Full-Court Press

Marion the starter at small forward -- but will it be permanent?

 
Rick Carlisle said before Thursday night’s game that
he “absolutely’’ wants to have a set starting lineup,
particularly at the small-forward position, when the Mavericks head into the
playoffs in three weeks.
 
Shawn Marion will be starting tonight at small forward, and Carlisle
said it’s likely coming down to Marion and Peja Stojakovic to be the
starting small forward.
 
“I’d like to get something consistent
going,’’ Carlisle said. “I don’t know that we’re
going to get to an exact rotation at any point. I think we know who our nine or
10 main guys are. But the last time we played these guys, Brian Cardinal ended
up being the most important player because of fouls. We were stinking that
night and he came in and charged us up. With the value of our roster, I
don’t see us getting into an eight-man rotation. I think we’ll play
nine guys with the other three guys definitely playing.’’
 
And for now, Marion will be the starter. But that
doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way.
 
Marion has averaged 14.9 points in 16 games as a starter. He’s
played 30.5 minutes in those games.
 
He’s averaged 11.2 points as a reserve, playing 26.9
minutes per game. He’s averaged the same amount of rebounds regardless.
 
The Mavericks’ record with Marion as a starter is
6-10, but that record is skewed because many of those starts came when Dirk
Nowitzki was out with a knee injury.
 
“Marion’s going to start tonight and I think the
(Michael) Beasley matchup merits that,’’ Carlisle said.
“I’m not going to say this is written in stone at this point, but
both Peja and Marion have played very well, both starting and off the bench. So
we’re going to take a hard look at this.’’
 
Consider tonight the opening arguments in the court battle
for the starting spot.
 
Eddie Sefko
 
 
 

Mavericks have to play like this is the Lakers, not the Wolves

The Mavericks expect to have a fully functional roster
tonight, apart from Caron Butler, who continues to make progress but
won’t have a shot at playing until at least the playoffs, and Dominique
Jones, who also is injured.
 
It’ll be interesting to see who is on the inactive
roster along with those two players.
 
Regardless of who is, the Mavericks have to approach this
game not like they’re playing a short-handed Timberwolves team, but like
they are playing themselves.
 
“This game is about how we’re playing right
now,’’ coach Rick Carlisle said. “We certainly want to win,
but we have to play the style of game that’s going to be best for us to
get where we want to go.
 
“This is part of being ready for the playoffs. This is
much more about how we’re playing than which opponent we’re
playing. We’ve got to play a style of game at a level of persistence that
gives us our best chance not only to win tonight, but to win in the playoffs
and keep winning. That’s what we’re talking about. But we got to do
it on the court.’’
 
Eddie Sefko
 

Allegiance must run deep at K-State

Driving up to the AAC nearly three hours before the game, I
noticed a gaggle of folks in purple.
 
They weren’t Lakers’ fans. They were all wearing
Kansas State shirts, apparently in support of Michael Beasley, who was at
K-State for one season before jumping to the NBA.
 
That’s a lot of love for a guy who only got the
Wildcats out of the first round in the NCAA Tournament, where they were
summarily whacked by Wisconsin.
 
Anyway, it’s interesting that Beasley sold a few
tickets to this game, which otherwise has all the attraction of a chess match.
 
Eddie Sefko
 

Mavericks' 50th win is enough to spoil folks

The Mavericks, in all likelihood, will win their 50th
game of the season tonight when they meet the woeful and Kevin Love-less Minnesota
Timberwolves at AAC.
 
That will make it 11 consecutive seasons with at least 50
wins. Only the Spurs (current) and the Lakers of the Magic Johnson era had longer
stretches, each with 12 in a row.
 
The difference, of course, is that those teams won multiple
championships and the Mavericks’ cupboard is bare in that respect.
 
But count Jason Kidd among those who believes that fans
– and the Mavericks themselves – should not take 50-win seasons for
granted. Kidd has seen the other side, having won far less than 50 games
numerous times in his career, including in his first run with the Mavericks in
the forgettable ‘90s.
 
“You can get spoiled as a fan and that can be unfortunate
because it’s not a guarantee that you’re going to win 50 games
every year,’’ he said. “It can turn very quickly the other
way. Sometimes you can get spoiled. But I think we all know winning 50 games
means a lot, but at the same time, to win a championship is more
important.’’
 
The Mavericks can’t do anything about their playoff
struggles until next month. But they insist they are grinding into playoff mode
now and trying to set the pegs up correctly for postseason success.
 
Rick Carlisle, who can push his career winning percentage to
.600 tonight with a win, gave a nod to Mark Cuban for the Mavericks’
success.
 
“It starts with the ownership,’’ he said.
“To be that good for that long, you have to make the commitment, spend
the money on players and create an environment of winning and Mark’s done
that here.’’
 
Eddie Sefko
 

From here on out, the Mavs want to be the aggressors

DALLAS _ For whatever reasons, NBA referees have a tendency to swallow their whistles once the playoffs starts.

Fouls that were called during the regular season suddenly don’t get called. And the team that’s the most aggressive is the team that gets the lion’s share of the calls.

It is what it is.

“And we have to want to be the aggressors,’’ Mavs center Tyson Chandler said. “The last couple of days of practice if we play anywhere near the way we competed against each other in the last couple of days of practices, we’ll be fine against anybody. I don’t care who it is.’’

In other words, Chandler insists the Mavs have turned up the defensive temperature lately. Even if it has only been against themselves – in practice – and not against anyone in a live NBA game.

But can a Mavs team who their own coach described as “soft’’ a few weeks ago hit a magic button and all of a sudden become a physical beast?

“It’s just the nature of the game,’’ Chandler said. “When teams try to turn it up you have to be smarter and you have to execute better, and you have to make harder cuts.

“You have to set good screens, you have to execute your offense, you have to run back on defense and you have to communicate. It’s more so when the games start to getting rough and the game starts to getting physical and it starts getting fast, you almost have to slow down and then continue to execute without getting all rattled.’’

And above anything else, the Mavs have to be the aggressors. They know this is not the time of year to be meek.

Chandler said of the Mavs: “If we can play through the way we’ve been playing the last couple of days in practice and execute our offense and get into teams defensively, I feel like there’s no reason why we can’t compete against other teams.’’

-- Dwain Price

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@DwainPrice

Mavs need stability at the starting small forward spot

DALLAS _ Ever since the Dallas Mavericks lost Caron Butler on New Year’s Day to a season-ending knee injury, it seems like nearly everybody on the roster has had their turn trying to fill the team’s small forward role.

That includes second-year guard Rodrigue Beaubois. And even Sasha Pavlovic -- he had a couple of 10-day contracts with Dallas before he was released two months ago -- had his chance to impress the Mavs.

For now, Peja Stojakovic is back as the starting small forward after missing six games with a stiff neck. Before that, Shawn Marion, DeShawn Stevenson, Corey Brewer and Brian Cardinal had their turn as the Mavs’ starter at small forward.

It’s a situation the Mavs must stabilize before they can be all they can be with the playoffs fast approaching.

“We’ve got plenty of guys,’’ coach Rick Carlisle said. “With Shawn missing a game-and-a-half and then Peja missing a few games, that makes it more challenging because you want to keep those guys involved.

“We have the man power. It’s just we want to get Shawn and Peja really tightly integrated in the last 12 games, and we hope to have that opportunity.’’

Marion is expected back as the first small forward off the bench during Thursday’s home game against Minnesota. But the unsteadiness at the starting small forward position hasn’t raised any red flags, as far as forward Dirk Nowitzki is concerned.

“We’ve done it before where we’ve filled a spot by committee,’’ Nowitzki said. “Over the last couple of years it was the (shooting guard) spot. . .and this year it’s the (small forward) spot.

“To me it doesn’t really matter who starts. We’ve just got to get the job done for that position.’’

-- Dwain Price

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@DwainPrice

Don't ask Nowitzki to rest leading to the playoffs

DALLAS _ As the Dallas Mavericks wind down to the close of the regular season, it may be wise not to talk to Dirk Nowitzki about sitting out a few games just to keep him fresh for the playoffs.

That’s not something the All-Star forward wants to ever hear again.

“Actually one of my worst playoff runs was the ones when I rested and I was rusty in the playoffs,’’ Nowitzki said. “So I always like to go for it.

“I like to have to play for something down the stretch, and that’s when I always have my best playoffs.’’

Nowitzki was referring to the 2007 playoffs. Coach Avery Johnson did not dress Nowitzki in the next-to-last game of the season at Golden State, and the Warriors hammered the Mavs, 111-82.

That victory enabled the Warriors to sneak in the playoffs. The Warriors then became the first No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in a best-of-seven series as they stunned the Mavs in six games.

In the series, Nowitzki was just 36-of-94 from the field for a paltry 38.3 percent. He also never shot at least 50 percent from the floor in either of the six games.

In Game 1 of the series against the Warriors in Dallas, Nowitzki was just 4-of-16 from the field and scored only 14 points as the Mavs suffered a shocking 97-85 defeat. And in the Game 6 series close-out contest, Nowitzki was just 2-of-13 from the floor – and 0-of-6 from three-point range -- and tallied only eight points.

In other words, Nowitzki’s rhythm was all out of whack when Johnson sat him for the game that ultimately gift-wrapped a playoff berth for the Warriors.

So the next time someone asks Nowitzki not to dress for a game so he  can be fresh for the playoffs, they may not want to ask him that question.

“I never like to conserve energy,’’ Nowitzki said. “I always like to go for it and like to go with momentum in the playoffs.

“It might be a little different with (38-year old Jason) Kidd, who obviously is a little older. But I always like the approach of going full steam into the playoffs.’’

-- Dwain Price

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@DwainPrice

Beaubois is making some progress

 

 

DALLAS – Because of an offseason injury that required surgery, Rodrigue Beaubois has only played 16 games this season.

Thus, the second-year guard is nowhere near where the Dallas Mavericks want him to be. The progress – if slow – is taking more time than the Mavs anticipated.

“He gets closer every day,’’ coach Rick Carlisle said after Wednesday’s practice. “We’ve got three weeks or so left (in the regular season) and a lot of different kinds of opponents, a lot of different venues.

“I’m not fool enough to say that anybody has arrived. I think he’s a young player.’’

Beaubois, who had surgery after fracturing his left foot on Aug. 13 while practicing with the French national team, is averaging 11.4 points and 2.5 assists while shooting 48.1 percent from the field. While there have been a few bumps in the road, Carlisle has noticed that opposing players have tried to take advantage of Beaubois’ 6-2, rail-thin 182-pound body.

“A lot of people are going to be trying to beat him up like they have in recent games -- get physical with him – and he’s learned from that,’’ Carlisle said. “We’ve been having physical practices, which is good.

“We’ll continue with all that stuff, and as the days pass he’ll gain more experience.’’

Beaubois was a hot-shot rookie last year and a fan favorite, especially after his 40-point game against the Golden State Warriors. The foot injury, however, set him back and he’s still trying to get indoctrinated with the other starters.

Last Sunday against the Warriors, Carlisle took Beaubois out of the game with 7:36 remaining in the first quarter to give him a short lesson on what he’d done wrong. Some 25 seconds later, Beaubois was back in the game.

“Sometimes in games he gets pulled out so I can point something out to him,’’ Carlisle said. “But the biggest thing that he’s done is his conditioning is continuing to get better, he’s gotten more aggressive on the ball defensively, and we just need him to always be in that posture.’’

-- Dwain Price

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@DwainPrice

With Kevin Love out, T-wolves will plug in another high energy player

DALLAS _ Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle has nothing but high praise for Kevin Love. Even if the Minnesota All-Star forward won’t play (groin) Thursday when the Mavs host the Timberwolves.

“He’s become a high impact player, obviously, this year,’’ Carlisle said Wednesday afternoon. “I don’t know his situation, but if he doesn’t play they’ll have another high energy guy out there running around.’’

Love had a streak of 53 straight double-doubles snapped Mar. 13 at Golden State when he scored just six points to go with 12 rebounds. Then he was injured the very next game -- last Wednesday at Utah.

Carlisle, however, believe the Timberwolves will just plug in Anthony Tolliver to match with Michael Beasley on the frontline and keep on trucking.

“Tolliver or Beasley will move over to (power forward) and then they’ll be harder to guard because they’ll be smaller,’’ Carlisle said. “We’ll see.

“But it’s not about who plays. It’s about how we play.’’

-- Dwain Price

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@DwainPrice

Carlisle not concerned about Duncan's injury

DALLAS _ Rick Carlisle isn’t all wrapped up in the sprained left ankle San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan suffered Monday night against the Golden State Warriors.

Duncan may miss four or five games for the Spurs, who lead the Dallas Mavericks by eight games in the Southwest Division. But that doesn’t concern Carlisle, who coaches the Mavs.

“We don’t play (the Spurs),’’ Carlisle said Wednesday. “We’ve got to tend to our own business.

“We’ve got a very challenging schedule, which I feel is good for us down the stretch. We’ve got an important home game first (Thursday against Minnesota). We can’t be thinking about what other people are doing.’’

-- Dwain Price

Follow me on Twitter

@DwainPrice