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Newest Mav Hassell fitting in
There are more strong egos in the NBA than there are strong defenders. Lots more.
That puts Trenton Hassell in the minority.
The newest Maverick is not only comfortable with that role, he embraces it. And he knows it comes with a sacrifice, judging from his answer when asked if Avery Johnson is going to run any plays for him.
"I doubt it," he said. "They did a little bit [in Minnesota]. But not here, they got too many scorers."
Hassell is the latest addition to the logjam at the small forward and shooting guard positions. But there is little doubt that Hassell will be in the playing mix. He's too good of a defender, and Johnson craves a player who can set a defensive tone on the perimeter early in games.
The Mavericks say the abundance of wing players is a good thing.
"It's awesome, great logjam," Johnson said Friday. "Somebody needs to get outside the jam."
That won't happen until things play out through the preseason and ptobably on into the regular season. But Hassell has a lot of the tools that Johnson likes in his perimeter players.
Hassell was "shocked, but happy" when he was traded from the Timberwolves to the Mavericks. But he wasn't near as shocked as he was when close friend and Minnesota icon Kevin Garnett was dealt to Boston.
If that was a Richter-scale move, Hassell's moving was a leaf hitting the ground.
"It ain't a big deal for me to get traded," said Hassell, who is as down-to-earth as they come. "I'm just one of those guys who can help a team defensively with energy. I'm not one of the players that you might read about or talk about all the time. For Garnett, that shocked me because ... all that I know about Minnesota is Big Ticket."
That would be Garnett's nickname. But the Wolves are going with a youth movement. Hassell, 28, is in the prime of his career and didn't factor into their plans.
Getting away from the Wolves – and to a certain extent, Garnett – might be good for Hassell. He said Garnett got all the rebounds in Minnesota, so now he might get to show that he's a capable rebounder at 6-5.
And he's counting his blessings, too. After five years at Garnett's side, now he gets to work with Dirk Nowitzki. Both players have been MVPs, Nowitzki last season.
"You got the same type of player, and Dirk has a lot of talent around him, too," Hassell said. "That's something that Big Ticket didn't have."
Hassell joins Eddie Jones as the primary new additions to the Mavericks. They play the same positions as Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse, Devean George, Moe Ager and Jason Terry. But that crowded situation is not necessarily a negative.
"I think it's a healthy thing, because all the swing players do different things," Hassell said. "Somebody might be a better shooting, somebody might be better slashing, defense, whatever it may be."
For Hassell, it's the defense.
"That's the only way I'm going to play," he said. "They got scorers. But when they need some defense, I'm there for them. I can do that."
As for the preponderance of swingmen, Johnson is confident camp and the early portion of the season will sort that out. But he will have plenty of options and decisions to make.
Newest Mav Hassell fitting in
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