Brian Cardinal

Brian Cardinal
Player information
Full name	Brian Lee Cardinal
Nickname	The Custodian
birthday	2nd May 1977 (age 43)
place of birth	Tolono , Illinois , United States
size	203 cm
position	Power forward
college	Purdue
NBA draft	2000 , 44. Pick , Detroit Pistons
Clubs as active
1996–1997 Detroit Pistons 2000–2002 Washington Wizards 2002–2003 Valencia Basket Club 2002–2003 Golden State Warriors 2004–2008 Memphis Grizzlies 2008–2010 Minnesota Timberwolves 2010–2012 Dallas Mavericks

Brian Lee Cardinal (born May 2, 1977 in Tolono , Illinois ) is a retired American basketball player who was active in the NBA from 1996 to 2012.

Career

Cardinal began his NBA career with the Detroit Pistons , who selected him in the second round of the 2000 NBA Draft in 44th position. After only 23 games and an average of 2.1 points in two years, he moved in September 2002 together with Jerry Stackhouse and Ratko Varda in exchange for Richard Hamilton , Hubert Davis and Bobby Simmons to the Washington Wizards , where his contract, however, after only five games was dissolved.

Without an NBA contract, he moved to the Spanish Valencia Basket Club for the rest of the season , with whom he was able to win the ULEB Eurocup . Due to the good performance in Europe he was able to obtain a contract with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA, where he had his statistically strongest years in the NBA. In 76 games he averaged 9.6 points with 4.2 rebounds . His career bests of 32 points against the Phoenix Suns and 14 rebounds against the Chicago Bulls also come from this season, in which he was also in the final selection for the Most Improved Player Award .

After the season he moved as a free agent to the Memphis Grizzlies , for whom he played for the next four years. After he was almost able to maintain his values ​​in the first year, his performance declined somewhat in the following years, also due to injury. In the first two years he reached the playoffs with the Grizzlies , but where the team lost 4-0 to the Phoenix Suns and the Dallas Mavericks in the first round .

In June 2008, he moved to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the course of a total of eight players .

On September 27, 2010 Cardinal signed a contract with the Dallas Mavericks . In the 2011 season Cardinal won the NBA title with the Mavericks , the first and only of his career. After he had only short appearances up to the final series, he was unexpectedly used in the finals against the Miami Heat . He has played in each of the last five games and has been involved in the last three wins with seasons of 7, 9 and 12 minutes. Most of all, his body-hugging game on the defensive was remembered. He never stepped aside to protect himself if an opposing player jumped to the basket. This led to the accidental injury of Dwyane Wade in Game 5, but also to some offensive fouls by the Miami Heat.

After the season, Cardinal signed with the Mavericks for an additional year until the end of the 2011–12 season before retiring.

Web links

• Brian Cardinal - player profile on NBA.com
• Brian Cardinal - player profile on basketball-reference.com