Mavericks rookie James fulfills his starting duty

By Dwain Price

dprice@star-telegram.com

OAKLAND, Calif. -- For Bernard James, the bad times were heavily outweighing the good times.

In his first year in the NBA, 6-foot-10 James didn't play at all in 21 of the Dallas Mavericks' first 42 games. On seven other occasions, he played fewer than 10 minutes, and in three other games he only got in for a minute.

But the rookie from Florida State kept working, and for two consecutive games was rewarded by being the starting center for the Mavs. He came off the bench but played heavy minutes early Thursday night against Golden State.

Barely touching the court at all was a mental challenge for James.

"It does kind of mess with you emotionally," James said. "But I'm pretty good at snapping myself out of funks and always thinking positive.

"So whenever I caught myself thinking negative, I just snapped myself out of it and kept preparing and knew that whether it be sometime this year or next year, they'd call my name eventually and I'd get a shot."

Since James spent six years in the military, coach Rick Carlisle noted that it's no surprise he was able to remain even-keel and ready for duty, although he wasn't seeing much playing time.

"With his history I would be shocked if he wasn't ready to do anything," Carlisle said. "His history in the military, that's the epitome of having to be ready at a moment's notice.

"We like him. He's a great asset for us as a second-round pick."

James was the 33rd overall pick in last summer's draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but was quickly shipped to the Mavs in a draft-day trade. It's a trade that has paid dividends for the Mavs, since James has become their best rim protector.

"He's been great," said center Elton Brand, who also splits his time at the power forward position. "He brings a lot of energy and lot of defensive presence that we need, so I'm proud of him."

Brand is one of the Mavs' veterans who helped keep James focused while the rookie wasn't receiving much playing time.

"He's a rookie, so he doesn't know better," Brand said. "He doesn't think he's supposed to play, so I talk to him and tell him to always be prepared.

"I definitely see him capable of starting in this league as a center and bringing that kind of energy for a good team. I can see him getting some major minutes."

From James' perspective, the Mavs already had veteran centers Chris Kaman, Brandan Wright and Brand ahead of him, so he wasn't expecting to receive a lot of time on the floor.

"I know the situation -- I've got vets that are in front of me," James said. "These guys have been here for 10 years plus, most of them, as far as our bigs go.

"I'm brand new, I've got to put my work in and I've got to pay my dues. I understand the situation, and I understood it wasn't anything negative against me."

Point guard Darren Collison said James work ethic is why his teammates have pulled for him to get more action on the court.

"Every [center] that we have on the team is deserving for that [starting] position, but he definitely works hard in practice," Collison said. "Definitely his teammates really like him.

"They like how he plays in practice, especially on the defensive end. And I'm happy for him."

So is Carlisle.

"He's been consistent in his approach, he's consistent with the energy that be brings," Carlisle said. "He's our best screener and roller to the basket.

"Those are things that we felt could really help us, so he's gotten a chance to play some."

With his newfound success, James has found another aspect of his life has also changed.

"I think I'm getting a few more texts on a day-to-day basis," he said. "But for the most part everything's pretty much the same."

Dwain Price, 817-390-7760

Twitter: @DwainPrice

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