Full-Court Press

Devin Harris selected

According to ESPN.com Insider Chris Sheridan's blog, Mavs point guard Devin Harris has been asked by USA basketball head Jerry Colangelo to be part of the practice squad that will scrimmage Team USA from Aug. 15-21.

Other players asked to play on the scrimmage team are Boston's Al Jefferson, Philly's Andre Iguodala, G-State's Monta Ellis, NY's David Lee and Portland's Brandon Roy.

-- Jeff

Golf with Buck...

Break out your sticks...Greg Buckner and The Greg Buckner Foundation will host its annual golf tournament on Sept. 24 with a 7:30 a.m. shotgun start at Castle Hills Golf Club in Lewisville (699 Lady of the Lake Blvd.) Buck, along with his celebrity friends, will be auctioned off as members of celebrity foursomes.

"I am very excited to be bringing my golf tournament to the Dallas-Fort Worth area," Buck said. "Golf is one of my favorite hobbies and it's great to be able to use it as a means of raising money to benefit Metroplex youth."

Fans can play in a celebrity foursome, a regular foursome or as an individual. In addition to green fees, all golfers will receive a tournament shirt, a golf cart, range balls and a complimentary lunch.

Prizes will be awarded through longest drive and closest to the pin contests and $10,000 in cash will be given to anyone who gets a hole-in-one.

If you're interested in playing, go to www.gregbucknerfoundation.net for more information.

About The Greg Buckner Foundation

Throughout Greg “Buck” Buckner’s years as a professional athlete, he has gone to great lengths to help our youth. Greg’s commitment to giving back led him to establish The Greg Buckner Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping youth excel academically, athletically and socially. The Foundation provides programs and services that focus on academic and athletic achievement, life skills development and community service. The Foundation has several events throughout the year, including a celebrity bowling event, a black tie fundraiser, a golf tournament and summer basketball camps. For more information, please visit www.gregbucknerfoundation.net.

-- Jeff

C-Webb thinking...

The Mavs are wrapping up a contract for power forward Brandon Bass today. Could they be close to doing the same for Chris Webber? Well, the Mavs continue to say that Webber is a guy they like and apparently C-Webb hasn't forgotten about the Mavs either.

Slam Magazine just posted a Q&A with C-Webb from his 2nd Annual Bada Bling charity event. They asked if he was going to re-sign with Detroit and this is how C-Webb responded:

"I don't know. I would love to. Right now I'm thinking about Detroit and Dallas, so you never know. Watch out for BShaw though, he's trying to get me in LA!"

Webber's a fine passer and a good rebounder. He can still bury the short jumper, but he's a defensive liability and he has very little mobility. He might be a good piece against the Spurs, but not the Suns (or Warriors).

We'll see how this shakes out. Last week, his agent's spokeswoman said this process could drag on for some time.

-- Jeff

End of the line for Pops?

Now that the Mavs are set to sign power forward Brandon Bass off their summer league team, and draft pick Nick Fazekas figures to get a spot on the 15-man roster (he does, doesn't he?), is this the end of the line for the affable Pops Mensah-Bonsu?

If it is, it's too bad. He's a hard-working player and a really good guy too. But, this is a business about winning, not making friends. The Mavs really hoped Pops would be their man. He's been in the organization a full season, had a strong showing in the D-League and looked to be on the verge of sticking with the club when the summer started. His summer leaugue performances have been OK. I'm not sure the Mavs have been blown away by him as they hoped.

Bass, 22, showed a lot of poise and ability. He has a strong frame and could be a solid addition at the end of the bench, someone who can compete for minutes by being a hustler and throwing around some toughness and muscle.

The Mavs have until Aug. 31 to make a decision on Pops, either release him and let him find a new team or extend his contract for next season.

But, with Bass and point guard J.J. Barea looking like they'll both be on the roster come training camp, only two roster spots remain with Fazekas, Reyshawn Terry, the draft pick the Mavs traded for on draft night, and Pops all looking to make it. And there's still a chance the Mavs sign other veteran free agents.

So the window is definitely closing.

-- Jeff

Cuban backs league

Mark Cuban has been a harsh critic of NBA refereeing during his course as Mavericks owner, and he's been fined heftily for voicing his criticisms.

But on the day when shocking news hit that one of the NBA's veteran refs was involved in a betting scandal with mob thugs, Mark Cuban swoops in to add his perspective, a very league-friendly perspective, via his blog.

Cuban writes:

"Every company of any size has had a problem(s) that its CEO and stakeholders have lost sleep over. Its the law of big numbers. If enough things go on, something is going to go wrong.

"Products get recalled or are tampered with. There are workplace disasters. There is corruption. No industry is immune. Churches, consumer products, law enforcement, cars, planes, trains and plenty more. No profession is immune. From the CEO who misrepresents corporate numbers or events at the expense of shareholders, to the doorman who tips himself from the cover charge at the expense of the club owner, people of every profession make bad decisions.

"[Stuff] happens. Bad [stuff] happens. When it does, there are two options. Cry over it and do nothing or recognize the problem and do the best you possibly can to not only fix it, but make the entire organization stronger...

"As bad as the allegations facing the NBA today are, it's also an opportunity to face every allegation that has ever been directed towards the NBA and its officials and pre empt them from ever occuring in the future.

"Calamity can be a catalyst for significant change."

-- Jeff

Cuban gives his two cents ...

... via his personal blog.

For all the talk and "controversy" regarding the relationship between Mavs owner Mark Cuban and NBA commissioner David Stern, it's quite refreshing to see Cuban as the voice of reason. He makes sense here as he offers his full support to Stern.

-- Garza, Mavs Lite

Crooked ref...

Surely the first thing Mavs fans thought when news of the betting ref broke was, "See, the Mavs were robbed in the 2006 Finals." Unfortunately for the conspiracy set, Bennett Salvatore is not the crooked ref (neither is Joey Crawford, Spurs fans). The poor sap is apparently Tim Donaghy, NBA veteran official, who did not ref a single game in the Finals against Miami. And he won't be blowing his whistle again.

-- Jeff

No Franchise

So Stevie Franchise is going home, back to the Houston Rockets, who now have something like 7 point guards on the roster. The Rockets have some trading to do before the season. It's a pretty good, low-risk deal for Houston, paying Francis $2.4 mil next season. Francis can opt out at the end of the season, so a good season means he can cash in again, most likely with the Rockets again.

That gives the Rockets Francis, Tracy McGrady, the player they acquired when they traded Francis to Orlando in 2004.

As for the Mavs, it's more wait-and-see. Chris Webber is still out there and his reps say it will be a while before his plans are set. The Mavs still have interest in James Posey and apparently P.J. Brown, if he decides to play again.

What does Eddie Jones do for you? That's the latest name bantied about. Jones will be 36 before the regular-season starts. He can hit the 3 and might be a good role player, but Miami didn't think much of him to re-sign him. And if the Mavs do grab him, then they'll have Jones, Devean George and Greg Buckner.

At that point, isn't a trade necessary? They can't deal George during the summer so could Buck be the pawn they use to clear roster space?

Like the Mavs, just wait and see...

-- Jeff

Devin determined to improve

A lot has been made of Devin Harris' role with the Mavs and what he could potentially mean to the team's quest for a championship. He has the size, quickness and athletic ability to be a star, but has been a bit slow to grasp the nuances of running an NBA offense. Jeff Caplan catches up with in Harris in Las Vegas, where he finds a point guard who is determined to lead the Mavs to success.

Stack-tacular!

It’s official. Jerry Stackhouse’s three-year deal to return to the Mavericks is done, the team announced Friday.

The total contract could be worth more than $21 million. Stackhouse, 32, enters his fourth season as the Mavs’ sixth man and his 13th in the league.

The 6-6 swingman played in 67 games last season, averaging 12.0 points, 2.8 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 24.1 minutes. He shot a career-high 38.3 percent from the 3-point line.

His leadership and toughness are assets Mavs coach Avery Johnson said he wanted back on the team.

-- Jeff Caplan