Mavericks sign Gerald Green to one year deal;

[JapanAir21]

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/myfox/pages ... geId=6.1.1


Gerald Green to Join Dallas
Last Edited: Tuesday, 01 Jul 2008, 7:57 PM CDT
Created: Tuesday, 01 Jul 2008, 7:57 PM CDT
Gerald Green
FOX 26 News


HOUSTON -- Free agent guard Gerald Green has agreed to a one-year contract with the Dallas Mavericks. Green, a first round pick of the Boston Celtics in 2005, was part of the trade that sent Kevin Garnett from Minnesota to Boston. The Timberwolves traded Green to Houston last season. He played in one game for his home town team before being released.

Green was the NBA Slam-Dunk Champion at the 2007 All-Star Game.

"We have a verbal agreement with Dallas on a one year contract," said Colin Bryant, Green's agent in an interview with FOX 26 Sports. "We talked to a number of teams and there is more money out there, but this is the best situation for Gerald at this point in his career."

Green went from high school to the NBA. He played at Gulf Shores Academy in Houston.

Bryant believes the Mavericks coaching staff can help Green build a solid foundation.

"With (Head) Coach (Rick) Carlisle and Mario Elie, they will be vital to Gerald's development," Bryant said. "Playing for the Mavericks will help elevate his game."

Elie is a Mavericks assistant coach.

In three years in the NBA Green has averaged 8.1 points and 1.8 rebounds a game.

[Rand10]

Don't particularly like him, but maybe Carlisle can work some magic.

[ppp000]

....

at least he's not 45. that's a step in the right direction.

The guy needs major improvement though to make any difference in this league.

[Mavericknyc1980]

This is an awesome move. This kid has a lot of talent. I pray that Rick and Mario get this young guys to play better. Green, Bass, and Wright.

[MainEv3nt]

i called this long time go asking if we should sign him lol.

[HMFFL]

I'm perfectly fine with this signing. It's time for Gerald to turn his career around with another fresh start and for him to make a name for himself. He can't live off the slam dunk champ very long and I believe he's realizing that. Gerald has a good touch and know how athletic he is. Now, he needs to work on the rest of his game and be the depth on our bench that we need.

[myconsumerclub]

He's not a star but at 6'8" we have a big SG/SF that can slash and he is very young so his upside is yet to be determined but then again we do have a bunch of 6'8" athletic types hanging around.
Damp/ Diop/
Dirk/ Bass/ _____ Sow/ Pop's/ Resign Fazekas? whichever one has the best camp
Howard/ RAT/_____Singleton/ Korolev/ Slaughter whichever one has the best camp
Green/ Wright/_____ Foster/ Seibutis/ Reggie Williams whichever one has the best camp
Kidd/ Terry/ _____ JJ/ Lue/ Jajuan/ Mcleod whichever one has the best camp
Or gamble on livingston maybe

The summer league should give us something to use and if we can find a team to take Stack Jones and George I think we will be better off. A third center with size that has upside would be nice now maybe we can get one from someone who has a lot. Wright Bass and Stack for a good starting SG would be really cool.

[TheSheriff]

I wish you the best of luck with this kid. He has tons of potential, but had trouble learning and needed lots of help from the coaching staff. If he can get his head right and learn to dribble he could be a very valuable asset.

[eloper]

As a Gerald fan, I like this, I like this a lot.

Gerald has a lot of flaws in his game. He can't defend guys quicker than him (think SGs like Crawford), he can't defend guys significantly stronger than him (Pierce, LeBron would eat him alive), he hasn't shown much ability to master a team defensive scheme, he doesn't rebound like he's capable of, he can't handle the ball, and his shot selection could use some humbling.

Gerald does a few pretty valuable things well however, and that's shoot the longball, shoot coming off screens, and finish in transition. When you've got a PG who finds guys in their spot (like say, a Jason Kidd), those skills tend to be maximized.

There's been a lot said about Gerald's work ethic, his basketball IQ, and so on. To be blunt, Gerald came into this league with an ego that'd make Kobe Bryant jealous. He'd been hyped through the roof, had everyone around him telling him he was going to be a superstar, and he began to believe the hype. The result was him taking his spot in the NBA for granted, thinking he was already good enough, not realizing how much work there still was to do. By all accounts, Gerald wants to be a great player, it's all he talks about, but I don't think he realized just how far away he was until this past season. Playing 10 minutes a game in Minnesota, and getting cut by Houston should serve as the wake up call that jump starts the rest of his career.

I hope he gets a fair chance here in Dallas, and I hope he's able to prove he belongs in this league and in a rotation. JR Smith had all the same issues Gerald had (and a few more off the court), but after getting passed around from Charlotte to Chicago and then to Denver for relatively nothing, JR seemed to wake up, and that combined with being in a system that fit his skill-set has turned him into a valuable scorer off the bench. Gerald's capable of making the same type of turn around and the same type of impact, hopefully that happens here in Dallas.


EDIT:

He's not a star but at 6'8" we have a big SG/SF that can slash and he is very young so his upside is yet to be determined but then again we do have a bunch of 6'8" athletic types hanging around.

Don't mistake Gerald for a slasher. It's a common mistake, but Gerald lacks both the handle and the strength to get to the hoop and finish consistently. In the half court, he's a shooter. He's shown a willingness to slash, but he quite simply isn't effective at doing it at this point in his career (unless he's gotten stronger/improved his handle pretty significantly since Houston cut him).

[hph6203]

It's just going to be interesting watching Green + Bass + Kidd out on the fast break. There are going to be some vicious alley oop dunks next year with that combo.

[Teffer10]

Although a baby step, it is a step in the right direction.
The mavs need some high flyin athletes to play with Kidd so they might as well take a chance on this kid. Maybe Kidd will have a positive effect on him.

[from_ro_to_dirk]

I wanted him when the Wolves released him. Looking back at what he did for Houston (nothing) he'd have made no difference for us. Hopefully the guy can come in and be offense and excitement off the bench.

does anyone know if he plays any defense? He sure as hell doesn't rebound well for a 6'8 guy nor does he get any assists or steals. shoots 42% fg and 36.6% from 3s.

yah, maybe he can just come in and provide a spark with a few dunks and 3s for 10-12 minutes.

[eloper]

I wanted him when the Wolves released him. Looking back at what he did for Houston (nothing) he'd have made no difference for us. Hopefully the guy can come in and be offense and excitement off the bench.

does anyone know if he plays any defense? He sure as hell doesn't rebound well for a 6'8 guy nor does he get any assists or steals. shoots 42% fg and 36.6% from 3s.

yah, maybe he can just come in and provide a spark with a few dunks and 3s for 10-12 minutes.

Gerald defends guys with similar builds/quickness man-to-man pretty effectively. The best defense I've ever seen him play was against Kobe. That said, he struggles with team defensive concepts (coaching staff should really focus on that with him).

[Teffer10]

With Carlisle, he will either play defense or sit at the end of the bench. I predict the latter.

I'm more excited about Foster.

[Realmavsman]

Bravo!! Not the most exciting signing in the world but he is exactly the type of player I want, Young and Athletic. He is only 22 years old and this team is in need of some young guys. Clearly he did not work out in Minny or Houston but actually in year 2 in Boston he was respectable with 10.1 ppg in 22 mpg. 42% FG and 37% 3-pt FG were all respectable numbers. Now 2.6 rpg in 22 minutes is not near close to respectable for a 6'8" leaper. He certainly has all the physical tools to be a player in this league. Maybe we can turn him around the way we turned Diop around the same age from a player nobody wanted to someone who can contribute to a Championship contending team.

[JES12]

at least he's not 45. that's a step in the right direction.

1 spot down, 6 to go. Hopefully one of the 6 can make a major difference.

[mavsfoty]

I'm not jumping for joy but I like the addition. It's a low risk move with the great potential.

My favorite thing about the whole deal is how under the radar it was. Just proves rumors and trade talk are for the most part fluff.

Now go get a big name player in a trade.

[from_ro_to_dirk]

at least i'll have someone to cheer for in the slam dunk contest now. hey also, Foster may be in the rookie game and Dirk in the All-Star game and someone could be in the 3 point contest. a full weekend!

[italy_23]

well, given that he signed for the min (hopefully) he is a low risk. his age surely is a big plus. also his athleticism is fine, given that kidd will maximize his potential. the mavs have a nice reputation of digging out guys that failed elsewhere and became nice players here. hopefully green will be one of those (like diop, bass) but my hopes are very small. nonetheless I am satisfied that we didnt sign somebody with grey hair.
now the FO has to make the next step, ie going for a true difference maker.

[dirkforpres]

Im excited to finally get some youth and athleticism on the team. The kid is as athletic as they come, so it should be exciting to see what RC can do for him.