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Mavs fan here. Hoping you guys could shed a little light on him as we have signed him in FA.

Our play by play guy always described him as if you had a bunch of dogs and one bone, that Ivan Johnson would always be the dog who gets the bone. Sounds like he's an effort guy, and his appearance suggests he's a strong dude.

What can Mavs fans expect? We need help at the 4/5 especially defensively and rebounding. Can he do these things?

Thanks

Chuck

edit: guess I should read the details more closely. Looks like his deal is mostly ugtd and he is still going to have to fight for a roster spot in camp. Still interested in what we can expect and if you think he is worthy of a roster spot.

The Good:
Great hustle guy and a good rebounder. Surprisingly good lateral quickness and quick hands which allowed him to stay in front of a lot of guys on the perimeter and strip nearly anyone. Has a pretty smooth midrange jumper as well which was a shock because you'd think he's a straight bully-ball guy thanks to his physique. Has a bit of skill between the quick hands, jumper and can put the ball on the floor some. Good explosiveness.

The Bad:
Can get absolutely wild at times. Maybe too much confidence in his skills but turnovers were an issue with him off the dribble and he'd also attempt to finish in situations he had no business trying to finish. Undersized and didn't seem to have particularly outstanding length. Could muscle into guys and try to keep them off their spot but when faced with any decent PF they would easily get their shot off over him. Short temper.......that should go without saying if you have even an inkling of his history. Can easily get thrown off his game between trash talk or a perceived bad call by a ref.

MaceCase wrote:The Bad:
Short temper.......that should go without saying if you have even an inkling of his history. Can easily get thrown off his game between trash talk or a perceived bad call by a ref.

Looks like that Summer League game he had with us where he got thrown out isn't an aberration then.

He handled himself well here, despite his bad temper.

He will randomly settle for jumpers but for the most part you will see a guy that will play HARD every second he is on the court on both ends. He is undersized, but as a backup, you couldn't ask for much more. Lets just say this...I would have liked to have him back if we had more size in our starters.

Team heart with mind of his own.
Enjoyed playing D against bigger opponents (e.g. Hibbert) and will get in passing lanes and gets steals. Does not back away from charges.
Played with Smith and was kind of his protege his first year... So not the best mentor to keep it simple on offense...
The only concern I would have in your situation is who will mentor him in your coaching staff?

Thanks guys--pleased to hear that he's maybe slightly more skilled than I had thought.

SaintofKillers wrote:

MaceCase wrote:The Bad:
Short temper.......that should go without saying if you have even an inkling of his history. Can easily get thrown off his game between trash talk or a perceived bad call by a ref.

Looks like that Summer League game he had with us where he got thrown out isn't an aberration then.

No - not at all. In fact, right before that happened this thread was started. The thread didn't have a lot of posts, but still, no one was the least surprised that he was tossed.