#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

Welcome to the Dallas Mavericks 2003 preseason press conference. First off, thank you for attending. You could have been anywhere in the world, but you're here with me. Now let's get started.

Last year was an interesting season. After our memorable run to the Finals as the 8th seed two seasons ago, we signed Derek Fisher in the offseason to give us energy off the bench, and we drafted Mike Dunleavy to also boost the bench. These are guys that we were very excited about adding to our core of Camby, Jamison, and Miller.

Results were mixed. Antawn Jamison had the best season of his career. He thrived at the SF position and was an All Star for the first time in his career. He was also selected to the All-NBA 3rd Team. Despite Antawn's great season, we ended with only a 4 game improvement from the previous season. Then to make matters worse, we lost Marcus Camby to a season-ending injury in the final sim of the season, killing our chances in the playoffs. The injury to Camby also made it clear as day that we needed to boost our depth in the post.

With 4 first round draft picks and 2 second round picks, we had the ammunition to make moves and to move up in the draft. We did just that and acquired a few guys that we think will have a lasting impact.

First, we made a couple trades to land David West. Yes, we gave up Mike Dunleavy to make this happen, but West will eventually be our starting PF and should complement Jamison and Camby well. We also made a trade to acquire Nene Hilario. Nene is still very young and raw, but he had a nice training camp, and we fully expect him to continue to improve and to be a force off the bench. Finally, we used an actual draft pick (#26) to select Jarvis Hayes. Jarvis will replace Mike Dunleavy as a three point specialist off the bench.

Last but not least, we also added Earl Boykins and Kerry Kittles through free agency. We think these guys will provide quality minutes. Additionally, Boykins was a key bench player on the champion Toronto Raptors, so we're excited about the intangibles that he brings to the table -- a winning mentality and championship pedigree.

In closing, we're excited about our team, and we think we're very close to being a legitimate contender. Questions anyone?

Nick Melon; Charlotte Observer: Was there ever a doubt going into RFA that Andre Miller would not be returning to Dallas? Or was he the #1 priority of the offseason?

NickMalone77 wrote:Nick Melon; Charlotte Observer: Was there ever a doubt going into RFA that Andre Miller would not be returning to Dallas? Or was he the #1 priority of the offseason?

There was no doubt. Miller led us to the Finals two years ago. He's a great distributor and defender. And he fits really well in our system. We think he gives us a great chance to win being at helm.

With the acquisition of David West, are you still looking to compete now or are you looking to win in a few years?

Who do you project to be your starting power forward? There seems to be a good competition to fill that spot.

coltsguy510 wrote:With the acquisition of David West, are you still looking to compete now or are you looking to win in a few years?

Both. We're built to win now, and we're built to win for the next several years.

aburns211 wrote:Who do you project to be your starting power forward? There seems to be a good competition to fill that spot.

Great question. Malik Rose will likely be the starter, but we expect David West to eventually take over the starting duties. Not necessarily because he's a great player right now. But because Rose is such a great contributor off the bench.

Awarded 5 PTS!