M'Benga is backup center "He's dominant" says Nelly - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

V · 10-23-2004, 01:17 AM

Mbenga's emergence 'shocking' to Nelson

Rookie free agent already Mavs' backup center, coach says

12:12 AM CDT on Saturday, October 23, 2004

By DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News

D.J. Mbenga was viewed as an intriguing prospect when the Mavericks opened training camp.

"I'd say right now he'd be my backup center," coach Don Nelson declared Friday before the team left for weekend games against Milwaukee and New York. "How do you keep him off the floor?"Erick Dampier, Calvin Booth and Shawn Bradley were projected to be the team's top three centers. The idea was to develop Mbenga and first-round pick Pavel Podkolzin in the hope they could contribute next season.

Mbenga has forced the Mavericks to amend that plan. The 7-foot rookie free agent has averaged 5.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and one blocked shot in three preseason games and is the sort of active, athletic presence the team wants on the court.

Booth, who isn't as strong or physical as Mbenga, is picking up more time at power forward to accommodate the rookie.

"I'm surprised," Nelson said of Mbenga. "I didn't think he'd be ready for a year, and here he's ready now.

"He's not getting in foul trouble. He's dominant. Every single practice, every single game, he's been a factor. It's amazing what he's done. He's improving every day."

Podkolzin, meanwhile, was scheduled to arrive in New York on Friday night from Russia. He'll fly to Dallas today, undergo his physical and begin individual workouts with Mark Bryant and Greg Dreiling. Look for him to spend the season on the injured list after he undergoes surgery to correct a pituitary condition.

"This is kind of shocking to me," Nelson said of Mbenga's emergence. "But it's happening in the flow of the camp, and it's like a train. You can't stop it.

"I'm not trying to stop it."

ddh33 · 10-23-2004, 01:25 AM

I'm thrilled with this unexpected turn. At the same time, I don't know that I expect this to stay this way. Lest anyone forget, at this time a year ago, Danny Fortson was the starting center. But it is encouraging to know that DJ is making it so hard to keep him off the floor.

V · 10-23-2004, 01:30 AM

Point taken ddh33 ... but I don't recall Nelly saying anything so positive about the Potato.

I certainly don't want to sound like a band-wagoner ... but I've watched Benga's summer league performance about a dozen times & I'm still amazed at some of the things I saw. I also went to practice last weekend & Benga was everywhere.

If Nelly says dude is coming on like a train I say get the hell out of the way.

rabbitproof · 10-23-2004, 01:36 AM

is it currently...

dampier/mmmmmmmmbadass/bradley
dirk/booth/hendu
howard/stack
finley/daniels
terry/harris

ir: ppod, avery, dickau

?

and if we get thin in the backcourt or swingman spots, bradley would probably pinball between the active and the ir list throughout the year depending the injury front (booth and dirk can swing over to the 5 if needed behind dj n damp).

dirk2003 · 10-23-2004, 01:38 AM

So predictable. I dont know how this is "shocking" to nellie. I saw him play this summer and I already knew he wouldnt ride the IR all year. He impressed me more than Harris.

The Miles · 10-23-2004, 02:09 AM

Could life be better as a Mavericks fan right now?

EricaLubarsky · 10-23-2004, 02:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by: The Miles
Could life be better as a Mavericks fan right now?

Stackhouse, Daniels and Dickau could be healthy. TAW and Eschmeyer could be bought out. Dirk could have made it through a pre-season without an ankle injury....

but yeah, I'm glad I'm a Mav.

The Miles · 10-23-2004, 03:14 AM

Dickau huh.

Anyways, wonder what happens with the PF spot. The article mentions Booth seeing PT at backup PF. Does Alan Henderson fall to 3rd PF now? I am not going to lie, I prefer Booth to Henderson, so I hope that scenario plays out.

Blonde Bomber · 10-23-2004, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by: ddh33
I'm thrilled with this unexpected turn. At the same time, I don't know that I expect this to stay this way. Lest anyone forget, at this time a year ago, Danny Fortson was the starting center. But it is encouraging to know that DJ is making it so hard to keep him off the floor.

tap the breaks there on the Danny Fortson comparison. Nelson started Fortson because he had to, Mbenga is actually proving in his play that he deserves minutes.

It's very exciting though to see these young guys showing so much promise for now and in the future. Howard, Daniels, Harris, Nowitzki and Benga may be our starting lineup within 5 years....

MavKikiNYC · 10-23-2004, 10:58 AM

Nice to see Mbenga working out so far, but Nellie sure sets the bar for 'dominance' pretty damned low.

Or is this just Nellie's annoying way of pointing out what a good eye for talent his boy has?

sike · 10-23-2004, 11:14 AM

If booth is doing such a fine job at the back up four (what will that be like10 min a game?) why not keep Hendu on the IR and allow Dickou the last roster spot...this team still need a good three point shooter other than Fin and Dirk(maybe Terry?).

sike · 10-23-2004, 11:15 AM

Quote:

"I'd say right now he'd be my backup center,"

I wonder if this is because DJ has been so great or because Shawn and Calvin has been less than expected?

Male30Dan · 10-23-2004, 11:29 AM

Maybe Bradley has been less than expected but the lines on Calvin have been really good!

sike · 10-23-2004, 11:32 AM

Booth has been good at center or at the 4? From what I've heard, most of his pt has been at the 4.

Male30Dan · 10-23-2004, 11:36 AM

He has played both positions well, but he has generally played as a PF!

sike · 10-23-2004, 11:44 AM

so the question is "who would be more valuable for the team: Hendu or Dickau?"

Male30Dan · 10-23-2004, 11:52 AM

IMO, I would prefer to use them both according to the lineup. If Booth is hurt, you would obviously want Alan active; however, if our guard/forward situation remains like it is, you would want Dickau out there!!!

Regarding this article, I don't think V posted ALL of it... Here is the link!

Mbenga's emergence 'shocking' to Nelson

Rookie free agent already Mavs' backup center, coach says

12:55 AM CDT on Saturday, October 23, 2004

By DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News

D.J. Mbenga was viewed as an intriguing prospect when the Mavericks opened training camp.

MARK M. HANCOCK/DMN
D.J. Mbenga (right) wasn't expected to contribute until next season, but his preseason play has proven he's a factor now. He's progressed into much more.

"I'd say right now he'd be my backup center," coach Don Nelson declared Friday before the team left for weekend games against Milwaukee and New York. "How do you keep him off the floor?"Erick Dampier, Calvin Booth and Shawn Bradley were projected to be the team's top three centers. The idea was to develop Mbenga and first-round pick Pavel Podkolzin in the hope they could contribute next season.

Mbenga has forced the Mavericks to amend that plan. The 7-foot rookie free agent has averaged 5.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and one blocked shot in three preseason games and is the sort of active, athletic presence the team wants on the court.

Booth, who isn't as strong or physical as Mbenga, is picking up more time at power forward to accommodate the rookie.

"I'm surprised," Nelson said of Mbenga. "I didn't think he'd be ready for a year, and here he's ready now.

"He's not getting in foul trouble. He's dominant. Every single practice, every single game, he's been a factor. It's amazing what he's done. He's improving every day."

Podkolzin, meanwhile, was scheduled to arrive in New York on Friday night from Russia. He'll fly to Dallas today, undergo his physical and begin individual workouts with Mark Bryant and Greg Dreiling. Look for him to spend the season on the injured list after he undergoes surgery to correct a pituitary condition.

"This is kind of shocking to me," Nelson said of Mbenga's emergence. "But it's happening in the flow of the camp, and it's like a train. You can't stop it.

"I'm not trying to stop it."

[b]Daniels might not be ready in time for opener
Guard Marquis Daniels has begun to shoot on the side in practice the last two days. He accompanied the team on its road trip to Milwaukee and New York.

But Daniels won't play in either game, hasn't been cleared to return to practice and concedes he might not be ready to start the regular season on Nov. 2.

"It's a possibility," said Daniels, who sprained his left ankle in a pickup game two months ago. "I can't rule it out.

"But I'm trying to look on the positive side."

Briefly ...

Marquis Daniels is just one of the Mavericks' injured players. Sixth man Jerry Stackhouse didn't make the trip because of a right thigh contusion, and backup point guard Dan Dickau is listed as questionable for today's game because of a sprained left ankle. Michael Finley didn't practice Friday because of a sore right hamstring but will play. ... Dirk Nowitzki was flying back from Germany and was scheduled to meet the team in Milwaukee.[b]

chumdawg · 10-23-2004, 03:34 PM

Hear me now and listen to me later: Sammy Dalembert is a poor man's DJ Benga.

Phil Helmuth · 10-23-2004, 03:44 PM

I love DJ!!!

fin4life · 10-23-2004, 03:48 PM

We have found a steal... A great young backup center who Nellie will actually play. Ok, now we have to find a way to capitalize on this. We have Shawn Bradley and Calvin Booth who seemingly would be asserts to any team without a backup center. Is there any way that we can get more than 2nd round picks for? What if we package Bradley/TAW to some team for a second rounder and a decent SF who can help us when we have injuries?

I like bradley as much as the next guy, but Nelson wont play him now that he is the 4th center.... he wouldnt play him when he was the first center. We should probaly get what we can for him.

4cwebb · 10-23-2004, 06:14 PM

Good luck getting anyone to take on Bradley's contract. The whole league had given up on Bradley by the time the Mavs gave him his last deal...I doubt anyone else in the NBA would be all that interested.

rakesh.s · 10-23-2004, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: 4cwebb
Good luck getting anyone to take on Bradley's contract. The whole league had given up on Bradley by the time the Mavs gave him his last deal...I doubt anyone else in the NBA would be all that interested.

he makes 5 or 6 mill a year. I don't think that is a bad contract for a center in the NBA. He can certainly block shots and can help just about every team in the east.

Evilmav2 · 10-23-2004, 09:19 PM

DJ Mbenga may represent the first really big payoff we get by having Amadou Fall, with all of his African contacts and scouting expertise, on the payroll. It was easy to sense his influence with the Mamadou N'Diaye signing last year, and with our well-documented scouting of Ndubi Ebi, but Benga may truly end up becoming Amadou's first African scouting triumph for our Mavs...

Evilmav2 · 10-23-2004, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: 4cwebb
Good luck getting anyone to take on Bradley's contract. The whole league had given up on Bradley by the time the Mavs gave him his last deal...I doubt anyone else in the NBA would be all that interested.

You're wrong there 4Cwebb. There's a reason we protected Big Shawn in the expansion draft, and that's because Bernie Bickerstaff would have picked up him, and his reasonable contract in a Hong Kong second...

Bradley's still capable of having a tremendous defensive impact in this league, and I would bet that most general managers would consider him to be a perfect backup center with his playing abilities and moderate contract, and they realize that he has been kept out of games because of his fractured relationship with Don Nelson rather than because of a significant dropoff of his on-court abilities. We signed him for less then his market value a few years back, largely because he wanted to stay in Dallas to raise his family, and it was widely rumored at the time that we guaranteed that he would not be traded. If we ever were to trade him though, I would not anticipate that his it would be a very hard thing to accomplish...

Murphy3 · 10-23-2004, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: 4cwebb
Good luck getting anyone to take on Bradley's contract. The whole league had given up on Bradley by the time the Mavs gave him his last deal...I doubt anyone else in the NBA would be all that interested.

..one of the most ill-informed opinions that I've heard on this board in a very long time.

SaltwaterChaffy · 10-23-2004, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: chumdawg
Hear me now and listen to me later: Sammy Dalembert is a poor man's DJ Benga.

Genius...

FilthyFinMavs · 10-24-2004, 12:32 AM

Now I believe the hype. I saw everyone on this board hyping him up but I never heard the coaches give him such praise. This tells me that Benga could be the real deal. We will of course have to wait until the season starts but with the large contracts that have been giving to big men this offseason (Okur, Damp) we might lose this guy after his contract is up.

sike · 10-24-2004, 12:37 AM

with every minute he plays he makes me more of a believer.....

V · 10-24-2004, 11:21 PM

Mbenga surprises Mavs with progress at center

09:08 PM CDT on Sunday, October 24, 2004

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

D.J. Mbenga has a black belt in judo. He doesn't like to flaunt it, but neither is he afraid to show his ability.

"I'll cut your legs from under you," he said, "then it's all over in two minutes."

That's an exaggeration, of course.

It doesn't take anywhere close to two minutes.

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The Mavericks' perennial search for toughness could be bearing fruit. They don't come much tougher than the 7-0, 245-pound Mbenga (pronounced BENG-a). The newest import to the Mavericks' melting pot is a special package of raw basketball gifts who was born in the Republic of Congo and landed in the NBA via Belgium.Through three weeks of training camp, the team already is excited about the future of Mbenga, who has already had a pretty incredible past.

Mbenga, 23, began life as the fortunate son of a family that was involved in the Congan government, meaning they had plenty of money by his country's standards. But when a new regime took over, things got nasty.

"I lived in Congo 17 years," Mbenga said in broken English. "My dad worked for the last regime. When it changed, we could not stay there. The new regime was looking for everybody who worked for [the previous leaders]. It was dangerous for me.

"I saw many guys killed. I remember police stopping me. Every time I went out, people would stop me."

Mbenga and his mother fled to Belgium after his father died. (Mbenga said he didn't know the circumstances of his father's death.) Living in Belgium wasn't a major change in lifestyle. But it's where Mbenga's life turned around.

After much prodding, a friend convinced him to try basketball, a game he'd never played, other than an occasional pickup game between judo practices. After five minutes of dunking and dribbling, judo took a back seat. There was a reason basketball felt natural, besides the fact he's 7-0.

"I want to forget everything in my past," he said. "So when I practice, I forget all about that and concentrate on basketball."

That opening led to three seasons in the Belgian League, which is to the NBA what a bumper-car ride is to NASCAR.

His size, speed and promise kept him in the league. Even through a major knee injury, he kept plugging away. And all the while, the Mavericks were taking notes.

Anybody who has seen Mbenga during preseason action sprint the court like a wide receiver, yet fly above the rim to swat shots, knows why. This is a special package of raw basketball gifts, which is why he's gone from an injured-list candidate to a likely active-roster player when the regular season opens Nov. 2. Coach Don Nelson proclaimed him the backup center Friday.

"He's strong, athletic and can run like a gazelle," player/coach Avery Johnson said. "We talked about him possibly being our fourth center, and I don't think that set too well with him. He's not content with that."

Interestingly, his judo background has helped him immensely on the basketball court. Judo was his passion from the time he was growing up in the Congo to his arrival in Belgium. He practiced religiously, and it taught him lessons that translate into basketball.

"Judo is all footwork," he said. "You're always moving your feet, as well as your hands. It's just like basketball."

It was lucky for the Mavericks that Mbenga played for coaches in Belgium who had other agendas. They had players from their own countries that they had to play. Mbenga barely got off the bench. That kept other NBA teams from getting wind of him.

When he signed for two years with the Mavericks ($1.6 million this season), it was the beginning of a new journey.

"It's not simple adjusting," he said of living in the United States. "It's a big difference. I try to learn everything and everybody. But it's a big difference. The language, I'm starting to understand. Two months ago, I could say nothing."

Now he has learned enough to know he's thankful to be here.

"Everything – food, girls, everything – is the best here," he said.

And Mbenga is going after his big break with unbridled passion.

"I want to make the most of this," he said.

E-mail esefko@dallasnews.com

D.J. MBENGA
Full name: Didier Ilunga-Mbenga

Born: Dec. 30,1980, in the Republic of Congo

Acquired: Signed as a free agent on July 14

Contract: Two years, $3.3 million

Pro career: Three seasons in the Belgian League, most recently for TEC Spirou Charleroilast season; averaged 6.3 points and 4.1 rebounds

Did you know? He speaks five languages. ... Can touch the rim without jumping.

EricaLubarsky · 10-24-2004, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Now he has learned enough to know he's thankful to be here.

"Everything – food, girls, everything – is the best here," he said.

Everything is better in Dallas. Now stay here.

The Hammer · 10-25-2004, 10:45 AM

Of course, if he's really that good, don't expect to be seeing him in a Mavs uni past the 2005-6 season. We won't have enough flexibility to keep him, unless the MLE becomes the going rate for an up and coming stud center.

DubOverdose · 10-25-2004, 12:03 PM

Doesn't the agreement between the league and the players union end soon? Could that not update the rules governing resigning players and the maximum allowable contracts for a team over the cap to give? Couldn't the cap be gone then too? I know those are probably long shots, but who knows.

fin4life · 10-25-2004, 12:23 PM

I think Benga will owe us some loyalty cosidering we signed him out of the congo when as an undrafted roookie and immediatly made him a contributing player. Although, i could be wrong considering steve nash left this summer.

mary · 10-25-2004, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: fin4life
I think Benga will owe us some loyalty cosidering we signed him out of the congo when as an undrafted roookie and immediatly made him a contributing player. Although, i could be wrong considering steve nash left this summer.

Steve Nash left....but Marquis Daniels stayed. Granted, Daniels wasn't getting $ 65 million dollar offers, but I do believe his agent said he had more lucrative offers on the table when he resigned this past summer.

Just my 2 cents - its not Steve Nash's leaving that made him a disloyal SOB - its the negative comments made toward the organization afterwards that made him a disloyal SOB.

The Miles · 10-25-2004, 12:36 PM

This summer proved that loyalty doesn't exist in Dallas. Ofcourse in San Antonio, where Bruce Bowen opts out of his contract, lets the Spurs drop his rights, thus opening up the cap room needed to keep Manu and add Brent Barry, and then resigns for cheaper, loyalty lives.

EricaLubarsky · 10-25-2004, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: fin4life
I think Benga will owe us some loyalty cosidering we signed him out of the congo when as an undrafted roookie and immediatly made him a contributing player. Although, i could be wrong considering steve nash left this summer.

we signed him out of Belgium, and we put him behind Booth and Bradley. Granted, we gave him an opportunity to move up and he did, but we brought him in as a 4th string center who would get no PT

fin4life · 10-25-2004, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: EricaLubarsky

Quote:

Originally posted by: fin4life
I think Benga will owe us some loyalty cosidering we signed him out of the congo when as an undrafted roookie and immediatly made him a contributing player. Although, i could be wrong considering steve nash left this summer.

we signed him out of Belgium, and we put him behind Booth and Bradley. Granted, we gave him an opportunity to move up and he did, but we brought him in as a 4th string center who would get no PT

Well Technically 3rd sting (we didnt have damp), but you are right. The fact is, we have given him the same chance as NBA veterans and given him an equal oppritunity, and he capitalized on it.

mary · 11-02-2004, 08:31 PM

Quote:

"I'd say right now he'd be my backup center,"

Or not.

I just caught the end of pre-show - Nellie says Bradley is Back up C again because DJ doesn't know enough about the offense.

V · 01-11-2005, 12:19 AM

No news... I'm just excited we still have the Benga Monster waiting for an opportunity.

Anyone think we'll see him this year?

dirno2000 · 01-11-2005, 12:25 AM

I hope not...that would probably mean that half our front line is injured. Looks like this will be a redshirt year.