:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/6668303/20120426_lbm_ad8_147.jpg)
Finally, details about O.J. Mayo's signing with Dallas are becoming more clear.
Mayo's terms were revealed, a modest two-year deal worth $8.5 million. The process of joining the Mavericks and why he picked them were also revealed by Mayo himself when he hopped on "The Ben and Skin Show" on 103.3 FM ESPN Radio in Dallas.
Mayo went over a variety of topics with Ben and Skin, including an interesting tidbit on new Maverick point guard Darren Collison.
"I think we'll fit great together. He's a big time competitor, I've been playing against him since our rivalry days of USC and UCLA. He's a great point guard. Even through pick up games and open gym we would call him coach because he has a real high basketball IQ and he gets the job done."
It's interesting how Mayo remarks on Collison's basketball I.Q., the one thing that kept Jason Kidd an extremely valuable player even as his age crept closer to 40. I've always wondered how the Mavericks offense would work without Kidd's uncanny ability to deliver the ball in the right situations or make the insanely weird, but good plays (the Mike Woodson run-in immediately comes to mind.)
Now, am I saying Darren Collison is going to run over Vinny Del Negro when Vinny gets too far from the bench while trying to yell at an opposing player? No. But it is somewhat refreshing to hear Mayo talk such praise of Collison's basketball mind, just to keep up us all at ease.
Mayo also had some nice words about the kind of owner Mark Cuban is, for those who are still upset over the "Shark Tank" nonsense:
"Yes, he's a great guy. It's crazy, playing with the Grizzlies, I really didn't talk to Mr. Heisley much. The first week signing with Dallas [Mark Cuban] texted me and tweeted me and was very involved with my decision along with Coach Carlisle and Mr. Nelson. They were all great meetings every time and It just felt like the perfect fit."
So yeah, Cuban does care, if anyone really thought he didn't after the failed Deron Williams signing.
Check out the entire interview for more of Mayo's thoughts on why he wasn't chasing the biggest paycheck (which is really odd for a 24-year-old athlete who's been praised his whole life), his view on Rick Carlisle and of course, Dirk Nowitzki.