Mavs.com reporter Bobby Karalla recently had a chance to spend a few moments with the newest addition to the team’s roster, forward Charlie Villanueva. The 6-foot-11, 240-pound veteran, has averaged 11.5 points and 5.1 rebounds in nine NBA seasons. Here’s a transcript of the interview:
Bobby Karalla: What was it about the Mavericks that drew you to the organization?
Charlie Villanueva: The history of winning. This is a win-now kind of team. Their expectations aren’t making it to the playoffs. Their expectation is to win a championship. That alone attracted me to it.
BK: You haven’t been in Dallas for long, but what are your impressions of the city so far?
CV: I’ve always been a big fan of Dallas. I love the weather. Any time I came as a visitor, I ate at some nice restaurants. Hopefully I can spend much more time down here.
BK: Rick Carlisle has said in the past that he only worries about what his players can do, as opposed to what they can’t. With that in mind, what can you bring to the court?
CV: A veteran guy that’s been around the league for — this will be my 10th year — and the fact that I’m able to space the floor as well. You have Dirk Nowitzki — he’s the best at what he does at his position. And why not learn from a guy like that who can do similar things?
BK: You’ve starred in “Crossroads” this summer, a web series chronicling your free agency that appears on your blog (charlievillanueva.sportsblog.com). What was it like to go all-access all the time?
CV: It just gave the fans a different perspective of what I was going through on a day-to-day basis. Back in ’09, I signed the first day of free agency. Now that my career has taken a different turn, I just wanted to capture every moment of the whole process.
BK: You’ve spent your entire career in the Eastern Conference. Now that you’ll be playing with the Mavericks, what is your impression of the West?
CV: It’s time for a change! I think the Western Conference is definitely the best conference. It’s very competitive, and I’m excited to be a part of it.
BK: You’ve played against Dirk Nowitzki several times throughout your career. What is it like to face off against a player like him, and how much are you looking forward to battling against him in practice?
CV: It’s gonna be a challenge. He’s a hard-working guy who knows how to play the game and can score the basketball. Just being able to compete against him every day in practice, that’s just a great feeling and it’s only gonna help me become a better player, and I’m looking forward to that.
BK: One Pistons fan famously has tattoos of you, one on either arm. If you had to get a tattoo of one NBA player, current or former, who would you choose and why?
CV: He actually has three tattoos of me! My favorite player of all-time is Reggie Miller. I love his game. I love everything about him — hard-working guy, just his swagger was just tremendous. That’s one of the reasons I always wear number 31 is because of Reggie Miller.
BK: You’ve recently designed T-shirts with proceeds going to PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center as part of CustomInk’s “Be Good To Each Other” Campaign. (Link: https://www.booster.com/CVbelieve) Your own foundation, the Charlie Villanueva Foundation, also supports anti-bullying programs. Clearly this is a very important issue to you.
CV: It’s very important to me, to always to give back to the community. But at the same time, just creating awareness for anti-bullying. I think it gets overlooked. It happens every day, especially in the schools. I was just trying to create awareness and just trying to do something positive for the community.
BK: Your foundation also supports families affected by Alopecia Areata, a condition that results in hair loss, and you’ve met with several kids and families across the country affected by AA. What has that experience been like for you?
CV: It’s been great. I’m a firm believer in everything happens for a reason, and the reason why I was diagnosed at an early age with Alopecia — it’s a blessing in disguise. At first I didn’t know — why me? Why did it happen to me? But now that I’m blessed and privileged to be in the NBA and help others, now I know why it happened to me.
BK: What do you feel like you need to show to earn a roster spot? And based on the team’s current roster, what type of success do you think the Mavericks can achieve this season?
CV: I just have to go out there, give it my all, work hard in practices, be a leader, and use my 10 years of experience. Just be out there and do whatever (the coaches) want me to do. I think this is a team that can definitely win a championship, and I’m excited to be a part of that.
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