Mavericks: 2010 Summer League
Redd as example, Jones must improve range
But, to succeed at the NBA level, Mavs coaches know Jones must improve his shooting range and accuracy.
"The area he's got to get more comfortable with is stretching out his shooting game to the NBA 3-point line because the way he drives the ball," coach Rick Carlisle said, "teams are going to space him and force him to make outside shots and he's going to be able to do it."
That's the hope. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Jones missed all eight of his 3-point attempts during summer league. In three seasons at South Florida, Jones was a career 32.3-percent 3-point shooter and in his last two seasons he didn't eclipse 31.1 percent.
Concerned? Mavs assistant coach Terry Stotts says to calm down. He points to Milwaukee Bucks shooting guard Michael Redd as evidence.
"Michael Redd was basically a 31 percent 3-point shooter in college. Michael Redd was a slasher, he was good with the ball," Stotts said. "You compare [Jones'] stats to Michael Redd's college stats, they're very similar. It takes a lot of time and it takes a priority of getting a lot of shots up, but when you have the natural ability that he does, then you will be able to extend your range. And you see that a lot of players in the NBA, the longer they're in the league they improve their range."
Stotts isn't comparing Redd and Jones as players. He's simply using Redd as an example of a shooting guard to refined his jump shot and turned it into a weapon at the NBA level. A three-year star at Ohio State, Redd was a 31.8-percent career 3-point shooter. In two of those seasons, he never shot better than 31.5 percent. Very similar to Jones.
In the NBA, Redd immediately found his range from downtown. In his first two seasons of major playing time (he played six games a rookie), he shot better than 43-percent from beyond the arc. Not counting last season when Redd played just 18 games before a season-ending injury, Redd shot no worse than 35.0 percent from 3-point range in the past eight seasons and was better than 36 percent in six of those seasons.
For a slasher like Jones, owning a lethal jump shot only creates more opportunity to do what he does best.
"There's no question when you improve your perimeter shot it opens up driving angles," Stotts said. "He has a very explosive first, second step. His jump shot is effective mid-ange, 15-18 feet, he can come off pick and rolls, he can come off pin downs and is an effective shooter from that range. He will increase his range."
Lin will bypass Mavs to join Warriors
The Bay Area native instead received the best financial offer in a late play from his hometown Golden State Warriors, ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports, and is close to signing a deal. The Mavs, the only team to offer Lin a summer-league roster spot, and the Los Angeles Lakers, were two of three teams (the third believed to be in the Eastern Conference) that initially entertained contract talks. More teams became interested after Lin showed well last Thursday against No. 1 overall pick John Wall and even more after summer league wrapped up Sunday night.
Mavs president of basketball operations hoped to sign Lin and develop him with the Texas Legends, the Mavs' new D-League team in Frisco. Nelson did not immediately return messages. A few days ago, Nelson said of Lin: "He just makes things happen and he's a better athlete than people give him credit for."
More from Stein's report:
Sources told ESPN.com on Tuesday that the Warriors, by offering to guarantee more than half of Lin's potential first-year salary of nearly $500,000, have reached an agreement in principle with Harvard graduate.
The Warriors have a need for guard depth behind stars Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry after restricted free agent C.J. Watson signed an offer sheet Monday with the Chicago Bulls that resulted in Watson joining the Bulls via sign-and-trade.
A Western Conference scout said of Lin's play in Las Vegas: "He showed that he can be an NBA point guard. He showed us he can finish, defend and has above-average athleticism."
Lin is a lifelong Warriors fan and his signing, sources said, was fully endorsed by Golden State's incoming new ownership tandem of Boston Celtics minority partner Joe Lacob and Mandalay Entertainment CEO Peter Guber, whose purchase of the Warriors from longtime owner Chris Cohan won't be finalized for 60 to 90 days.
Mavs still competing for Lin's services
As a true point guard, the 6-foot-3 Lin was more dazzling, and at times more productive, than Rodrigue Beaubois on the Mavericks' summer league squad. He opened more eyes with each performance. He is in contract discussions with the Mavs, Los Angeles Lakers and an Eastern Conference team.
But his agent, Roger Montgomery, said Monday that new teams are now involved and that Lin is sorting through it.
Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson was the lone NBA executive to offer Lin a roster spot for the summer league, and had designs on developing Lin's game with the Texas Legends, the Mavs' D-League affiliate in Frisco.
But now Nelson has plenty of competition for Lin.
Backcourt of the future has best outing
LAS VEGAS -- Roddy Beaubois and Dominique Jones have had one sensational game each during summer league, but Sunday night's finale was the first with both putting up big numbers in an 85-54 trampling of the Sacramento Kings.
Jones finished with 18 points and seven assists, both team highs, plus three rebounds. Beaubois had 15 points, burying all three 3-point attempts, and two assists. The Mavs jumped out to a 25-7 lead and never looked back to close out the five-game schedule with two wins.
Beaubois and Jones will be in training camp come October and they might have company. Point guard Jeremy Lin is in contract discussions with the Mavs, Lakers and an Eastern Conference team. If Lin signs with the Mavs, he will be at training camp and will likely become the starting point guard for the Mavs' D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, in Frisco.
Lin finished Sunday's game with 12 points and five rebounds.
Center Omar Samhan, who signed a contract to play in Lithuania, contributed eight points, five boards, an assist and a blocked shot. Center Ian Mahinmi, who will be on the Mavs' roster, had five points and eight rebounds.
Jones, Lin, Roddy combine for 28 points
He's 5-of-9 from the field and consistently attacking the basket, leading to 4-of-5 from the free throw line. He also has a team-high three assists, two rebounds and a steal.
Roddy Beaubois had a nice half with eights points on 3-of-4 shooting, including a 3-pointer, with one assist. Jeremy Lin came off the bench for six points.
Dominique Jones has a team-high seven points, with three coming at the free throw line, plus three assists. Roddy Beaubois has five points coming on a straightaway 3-pointer and a pretty, one-handed floater off the glass. Jeremy Lin came off the bench and again showed he has much quickness and athleticism to attack the basket as anyone on the floor. Lin has three points in three minutes.
For a couple of minutes, Lin, Beaubois and Jones were on the floor and completed some crisp passing that led to a swooping bucket by Lin.
The Texas A&M star entered the game averaging 3.3 points on just 23.1 percent shooting and 1.3 assists in 15.3 minutes a game.
Sloan went undrafted and is considered not be an explosive enough player to make an NBA roster. He'll likely have opportunities overseas.
Foster hoping for invite to training camp
The 6-foot-6 shooting guard, a long-distance sniper at Vanderbilt, is about to finish up his second summer with the Mavs in Las Vegas with the hope the club will want him back in Dallas when training camp starts in October. The Mavs are undecided. The club retains his rights until he comes to a training camp and the Mavs either release him or rescind his rights outright.
"I think I've improved a lot such as ballhandling, improved my shooting, being able to score off the dribble, seeing the floor, especially defensively as well," Foster said. "I really don't know what the future holds. I know I want to be playing in the NBA and I've worked hard to get there, and hopefully I'll be going to training camp to fight for a spot."
Foster has averaged just 15.3 minutes in the first four games and he hasn't shot well, just 42.9 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from beyond the arc. He's averaged 4.8 points and 1.0 rebounds. He hasn't scored more than six points in a game this summer, but he hasn't taken more than four shots in any game.
In Turkey last season, Foster averaged 9.1 points and shot 39 percent from 3-point range, but his season was cut short due to an ankle injury.
It is hard to figure where Foster would fit with the Mavs. Dallas is well-stocked at shooting guard. Caron Butler started there after last season's trade and Roddy Beaubois is expected to see a significant jump in playing time. Of course, there's Jason Terry and first-round draft pick Dominique Jones.
Foster said he wouldn't be particularly interested in playing for the Texas Legends, the Mavs' new affiliate in the D-League that will play this fall in Frisco unless there's some assurance that he's on track to make the big squad. The gap in salary from the European leagues is just too great. As of now, Foster does not have a deal to play overseas.
"If that's where my career leads me this year, then I'm sure opportunities will open up," Foster said. "But, right now I'm just focused on playing well in this last game and landing in training camp somewhere."
The Mavs wrap the five-game summer schedule at 7 tonight against Sacramento.
Rookie Jones finishing long haul strong
"We got the win," Jones said. "You know that's the main thing about me."
Still, Jones showed all the on-court moxie and the determination to get the rim in Thursday's 88-82 loss that the Mavs expected when they paid $3 million to move into the first round and grab the South Florida shooting guard. Through the first three games, Jones averaged 12.8 points. He is a big-time slasher and he's done that well. In three of four games, he's gotten to the free throw line at least 10 times.
His shot, as expected, hasn't been inaccurate. He is not a terrific perimeter shooter, a facet of his game he knows he'll have to improve. He's missed all five of his 3-point attempts and is shooting 39.6 percent from the floor overall. Part of that, Jones said, is fatigue.
Since the college basketball season ended, his life has been a whirlwind of pre-draft workouts, preparing for the draft, followed by Mavs mini-camp and the summer league. He said he worked out for 20 of the 30 NBA teams prior to the draft.
"And, I didn't even work out for the Mavs," Jones said. "I feel like I could have played better my first three games, but it is what is is. I feel like I'm going to be a good player regardless, so while I'm young and while I'm learning I'm trying to do what I can do on the court and contribute to us winning."
The Mavs will try to avoid a second consecutive one-win summer when they wrap up the Las Vegas schedule Sunday night against DeMarcus Cousins and the Sacramento Kings.
After that, Jones can finally get some needed R&R.
"When you look at young prospects of the future, whether it's Dominique Jones or second-round picks or undrafted guys, you have to give them a path of development," Nelson, a Legends co-owner, said. "One of the worst things you can do is throw unrealistic expectations on those guys."
Who else might join the Legends off the Mavs' roster? Well, it would seem probable that with four centers on board that young projects Ian Mahinmi and Alexis Ajinca would be prime candidates. But, that's not the case.
Players entering their third season in the NBA are ineligible for assignment in the D-League, so both French 7-footers would have to stay on the Mavs' roster. Dallas is hoping to trade Ajinca, but Nelson said there's been little movement on that front so far.
Beaubois' mounting fouls a concern
But, Beaubois has picked fouls up in bunches and it is a concern. In Thursday night's game against John Wall and the Washington Wizards, Beaubois registered four fouls in six minutes and five in nine. Many are unnecessary fouls with him flailing his long arms and drawing contact or putting his hands on players when he doesn't need to.
If Beaubois is going to play 25 or more minutes a game next season, he's going to have to learn how to defend without fouling. So far in summer league, he has 22 fouls in four games, including eight in the team's third game.
"It can always be a concern with him because he loves to reach, he loves to touch and sometimes he gets in a bad habit of doing that, especially if I yell out, 'Press, get up and press,'" Mavs assistant coach Darrell Armstrong said. "He right away thinks that means to reach, that it means to put my arms and my hands on him when it doesn't. Pressure means to turn your man, make him work. That's something he as well is learning. But, he'll learn it."
Armstrong said there's one sure way he'll learn during the season.
"The more you sit your [rear] on the sideline and you're watching when you're supposed to be playing," Armstrong said, "you'll learn how to start defending without touching people and putting forearms and everything on guys."
For this conversation, let's stick to the 6-foot-11 Mahinmi (which means the Mavs have only four 7-footers and not five), who played his first game with the Mavs' summer-league team Thursday. He had an all-or-nothing performance with 11 points and seven rebounds. Sounds good, but he was just 2-of-6 from the field, including a blown dunk on his first shot attempt.
Defensively, well, there wasn't much there. Washington's JaVale McGee scored 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting with nearly every bucket being a slam dunk.
But, Mahinmi, who at 230 pounds is quite the physical specimen, isn't expected to come in and make an impact on the big squad, at least not yet. He's a developmental player who will be the third center behind Brendan Haywood and Tyson Chandler (Dallas is trying to trade Ajinca). And Mahinmi, who played in 32 games for the Spurs over the past two seasons, is fine with undertaking a learning situation.
"I think it's just a new chapter for me," Mahinmi said. "I had great years with San Antonio, a great system, great coaches and a great organization. But, now I just feel like it's a new chapter in my life. I want to really bring my talents to Dallas and do everything I can to make that team even more successful. It's good to move from a winning team to another winning team."
Think of Mahinmi as the new D.J. Mbenga, but perhaps with more upside. Mahinmi is only 23. He has the body and athleticism that makes general managers drool. But, he has a lot of work to do and only time will tell if he can advance from a player with raw abilities and become a refined an consistent basketball player.
"My goal is to keep working on my game, keep working on everything, whatever the coaches want me to work on," Mahinmi said. "I feel like I've got an opportunity here in Dallas."
Now that the Dallas Mavericks' brass has determined the young Frenchman will be their point guard of the future despite never having played the position at any level, he's going through some definite growing pains during his second summer league.
Instead of blowing up all these rookies and fringe players who'll be making a living in Europe or the D-League in a few months, he's overthinking and slow to react, and questions begins to crop up.
Is Roddy as good as we thought? Is he really capable of playing the point? How can he manage to stay on the floor for 25 minutes a night in the NBA if he's practically fouling out of every summer league game?
Read more about Beaubois' summer performance here.
D. Jones holds his own against John Wall
On a strange night when Roddy Beaubois went scoreless and played just 16 minutes because of an ankle tweak, Jones put some heavy defense on the high-scoring Washington rookie and took anyone who tried to guard him hard to the hole. Jones finished with a game-high 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting (10-of-12 from the free throw line), plus four assists and four rebounds.
"Every game I'm getting more comfortable, being better, learning different angles, different speeds, you know, how to get my shot off here and just getting my floater back. I'm just getting back in tip-top [shape]. I took a lot of time off because I worked out with 20 teams and I've been exhausted from practice so I'm just really getting in my game feeling."
More impressive than his strong drives, was his defense on Wall. With Beaubois' time limited, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Jones muscled Wall on the defensive end, holding him to 4-of-19 shooting.
"He guarded John Wall better than John Wall has probably ever been guarded," Mavs assistant coach Darrell Armstrong said.
That explains why Beaubois was limited to less than 16 minutes in a game in which he picked up five fouls in nine minutes of action and just wasn't himself throughout. He hurt the ankle in the first half and after starting the second half, Mavs head coach Monte Mathis saw Beaubois limping and decided not to take any risks.
Beaubois had the ankle wrapped in ice after the game and he grimaced a bit as he conducted interviews. Still, he said, he's not terribly pleased with his inconsistent play through four games this summer.
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TEAM LEADERS
| POINTS | ||||||||||||
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Dirk Nowitzki
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| OTHER LEADERS | ||||||||||||
| Rebounds | S. Marion | 7.4 | ||||||||||
| Assists | J. Kidd | 5.5 | ||||||||||
| Steals | J. Kidd | 1.7 | ||||||||||
| Blocks | B. Wright | 1.3 | ||||||||||



