JaVale McGee on recovery: 'I'm definitely getting back to that elite level'

The center once known as Epic Vale is hoping to make the dated play on "epic fail" a misnomer.

The Dallas Mavericks only guaranteed JaVale McGee $500,000 through the start of the 2015-16 season on the two-year, veteran minimum deal they signed him to last month - understanding the health risk present for a player who has appeared in just 28 games over the last two seasons.

One of the reasons McGee says he signed in Dallas was the quality of its medical and training staff, a group that has him confident about where his body is at and where his play can get. As McGee told Mavs.com:

That was one of the major things about (signing with the Mavericks). With how good the training staff is and all the training materials that they have and other teams don't have, it's definitely a good thing.

I'm definitely getting back to that elite level. The injuries really slowed me down, so I'm definitely going to get 100 percent healthy and come out and give it my all.

McGee getting back to 100 percent after several stints on the sideline due to a stress fracture in his left tibia would be welcome news for him and the Mavs. How you interpret his claim of getting back to "that elite level," meanwhile, really depends on what you thought of McGee before the injuries slowed him down.

The Denver Nuggets, for example, were high enough on McGee to trade Nene for him, then sign him to a four-year, $44-million contract in 2012. From 2010 to 2013, he averaged 10.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks in 23.6 minutes while shooting 56 percent from the floor. It's strong, if inconsistent, production for a 7-footer about to enter his peak years.

But McGee has played sparingly in the time since, and the Nuggets paid the Philadelphia 76ers handsomely to take on McGee's deal at the trade deadline last season. The Sixers waived him and will be on the hook for $12 million for McGee in 2015-16, while he tried to get his career back on track with the Mavericks.

McGee may have to fight for his chance to do so. The Mavericks have 15 guaranteed contracts on their roster, plus McGee, and four others on deals that aren't fully guaranteed. Still just 27, a healthy McGee playing at his former level could be a valuable depth piece for a Dallas team that could use help at the pivot.