What is Eduardo Nájera?

[Chiwas]

Nájera isn't our best defender, still less a good scorer. Worse yet, he isn't our best bencher.

He doen't have good statistics and never has had. He scarcely played in his first year; he was injured starting the second. He has started only 3 games in his best year, this one.

What is Nájera, then?

He seems overrated sometimes.

Some of we are missing him now.

Nelson said he coudn't talk about the Mavs being a good team until Nájera returns.

Our best roster in W-L percentage, points scored and points allowed, includes Nájera in it.

Why?

I have three thoughts trying to answer both questions:

1.- Nájera isn't a statistics player; his value doesn't come from counted issues.
2.- The kind of playing Nájera achieves often discourages his rival player and some times disrupts the system of the opponent team.

But my favorite is:

3.- Nájera boosts the moral of the team on the court; he is a mover, a motivator. I'm not saying he is a leader, or The Leader, as Nash and Finley are or have to be; he doesn´t do that with words, but with his style of playing and attitute.

It´s impossible to have a mean to measure his contribution to the team, but he is worth, somehow.

[ames7]

Excellent post, Chiwas.

What is Eduardo Najera? He is an inspirer. He is the anti-superstar.

"He's a tremendous warrior." -Lute Olson, Arizona coach

And man, do we miss him.

[nowitzki_prophecy]

here here.

[irontoad]

When the hell is Energizer Eddie supposed to return, anyway?? We need ya!!

[LRB]

Eddie is the Energizer Bunny on steroids.

[nowitzki_prophecy]

LMAO LRB.

[Evilmav2]

Great post Chiwas. The Mavs just haven't seemed to have that early season fire since Eddie went out...

[ames7]

Supposedly, Eddie's supposed to be back in very early February (I heard the second, which is in time for the game against Utah on the third). However, this was from a few weeks back & there haven't been any updates since.

[ames7]

This is from a few weeks back, the "10 Revelations About the Dallas Mavericks" article on hoopsworld.com:

8. THE MAVERICKS NEED EDUARDO NAJERA.
How important can one bench reserve be? Just look at how the Mavericks’ rebounding has struggled since losing Eduardo to injury (defensive and overall rebounding down 3 rpg ). Like Bell, Najera is gritty on defense, mean and physical. He loves to bang. He dives to the floor for loose balls. He has a nose for the ball like no other Dallas player. With Najera out, and Raef LaFrentz playing terribly, the onus of rebounding has fallen on Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Bradley, and Dirk in particular is putting in heavy minutes. Dirk said it on national TV following the Philly game – the Mavericks need Eddie Energy.

[Chiwas]

<< Dirk said it on national TV following the Philly game – the Mavericks need Eddie Energy. >>

If Dirk said it, it has to be law [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img].

Now Laf is helping more but we still lost two in a row; when Eddie returns, he won´t win the games but Nash, Finley and Nowitzki (they are the best roster, along with Bradley) will play better, and I think Walt and NVE too; enthusiasm is contagious.

[ETOWNCOUGAR]

Hey, I'm new. Got this from The Daily Oklahoma, maybe you seen it maybe not.



Strange case of deja view for Najera
2003-01-18
By John Rohde
The Oklahoman


NORMAN -- Last Saturday afternoon was the first time Eduardo Najera had ever watched from the stands at Lloyd Noble Center.
It was a primo ticket, right next to the Sampson family.

Good view. Lousy seat.

Najera can't stand sitting on the team bench, so it's easy to understand his non-stop fidgeting while Oklahoma manhandled Colorado seven days ago.

&quot;It looks kind of funny from the stands,&quot; Najera said at halftime. &quot;Did I look this young when I played here?&quot;

His visit turned into a hug- fest with familiar faces and total strangers.

He fought the urge to check himself into the game. It's the same urge Najera has fought since knee surgery caused him to miss the last 23 games as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.

Najera had surgery Dec. 6 to remove loose cartilage from behind his left knee cap. He hopes to be taken off injured reserve any day now.

Najera is not sure when or how the injury first occurred.

It could have been last season when a member of the Utah Jazz took a charge and banged knees with Najera.

&quot;I remember my knee cap being really swollen and it was hurting for a while,&quot; said Najera, who sat the next four games.

More than likely, Najera banged his knee during the countless times his body met the floor while playing for OU coach Kelvin Sampson from 1996-2000.

Najera smiled and nodded at the suggestion.

Whatever and wherever the cause, an antsy Najera is paying a heavy price.

&quot;Sometimes you'll feel you need a break. You'll think, 'I need to stop playing basketball,' &quot; Najera said, shaking his head. &quot;But once you're out, you're like, 'Golly. Oh, my goodness. I've got to get back in there.' &quot;

The eclectic Mavs, who lead the NBA in player visas, have the league's best record (31-6 going into last night's game at Phoenix).

Dallas started the season 14-0 before suffering its first defeat, a 110-98 loss at Indiana on Nov. 28.

Najera has not played since that game.

Life was going good for the second Mexican-born player drafted in the NBA.

Last September, Najera agreed to a six-year contract believed to be worth roughly $24 million.

With his IR days about to end, Najera knows he was right to opt for surgery.

&quot;It was totally worth it, that's all I can say,&quot; Najera said. &quot;It was only going to get worse. They (the Mavs) wanted me to wait until the summer, but I was not being able to perform like I wanted to. I couldn't jump anymore.&quot;

Mavs coach Don Nelson more than once has said Dallas plays its best ball with Najera in the starting lineup.

&quot;That's a great compliment coming from one of the all-time great coaches,&quot; Najera said. &quot;What can I say? I want to come back and make sure he feels the same way.&quot;

[southern_sweets]

Eddie is many things...a defender, a scorer, but most importantly he has an emotional impact on every game in which he plays. Eddie is high energy and tough. His toughness leads to the Mavs' opponents playing with more caution and less confidence while his teammates all get a boost of energy and confidence. It was noticable in all the games at the beginning of the season. And, hopefully it will be back soon.

Not to mention the eye candy factor. I miss Eddie.

[LRB]

Sweets: I totally agree with you except for the eye candy thing. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] I'll leave that to you and the other posters more inclined to appreciate that aspect of his game. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

[Chiwas]

Eddie was in high school in Texas, Alpine or near to. The local newspapers started to write about him from time to time.

Then he choose Oklahoma for college. The first two years were bad, but suddenly he became a factor in the third. The fourth was a dream converted into reality; he was the best, the leader, the school's hero; I think he still has the Oklahoma's records in points scored in a year and all times'; he was the best rebounder too.

The team was ranked #35 or something and improved to #17 or so; then they won two times in the final tournament and finally lost to be the best 7 nationwide. He was appearing everyday in the local newspapers and the national broadcasts started to mention him; we thought that he was going to be the first picked in the draft!

Well, he didn´t have good summer camps and I remember that the NBA's scouts and coaches said that he could be a good player if could score more...finally Houston got him, the #34 drafted I think. We were crazy, a mexican in the NBA! Only we, who followed his college games, could believe it.

He was very different, indeed (as he remembers in the article posted by ETOWNCOUGAR), skiny and more shy, child face. But he played the same way, always hustling, always struggling for the ball, motivating his teammates...but also scoring!

Nelson taught him to defend man-to-man. It costed almost two years. He ended last season defending pretty well. This season he started struggling with the zone defense; I saw him very uncomfortable the first games, then he learned it too; the last 4 games of the streak he played it great.

He only has one lesson left, Scoring. I´d like that some coach (or Walt [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] ) would teach him to score, to be confident beyond the paint to throw the ball in (besides, he knew it!). He can learn or remember. Actually he has averaged more points per game than last years, a lot more, but most of them in the paint (it was an improvement too).



<< His toughness leads to the Mavs' opponents playing with more caution and less confidence while his teammates all get a boost of energy and confidence. >>

I think the same.



<< Sweets: I totally agree with you except for the eye candy thing. I'll leave that to you and the other posters more inclined to appreciate that aspect of his game. >>

Female fans have this advantage, LRB, they have two attractions watching men's basketball. But we have the dancers and twins [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img].

[kg_veteran]

Eddie energizes the team, adds depth, and I think he inspires the rest of the team to play better and harder on defense.

Getting him back makes the Mavericks better in all phases of the game, and it prevents Nelson from playing small ball as often, because he has a guy who can legitimately play backup PF.

[Chiwas]

<< and it prevents Nelson from playing small ball as often, because he has a guy who can legitimately play backup PF. >>

I liked it, 'cause I don't like small ball the way Nellie uses it, often underdog.

[Chiwas]

<< FISH MEDIA
The Fish will appear 10 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, on FOX Southwest's 'SOS' -- and also scheduled to appear is Eduardo Najera! >>

...TONIGHT!

[ames7]

Don't get the SW here. Someone want to give the gist of what he said? Anything about when he's thinking he'll be back?

[ames7]

This from DMN:

Evan Eschmeyer is getting closer to coming off the injured list, and Eduardo Najera will begin practicing in about 10 days. &quot;Then it'll be a couple more weeks before he's ready to play,&quot; coach Don Nelson said. That puts him returning after the All-Star break.

So I guess it'll be a bit later than we thought. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

[BrianJ]

II have already expressed how much I think Eddie is a great role player. My question, is Evan not going to come back? I thought he would be back to at least ride the pine a week ago.Surely they would activate him over Popeye, right? I don't know it seems funny though, almost as if Nellie is expecting an injury so he does not have to screw with team chemistry.