Highlights Of Wesley Matthews’ First Interview As A Maverick

On Jul. 9, Wesley Matthews inked a four-year, $70 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks. Originally, it was only supposed to be worth about $57 million, but the Mavs ended up giving Matthews the max once they found out that DeAndre Jordan had turned on them.

Despite the mess that went down with that, Matthews still expressed his interest in Dallas, even after Mark Cuban told him that he didn’t have to come to Dallas if he didn’t want to. Matthews stayed intrigued by the franchise and the medical staff since he is recovering from an Achilles injury.

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Just a day after he signed his contract, Matthews was already on the practice court at American Airlines Center, chatting with members of the Mavs Summer League team and taking interviews from the media. Here are some highlights (via Twitter) of his first day as a Dallas Maverick:

First off, we got to see Wesley Matthews with his signed contract after he posted a picture on Twitter Thursday. He was already sporting a royal blue Dallas Mavericks practice shirt and his patented arm sleeves.

Next, Matthews spoke on the DeAndre Jordan situation that came to an end late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.

He expanded a little by saying that he had talked to Jordan and they wanted “to take this franchise back to where it belongs,” so he thought Jordan was all in on the idea of teaming up in Dallas and making a run. He also said that when the rumors came out about Jordan having second thoughts, he thought it was just a rumor and didn’t believe it.

A reporter asked Matthews about his decision after the Jordan fiasco and he said that there was no decision and that he came to win. He also added this: “With DeAndre, without DeAndre, I know that this organization is a championship organization,” which proves that he is all in on the plan in Dallas.

Next, he spoke about his role in Dallas and how he fits in. He mentioned that he was “fine” with being a 3-and-D type of guy but he wanted everyone to know that he is capable of doing much more. Terry Stotts, the coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, was a Mavs assistant for a while, including the championship season in 2011, so Matthews said he was “obviously familiar with the system” simply because it’s a branch from Rick Carlisle‘s system.

One of the reasons Matthews showed up this morning to be with the summer league guys is because he is a very good leader and believes in providing leadership everywhere he goes. He also wanted to dive in with the team early to show everyone that he was there and that he is ready to help.

After Mavs Summer League practice was over, Matthews spread a little bit of his leadership and broke the huddle for the team. In just one day with the Mavericks franchise, Matthews has already made a huge impact on the fans and the staff involved.

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Many Blazers fans have commented on how tough he is and how great he is at boosting emotions and leading a team, which is something the Mavs lost when Tyson Chandler left for Phoenix. A lot of people weren’t sure what was going to happen to the shooting guard position once Monta Ellis left but it almost seems as if the Mavs upgraded with the acquisition of Matthews.

It remains to be seen how long it will take for Matthews to get healthy but many believe it will be close to the end of November and first of December. Though that would be a solid month of basketball missed, it would be pretty spectacular to see him come back then.

Overall, Wesley Matthews seems like a guy ready to come in and contribute. An injury involving the Achilles is something very serious and it’s not certain how he will recover but should he return to something near his old self, Matthews will have a bright future ahead in Dallas. As a 28-year-old, he can be built around with Chandler Parsons, creating an interesting duo in Dallas after the Dirk Nowitzki era is over.

You can watch part of the Wesley Matthews interview below (via Dallas Morning News):

Next: DeAndre Jordan Made The Right Decision In The Wrong Way

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