Full-Court Press

Who's going to score?

Against the Grizzlies, scoring wasn't a problem. But with Devin Harris out for up to three weeks, it now will be fascinating to watch and see if the Mavericks' offense is affected. Harris is the fourth leading scorer at 14.4 points a game and those points have to be replaced. So does the 9.9 points Jerry Stackhouse averages.

So what will happen? The best guess here is that Josh Howard's average is about to increase. Dirk Nowitzki has scored 20 or more points in 14 straight games and Howard has accomplished the feat in the last five games.

Howard went through a period about two weeks ago when he missed a game because of a death in his family, and then managed only 11 and 17 points in the next two games. Since then, however, he has averaged 25.0 in the five games.

"Josh is fine," Avery Johnson said. "He went through a tough period there and had some things he had to manage. We talked about it and he came back to us and wasn't really in rhythm, but he’s in rhythm now. He’s strong. . . .  He's playing on both ends and really having a lot of fun. He’s locked in right now. He’s in a good place mentally and physically. He’s gotten stronger because he’s lifted wieghts this year more than he has any other year"

-- Jan Hubbard

Kidd wants back, but do Mavs want/need him?

According to this column on yahoo.com, Jason Kidd wants to return to where it all began -- Big D. What a surprise.

But, do the Mavs really need Kidd? Or want his $20 million salary next season or his previous demands for $20 million more the season after that? Kidd has left his first two stops acrimoniously, Dallas and Phoenix. New Jersey is about to be the third.

Devin Harris, who took over as the starting point guard this season, was just coming into his own before Sunday's unfortunate bone bruise to his left foot, and to trade for the 34-year-old Kidd would be telling Harris, who also signed a five-year, $43 million extension in the offseason, that for the rest of this season and next season and possibly the season after that, you're the backup. Plus, it's doubtful the Nets take on Jason Terry's contract, so the Mavs' latest sixth man, who, in Avery Johnson's perfect world backs up Harris, would fit where?

These are decisions Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson will examine closely. One Mavs executive said to do that to Harris doesn't make sense. Still, the thought of running Kidd with Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard is awfully tempting and could -- could -- be the topper to a championship. Of course, that also depends on who the Mavs must give up. A deal for Kidd might give the Mavs a significant trio, but could also leave them extremely thin.

And reality is that the Mavs probably can't alone can't pry Kidd. A third team would have to get involved to make the finances work. Obviously, Dirk Nowitzki wouldn't be part of any deal for Kidd and the Mavs have shown no inclination of dangling Josh Howard, who's posting All-Star numbers again this season and is a clear fan favorite and fixture in the franchise. Harris' extension, which kicks in next season, makes him nearly impossible to include into a deal, so the Mavs lack the one young, centerpiece player to ship to New Jersey.

The trade deadline is Feb. 21. With the Nets spiraling out of control, the Mavs missing their main point guard and the West up for grabs, it will be an interesting three weeks.

-- Jeff Caplan

Grizzly blowouts

Tonight's game wasn't exactly close (or watchable unless you like bloodbaths), and the Mavs ended up winning the game 103-84. They now have a nine-game winning streak against the Grizzlies and are 42-7 lifetime versus the teams in Vancouver/Memphis.

With the game not being compelling or competitive, it makes you wonder: how does tonight's 19-point blowout rank all time? Surprisingly, it's only the seventh largest win the Mavs have had over the Grizzlies. The top 5:

1) 37 points
January 25, 2001: 120-83
Mike Bibby, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (remember him!) all scored 13 points for the Griz and Michael Dickerson and workhorse Bryant Reeves had 11 apiece. Meanwhile, Dirk, Nash, Fin and Hubert Davis led the Mavs and combined for three less points than the whole Grizzlies team.

2) 27 points
March 1, 2003: 114-87
The Grizzlies had five players in double digits and the Mavs only had four. By that fact, you'd think this would have been a little closer, but it most certainly wasn't. Dirk's 28 was a game high and Fin and Eddie Najera both had double doubles.

3) 26 points
May 1, 2006: 102-76
This was Game 4 of the First Round of the playoffs, and the Mavs rounded out their sweep with quite a marauding. Dirk and Josh combined for 52 points and the Mavs tromped the Grizzlies in virtually every statistical category.

4) 24 points
Nov. 6, 2004: 112-88
Damp had his first double-double as a Maverick with 13 points and 18 rebounds while Dirk had 22 points and 13 rebounds and the Mavs won the third game of the season handily.

5) 21 points
April 11, 2005
The 2004-05 season was quite unkind to the Grizzlies when they played the Mavs. They lost all four meetings by a combined 78 points, including this gem in which six Mavs scored in double figures.

Note: The Mavs have dropped two of their seven losses to the Grizzlies by 20 points or more. Nov. 8, 2000 they lost 101-74 and Nov. 26, 2005 they lost 112-92.

-Scooter Hendon, Hoops Nerd

Harris doing OK

Devin Harris watched the first half of tonight's game against the Grizzlies from the American Airlines Center where he was receiving treatment for the bone bruise on his left foot that will keep him out likely up until the All-Star break in mid-February.

Harris said the MRI, which revealed the bone bruise Monday, was actually good news because as of Sunday night, the medical staff believed it was worse that it turned out to be.

Harris said he hopes to be back in the lineup in three weeks. He said he got over the disappointment of getting hurt and realizing he'd miss some big games coming up just as he and the team were on a roll.

"It happens," said Harris has he made his way from the AAC to his home to watch the second half. "It's probably the worst time, I was playing well, but you have to treat it as one of those things that happens."

Harris' left foot will remain in a boot for about a week to 10 days and he'll hold onto the crutches for the next two or three days. He's not sure if he'll join the team for the Boston-Detroit-Orlando segment of the trip.

But, the thought of being sedentary for the next few weeks isn't a pleasant one.

"I'm not a big fan of sitting and watching," Harris said.

-- Jeff Caplan

Grizzlies are kind of grisly

Well, in the first quarter at least, it would seem that Memphis is the perfect team for the Mavericks to face after losing Devin Harris for up to three weeks, and maybe more. Harris has a bone bruise on his left ankle so Jason Terry started tonight. After one period, Dallas is leadinig 33-19 and Josh Howard is doing his regular first-quarter thing. He has 14 points, which makes this the fourth time in the last five games he has 10 or more.

As far as what the Mavericks are going to do, they say they have no plans to bring in a temporary replacement for Harris. And head coach Avery Johnson said the only choice the team has right now is to await Harris and Jerry Stackhouse, who has a strained hamstring, to get better.

"We had a moment there where we had a chance to see our team," Johnson said, "but now we have two guys that are out of the rotation so some of the other guys are going to have to play."

Of course, the Harris injury comes at the worst time for Dallas. The next three games are against Eastern Divison leaders Boston, Detroit and Orlando.

So the Mavericks will be enjoying their time in Memphis -- at least if it continues like this.

-- Jan Hubbard

Harris has bone bruise

An MRI revealed that Devin Harris has a left ankle bone bruise and will be shut down for two to three weeks, the team announced. It could be longer before he actually returns to action.

He will miss this key upcoming road trip starting tonight at Memphis and followed by Boston, Detroit and Orlando. He'll likely be out through the All-Star break which starts on Feb. 15, which also means missing a game at Phoenix on the final night before the break.

-- Jeff Caplan

Harris getting MRI now

Devin Harris is undergoing an MRI at the moment, as of 11:30 a.m. Results should be available soon, which the team should disseminate this afternoon.

For the Mavericks' sake, hopefully Harris' sprained left ankle isn't serious, but it didn't look good when he left the arena last night on crutches, his foot in a boot and applying no pressure to it.

If he's out for an extended period of time, it will certainly fuel trade specuation with the deadline coming fast on Feb. 21. With the Mavs in Memphis tonight, they won't play against point guard Damon Stoudemire. The Grizzlies have agreed to buy out the remainder of his contract. He is set free today and can sign with any team.

Boston appears to be the leader, but reports have the Raptors interested, but the Suns and Spurs are also reportedly checking in, so if Harris is out, the Mavs might want to get in the running. He'd be a cheap addition, requiring the $1.2 million veteran minimum.

Then there's the always hot storyline of Jason Kidd, which heated up again today with the Mavs, as usual, being front and center in a potential deal to bring the 34-year-old point guard's career full circle.

-- Jeff Caplan

Catching up with...the Memphis Grizzlies

The Mavs will play the first of a four-game road trip tonight, the longest they have undertaken so far this season. They will start out with the Memphis Grizzlies, a team they traditionally abuse. The Mavs have now won eight in a row against Memphis and won their previous meeting this season 108-105. The Grizzlies have won 3 out of their last 6, which is only their second time they have done that all season.

Mighty Mike
With Pau Gasol out last season, Mike Miller had the opportunity to carry the Grizzlies for a large chunk of the season. Now that Gasol is back and Rudy Gay has emerged as a solid player, Miller has proved the doubters wrong and sustained his impressive play. He is averaging 16.9 points per game, but the most impressive part of his game is his shooting percentages. He's shooting 51.8 percent from the floor (best on the team) and 44 percent from the three-point line (also a team best).

Rudy, Pau and Mike
The Grizzlies have a solid big three in Rudy Gay, Pau Gasol and Mike Miller and can pin any success they have on those three excelling at the same time. Their paltry 13-31 record tells you that success has been fleeting, but it's tough to talk badly about these three guys. The rest of the player and the coaching staff...well that's another story.

They're not going to stop you
They can score in bunches, especially from long range. But don't expect them to put up much of a fight on the defensive end. They are 29th in the league in defense and you won't see them getting a lot of steals in the Mavs. They are also sloppy and commit 15.7 turnovers per game.

Burning question
Will they trade Pau Gasol and go into rebuilding mode?

-Scooter Hendon, Hoops Nerd

Devin hurt

Mavericks point guard Devin Harris left American Airlines Center on crutches, his sprained left ankle raised and in a boot.

He said X-rays were negative and he'll undergo an MRI on Monday. He won't travel with the team to Memphis.

He was in good spirits as he left the building. Harris was carried off the court at 7:53 of the fourth quarter after he crash-landed on a driving layup. He fell awkwardly and collided with several cameramen on the baseline and immediately grabbed his ankle, which he mildly sprained on Friday against the Lakers.

-- Jeff Caplan

No Melo?

Looks like Carmelo Anthony might not play this evening against the Mavs. Anthony, voted in as an All-Star starter, is listed as questionable. He's not on Denver's probable starters list.

That's 25.5 points and 7.0 rebounds out of the lineup to be filled by Linas Kleiza, a third-year forward out of Missouri, who's been pretty hot of late.

-- Jeff Caplan