Roster down to 15; Ham and Newson waived

Darvin Ham and Jared Newson were waived today, getting the roster down to 15, which is the maximum a team can carry into the regular season.

“These two were really difficult,” Johnson said. “I hope they get picked up by another team.”

Of the three free agents in camp – Jamal Sampson was waived earlier in the week – Ham (6-7, 240) had the most productive preseason. The veteran out of Texas Tech started twice at center when Gana Diop was out with the flu and averaged 1.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 12 minutes per game.

Avery Johnson often praised the work ethic of Ham, who has played eight years in the league and was part of a championship team in Detroit in 2004.

Newson (6-5, 215) averaged 3.6 points and 1.4 rebounds in 9.6 minutes. He saw action in seven games, including an 11-point, five-rebound outing at Houston. Newson, a rookie free agent who spent last season in Germany, was part of the Mavs summer league team.

President of basketball operations Donnie Nelson wouldn’t mind getting Newson back next summer.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if he walks away with a guaranteed deal,” Nelson said.