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Former Mavericks Prospect Opens Up on Struggles in Dallas

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Former Mavericks Prospect Opens Up on Struggles in Dallas


When Willie Cauley-Stein entered the NBA, some scouts saw him as a Tyson Chandler-like player who could patrol the paint as a shot-blocker and be an effective lob finisher on offense. That potential paired with an NBA-ready frame led him to be selected 6th overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2015 NBA Draft.

His last two seasons with the Kings were promising, averaging 12.3 PPG and 7.7 RPG while starting 139 games. Those seasons never led to the contract extension he thought would come and that started a downward spiral for the big man from Kentucky.

Cauley-Stein recently interviewed with Kyle Tucker of The Athletic (paywall) following his play in the Throwback Tournament, a reunion of sorts of former college stars. In this interview, he opens up on the struggles he faced while in the NBA in his personal life because he “could easily be dead.”

READ MORE: One Thing This Young Player Must Improve for the Mavericks

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The Dallas Mavericks traded for Cauley-Stein in January 2020, acquiring him from the Golden State Warriors for a second-round pick. At just 26 years old, the Mavs hoped they could unlock some of the talent hidden inside. He’d then sign a 2-year, $8.4 million contract with an option on the second year before the 2020-21 season but would be waived before the contract could expire after taking a “leave of absence.”

While on that leave of absence, Cauley-Stein was checked into an inpatient rehab center for substance abuse for 65 days. He had been buying fake pills, according to Cauley-Stein and Tucker. What he thought was Percocet was actually pills laced with fentanyl and he was “taking hundreds of them, for months and years.”

While he was with the Warriors following his Kings stint, three of his friends were shot and killed in his house in Sacramento, which started his downward mental health spiral and he turned to pills to cope. Soon after that, the grandmother who raised him was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer and he “could not bear to watch her wither away,” causing him to fall further into the pills.

He checked into rehab 6 days after her death and told Tucker “The team could tell I had no energy, no love, no personality, no nothing. The drugs took everything from me. I think I’m playing hard, balling, doing my thing, and then I hear, ‘He doesn’t look like he loves basketball.’”

Thanks to a newfound love of golf and wanting to do right by his three kids, Cauley-Stein is now clean and looking to return to the NBA. He performed well for La Familia in the Throwback Tournament, even winning Defensive Player of the Year. He most recently played for the Houston Rockets’ G-League affiliate in 2022-23 and in 20 games for an Italian Club last season, breaking the Europe Cup record for rebounds in a game.

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For more on his journey to recovery and finding happiness again, it’s highly recommended to check out Kyle Tucker’s full-length piece on The Athletic.

READ MORE: Shrewd Move By Mavericks Led To Heavy Criticism For Rival Team

Stick with MavericksGameday for more FREE coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the NBA Offseason

Follow MavericksGameday on Twitter and Austin Veazey on Twitter





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Dallas, TX

Labor Day weekend traffic jams are about to start. Here’s which roads to avoid and when

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12 hours ago

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August 29, 2024

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Labor Day weekend traffic jams are about to start. Here’s which roads to avoid and when


Transportation and mobility reporter

2:53 PM on Aug 29, 2024 CDT

Dallas-Fort Worth will experience heavy traffic on area roads heading into this Labor Day weekend.

U.S. travel is expected to be up 9% over last year, according to AAA. The Texas Department of Transportation expects Fort Worth and Dallas areas to see heavy congestion Thursday evening and throughout Friday. Traffic on Interstate 35 will peak from 4–8 p.m. Thursday evening.

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Drivers on I-35 in Dallas, Denton and Waco should expect delays between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday and again from 3–7 p.m., with moderate traffic in Dallas and Fort Worth Saturday evening.

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Interstate 45 in the Dallas area will see congestion from 4–7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, with moderate traffic Saturday evening. Traffic on Interstate 45 will peak in Arlington, Fort Worth and Dallas Thursday evening and again from 2–7 p.m. Friday, with light traffic Saturday through Monday, according to TxDOT.

Some local events like Texas Rangers games could draw crowds to Arlington Saturday and Sunday, and Six Flags will be open Saturday through Monday, but there are no events scheduled at AT&T Stadium.

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“We don’t anticipate anything out of the ordinary traffic-wise,” Arlington Police Department spokesperson Tim Ciesco said.

SMU, Texas, Texas A&M and Baylor all host their opening home games of the college football season on Saturday, adding to the number of travelers on Texas highways.

It’s also the first weekend for high-school football, so Friday night game traffic can tend to back up onto highways, TxDOT Dallas spokesperson Tony Hartzel said.

“We’ve got a mixture of holiday travel, event travel and just a little bit of unpredictability because people do travel at different times on holiday weekends,” Hartzel said.

Rain is expected Friday and Sunday, so drivers should exercise caution on slick roads, Hartzel said.

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Travelers can expect to pay slightly less in gas than last Labor Day weekend, with national averages down about 30 cents per gallon, according to AAA.

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Dallas, TX

Dalvin Cook will wear this jersey number with the Dallas Cowboys

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22 hours ago

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August 29, 2024

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Dalvin Cook will wear this jersey number with the Dallas Cowboys


Dalvin Cook is joining the Dallas Cowboys as a member of the practice squad and we now know what number he will wear in Big D.

Cook signed with the Cowboys this week and immediately teased the No. 4 which he wore at Florida State.

Of course, Dak Prescott wears No. 4, so Cook isn’t going to come in and take that number from the team’s franchise quarterback.

MORE: Dallas Cowboys 2024 practice squad roster

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The four-time Pro Bowler started his career with the Minnesota Vikings wearing No. 33 before switching back to No. 4 when the NFL changed its jersey number rules but returned to No. 33 with the New York Jets and No. 31 with the Baltimore Ravens.

So, what number will he wear in Dallas?

MORE: You’ll be surprised by average age of the Cowboys backfield

We now have our answer and it’s a number that was vacated during the offseason when Tony Pollard signed with the Tennessee Titans in free agency.

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That’s right, Dalvin Cook will wear No. 20 for the Cowboys.

Now tha we have the answer to that question, it’s time to wonder whether we will ever see that No. 20 on the field during gameday this season.

The Cowboys can elevate Cook to the 53-man roster three times throughout the season before they must make his move to the 53 permanent or release him.

You’d have to imagine he will get the call up at least once in 2024.

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— Enjoy free coverage of the Cowboys from Dallas Cowboys on SI —

OFFICIAL: Dallas Cowboys 53-man roster set for 2024 NFL season

Secure The Bag: Jerry Jones reveals latest update on Dak Prescott contract

Looking Ahead: Are the Cowboys destined to underperform this season?

Reality Check: You’ll be surprised by average age of the Cowboys backfield

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Cowgirls: Meet Victoria Kalina: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader





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Man accused of shooting girl, 2, in Dallas road rage attack released on bond

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1 day ago

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August 29, 2024

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Man accused of shooting girl, 2, in Dallas road rage attack released on bond


Suspected road rage shooter released on bond

Police say Jason Cain fired toward a family delivering DoorDash in their car, striking their young daughter, The girl is now out of the hospital, but the family says they feel less safe knowing the suspect isn’t behind bars anymore.

DALLAS – A young family says they feel unsafe after learning the man accused of shooting their 2-year-old daughter in a case of apparent road rage is already out of jail. 

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On Sunday, police say Jason Cain fired toward a family delivering DoorDash in their car, striking their young daughter,

The girl is now out of the hospital, but the family says they feel less safe knowing the suspect isn’t behind bars anymore.

A quick glance and you wouldn’t know that 2-year-old Jasmine Garcia is anything but a happy little girl. 

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Jacqueline Garcia says the only thing her daughter does is that she’s in pain. 

“She’s like, ‘Mommy, Ouch. Ouch.’ But she doesn’t know why,” Jacqueline said. “She doesn’t know what happened to her.”

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Jasmine was shot in the backseat of her parents’ car while they were delivering a DoorDash order in a Far East Dallas neighborhood Sunday night. 

The family says they were looking for an address when they turned onto a street and saw a motorcycle driving in the middle of the street with no lights on.   

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“They almost crashed. So my fiancé, he swerved then to avoid an accident,” Jacqueline recalled. “And at the time, he swerved him. They both honked at each other.” 

Jacqueline thought that was the end of it, but she says the motorcycle proceeded to follow the family’s car, and the man riding it shouted at them.

The mom says the man pulled out a gun and fired at the back of the car. Then, she heard a cry from Jasmine in the backseat. 

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“She screamed,” she recalled. “We both looked back, and she was covered in blood.” 

A woman who heard the gunshots ran to the car and told the family to head straight to the hospital while she called 911. 

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The doctors told the Garcias that the bullet entered through Jasmine’s chest, eventually ending up in her diaphragm. Doctors didn’t remove it because doing so may cause more harm.

Jacqueline is grateful her daughter is still alive. 

Police arrested 50-year-old Jason Cain for the shooting. When police searched his home, they found multiple firearms, including automatic weapons. They also saw satanic and nazi symbols in his home. 

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Cain is charged with injury to a child and three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He bonded out of jail Monday morning.

“We were devastated and worried because of our safety since police said he had multiple firearms in his house,” Jacqueline said. “We just currently don’t feel safe, and it’s really hard.”

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Cain’s bond conditions include electronic monitoring. He’s also not allowed to have any weapons. 

The family says Jasmine is still having fevers and doesn’t have much of an appetite. She has another appointment to make sure the bullet hasn’t shifted.   



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