Beaubois is tough as nails

DALLAS _ Rodrigue Beaubois came to the Dallas Mavericks two season ago as a player with a lot of flair and finesse. Now he’s showing them his tough side. “He’s gotten so much tougher in two-and-a-half years,’’ coach Rick Carlisle said. “His first year you would have needed a spatula to get him off the ground. “Honestly, he fell in a heap every time he got touched. He took a lot of heat from his teammates, he took a lot of heat from the coaches, and he’s raised his level of toughness quantum over that period of time.’’ Beaubois’ level of toughness was questioned Monday night when Phoenix Suns guard Sebastian Telfair clobbered him on a fastbreak attempt early in the third period. Telfair was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game, while Beaubois picked himself up off the floor and calmly sank the ensuing two free throws to give the Mavs an 86-74 lead. “The Flagrant 2 play was a massive play in the game – a big momentum play,’’ Carlisle said. “I thought (Beaubois) showed toughness, he showed resolve, he continued to concentrate. “He’s more and more coming to the realization that his game is predicated on the defensive end first, and that’s what’s going to bring us success this year.’’ Beaubois only tallied four points, and was 0-of-5 from the floor. Carlise, however, was not discouraged. “I like Roddy tonight,’’ Caerlisle said. “Nights like tonight where maybe the shots aren’t going in and there’s a couple of uncharacteristic offensive mistakes, he stayed into the game mentally and he was in a stance and he was a positive factor for us. “Look, he’s a smart guy. He understands that if you crumble every time you get hit, they’re going to keep hitting you in this league, and it’s going to be harder and harder to get back up. He gets hit now, he pops back up and boom, he’s ready to go again, and it wasn’t always that way.’’ Dwain Price Follow me on Twitter @dwainprice