The Mavericks' new two-court training venue opened yesterday for the team's first practice session, and it "received rave reviews from the staff and players," according to Eddie Sefko of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban has spent "a lot of time in the last four months overseeing the construction of the renovated warehouse in the design district." Cuban: "You spend $70 million, you better be happy about it." Sefko notes the price tag "included the purchase of the 14 acres around the new practice gym." The two courts "provide plenty of room for players to spread out and work individually with coaches." The training area and players' lounge are in "plain sight near the courts." The equipment room, sauna/hydro pool areas and locker room are "about the only things out of sight, and they are state-of-the-art." Mavericks F Dirk Nowitzki said, "It's really nice. How quick they got this together is pretty impressive. I heard they were working days and nights sometimes." Cuban said that naming rights to the practice facility are "being discussed" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 10/17). Cuban added that the idea was just to get "something open so they could practice with plans to do more in the future." He added that the newly gutted warehouse that will serve as the new training facility is "temporary until other development plans come together" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 10/16).
