Dallas Mavericks' George gets a chance
Given more minutes, swing man responds with strong effort Nearly two hours before tip-off Monday, Devean George was sitting courtside and pondering his future.
In five of the previous eight games, he had either not played or seen only garbage-time minutes.
Yet he was adamant that he wanted to remain with the Mavericks for the rest of the season.
"Absolutely," he said. "I want it to happen here."
Thirty minutes after the Mavericks' 107-98 win over the Orlando Magic, George was asked if he knew beforehand that he was going to play 25 minutes and be an integral figure for the Mavs.
"Absolutely not," he said. "You don't know. But you have to understand that. For most of us, that's how it's going to be."
George has been lobbying for more minutes lately, and when the opportunity finally came, he cashed. George contributed eight points, four rebounds, four hard fouls and savvy play at the defensive end as he guarded all the big men the Magic played, including Dwight Howard.
George, who missed all of November with a foot injury and has received spotty playing time since, is on a one-year contract and would like to bolster his value for the future. But he can't do that without playing.
Judging from Monday, he might get his chance. He just has to be productive.
"The thing that worries me is that we've been shorthanded and I haven't played much," he said. "So what's going to happen when we're full strength?"
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