Training Camp Report: Day 2 - Mavs praise depth, Wright joins Kaman on the mend
Earl K. Sneed reports from Day 2 of the Dallas Mavericks' training camp, where the team's heralded depth was tested by a second minor injury on the frontline.
Training Camp Report: Day 2 - Mavs praise depth, Wright joins Kaman on the mend
DALLAS – For the second straight day to start training camp, the Dallas Mavericks saw one of their big men go down with a minor injury.
Just a day after center Chris Kaman suffered a sprained lower back, fellow big man Brandan Wright was forced out of practice early after sustaining a quad strain. And although both injuries aren’t believed to be serious, it still limited the new-look team as it tries to build chemistry before leaving Wednesday for two European exhibition games.
“[Kaman] is doing better. I don’t have an exact timetable of when he’s going to be back practicing, but he’s moving around and he’s making progress,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said following Sunday’s practice. “His situation has improved from a health perspective. Brandan Wright got a little quad strain today, but it’s not considered serious. We’ll evaluate him and he’ll be day-to-day.
He added: “You know, we’ve had two good days. We’ve got to get through the dings, the aches and pains and keep going.”
But while those aches and pains have shortened the rotation on the frontline, it hasn’t stopped the coach from quickly realizing where the ballclub has improved in comparison to last season’s squad that was swept out of the first round of the playoffs.
Through the addition of eight new faces – five veterans and four rookies – the Mavericks have added depth.
When healthy, the Mavs will also feature a new ability to score in the painted area in addition to a loaded backcourt. And those improvements have already caught the eyes of Carlisle and his returning players.
“The distinguishing characteristic of this team that makes it different from past teams is the skill level of the bigs; the kind of collective skill level of the bigs,” Carlisle explained. “We haven’t had so many bigs that can shoot the ball, and our wing guys and guards are younger, quicker and faster. You know, both those sets of guys have got to do their jobs extremely well for us to be as good as we want to be.”
“Guys are just gonna have to be patient and be willing to sacrifice for the team,” swingman Vince Carter added, confessing that individual playing time may have to be sacrificed with such a deep team. “I mean, that’s what good teams do. I think when you have a lot of guys like that, you have to sacrifice. Sometimes it’s a tough pill to swallow, but if the goal is to win, sometimes that’s needed.”
