The Mavericks have had a cold summer trying to lure NBA free agents, and it may be getting chilly trying to keep one of their own.
Raja Bell, who started 32 games in the regular season and seven in the playoffs, is pessimistic he will return to the Mavericks for the 2003-04 season.
"They spoke to me early, and everybody said then that they want me back," Bell said from his home in Miami. "But as of now, I'm going to explore all my options.
"I'd love to come back to Dallas, but I'd love for them to really want me back, too. Right now, I don't see it that way. Right now, it [returning to the Mavericks] is looking a little doubtful. But things can change."
The drafting of 6-6 Josh Howard with the 29th pick could impact Bell's status. Both are shooting guards who can play small forward. Bell played point guard in rare instances last season, too.
But if Howard becomes a player who takes minutes that went to Adrian Griffin and Bell last season, they become expendable.
"We have interest in all our free agents at some level," said Donnie Nelson, president of basketball operations. "It depends on a lot of other factors. Our emphasis remains the same: adding size and toughness in the paint."
Via Dallas Morning News
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Jul 30, 2003 10:19 PM EST
The Dallas Mavericks announced they have signed free agent guard Marquis Daniels. Per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.
Daniels, who played at Auburn, was not selected in the 2003 NBA Draft but played for the Mavericks Summer League team in Long Beach and Salt Lake City. He appeared in 10 games and averaged 18.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and a team-high 3.4 assists per game in 31.7 minutes per game. He scored a summer league-high 38 points against Memphis in Long Beach.
As a senior at Auburn he averaged 18.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals in 34 games and was named to the All-Southeastern Conference Second Team. He led the SEC and ranked 23rd in the nation in steals and also ranked second in the SEC in scoring, fifth in field goal percentage and 10th in assists. He led the Tigers in scoring 20 times and in rebounding 12 times. He finished his career ranked ninth on Auburn’s all-time scoring list and as the school’s all-time career steals leader. He was his named his team’s MVP the last three years and was a Third Team All-SEC selection as a sophomore.
Via nba.com
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Poised and ready to deal when it began, the Mavericks' swing into this summer's free-agent frenzy has been a whiff. And though disappointed by their inability to land a big-name and big-bodied free agent, the Mavs are cautiously optimistic about a potential home run in the draft.
Enter long and lean Josh Howard.
The Mavericks' first-round draft pick could fill a need overlooked by most. The focus in free agency has been on landing a low-post presence. Flirtations with Alonzo Mourning, Brad Miller, P.J. Brown and others fizzled, leaving the Mavs on the outside looking in during a flurry of activity around the league, especially among their Western Conference rivals.
But Mark Cuban, Don and Donnie Nelson also spoke of a need to improve the team's perimeter defense. Though gifted offensively, Steve Nash, Michael Finley and Nick Van Exel aren't tenacious defenders.
Their general inability to consistently hinder penetration last season proved too taxing on the team's big men, namely Shawn Bradley and Raef LaFrentz. Not intimidators in the paint to begin with, Bradley and LaFrentz often found themselves in quick foul trouble trying to defend smaller players driving to the basket.
So in addition to finding that muscle down low, the Mavs hoped to find some athleticism outside. That's Howard, a 6-foot-7 swingman from Wake Forest and star of the Mavericks' main summer-league entry.
"He can give us some intangibles we've been looking for," said Charlie Parker, a Mavs assistant who has coached the summer-league team in Long Beach, Calif., and Utah. "One, he's an excellent defensive player. He can guard anyone from [point guard] to [small forward]. He's long, he gets a lot of deflections, blocks shots and he's an excellent rebounder. He's our best rebounder on this team. He gets to the offensive boards. He has a knack for the ball."
Via Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
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Mavericks Jul 2003 Archive
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Ft. Worth Star-Telegram | Jul 26, 2003
They haven't gone on record as saying so, but the Mavericks are treating the Big Three of Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash and Michael Finley as if they're not available as trade bait.
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Ft. Worth Star-Telegram | Jul 25, 2003
Owner Mark Cuban has denied a published report that he's trying to trade center Raef LaFrentz to the New York Knicks.
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Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel | Jul 25, 2003
Sidney Moncrief, the third all-time leading scorer in Milwaukee Bucks history, has been added to the already long list of candidates who will interview for the Bucks' head coaching vacancy.
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New York Daily News | Jul 24, 2003
Scott Layden's search for a center has led him back to Raef LaFrentz.
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The Salt Lake Tribune | Jul 22, 2003
Mo Williams left Alabama after his sophomore season to seek fame and fortune in the NBA.
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Fort Worth Star-Telegram | Jul 22, 2003
Another big man on the Mavericks' free-agent wish list is on the verge on signing elsewhere.
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Dallas Morning News | Jul 18, 2003
Free agent Elden Campbell is among a list of options the Mavericks are considering at forward, president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said.
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Star-Telegram | Jul 18, 2003
The Mavericks might as well scratch Scottie Pippen's name off their shopping list.
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Ft. Worth Star-Telegram | Jul 17, 2003
Alonzo Mourning held true to his word when he signed a four-year, $22.
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Dallas Star-Telegram | Jul 16, 2003
The Mavericks, San Antonio, Utah and the Lakers are in the hunt for Horry, although he said he hasn't yet received any offers.
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Ft. Worth Star-Telegram | Jul 16, 2003
If the Mavericks want to add Robert Horry to their roster, they might have to make a multiyear commitment to the free-agent forward.
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Ft. Worth Star-Telegram | Jul 15, 2003
Free agents officially can sign contracts Wednesday, but don't be surprised if that day passes without the Mavericks signing any players.
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Dallas Morning News | Jul 15, 2003
After 14 days of courtship, the Mavericks are still looking for a match one day before NBA free agents can sign.
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Ft. Worth Star-Telegram | Jul 14, 2003
They haven't landed a big man in free agency, but the Mavericks might have found the big point guard they've always coveted.
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Dallas Morning News | Jul 14, 2003
Yes, the Mavericks say they've talked a couple of times early last week with free agent forward Robert Horry, the former Los Angeles Laker.
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Dallas Morning News | Jul 13, 2003
The list of available free-agent big men keeps getting shorter.
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New York Daily News | Jul 13, 2003
The Spurs aren't exactly in tears that Jason Kidd turned them down.
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New York Daily News | Jul 12, 2003
Alonzo Mourning isn't singing "I Love New York" after so many playoff battles with the hated Knicks, including an unforgettable brawl in which Jeff Van Gundy ended up clinging to his leg.
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Ft. Worth Star-Telegram | Jul 11, 2003
Karl Malone, the NBA's second-leading all-time scorer, committed Thursday to sign next week with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to his agent, Dwight Manley, who told several news sources.
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San Antonio Express-News | Jul 10, 2003
As Jason Kidd spent another day trying to decide which team he wants to pay him $90-plus million, New Jersey sought to sweeten its offer by exploring the possibility of signing Alonzo Mourning.
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Los Angeles Times | Jul 10, 2003
If Karl Malone chooses to play for the Lakers, and that was still undecided as of Wednesday night, he could wear Magic Johnson's No.
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Ft. Worth Star-Telegram | Jul 10, 2003
Alonzo Mourning's career with the Miami Heat appears to be over, a step that could bring him closer to signing with the Mavericks next week.
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Dallas Morning News | Jul 10, 2003
Alonzo Mourning wants to go one direction, and the Miami Heat is headed someplace else.
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Dallas Morning News | Jul 9, 2003
Alonzo Mourning is still in South Florida for the moment, wondering why the Miami Heat has yet to make him a contract offer.
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Ft. Worth Star-Telegram | Jul 9, 2003
Indiana Pacers free agent Jermaine O'Neal's planned trip to Texas today may be delayed because of a family emergency.
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Palm Beach Post | Jul 7, 2003
Alonzo Mourning said Sunday he's "disappointed" the Heat hasn't made him a contract offer.
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Deseret Morning News | Jul 6, 2003
After considering contract proposals from several suitors, free-agent Karl Malone has narrowed the list of NBA franchises with which he will consider signing, his agent said Saturday night.
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Star-Telegram | Jul 6, 2003
An apparent clerical error by a Miami Heat guard and his agent might put a severe dent in the Mavericks' chances of landing their top free-agent target, Alonzo Mourning.
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Deseret Morning News | Jul 6, 2003
After considering contract proposals from several suitors, free-agent Karl Malone has narrowed the list of NBA franchises with which he will consider signing, his agent said Saturday night.
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Dallas Morning News | Jul 4, 2003
The Mavericks quickly got their first-round pick under contract.
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Dallas Morning News | Jul 4, 2003
For now, Jason Kidd's scenic tour of Texas is limited to the Riverwalk.
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New York Daily News | Jul 4, 2003
Denver GM Kiki Vandeweghe met with Jason Kidd's agent Jeff Schwartz yesterday in Los Angeles, according to a source.
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Ft. Worth Star-Telegram | Jul 3, 2003
Ike Austin started his NBA career in 1991 with the Utah Jazz as a teammate of Karl Malone.
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Dallas Morning News | Jul 3, 2003
The revolving door for free agents visiting the Mavericks will begin spinning next week, but the one player most likely to end up in Dallas probably won't be among those filtering in for a preview.
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| Jul 2, 2003
After enjoying his first full day as a free agent by flying Tuesday from Utah to California, Jazz power forward Karl Malone intends to get down to business today with agent Dwight Manley.
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Deseret Morning News | Jul 2, 2003
Even before the NBA's summer free-agency market opened, Karl Malone, the Jazz's biggest-name free agent, identified four of the teams with which he would be interested in signing should The Mailman decide to depart Utah.
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Deseret Morning News | Jul 2, 2003
It was not long ago that power forward Karl Malone declared the Dallas Mavericks to be quite high on a very short list of NBA teams with which he would consider should he decide to leave Utah this summer.
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New York Times | Jul 2, 2003
The calls for Jason Kidd came in at the first minute of free agency.
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Miami Herald | Jul 2, 2003
When Heat coach Pat Riley said last week that free agent center Alonzo Mourning would have ''a great market out there,'' he must have had a fairly good idea of what was to come.
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Dallas Morning News | Jul 2, 2003
The agreement between coach Don Nelson and owner Mark Cuban to keep Nelson as Mavericks coach for the next three seasons clears the decks for Cuban and the basketball staff to take care of other pressing matters.
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Dallas Morning News | Jul 2, 2003
The Mavericks are hustling to show Alonzo Mourning some love.
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Ft. Worth Star-Telegram | Jul 2, 2003
Antoine Rigaudeau has decided against joining the Mavericks' summer-league teams, more than likely ending a short and disappointing NBA career.
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New York Times | Jul 1, 2003
The phones are ringing.
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Dallas Morning News | Jul 1, 2003
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was in Miami Monday night, presumably to start the courting of the Heat's free-agent center Alonzo Mourning.
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Dallas Morning News | Jul 1, 2003
Don Nelson said Monday night he has signed a new contract to coach the Mavericks for three more seasons, doing so about an hour before his original deal as coach was about to expire.
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New York Daily News | Jul 1, 2003
A potential deal by the Knicks for Boston's Antoine Walker would include Kurt Thomas and would create more minutes for Mike Sweetney, their first-round draft pick, a league source said yesterday.
