The jury is still out on whether these new look Mavs are for real. But one thing is for sure, Eduardo Najera still looks like Charlie Hustle con salsa. His style is at the perfect medium. He’s clean cut but has this suave south of the border flair. He plays with anger but with a smile on his face. This guy not only receives the respect of an entire metroplex but also demands their attention. The American Airlines Center literally pulses when Eddie enters the game and you better believe its foundation cracks after one of his trademarked hustle plays. Five and one-half years have passed since the Mavericks shipped our beloved Najera, but his odyssey has landed him right back where he belongs. But Eddie, where did you go mi amor?
Dallas’ favorite Chihuahuan began his post-Mav hustle tour in Golden State. He accompanied Christian Laettner, Luis Flores, an irrelevant hard-to-say-named player, a bag of cash and an array of draft picks for Mark Cuban’s answer at center: Erick Dampier. Ah, what a proud moment in Maverick history (sarcasm). But, hey, Damp at the time was the second best center in the league behind Shaq! What I failed to mention was that was according to Erick Dampier. Najera played in 42 games, averaged 15 hustle-filled minutes and achieved fan favorite status in the Bay area. Unfortunately, it was not enough for the cellar-dwelling Warriors and Eddie was sent to Denver in a mid-season deal where he would take his fiesta-swagger a mile high.
Eddie found a home in Denver and all of Dallas watched in jealousy. His four-year Rocky Mountain high was established on hustle and effort. The Pepsi Center wiggled, much like our AAC, in just the slightest mention of his name. His numbers were not staggering (around 6 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game) but it was his relentlessness that bolstered him to legendary status among the fans. With the emergence of Texas native, Chris “Birdman” Andersen, Najera’s blue-collar work ethic was put on the backburner. Last summer, Najera signed a four-year, $12 million contract with the New Jersey Nets.
After being a part of a historically awful Nets squad, the Mavericks agreed to swap troubled forward Shawne Williams and Jersey Shore cast member look-a-like Kris Humphries to the Nets for our former role model of youth ball. Najera knows he has aged over the years but assures us Mavs fans that we need him, “I’m older now. Wiser, I think. And I hope when I get to Dallas, they need a guy like me, a guy who’s going to bring energy, try to get extra possessions, play defense and rebound,” Najera said.
The former Sooner standout initially rooted in Oklahoma, but found something special in our town, “I still call it home. I called my wife and told her we needed to put the house for sale in Oklahoma. That was the plan anyway. I was always going to come back and live in Dallas after my career.” And with that, Eddie completed his coast-to-coast tour, acting as a disciple to the game that youth-league coaches everywhere teach: Hustle. Hustle. Hustle.

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