. He mentioned that bringing in guys like Dampier, Terry and even Stackhouse was necessary to change a team mentality, adding more of a focus on toughness and defense. He played with Dampier last year, and said the guy has a bad rap, mostly due to injuries, but that there wasn't a player on that team that worked harder. I don't expect Avery to get much playing time, he didn't either unless injuries forced it, but his impact behind the scenes will be felt.
I think this is a good thing because he could teach, help give some tips to Marquis and Josh how to shoot the three pointers.
