Ukraine conflict hits too close to home for Bertāns

Some things in life are more important than basketball. Lots of things, actually.

Life and death are at the top of the list.

Which is why new Maverick Davis Bertāns has a lot more on his mind than just basketball.

Bertāns, acquired with Spencer Dinwiddie at the trade deadline in the Kristaps Porzingis deal, is from Latvia, which didn’t win full independence from Russian control until the 1990s.

“Honestly, right now basketball is the last thing I want to talk about,” Bertāns said after the Mavericks’ 114-109 loss at Utah on Friday. “Seeing what’s happening in Ukraine, when I get on the court I forget about it and think about basketball and being out there playing.

“But once I’m off the court, I feel like all my attention is (on) what’s happening there. It just hits way too close to home since my country has been in that position before. Honestly, losing a basketball game right now, if that’s the worst thing that happens to us in the last couple weeks, we’re really lucky.”

Ukraine is a large country, relative to Latvia and some of the other eastern European countries. Russia has invaded with perhaps as many as 900,000 troops, outnumbering the Ukraine military three-to-one, according to reports.

Many Ukraine families are seeking safety across borders before the men return to join the fight. The government has asked for help from foreigners with military experience, reports say.

The conflict in Ukraine is difficult for Americans to comprehend, at least partly because it’s not entirely clear what the conflict is about.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has said that the “demilitarization” of Uktraine is critical. Russian troops have invaded mostly through the eastern border of Ukraine.

“I really hope the Ukrainians stay strong because honestly, they’re the front line for us, the Baltic states and the rest of Europe,” Bertāns said. “I really hope it works out.

“I hope the rest of the world can help them as much as possible and that they come out of this and Ukraine is still a free country and the useless bloodshed ends really soon and the Russian occupants return to their country.”

The NBA is loaded with European players and many of them have a strong sense of what wartime looks like. It wasn’t so long ago that Yugoslavia split up amid violence and became several different countries.

Bertāns said he is lucky in that his family, for now, is safe. But there is nobody in Eastern Europe who isn’t paying close attention to the events in Ukraine.

“I’m fortunate enough that nobody close enough to me is there right now,” he said. “But that country is not that far away. There might be somebody there I know. (If so) I hope they stay safe.

“My parents are (safe). And both my brothers are playing in Belgium. I think they return home (Saturday). We’re really closely monitoring to see what to do for our family whether they need to clear out or not.”

Bertāns is hearing stories from friends and family in his home country. And he’s learned a lot about Ukraine, too.

“From everything I’ve seen and hearing the stories, they are a really proud patriotic country,” he said. “I know there’s families that have stayed in Ukraine and Kyiv. All the men are fighting and some of the women and children have left the country.

“I hope other European countries and us (the U.S.) can help them as much as possible in this situation. The message is: stay strong. I heard they’re doing a great job fighting a country that’s way bigger, way stronger than them.”

And, Bertāns wondered, is there a clear vision of what Russia is trying to accomplish?

“I feel like most of the military people in Russia have no idea what they’re fighting for,” he said. “And I feel like the strength the Ukrainians have and the will to persevere and fight for their country is gonna overcome. I really hope.”

Takeaways: Normally in this spot, we give you our takeaways from the previous night’s game. We’ll do that, although we relate to the words of Bertāns that results of a basketball game pale in comparison to the events overseas.

1. Dealing with Rudy Gobert is a challenge for everybody. There’s a reason why he leads the NBA in shot-blocking and rebounding per game. He had three blocks against the Mavericks, including one against Luka Dončić with the score tied at 107 that led to the game-swaying 3-pointer by Bojan Bogdanovic. The Jazz were OK with letting the 7-1 Gobert switch onto Dončić. And the Mavericks were fine with it, too. “I think regardless of who it is, one on one against Luka, it’s a good situation,” said Dwight Powell. “I think he’s proven that through his career. If isolated against a bigger guy, he’s definitely got the upper hand, in my opinion.”
2. Defense has been the Mavericks’ calling card, but not in this one. They allowed the Jazz to hit better than 54 percent of their shots, 42 percent from 3-point land. That’s a losing recipe anywhere, but especially on the road in a treacherous environment like Utah.
3. Despite the loss, the Mavericks had some strong showings that suggest they are regaining their strength-in-numbers attitude. Spencer Dinwiddie came off the bench for 20 points. Davis Bertāns lit it up from 3-point range and had 17 off the bench. Dwight Powell had 22 points, tying his season best. The Jazz were determined not to let Luka beat them (he shot 8-for-24). But others stepped up and gave the Mavericks a chance at the end.
4. A final thought: one sure thing is that, if this ends up being the first-round matchup in the playoffs, the Mavericks and Jazz is going to be one heck of an entertaining series.

Twitter: @ESefko