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MAVERICKS PLAYBOOK

’Trotters stint was showtime for George

By DWAIN PRICE
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

DALLAS — Before he entered the NBA and won three titles with the Los Angeles Lakers, Devean George played three games for the Harlem Globetrotters, who performed at American Airlines Center on Friday and Saturday.

George played his college basketball at Division III Augsburg College in Minneapolis and was trying to impress scouts before the 1999 NBA Draft. That’s when one of George’s childhood friends, Chad Groth, the vice president of standards and player personnel for the Globetrotters, helped find a place for George to play three games for the team against a college all-star team headed by future NBA players James Posey and Jeff Foster.

“It was good exposure because I was at a small school and I got to play against the college all-stars, all the big-name guys who were seniors,” said George, now in his first season with the Mavs. “I needed to be seen playing against good talent as much as possible because I was putting up big numbers at a small college, and that was one of the questions about me, playing against better talent.”

The strategy worked, as the Lakers chose George with the 23rd pick in the first round of the 1999 draft. The Lakers then won NBA championships the next three seasons.

Johnson has connection

Some members of the Harlem Globetrotters stopped by to talk with Mavs coach Avery Johnson after Saturday morning’s shootaround.

Johnson said he used to follow the Globetrotters as a kid.

“Unfortunately, my cousin passed away; he was one of the top Globetrotters for a number of years,” Johnson said. “His name was Billy Ray Hobley, and if you ask any of those guys about Billy Ray, they’ll know who I’m talking about.”

Hobley died in 2002 at age 48. He retired from the Globetrotters in 1998 after performing with the team for 22 years.

Hobley attended Dillard University in New Orleans and joined the Globetrotters in 1977.

Vincent on the mend

Mavs assistant coach Sam Vincent is wearing a walking boot after slightly tearing a muscle in his right calf Thursday during shooting drills.

Vincent, who still plans to attend games and practice sessions, says his recovery time should be about three weeks.

Spotlight Jose Barea

Jose Barea was in the NBA Development League long enough for the Mavericks to realize that he belongs in the NBA.

Barea returned to the Mavs on Saturday after spending eight games with the Fort Worth Flyers. His experience was highlighted by a D-League-best 43-point game against Idaho and a 41-point outing against Dakota.

“It was a good experience, and I enjoyed playing a lot of minutes,” Barea said. “The coaches gave me the green light, so that was good.”

The Mavs sent rookie Maurice Ager to the Flyers to replace him.

Barea averaged 27.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 7.8 assists a game for the Flyers, and shot 52.3 percent from the field, 43.8 percent from 3-point range.

“What I talked to him about was, when you go down there, I want my phone to ring late at night,” Mavs coach Avery Johnson said. “I want somebody to call me and tell me that you’re tearing things up down there.”