Full-Court Press

Nowitzki will see his old running mate Howard Saturday night

When the Mavericks see the Washington Wizards Saturday
night, it should mark the first time that Josh Howard gets to play against the
Mavericks.
 
Howard was drafted by the Mavericks and was a solid
contributor and an all-star in 2007. They traded him a year ago to the Wizards
in the Caron Butler deal and since then Howard has been recovering from knee
surgery whenever the Mavericks have played the Wizards.
 
“He played his heart out here for a long time and I
went to the finals with him,’’ Dirk Nowitzki said. “He had a
nice career and unfortunately things didn’t work out the way we all
wanted. And now he’s in a different situation. He got hurt,
unfortunately. That’s a big blow to any player. But he’s going to
fight back and hopefully have a nice rest of his career.’’
 
Nowitzki said he’ll always feel like he and Howard
formed a special tandem at the forward slots for the Mavericks.
 
“I always said he was kind of a nice compliment to
me,’’ Nowitzki said. “All the things I didn’t do great,
he was great at – the slashing, the putting the ball on the deck,
offensive rebounding. He had a great nose for the ball and we complimented each
other really well when we were all on the same page.’’
 
Eddie Sefko
 

Cuban not going to the Academy Awards

DALLAS -- Mark Cuban seemingly is at several places at the same time. But the Dallas Mavericks' owner won't attend Sunday's Academy Awards in Los Angeles.  

"This is the first year in a long time I’m not going out,'' Cuban said. "I got invited to some great parties, though.''

Cuban has a large stake in the movie business, having founded HDNet. He also was the executive producer for movies such as Good Night Good Luck, Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room, and No End In Sight -- a documentary about the Iraq War.

All of those movies were nominated for Academy Awards, including six for Good Night Good Luck, which was written, directed and starred by George Clooney.

-- Dwain Price

  

Mavericks believe their chemistry is a rare commodity

The Mavericks had “a whole lot of talk, but no action,’’
according to president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson.
 
The trade deadline passed this afternoon and the Mavericks
were perfectly content not to break up their main core and stick with what they
feel is a strong bond between the players they currently have in the locker
room.
 
“Ultimately, you have to give to get,’’
Nelson said. “We were not willing to give up any of our core rotation
guys, because we got a unique thing in that locker room. That’s really
what it came down to. It would have had to be an over-the-top deal, where it
was an absolute no-brainer. Otherwise, we want to give these guys the freedom
to make their run.’’
 
And, as Nelson said, everybody in the organization believes
there is a chance that this could end up being a special season.
 
“I’m right there with Jet (Terry),’’
Nelson said. “There’s no reason why we can’t go the distance
this year.’’
 
Eddie Sefko
 
 

Mavs made no moves as trading deadline passes

DALLAS _ The NBA trading deadline came and went this afternoon without the Dallas Mavericks pulling the trigger on any deals.

"Ultimately you guys know you've got to give to get,'' Mavs GM Donnie Nelson said. "And we were not willing to give up any of our core rotation guys because you've got a unique thing in that locker room.

"That's what really kind of what it came down to. It would have had to have been an over-the-top deal, or it was an absolute no-brainer. Otherwise, we want to give these guys the freedom to make the run.''

Gurd Jason Terry has already gone on record as saying the Mavs already have what it takes to win the NBA title this year.

"I'm right there with JET,'' Nelson said. "There's no reason why we couldn't go the distance this year.''

Which, ultimately, is why the Mavs didn't make a trade today.

-- Dwain Price

Mavericks stand pat

The trade deadline is going to pass here in a minute or so
and the Mavericks are not going to make any deals.
 
Those close to the Mavericks said the team would have no
personnel moves to announce in the wake of the trade deadline.
 
Eddie Sefko
 

Mavs should stand pat

DALLAS _ With the trade deadline a little over two hours away, the Dallas Mavericks ought to do the wise thing and just stand pat.

Sometimes the best deals are the one you never make.

For the past few weeks the Mavs have been telling everyone who would listen that the team they have right now is equipped to win this year's NBA championship. Unless somebody is willing to part with an All-Star for a first- or second-round pick, it's high time for the Mavs to just roll out the basketball and play ball.

Remember, you did tell us this team is equipped to win this year's NBA  title.

-- Dwain Price

Trade deadline to pass with no Mavericks moves, it appears

About 2 hours, 30 minutes remain until the trade deadline
passes, and over here at AAC, it is looking more and more like the NBA’s
swap meet will pass without the Mavericks doing anything.
 
The braintrust has been working. But as they hum along at
41-16, they have no sense of urgency. The Mavericks didn’t feel the need
to trade Caron Butler’s expiring contract for any player who was going to
cost them a heavy salary moving forward.
 
And their peers weren’t giving away players with
expiring contracts who are healthy.
 
So it looks like Butler, as he said all along that he
thought would happen, will be with the Mavericks through the end of this
season, meaning if he gets healthy enough to be contribute a hard-nosed 10 minutes
or so off the bench in the playoffs, the Mavericks will have that option.
 
Meanwhile, we’re still not hearing that the Charlotte
trade of Gerald Wallace to Portland has been signed off on. It was a hot rumor
late last night, but Andre Miller played 37 minutes in the Blazers’ game
against the Lakers, so apparently Portland didn’t think it was on the lip
of the cup.
 
Anyway, we’ll keep you updated if there’s
anything legitimate to report, but this now looks like the team that the
Mavericks will go to battle with for the rest of this season.
 
Maybe.
 
Never discount a waived veteran signing on in that 15th
roster spot.
 
Eddie Sefko
 

Mavericks still seek something for nothing

As mentioned earlier tonight, the Mavericks still have some lines in the water. But the odds of a deal before Thursday’s 2 p.m. trade deadline still seem remote.

The Pistons’ unwillingness to deal Tayshaun Prince is a significant trouble spot. The Mavericks know their most important need is a defensive-minded wing player or big man. But other teams aren’t eager to part with either.

It’s going to go down to the deadline and if somebody hits the panic button, the Mavericks will remain in the mix for somebody like Prince. But again, it appears to be a long shot.

Eddie Sefko

Mavs won't catch Spurs -- in the regular season

DALLAS _ Let's use some common sense and get real serious for a moment.

Barring a serious meltdown by that team in Central Texas, the Dallas Mavericks won't catch the San Antonio Spurs and become the top seed in the Western Conference. The numbers just don't add up.

With 25 games to go, the Spurs are 47-10 while the Mavs are 41-16. If the Mavs finish the stretch run with a 22-3 record, the Spurs would have to go 16-9 just for the Mavs to catch them.

Do you honestly think that's going to happen? The boys in Vegas wouldn't take that bet, and neither should you.

"I think rather than worry about chasing them, we’re focused on ourselves game by game,'' center Tyson Chandler said. "And then the last couple of games, see where we’re at.''

Instead of worrying about catching the Spurs, the Mavs may be wise to concentrate their energy on holding off the Los Angeles Lakers. The Mavs are only two games ahead of the Lakers (40-19) for the No. 2 seed out West, and they still have two games remaining against the Lakers.

-- Dwain Price

Kidd knows why Sloan and Williams are not in Utah

DALLAS _ Dallas Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd believes he knows why, in a span of 13 days, Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan abrutply resigned, and then the Jazz stunningly traded All-Star point guard Deron Williams to the New Jersey Nets. 

"Sometimes your heart and mind come together and say it’s time to move on, and I think that’s what maybe happened with Sloan,'' Kidd said. "And then management, with D-Will, that’s just a management thing.

"They wanted to make a change, so they made a change.''

-- Dwain Price