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In rookie, Mavs hope they landed whale of player
Mensah-Bonsu went undrafted, but he is undaunted
12:43 PM CDT on Tuesday, October 17, 2006
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News Mavericks rookie Pops Mensah-Bonsu has the athleticism and the drive to be an NBA player.
In short, he's got game, even though he went undrafted. He also has the name to go with the game.
In the African translation, the London-born 6-9 forward's full name – Nana Papa Yaw Mensah-Bonsu – has an unusual meaning.
"My first name means king," Mensah-Bonsu said Monday. "But my last name actually means whale-killer.
"The names don't go together, but it does sound good, I guess."
King of the Whale-Killers. It might not be a Disney title, but it sounds like it could be a great movie. At the very least, the Mavericks might want to give Mensah-Bonsu a try against Shaquille O'Neal and Yao Ming, the closest things the NBA has to whales.
Mensah-Bonsu is coming off his best preseason game. He had six points and three rebounds in 13 minutes Saturday at Milwaukee.
It was another small step in the development of a player who went undrafted in June despite being one of the most athletic big men in the nation last season at George Washington. An injury to the meniscus in his left knee cost him the last part of his senior season. It also cost him a lot of money.
"It hurt me as far as getting drafted and accomplishing some of my goals," Mensah-Bonsu said. "I don't think I was going to be a lottery pick. But I did have a good chance to go in the first round.
"So I guess it could have hurt me somewhat financially. But I'm in the league now. It's up to me how far I take myself."
The silver lining in his injury was that he didn't end up in a situation with a bad team or a place that required him to produce right away. The Mavericks signed Mensah-Bonsu after a few summer-league games to prevent him from going to summer workouts with New York and other teams.
In training camp, Mensah-Bonsu has been a bundle of energy and a strong competitor who relies on his combination of speed, strength and jumping ability.
"When he stays within his strengths of rebounding and running and giving his all on the hustle plays, he's pretty intriguing," coach Avery Johnson said. "He's been a good fit for us so far."
Mensah-Bonsu also knows that just because a player goes undrafted doesn't mean he's not capable of earning a nice contract. Former Maverick Marquis Daniels proved that much to him.
"I definitely look at players like Marquis and Gilbert Arenas as inspirations," he said. "A lot of people didn't expect too much from them. But they've made a good career out of being a second-round pick or going undrafted."
Now it's the king of the whale-killer's hope to show that he can become a big fish in this league.
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In rookie, Mavs hope they landed whale of player
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