Art Garcia | Mavs.com

Posted: July 29, 2008

The official ledger for the Mavericks at the end of summer league read seven-up and four-down. Though winning games is always the point when they bother to keep score, the real winners from the 11-game run through Las Vegas and Salt Lake City are those who earned invites to training camp.

The list: rookies Reyshawn Terry, Shan Foster, Charles Rhodes and JuJuan Smith, along with veterans Gerald Green, James Singleton and Keith McLeod. Terry and Foster, second-round picks in the last two Drafts, were expected in Dallas come October. Rhodes and Smith are undrafted free agents, while the NBA vets each signed contracts before summer league began.

“We had a chance to take a close look at some of these guys and the experience was positive,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said Tuesday. “An 11-game summer league schedule is not easy. It’s a lot of games crammed into a short period of time. Everyone’s concentration was good and we went 7-4.”

Terry (6-8, 232) showed the consistency the coaching staff hoped for during his second summer league stint. He averaged nearly 10 points and 6 rebounds, and tallied a double-double in the last game. The 2007 draft choice benefited from getting stronger over the last 12 months and a shift in position.

“Terry played much better this year than last year,” Carlisle said. “One of the reasons was probably that we changed his position. We put him at the power forward instead of the small forward, and he did a very good job there.”

The move with Terry mirrors the changes in the NBA and basketball in general.

“The game is becoming more sized-down and more quickness-oriented,” Carlisle continued. “He got more done as a power forward. There are situations now with the way the game is played where quickness trumps size. His effectiveness at the power forward position as opposed to small forward is evidence of that.”

Rhodes isn’t a training camp lock. The rugged forward is weighing various European offers and hasn’t committed to a tryout with the Mavs yet. But the Mississippi State product has impressed everyone so far. 

Rhodes (6-8, 245) averaged nearly 10 points and 5 boards, while shooting a robust 62 percent. Rhodes has been compared favorably to Brandon Bass, last year’s summer league find. Bass is Dirk Nowitzki’s designated backup, but there always seems to be room for frontcourt bangers with potential.

“We see Rhodes as an athletic, tenacious 4-5 type that can shoot the mid-range shot and is a very good rebounder,” Carlisle said.

Foster spent the two weeks getting adjusted to the pro game and didn’t shoot it nearly as well after leaving Vegas for Utah. JaJuan Smith is an undersized shooting guard at 6-2, but the Tennessee product showed some definite grit by averaging a tad more than 6 points and stroking the long ball.

Ronnie Seibutis, another second-round choice from last year, returned to Europe for more seasoning and won’t be part of camp. He spent most of last season recovering from back surgery and, now that he’s healthy, is expected to battle for a spot again next summer.

The three with NBA experience that are coming back didn’t hurt their stock. Green, a freakishly-athletic swingman, was easily the standout during summer league, averaging 16 points and knocking down 17 3-pointers. But dominating in July means little.

“Gerald Green was a minimum signing for us and is a guy that we liked as a young talent,” Carlisle said. “He has a ways to go to develop. He came in on Day 1, showed a really good work ethic and attitude, and he improved.”

Singleton, a versatile forward who spent two years abroad after two with the Clippers, was solid in Vegas before playing sparingly in Utah. McLeod heads to camp looking to catch on as a backup to Jason Kidd.

The competition for open roster spots should be fierce this fall, but the Mavs aren’t necessarily done tinkering with the team. Just don’t expect any changes in the immediate future with president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson in China preparing for the Olympics as an assistant on the Chinese national team.

“As we say in TV, ‘Stay tuned,’” Carlisle said. “Anything is possible. There can be no activity, there can be a huge trade or there can be a minor trade. There are a host of possibilities, but right now it’s quiet.”