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In rookie, Mavs hope they landed whale of player

Mensah-Bonsu went undrafted, but he is undaunted

01:43 AM CDT on Tuesday, October 17, 2006
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

Mavericks rookie Pops Mensah-Bonsu has the athleticism and the drive to be an NBA player.

In short, he's got game, even though he went undrafted. He also has the name to go with the game.

In the African translation, the London-born 6-9 forward's full name – Nana Papa Yaw Mensah-Bonsu – has an unusual meaning.

"My first name means king," Mensah-Bonsu said Monday. "But my last name actually means whale-killer.

"The names don't go together, but it does sound good, I guess."

King of the Whale-Killers. It might not be a Disney title, but it sounds like it could be a great movie. At the very least, the Mavericks might want to give Mensah-Bonsu a try against Shaquille O'Neal and Yao Ming, the closest things the NBA has to whales.

Mensah-Bonsu is coming off his best preseason game. He had six points and three rebounds in 13 minutes Saturday at Milwaukee.

It was another small step in the development of a player who went undrafted in June despite being one of the most athletic big men in the nation last season at George Washington. An injury to the meniscus in his left knee cost him the last part of his senior season. It also cost him a lot of money.

"It hurt me as far as getting drafted and accomplishing some of my goals," Mensah-Bonsu said. "I don't think I was going to be a lottery pick. But I did have a good chance to go in the first round.

"So I guess it could have hurt me somewhat financially. But I'm in the league now. It's up to me how far I take myself."

The silver lining in his injury was that he didn't end up in a situation with a bad team or a place that required him to produce right away. The Mavericks signed Mensah-Bonsu after a few summer-league games to prevent him from going to summer workouts with New York and other teams.

In training camp, Mensah-Bonsu has been a bundle of energy and a strong competitor who relies on his combination of speed, strength and jumping ability.

"When he stays within his strengths of rebounding and running and giving his all on the hustle plays, he's pretty intriguing," coach Avery Johnson said. "He's been a good fit for us so far."

Mensah-Bonsu also knows that just because a player goes undrafted doesn't mean he's not capable of earning a nice contract. Former Maverick Marquis Daniels proved that much to him.

"I definitely look at players like Marquis and Gilbert Arenas as inspirations," he said. "A lot of people didn't expect too much from them. But they've made a good career out of being a second-round pick or going undrafted."

Now it's the king of the whale-killer's hope to show that he can become a big fish in this league.

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Q: Does Pops Mensah-Bonsu have a spot on the team locked up?

Cody B.

SEFKO: Yes. He is guaranteed his salary this year at the NBA minimum. And wouldn't we all like to get that minimum wage of $412,000?

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I would say, however, that they do have an athletic power forward on the team. Pops Mensah-Bonsu can bring the athletic game around the basket. He just can't shoot.

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LONDON'S Pops Mensah-Bonsu will not start the National Basketball Association (NBA) season on the Dallas Mavericks roster but that does not prevent the reigning Western Conference champions from predicting a bright future for the 6ft 9in forward.

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"I'm a Maverick. I'm going to be a Maverick. We're on a very deep team, so as competitive as I am, I am not really as mad that I'm not getting a lot of time because we obviously have the best power forward in the game and the best team in the NBA. I'm on a good team, so I can't complain about not getting a lot of minutes, my time will come, and I have to pay my dues. So, I think this is part of it too.""

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"Be more consistent," said Pops of his primary shortcoming. "I think the question about me is whether I can guard multiple positions. Whether I can be more consistent on offense, and make sure that I'm a defensive threat at the same time. I think what coach [Avery Johnson] wants from me is more experience. I haven't been playing basketball too long, so my basketball IQ - I'm increasing that everyday. So I'm just trying to learn as much as possible and pick up as much as I can from some of my teammates."

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"The thing that impressed me the most about him is how comfortable he is away from the basket. At one point he actually pulled off LeBron's patented move of running into the lane with his head down, holding the basketball like a running back, then making an off balanced layup. Looking at the box scored I had always assumed most of his point came from putbacks on offensive rebounds. I was wrong. He is an offensive weapon, and he knows how to finish. When he caught the ball underneath the basket and did a quick pump fake before jumping straight up for an easy reverse jam I was left wondering why our centers don't do that."

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Mavericks fans don't know you that well yet. What's something that every Mavs fan should know about you?

"I'm just happy to be here. They should know that I'm more appreciative of this position than anybody else, I think. I'm glad to be a part of this whole organization. Even though I don't get a lot of minutes, I'm just fortunate to be here after coming from where I come from in London. Not a lot of people from London get a chance to experience something like this, so I'm real appreciative and just happy for my position right now. I'm just going to make the most of it. Once I start getting some minutes I'm going to start showing them why I'm here."