Full-Court Press

Easy choice to start Tyson Chandler, and other musings from Rick Carlisle

After the way the regular-season opener went, it was no
secret that Tyson Chandler will be the starter again tonight against Memphis.
Rick Carlisle confirmed that at shootaround and he added that the center
position will continue to be fluid with Brendan Haywood also perhaps a starter
at times.
 
With fouls, injuries and the fact that being on the court at
crunch time is usually more important to most players than starting, it makes
no sense to create any kind of “situation’’ with the centers.
 
“Out of respect to both guys, the thing to do is to go
day to day and we’re always evaluating,’’ Carlisle said. “Brendan’s
a top center in this league and so is Tyson. We feel that combination gives our
team a plus. I don’t want to diminish anybody’s importance whether
they start or don’t start.’’
 
Meanwhile, the Mavericks will play a Memphis team tonight
that will be missing Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, the Grizzlies’ top two
inside players. All that means is that the visitors will rely heavily on the
outside trio of Mike Conley, O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay, all of whom are the kind
of quick players that seem to nag the Mavericks.
 
“They’re all explosive and capable of getting
30-point nights,’’ Carlisle said. “We’re going to have
to contain and contest shots and only give them one opportunity. Even though
they’re not going to have some of their longer guys, they’re still
very active going to the offensive boards.’’
 
By the way, the Mavericks seemed to have a very businesslike
approach at shootaround this morning. Carlisle said Dirk Nowitzki, who had a
monster season opener, is largely responsible for cultivating the serious
approach to the start of the season.
 
“His camp was good and his concentration was good,’’
Carlisle said of Nowitzki, who had28 points and 13 rebounds against Charlotte. “But
like most great players, he cycles toward the regular season. He was great in
the first game and obviously we want to continue that. The best players are
always going to set the tone. Him, J-Kidd, Jet, those three guys kind of set
the tone for the entire club.’’
 

Don't overlook Caron Butler against Memphis

Anybody who scanned the box score of the opener Wednesday
against Charlotte saw that Caron Butler played 34 minutes and shot 5-of-16 from
the field. He had 13 points, four assists and three turnovers.
 
Not exactly eye popping.
 
However, it’s worth noting that Butler also had to
guard Gerald Wallace a lot and that Wallace only had 16 points on 5-of-14
shooting. Butler also had seven of his points in the first eight minutes of the
game, when the Mavericks were building a 17-point lead.
 
“If he was playing 38 or 39 minutes like he was at
Washington last year, he’d be an 18 to 22 point scorer,’’
coach Rick Carlisle said. “That’s where things are different in our
culture this year. We just got to approach this as, how do we get this win.’’
 
Shawn Marion and Butler both fit into that description of
just doing things that won the opener. Marion had seven rebounds in 26 minutes,
but added a game-clinching dunk.
 
Butler had too good of a preseason to simply dismiss him
after one off shooting night. It would not be shocking at all to see him come
back with a big-time offensive night Friday against the Grizzlies.
 

In praise of Jason Kidd

Larry Brown has been around forever and has seen enough
basketball to know when somebody is playing it the right way.
 
Jason Kidd played it the right way Wednesday night.
 
“Jason Kidd just dominated the game,’’
Brown said. “We had trouble guarding him. He got everyone the ball –
so unselfish. I don’t think Dirk or Terry took a tough shot. They had
great looks because of him (Kidd).’’
 

Kidd miffed, Haywood adjusting

With 2:56 left in the first half Wednesday night, Jason Kidd
flipped a pass toward Shawn Marion that ended in a turnover.
 
“That was actually an easier pass than a lot of the
others,’’ Kidd said.
 
Yeah, the nerve of him. One turnover on a night when he had
18 assists.
 
Kidd wasn’t happy about that one miscue, but an
18-to-1 assist/turnover ratio puts Kidd on a record-setting pace, no doubt. He was
masterful throughout the night during the Mavericks’ 101-86 win over the
Charlotte Bobcats.
 
More importantly, he played less than 32 minutes, a number
that should suit him well in his 17th NBA season.
 
“If I’m playing 31 minutes and we win, maybe we
should have tried that a long time ago,’’ he said.
 
Meanwhile, Brendan Haywood said he’s adjusting to the
notion of coming off the bench, with Tyson Chandler getting the start, in part
because coach Rick Carlisle likes the way Chandler interacts with the first team.
 
“Chandler and Haywood are both top-10 centers in the
league,’’ Carlisle said. “I don’t think there’s
any question. You could flip a coin. But I like the way Chandler and Dirk
Nowitzki (mesh). I thought it was a better situation with him next to Dirk
starting games. And I think Haywood and Shawn Marion play well together.’’
 
Haywood was happy with the win, saying: “Sometimes
things don’t go the way you plan. You just got to make the best of it.’’
 

Random thoughts from the Mavericks' season-opening success

 
Some keys to the 101-86 win over Charlotte.
 
By EDDIE SEFKO
 
            **First, it was good to see coach Rick Carlisle
stick Tyson Chandler in the starting linup ahead of Brendan Haywood. Chandler
outplayed Haywood in the preseason and it sends a good message that Chandler
was in the lineup.
 
            **That said, don’t be surprised if Haywood
is the starter at some point as the season moves along.
 
            **Jason Kidd is turning into a freak of nature.
At 37 years old, he shouldn’t be playing like he is some sort of Derrick
Rose or Chris Paul. But there he was, with 15 assists and 12 points after three
quarters, when the Mavericks were up by 13 points. He finished with 18 helpers.
 
            **Shawn Marion didn’t have a lot of big
numbers, but he was active every second he was on the court, which is what the Mavericks
need from him.
 
            **And by the way, did we mention that Dirk
Nowitzki was virtually perfect in the opener. He hit 11 of 13 shots and had 28
points and 13 rebounds.
 

Mavs lose every bit of that lead

They were up 16-0 and that was gone in the NBA equivalent of
a heartbeat.
 
It’s less than three minutes into the second quarter
and Charlotte is up 28-27.
 
This is exactly what owner Mark Cuban and coach Rick
Carlisle are talking about when they say their second unit cannot hold leads,
which is why Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki end up piling on the minutes early in
games and, by extension, have to overcome fatigue later in games and later in
the season.
 

Great start to the season for Mavericks

They went ahead 16-0 against Charlotte beore Nazr Mohammed
hit a couple of free throws.
 
Dirk Nowitzki has hit all three of his shots and the
Mavericks look absolutely stone-cold focused.
 
Tyson Chandler has been terrific controlling the paint and
setting picks and Caron Butler is as active as ever.
 
By the way, the Bobcats were 0-for-5 with four turnovers
during the 16-0 Mav getaway.
 

Jet, Chandler in the starting lineup

Jason Terry will be the starter at shooting guard tonight
for the Mavericks.
 
And there’s another surprise starter – Tyson
Chandler at center.
 

Old nemesis Stephen Jackson back to haunt Mavericks

Shawn Marion was asked whether Charlotte’s Stephen
Jackson was the kind of player that he’d love to have as a teammate but
is pretty much a pain in the neck when you have to go against him.
 
“Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be
for every player?’’ he asked.
 
That’s true, but with Jackson, it seems a little more
pronounced.
 
No Maverick fan will forget the way Jackson terrorized Dirk
Nowitzki in the playoff series against Golden State in 2007. That was one of
Nowitzki’s few dark playoff moments, when Jackson was guarding him and
essentially using his nasty attitude to take Nowitzki out of his game.
 
To find the real essence of Jackson, we went to an inside
source, Tyson Chandler, who was a teammate of Jackson’s at Charlotte last
season, but also has gone against him many times.
 
“I love Jack,’’ Chandler said.
“He’s a great teammate. He can do some crazy things at times, but
as long as he’s with you, he’s for you. You just got to channel it
in the right direction. He’s an incredible player.’’
 
Chandler added that fans who believe Jackson carries his
attitude a bit too far should refer to the brawl in Indiana where he went into
the stands and ended up getting a long suspension for his role in that
regrettable situation.
 
“The perception of who he is has gotten twisted
because of the brawl,’’ Chandler said. “But really, that
almost shows who he is because he went up there for a teammate. He’ll
have your back and give anything for you.
 
“Obviously, that was over the edge, but if he’s
on your side, he’s on your side.’’
 
And when he’s not, he’s not, which the Mavericks
will be reminded of tonight.
 

Mavericks face a hard sell going against Rangers

Though on paper, the bottom line probably will read that
tonight’s season opener will be a sellout, the Mavericks realize they probably
aren’t going to have the usual electricity at American Airlines Center
that usually comes with the home opener.
 
“We’re going to have to create our own energy,’’
coach Rick Carlisle said this morning after the team’s shootaround.
 
There are tickets available, but somehow you know Mark Cuban
will figure out a way to fill the joint.
 
By the way, Carlisle has a message about the World Series,
too.
 
“Rangers in five,’’ he said.