"I will try my best to play good defense," Wang said he arrived Wednesday following a 16-hour flight from China. "I especially want to grab more boards for the team, if I have the chance to play more.

"But first of all I have to pick up whatever the Maverick coaches want me to learn before I can really get in shape and help the team. What I really need to do is, do all my best to help the team win more games."

Because Wang missed training camp and the first three weeks of the season, Mavericks coach Don Nelson said he is far behind his teammates.