Donaldson Is Big D on the Mavericks

Deep in the heart of Texas, where they like to think that bigger is always better, the Dallas Mavericks had a difficult time finding a center big enough and talented enough to make them something more than just an average National Basketball Assn. team.

Centers of all shapes and sizes came and went during the franchise’s first five seasons, and the Mavericks still had not come up with a truly big, dominating man who would not back down against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Akeem Olajuwon and the league’s other dominating big guys.

The Mavericks tried to do it through shrewd moves in the draft, but whenever they held a high first-round pick, no quality center was available. So, they had grudgingly settled for either someone too small, like 6-10 Kurt Nimphius, or too awkward, like 7-foot Wallace Bryant.

But a month into the 1985-86 season, Dallas finally found a center who met most of its minimum job qualifications. Of course, by that time, the Mavericks were willing to settle for less--someone who could rebound, take up a lot of space and run without falling down.

James Donaldson, at 7-2 and 275 pounds, can do all that. And when the Mavericks learned that they could get Donaldson from the Clippers for Nimphius, who never liked being miscast as a center, they made the trade quicker than Wallace Bryant could run base line to base line.

“I’ve always said it wouldn’t take much to make me happy,” Dallas Coach Dick Motta told local reporters after the trade was made.

Donaldson, as any Clipper fan can attest, is not a center who can make a team a contender. But he rebounds, blocks shots, sets screens for teammates and occasionally asserts himself offensively, just like a real center.

“He’s been good for us,” Motta said. “He’s given us some things we haven’t had before. He’s still not the answer to the elite team. . . . But James is getting better and better.”

For now, that’s all the Mavericks can ask from Donaldson. In fact, Donaldson has probably been the most consistent Maverick so far in the playoffs. He averaged 9.8 points, 12.3 rebounds and shot 68% in Dallas’ first-round series against Utah, and in the Mavericks’ two losses at the Forum against the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals, he had a total of 31 points and 17 rebounds.

With Donaldson rebounding, scoring and at least making Abdul-Jabbar break a sweat before getting his points, the Mavericks will have one less worry tonight in Game 3 of the series at Dallas’ Reunion Arena (Channel 9, 5:30 p.m. PDT).

“They may not have wanted me in particular, but they did want a big center,” Donaldson said. “I filled that void, and I don’t think I’ve ever been as appreciated as much as I have at Dallas. It’s helped me have the happiest season since I’ve been playing.”

When Donaldson joined Dallas on Nov. 25, the Mavericks were 6-7 and in need of something to break out of it. After his arrival, the Mavericks went 38-31 and have advanced past the first playoff round for only the second time in franchise history.

“There really wasn’t that much presure on me because Coach Motta made it clear to me what he wanted out of me,” Donaldson said. “He wanted me to rebound, block a few shots, score a little and slow down the big guys they always had trouble with in the past. That’s pretty much what I’ve always done. I just had to transfer myself to Dallas to do it.”

That apparently wasn’t enough to please the Seattle SuperSonics or the Clippers, Donaldson’s previous employers.

In his three seasons with Seattle, Donaldson played behind Jack Sikma and, he said, never got the chance to prove himself. And in his two full seasons with the Clippers, Donaldson said he never knew what was expected of him, or when Bill Walton or rookie Benoit Benjamin would knock him out of the starting lineup.

“The Clippers never made it clear what they expected out of me,” Donaldson said. “It wasn’t clear if they wanted me to score 15 or 20 points a night, or wanted me to grab rebounds, which I normally do, anyway. They just didn’t seem to be happy with my play.”

Clipper management was down on Donaldson because of his inconsistency, which was evident right up to the game before the team traded him.

Donaldson had suffered through a week’s worth of games in which he failed to score, rebound or seemingly put in much of an effort, and that persuaded Coach Don Chaney to go along with then-General Manager Carl Scheer’s plan for a trade.

But on Nov. 23, Donaldson scored 15 points and had 16 rebounds as the Clippers upset the Milwaukee Bucks, and after the trade was made, Chaney admitted that he had second thoughts. He also said, however, that Donaldson’s seemingly uncaring attitude would not be missed.

“I’ve never been able to figure James out,” Chaney said at the time. “Some players respond when you yell at them; others you leave alone and that helps their performance. I could never figure it out with James.”

Chaney’s comments made it back to Donaldson in Dallas, and he said it only confirmed his opinion that the Clippers never knew how to use him properly.

“I’m not a head case, not a problem child,” Donaldson said. “If most coaches are consistent with me, I’ll give them a consistent performance. That’s all. Maybe (Chaney) expected me at times to complain about this or that, you know, to ask for the ball more. Since I didn’t do that, maybe he thought I was content with doing less.”

In a way, that is the way Donaldson sees his current situation. If he were to ask for the ball, probably no one would hear him. The Maverick offense revolves around forwards Mark Aguirre and Sam Perkins and guard Rolando Blackman. Donaldson gets most of his points on rebound shots or at times when the scorers are double-teamed.

“I respond to a challenge as much as anybody,” Donaldson said. “I understand what my role is. I don’t need to go around crying about not shooting 20 times a game. Here, I get my 34 to 38 minutes a game. Each night, unless I just start out really horrendous, I know I’ll get that amount of playing time to contribute as much as I can.

“It’s not my nature to complain about things that don’t have much bearing on life, anyway. Usually, in life, I’m pretty happy with the way things have gone.”

It is important for Donaldson to feel wanted in his job, though, even if basketball does not rate high on his list of lifetime priorities.

The Mavericks, who temporarily have ceased their search for the ultimate center, are happy with even the smallest of contributions from their first truly big center.