IRVING -– Brandan Wright said the strained left quad muscle that forced him into limited duty the past three days won’t prevent him from playing in any of the Dallas Mavericks’ preseason games.
“It was nothing serious,’’ Wright said Tuesday between a round of golf at Hackberry Creek Country Club. “I’ll practice (Wednesday) and I’m pretty sure I’ll play in both games over in Europe.’’
Wright has been listed as day-to-day since he injured his left quad during Sunday’s practice. But the five-year veteran isn’t sure how the injury occurred.
“I was running and just pulled it,’’ Wright said. “It happens sometimes.
“It’s a good thing we caught it early.’’
Wright is the lone center remaining from last year’s squad that also included Brendan Haywood and Ian Mahinmi. The Mavs traded Mahinmi to the Indiana Pacers for Darren Collison and Dahntay Jones, and used the NBA’s amnesty clause to part ways with haywood.
The new centers on the roster with Wright include Chris Kaman, Elton Brand and rookie Bernard James.
“It’ll be different this year, and it’ll be a lot of adjustments,’’ Wright said. “We’re really going into this year with a new core group of guys that we know will be out there each and every night for us.
“It’ll be a challenge. But we’ve got to use these preseason games to come together and try to find some chemistry before we tip it up on Oct. 30th (in the regular season opener on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers).’’
Wright likes the offensive punch Kaman brings to the court. But the Mavs have been limited in seeing what Kaman can do because he sprained his lower back on the opening day of training camp last
Saturday.
“He’s a proven big man – a big man in the middle who can score,’’ Wright said. “He’s struggled with some injuries and he’s frustrated right now about his back.
“But I think he’ll be all right. I think he’ll be a big plus for us on the inside.’’
Wright, who turns 25 on Friday, averaged 6.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks last season in 16.1 minutes per game. The 6-10, 210-pounder spent a large portion of his summer working on some offensive moves and beefing up his body in order to handle the pounding inside the paint.
Wright said: “I’ve just got to be more versatile and I’ve got to be able to make a bigger splash than I did last year.’’
-- Dwain Price
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