Going on the road for an extended period might have been the best thing to happen to the Denver Three. The time on the road allowed them to bond with teammates and receive more coaching.

"I feel a lot better about it today than I did at the beginning of the trip," general manager-coach Don Nelson said. "There was communication by a lot of people, a lot of coaches. We're giving the guys the confidence that they fit in."

As a well-traveled veteran, Johnson had the smoothest transition. Van Exel began to realize during the trip that the Mavericks want him to be aggressive on offense, and he averaged 16.5 points per game. It took more than a season for Steve Nash to grasp the same lesson when he joined the club.

Nelson said the club is still learning about LaFrentz, who considers himself in the second stage of the process: feeling comfortable and starting to understand his responsibilities.