Full-Court Press

Carlisle said Mavs played selfish against the Spurs

SAN ANTONIO -- Coach Rick Carlisle dropped a bombshell after the San Antonio Spurs tore through his Dallas Mavericks, 129-91, Sunday night at the AT&T Center.

Asked what was it that perturbed him so much about the one-sided loss to the Spurs, Carlisle said: “A lack of competitiveness, selfishness and a lack of commitment to one another. It’s something we can’t accept and I’ve got to work harder at turning these guys into a team.

“At this point we don’t look like we’re very close. But we’re going to keep at it.’’

Told of Carlisle's utter disappointment in the Mavs, point guard Darren Collison said:  "I can see his viewpoint. If he sees that, then we’ve got to clean it up and we’ve got to make sure there is no selfish play out there, because if we continue to play selfish, then we’re not going to be able to win
games like this.''

Center Elton Brand,who played for the first time since missing three games with a strained right groin,wouldn't admit if he saw anyone playing selifish basketball against the Spurs.

"It's my teammates, so I'm going to stick with my teammates,'' Brand said. "If there was selfish play, I don't think they did it selfishly.''

Collison, meanwhile, believes the Mavs, who are 12-16 and have dropped six of their last seven games, will eventually get their ship turned in the proper direction.

"I think we have the personnel to get this right,'' Collison said. "We’re relatively new to each other, but at the same time we can bring it together and make this right.’’

-- Dwain Price

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Spurs embarrass the Mavs, 129-91

SAN ANTONIO -- Dirk Nowitzki played his first game of the season Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs. But it didn't matter.

The Spurs converted a franchise record 20 three-pointers and picked up a seaosn-high 17 steals and went on to rout the Mavs, 129-91, at the AT&T Center. It was the Mavs' worst beating of the season.

In his first game since undergoing arthroscopic right knee surgery on Oct. 19, Nowitzki played 20 minutes, scored eight points, grabbed six rebounds and collected one steal.

"I tried to give it a go,'' said Nowitzki, who was 3-of-4 from the field. "I knew my minutes were going to be limited, but I just gave it a go.''

Darren Collison led the Mavs with 15 points, Vince Carter scored 13 and Chris Kaman had 10.

The Spurs got 25 points from Danny Green, 18 points and six assists form Tony Parker, and 17 points from Kawhi Leonard.

At one point in the second half, the Spurs led by 46 points. Overall, it was the sixth time the Mavs have lost by 20 or more points this season.

The Mavs are 12-16 and won't play until until Thursday in Oklahoma City.

-- Dwain Price

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Mavs must defend the three and pick-and-roll

SAN ANTONIO -- There are two important things the Dallas Mavericks have to consider defensively tonight at 6 when they play the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center.

And if the Mavs can at least control one of them, perhaps they'll be able to get out of town with a victory.

"They’re a great team and they have been for a long time,'' coach Rick Carlisle said of the Spurs. "We’re going to have to do a job on their pick-and-roll game, which is as good as anybody in the league.

"And it’s going to be a game where we’re going to have to scramble and take away quality three-point opportunities because they’ve got a bunch of guys who can hit them.’’

The Spurs are third in the NBA in scoring (104.2 points per game) and fifth in three-point shooting (.374 percent).

-- Dwain Price

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Carlisle marvels at what Duncan has accomplished

SAN ANTONIO -- Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said what San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan has been able to accomplish this season has been absolutely remarkable.

Duncan is averaging 17.5 points and 10.4 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per game. Not bad for someone who'll turn 37 years old in April.

"He's a good example on how you can’t ever underestimate greatness at any age,'' Carlisle said after Sunday's shoot around at the AT&T Center. "Obviously he takes tremendous care of himself and loves
and respects the game.

"When you have those things going for you, when you have the ability that he has, you do can it for a long time.''

This is the most minutes Duncan has played since he averaged 31.3 minutes during the 2009-'10 season. He's also second on the Spurs in minutes played this season behind point guard Tony Parker, who is averaging 32.7 minutes per contest.

"What I see is that he's playing more minutes,'' Carlisle said. "I don’t know what his minutes are, but they’ve got to be up.''

Duncan has played in 27 of the Spurs' 28 games and has registered 15 double-doubles. In a way, he looks like the old Tim Duncan who used to consistently terrorize opponents.

"They’re going to him in the post more and he's getting it done,'' said Carlisle, whose team play the Spurs at 6 tonight. "I know in the past they’ve been pretty vigilant about keeping his minutes down and stuff.

"They wouldn’t be playing him more minutes if he wasn't feeling great and wanting to be out there playing great. So I think it’s a function of those things, too.’’

-- Dwain Price

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Carlisle marvels at what Duncan has accomplished

SAN ANTONIO -- Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said what San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan has been able to accomplish this season has been absolutely remarkable.

Duncan is averaging 17.5 points and 10.4 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per game. Not bad for someone who'll turn 37 years old in April.

"He's a good example on how you can’t ever underestimate greatness at any age,'' Carlisle said after Sunday's shoot around at the AT&T Center. "Obviously he takes tremendous care of himself and loves
and respects the game.

"When you have those things going for you, when you have the ability that he has, you do can it for a long time.''

This is the most minutes Duncan has played since he averaged 31.3 minutes during the 2009-'10 season. He's also second on the Spurs in minutes played this season behind point guard Tony Parker, who is averaging 32.7 minutes per contest.

"What I see is that he's playing more minutes,'' Carlisle said. "I don’t know what his minutes are, but they’ve got to be up.''

Duncan has played in 27 of the Spurs' 28 games and has registered 15 double-doubles. In a way, he looks like the old Tim Duncan who used to consistently terrorize opponents.

"They’re going to him in the post more and he's getting it done,'' said Carlisle, whose team play the Spurs at 6 tonight. "I know in the past they’ve been pretty vigilant about keeping his minutes down and stuff.

"They wouldn’t be playing him more minutes if he wasn't feeling great and wanting to be out there playing great. So I think it’s a function of those things, too.’’

-- Dwain Price

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Beaubois can be the Mavs' savior -- again

SAN ANTONIO -- It seems like ever since he joined the Dallas Mavericks in 2009, Rodrigue Beaubois was hailed as some sort of savoir.

Well, now Beaubois can really become a savoir for the Mavs.

Again.

Derek Fisher's surprising request to ask the Mavs to release him from his contract this past Saturday has opened up the competition for the starting point guard position. That means it'll be somewhat like training camp all over again for Darren Collison, Dominique Jones and Beaubois.

"I just need to fight and to work hard to get back to playing the way I'm supposed to play,'' Beaubois said. "So I just need to keep working and be ready for the next opposing team, because this league is a league of opportunity.''

Coach Rick Carlisle doesn't have a favorite as far as who he would like to emerge as his starting point guard. He just wants some positive results from all three candidates, including from Beaubois.

"We've got three guys that we feel are capable and we’re going to have to do it by committee,'' Carlisle said. "(The starting spot is) up for grabs.

"I don’t know how else to put it. It's up for grabs.''

Beaubois, meanwhile, is appreciative of the knowledge Fisher dropped his way.

"He’s a great point guard that’s been around, and he knows the game,'' Beaubois said. "He won a lot of championships and he taught us a lot.

"We just need to keep playing the way he showed us how to play. And we need it, because
right now we’re not playing good, so we need to get back in a good rhythm.''

Beaubois said Fisher never gave him any indication that he was homesick and was contemplating a move back to Los Angeles where his family resides. 

"In the NBA you never know what can happen,'' Beaubois said. "Obviously you don’t like to see people go, but you never know what can happen.''

-- Dwain Price

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Dominique Jones could be the starting playmaker

SAN ANTONIO -- With Derek Fisher now an ex-point guard for the Dallas Mavericks, Dominique Jones remarkably is in position to become the Mavs' starting point guard.

Certainly, a case can be made that Jones has played as well as any Mavs point guard during the last two games. The 6-5, 215-pounder collected seven points and seven assists in 26 minutes this past Thursday against the Miami Heat.

And on Friday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, Jones contributed a career-high tying 13 points and seven more assists in a career-high 32 minutes. Now, the door is wide open for Jones to seize the moment and become the Mavs' starting point guard. 

"When the opportunity presents itself you've just got to take advantage of it,'' Jones said after Sunday morning's shoot around at the AT&T Center. "The main thing is just going out there and being aggressive and playing well, keeping everybody involved, and just playing the role of a point guard.

"It's out there, it's right there on the table. It’s just what you’re going to do with it.''

As the Mavs (12-15) prepare to play the San Antonio Spurs (20-8) at 6 tonight, Jones said the best thing for him to do is just forget about what he was able to accomplish against the Grizzlies

"It’s a new day, a new game,'' said Jones, who also had five turnovers against Memphis. "I've just got to come out here and do better than I did then.

"I had some crucial turnovers, and different things that I did I saw on film. Just each game I’m trying to get better.''

Coach Rick Carlisle said he likes the way Jones plays with aggression, and he's fond of the way he attacks the basket.

"He's making a lot of good things happen,'' Carlisle said. "He’s made some turnovers too, so he’s got to cut back on those.''

Jones hopes to learn from some of the leadership qualities Fisher taught him and the team's other point guards.

"I saw the leadership role,'' Jones said. "It just his leadership and how he kept everybody together and on the same page.

"Me looking at that, it puts it in my head that that’s what I’ve got to do. Especially when I’m on the court, and even when I’m off the court.''

-- Dwain Price

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Carlisle appreciates what Fisher did for the Mavs

SAN ANTONIO -– Although Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle only had Derek Fisher for 24 days, those were some very valuable 24 days.

Not only did Fisher start in all nine games that he played in for the Mavs, but he also was part-coach and part-teacher for young point guards Darren Collison, Dominique Jones and Rodrigue Beaubois. And Carlisle will forever be indebted to Fisher for that.

“The only thing I would want to say is how appreciative we are of what he brought to us for three weeks,’’ Carlisle said. “Really, he’s a model of how to approach things professionally.

“He played extremely well and was a plus for the time that he was here, and he set a great example for our young point guards.’’

The Mavs signed Fisher to a one-year, $1.11 million contract on Nov. 29 to help facilitate their point guard spot. But they released him on Saturday -- at Fisher's request -- because he wanted to be back home with his family.

This past Tuesday against the Philadelphia 76ers, Fisher strained his right patellar tendon and was likely going to be sidelined for over two weeks. The extra time away from the court had Fisher wavering about his future with the Mavs.

However, Fisher had already been secretly contemplating a move back to Los Angeles before then.

“I think the injury kind of sealed things,’’ Carlisle said after Sunday’s shoot around at the AT&T
Center. “It’s tough, he’s away from his family and he’s got some kids that are both older and younger.

“It’s a very tough situation for him.’’

-- Dwain Price

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Douglas-Roberts is in San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO -- Chris Douglas-Roberts has made his way to San Antonio and will be at the AT&T Center when the Dallas Mavericks face the San Antonio Spurs tonight at 6 o'clock.

But the Mavs don't want anyone to think that Douglas-Roberts can do for the Mavs what Derek Fisher did for the Mavs. 

"He’s a helluva scorer,'' coach Rick Carlisle said. "He's been scoring a lot of points in the D-League.''

Douglas-Roberts played 11 games for the Texas Legends in Frisco, averaging 22.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 38.5 minutes per game. Douglas-Roberts is 6-7 and 210 pounds, and also shot .494 percent from the field for the Legends, but is more of a shooting guard than a point guard.

"He’ll join us today and he’ll be here tonight,'' Carlisle said. "And I don’t know whether he’ll be active or not.

"It’ll depend on our health situation -- whose going to be active -- and we don’t know that
until later.''

-- Dwain Price

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Carlisle wants to be out of the point guard business

SAN ANTONIO -- First, Delonte West was twice suspended -- and eventually let go -- before the season started for conduct detrimental to the team.

Now, 27 games into the season, Derek Fisher has decided that he misses his family and would like to return to Los Angeles to be by their side.

Those were two completely different scenarios as far as the Dallas Mavericks are concerned. But since both West and Fisher are point guards, those moves have completely hampered what the Mavs have been able to do on both ends of the floor.

It also prompted coach Rick Carlisle to say, after Sunday morning's shoot around at the AT&T Center: "I’d like to get out of the point guard business. I’d like a couple of our guys to jump up and grab the starting spot and the backup spot and have one guy in reserve.

"That’s what I would like to happen and I think those guys have the abilities to do it. But it just hasn't
happened yet.''

The three players left to battle for the starting point guard spots are Darren Collison, Dominique Jones and Rodrigue Beaubois. And Carlisle really doesn't particularly care which one winds up as his starter.

He just wants some stability at the point guard spot.

"We’re doing everything we can to facillitate all three of them being opportunistic about the position in general,'' Carlisle said. "I want to see all three of them play well.

"I don’t have a dog in the hunt as far as seeing somebody that’s my personal favorite. I like all the
guys, they’re all good guys, they all play a little differenty. . .but we need somebody to step forward.''

-- Dwain Price

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@dwainprice