Friday, August 8, 2008

Foster signs in Italy

Shan Foster is headed to Europe for the upcoming season. The second-round pick out of Vanderbilt signed a one-year deal with a team in Italy.

Going overseas allows Foster a chance to work on his game, while the Mavs retain his NBA rights. Reyshawn Terry and Ronnie Seibutis, second rounders in 2007, followed the same path a year ago.

The move looks like it paid off for Terry, who came back to the States stronger and more polished. He’s expected to be in training camp in October. Seibutis is returning to Europe again this season.

Foster had a solid showing in summer league, but his chances of sticking this fall were slim on a roster loaded with swingmen. Instead of wasting away on the bench or spending his rookie year in the D-League, Foster can lace up against the best basketball competition outside the NBA.

Casey Smith: Olympic Journal Entry 1

Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd aren't the only Mavs in Beijing right now. Yes, many of you know about Donnie Nelson, who's an assistant on the Chinese national team, but there's also a fourth logging Olympic duty.

Head trainer Casey Smith is once again helping take care of those million-dollar bodies on Team USA. Smith, an all-around good dude, also did an Olympic tour in Athens. If that's not enough, he's kind enough to grace us with a first-hand account of his life for the next couple of weeks.

After 10 days of practice in other parts of China – Shanghai and Macau – Team USA descended on Beijing. Here's Casey's report:


Our first full day in Beijing and I wake up at 6:00 am August 7, 2008. It has been a packed first day-and-a-half. Last night when we got in we had our first team meeting that wasn't revolving around scouting an opponent. Basically it was just very directed points about what the team needs to do to be successful.

We are staying at the Intercontinental in the financial district of Beijing and sharing quarters with the Women's team as well. The hotel is really nice, as is to be expected, but it is not really close to anything. From what I understand the subway stop is only about a 10-minute walk, so we are planning on getting out a bit after we get through these first couple of days.

Last night after our team meeting, the entire team took a trip to the Olympic Village. My only experience with Olympic-style housing was Athens in 2004 and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in 2003. Let's just say that whatever problems that are associated with a communist government, construction and manpower aren't one of them. The Village is beautiful. It is a series of apartment buildings 10 stories tall and it houses approximately 10,000 athletes and the associated services like the hospital, laundry, dining hall, etc.

The theme of the Olympics so far is security and the IOC has been very strict with the credentials and what they allow people to do and where it allows them to go. I am lucky, as I am part of the official USOC medical staff so my credential is all encompassing and allows me to go anywhere at any time. Our first full day here we had 2 practices, which was yesterday, and today the guys had the official IOC media day with one hour of press conferences, then straight to practice, then team lifting after.

Now we are back at the hotel, it is 4:45 pm here and the team is getting ready for opening ceremonies. Bummer for me, I am not able to attend. The IOC limits the number of support staff that can go, so out of the 40 medical personnel that represent the USA here, only 7 people get to go and I was not one of the ones selected. I can't really complain though, since I did get to go in 2004 in Athens.

The good news is that I still get to keep the sweet white slacks that are part of the parade outfit and the blue sport coat with the Olympic rings on it. All in all, though, it is a long day since the staging for the ceremonies, the parade and return to the village then the hotel will take 8+ hours. The good side of this is that the guys will be gone for the whole night and we can actually relax a bit and do whatever we want. So it's not all bad.

We practice at a place called Beijing Normal University which is a university that the USOC has rented out for our teams to have access to training facilities outside of the normal venues. Once the games start, practice time is extremely structured and you can't vary at all. This gives us some flexibility and also gives us our own medical facility, weight room, training room, etc.

Again, I have still been very busy, but all in all it's exciting and the guys are definitely ready to play some games. The past 3 weeks have been a lot like the NBA pre-season in that it's hard to get pumped up for all the games when in the back of your mind you know they really don't matter.

I am also the budding photographer. Check out the photo credits on this linked page. I took this when we were at the athletes village the other night. I attached a couple other pictures. One of me and Keith working pre-game, and another of me on some dragon thing in front of a bank in Shanghai. The best part about that one is the security guard coming up behind me. He wasn't pleased in the slightest.

Anyway, I am going to kick back and watch the opening ceremonies tonight and enjoy the show. It's just over 48 hours 'til the first game, which is at 10:15 am EST on the 10th on NBC. It is us against China and they expect it to be the most watched basketball game in history.

That's it for now.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

adidas Nations hits Big D

adidas Nations, the global grassroots basketball program which first launched in 2007, is set to kick off its final camp, adidas Basketball Experience in Dallas at the Integrated Athletic Development (IAD) facility August 7 – 12.

The camp will feature eight international teams – Africa, Asia Red, Asia Blue, Canada, Europe, Latin America, US 2009 and US 2010 – along with sixteen NBA players and coaches acting as adidas Nations Head Coaches and NBA Mentors.

NBA players Antawn Jamison, TJ Ford, Josh Smith, Kyle Lowry, Desmond Mason, Raymond Felton and Antonio Daniels will be on-site to assist the young players and mentor them throughout the camp.

Paul Silas, Detlef Schrempf, Terry Stotts, Larry Krystowiak, Lionel Hollins, Frank Johnson, Ed Schilling and Dwane Casey will act as regional Head Coaches. The addition of NBA staffing will offer players first rate guidance from highly esteemed league veterans and current coaches and players.

adidas Nations is designed to emphasize and focus on adidas’ core belief that real success in the game of basketball comes from playing as a team. The training and educational activities are designed to provide insight on what it takes to elevate their basketball careers to collegiate and NBA-levels.

All eight participating teams will take part in daily practices, workout rotations and games at the IAD facility located at 2800 North Interstate 35E, Carrollton, Texas.

There's also a community outreach program built around adidas’ long-term relationship with Peace Players International – a global not-for-profit organization and 2007 ESPN Arthur Ashe Courage Award ESPY recipient – that will grant players a first hand experience with community outreach and social responsibility.

Here's the info:
WHAT: Free youth basketball clinic for local youth
WHO: adidas Nations players
WHEN: August 11 from 9:30am-11am
WHERE: Prestonwood Baptist Church (6801 W. Park Blvd, Plano, TX).
MORE: The clinic is open and free of charge to boys and girls ages 9-14.

Basketball carries the Flag

Five NBA players are flag bearers at these Games:

Yao Ming: China
Dirk Nowitzki: Germany
Manu Ginobili: Argentina
Andrei Kirilenko: Russia
Sarunas Jasikevicius: Lithuania

Nowitzki thinks the fact that there are so many flag-bearers from the sport of Basketball underlines the sport's popularity.

"It shows that Basketball is getting bigger all over the world," he says. "It used to be a smaller sport, but now everybody plays it. The NBA has fans all over the world. It's becoming a global game."

Read more about this in "How many Basketball players does it take to carry a flag?" on the FIBA website.

NBA.com also has a page up dedicated to the Olympics called Beijing 2008.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Official release: Mavs announce schedule

DALLAS – The Dallas Mavericks announced their 2008-09 season schedule today, which includes nine games on ESPN, seven on TNT and five on ABC.

Dallas begins its 29th season on Thursday, Oct. 30 at home as they take on the Houston Rockets. It also marks the eighth season at American Airlines Center.

The Mavericks’ nine ESPN telecasts include Nov. 7 at Denver, Nov. 19 at Houston, Nov. 28 at L.A. Lakers, Jan. 9 at Phoenix, Jan. 23 at Detroit, Jan. 28 vs. Golden State, March 4 vs. San Antonio, April 8 vs. Utah and April 15 vs. Houston.

TNT features the Mavericks seven times. Those games are the season opener Oct. 30 vs. Houston, Nov. 13 at Chicago, Dec. 4 vs. Phoenix, Dec. 25 at Portland, Feb. 5 at Utah, Feb. 12 vs. Boston and March 5 at New Orleans.

Dallas also has five nationally televised games on ABC. They are Jan. 25 at Boston, Mar. 15 at L.A. Lakers, March 29 at Cleveland, April 5 vs. Phoenix and April 10 vs. New Orleans.

The remaining portion of the Mavericks local television schedule for games on TXA21 and Fox Sports Net will be released shortly. All games can be heard on ESPN 103.3 FM and on KFLC (1270 AM) in Spanish.

Contrary to last season, Dallas spends most of November and March on the road. The team plays a season-high 10 games on the road each of those months. November features two three-game road stints, while March has one of the team’s two four-game jaunts. The other one falls in January.

December is kind to the Mavericks as they play nine of their 15 games at home, including a stretch of seven straight at American Airlines Center from Dec. 2-15. It also marks the first time since the 2003-04 season that the team plays on Christmas Day. This season Dallas will travel to Portland for the holiday.

Dallas plays six of its eight games in April at American Airlines Center to conclude the 2008-09 regular season.

In total, the Mavericks have 16 back-to-backs this season. Six of them begin on the road and conclude at home, five are home-away and five are on the road.

For information on full season, half and mini packages, call 214-747-MAVS for the best available seating and ticket plans in American Airlines Center.

Mavs get dates with Houston & X-mas

The Mavs are part of the Tip-Off 08 festivities, as the NBA released its broadcast schedule today. Dallas makes its national TV debut and opens the season on Oct. 30 as TNT presents a doubleheader featuring four of the Western Conference’s premier teams.

Start planning, because the complete Mavs schedule is available at mavs.com.

The Houston Rockets, led by Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming and Ron Artest, visit American Airlines Center for a 7 p.m. CT tipoff. The second game features All-Stars Chris Paul and David West and the New Orleans Hornets heading to Phoenix to match up against two-time MVP Steve Nash and the Suns.

Dallas is also in action on Christmas Day. The second game of another TNT doubleheader features Portland, with former Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy and possibly the next one in Greg Oden, hosting the Mavs at 9:30 p.m. CT.

For the first time ever, the NBA’s three national television partners – ABC, ESPN and TNT – will each televise games on Christmas.

Dirk and Kidd: Carlisle's rooting interest

The five-ringed spotlight falls on Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd later this week, for different reasons, as the Olympics open in Beijing. Kidd has been there and done that with Team USA. This is all new for Nowitzki, freshly chosen as the German flag bearer.

“I’ll be watching it very closely just because I have a rooting interest for both guys,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “I’m viewing the Olympic experience as very positive for our team because I think that kind of experience will help your growth as a player.”

You can bet Carlisle has Aug. 18 circled, as the Americans and Germans finish off pool play against each other. (Olympic schedule.) Nowitzki and Kidd last faced off against one another in the All-Star Game.

“The Olympics will be of great interest to all Mavs fans because of these two guys and it’s two great stories,” Carlisle continued. “Jason Kidd is the elder statesman and captain of the US team, and Dirk is the captain and inspirational leader of Germany’s team. It’s a huge deal.”

Carlisle spent some time with Nowitzki in Germany earlier this summer and came away with a better understanding of why the Olympic dream meant so much.

“I was able to get a feel for how important this is to him, his teammates and his country,” Carlisle said. “To qualify again for the Olympics … it’s been so long. This establishes a lasting legacy in his country.”

Dirk bearing the Colors & Rings


Dirk Nowitzki will be Germany’s flag bearer at the opening ceremonies in Beijing this week. It looks like that petition paid off. Think he’s excited? Check out the hair. It’s got a nice ring to it.

What a summer for Dirk. Not only is he participating in the Olympics, but he’ll be front-and-center when the German contingent enters the Olympic stadium. He is the first German basketball player so honored.

Here is the release from our good friends at the German Basketball Federation:

Dirk Nowitzki of the German Basketball Team is named the German flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The German Olympic Sports Federation (DOSB) chose Nowitzki due to his perfect interpretation of the Olympic idea. The German Olympic delegation will enter the Olympic Arena "Bird's nest" as 198th of 205 nations. Nowitzki is then leading the 438 German participants at the Olympic Games 2008 in Beijing.

"It's a great honor and I'm very excited for the Opening ceremony on Friday. It has always been our dream to participate at the Olympic games and now we finally made it!" Nowitzki said in a first statement.

Ingo Weiss, President of the German Basketball Federation explained: "We are all very proud of Dirk. He has worked on his Olympic dream with huge dedication and commitment."

"Dirk absolutely deserves it. It is tough to think of another exemplary athlete. Dirk always works hard for the team in order to be successful," said the German head coach Dirk Bauermann.

Monday, August 4, 2008

More Dancer Photos from Vegas


Check out more photos like this one at the Friends.mavs.com and the Dancer page on mavs.com.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Diary of the Dancer Calendar Shoot

The Mavs Dancers are in Las Vegas shooting their latest and greatest swimsuit calendar. Check out exclusive behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot and a daily recap of all the fun in the Vegas sun at the Dancers’ page at mavs.com.

You can also preorder the calendar for just $10.99 before the price goes up.