Training Camp Report: Day 6 - Dirk, Mavs arrive in Berlin for preseason opener
Training Camp Report: Day 6 - Dirk, Mavs arrive in Berlin for preseason opener
BERLIN – With very little sleep and even less time to adjust to the seven-hour time difference, the Dallas Mavericks jumped off of a bus, walked out of the cold and drizzling Berlin weather and into o2 World Arena Thursday evening.
The team then stepped onto the court at the site of NBA Europe Live 2012 for the first time, ready to prepare for their exhibition opener on Saturday.
“We’re in Day 1. The key is to stay awake and get a good night sleep tonight so that we can kind of hit the ground running tomorrow,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle explained. “This practice is geared towards we’ve gotta get a little sweat, we’ve gotta get moving and we’ve gotta do some things. … All that stuff helps you get acclimated to a time change.”
The day began with the squad landing in Berlin and arriving to a red carpet welcome at the hotel, followed by a team lunch and an NBA Cares community service event. Meanwhile, at the center of the German media contingent was the return of 11-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki to his home country, as he and his teammates try to put aside their jet lag to concentrate on their first exhibition contest against ALBA Berlin.
“It’s something I’ve obviously been looking forward to for a long time ever since they announced that we were going to finally have a game in Germany – or in Europe for that matter,” Nowitzki said of his return alongside his Dallas teammates. “I think over the years there were a lot of teams traveling and we were never a part of it, so I’m really excited about this opportunity. But this week is going to be jammed pack, so we’re a little jet lagged today but we’ve got to make the most out of this week and see a new culture, see new people, hopefully expand our game and have some fun doing it, and continue to get better in practice and games. And really use this week to really bond even more. But it’s definitely exciting. Unfortunately the weather is not great. We’d wish a little better weather but we've got to deal with it. But exciting and looking forward to a great week with our teammates.
“It is fun,” he added. “I mean it is a good feeling inside, you know. Bringing out the passport, I was the only one with the red passport, which means I’m the only German besides [Chris] Kaman, but I think he left his at home. So yeah, it is a good feeling to finally be home and have a game at home with the Mavericks here. Obviously I played over the years with the German National Team many, many times but not with the Mavericks. So, this is something new. And I was really, really excited. The guys were obviously lighting me up on the bus about the weather, about everything, but I think they will enjoy this week as much as I will and it’s going to be fun.”
With plenty left on Nowitzki’s agenda before leaving for Barcelona on Sunday, including an awards ceremony at which the 7-footer will be honored Friday night, he will need the assistance of his teammates to remain focused on the court. Two of those teammates hope to be available Saturday, as big men Chris Kaman [sprained lower back] and Brandan Wright [strained quad] were both light participants at Thursday’s practice.
Looking to show enough to impress Carlisle on Friday before suiting up a day later, Kaman and Wright appear to be close to ridding themselves of their minor injuries suffered earlier in training camp. That being said, Carlisle isn’t going to rush either player back too soon and jeopardize their long-term health and availability for the upcoming season.
“Continued progress,” the coach said of the health statuses of Kaman and Wright. “They’re both doing well, but we’re not going to push them too far too fast. But we need them. And so if they’re available, that’s great.”
