Jameer Nelson's decade with the Orlando Magic wasn't all bad. There were some highs, like the 44 playoff games he was a part of between 2004 and 2014, 38 of them as a starter.
But there were most definitely some lows, namely the recent hard times Orlando has fallen on, especially the last two seasons, where the Magic won 23 and 20 games, respectively and were bystanders come playoff time.
However, Nelson's tenure in the land of Disney is now a thing of the past as he signed with the Mavericks this summer right after the Magic cut him loose and naturally, the man who figures to start at the point for Rick Carlisle couldn't be happier about the move to Big D.
"Yeah, it's definitely all about winning, especially what I went through the last two years. I just want to get back to winning and being in a winning environment," Nelson said on Monday during Mavs Media Day. "I'm looking forward to getting out there and coach even said we (Felton, Harris and I) are going to play together some. It's going to be fun. It's a healthy competitiveness."
Of course, there is going to be some healthy and hard-fought competition for minutes at the one, between him and fellow newcomer Raymond Felton and holdover Devin Harris, who came off the bench all of last season.
But no matter which member of this talented trio is on the floor, Nelson knows that all three of them bring similar things to the Mavs when they are out there.
"We bring a lot of experience. We're all competitive and we respect one another," he said. "No matter when we're out there, our track record is that we're going to play our hardest, all three of us."
Carlisle will be the one meting out the minutes, and no matter how that shakes out, Nelson is excited about the possibilities of what might lie ahead for him and his new teammates, especially in those situations where he, Felton and Harris are in the game simultaneously, giving the Mavs a three-guard look.
"Well, you look at the two guards in the league now, none of them are 6-8 (the lone) exception may be Joe Johnson. Everybody's 6-3, 6-4 and under," Nelson said. "It's one of those things where we're all strong enough to guard somebody in the post if they post us up and we're going to pride ourselves on defense, so we're going to have to rely on helping if needed."
In his career, which has thus far spanned 651 games, the former St. Joseph's standout has averaged 12.6 points and 5.4 assists per game. His career postseason numbers of 15 points, 4.6 assists and 3.5 boards are equally impressive.
However, playing for such a bad team in Orlando the past few seasons, a club that didn't even come close to making the playoffs in the Eastern Conference can test anyone's resolve.
"Nobody wants to go through that, but it's an experience I can take with me and bring some positives out of it. But at the same time, it's tough. It takes a toll on you. It weighs on you, especially when you're used to winning and all of a sudden, the winning thing is kind of taken away from you," Nelson said. "You're preparing to win. You're doing everything you can and the results aren't what you want them to be."
And as is the case for many players who experience losing a lot of games in a relatively short period of time like he did, 119 of them over the past two seasons, he admits that experience can give one a bit of perspective, the biggest lesson being to enjoy the good times in the NBA because it's hard to tell how long they could last.
"It wasn't necessarily my appreciation for the game, it's just to not take things for granted in life in general because you never know what's going to happen," Nelson said. "Just whatever you're doing, do it 1,000 percent because you never know."
Being part of one of the NBA's worst teams the past two seasons definitely makes him appreciate the move he made this summer, to a team he admits he's always wanted to play for.
"Yeah, it's a great situation, a great organization, the best owner. The city is unbelievable," Nelson said. "A lot of things played a factor in me coming here. Dallas has always been my target. Not saying I ever wanted to be a free agent, I was hoping but thinking if I could ever get there, that would be cool."
And now that he's reached somewhere he always wanted to play, he can't see himself leaving anytime soon.
"I do (feel like this is a place I can stay for a while)," Nelson said. "I feel like I can be here for a numerous amount of years and help compete for a championship."
