AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Don't ask Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle about the 19 different starting lineups he's used this season without getting an earful.
"I’m tired on hearing about 19 starting lineups being a lot,'' Carlisle said while smiling after Friday morning's shoot around at The Palace of Auburn Hills. "I had 31 one year, so you guys can all go (bleep) yourself.
"And I mean that in the most endearing way.''
Lineup No. 19 for the Mavs came this past Wednesday against Houston when point guard Mike James made his first start of the season in place of Darren Collison. For Carlisle, he said the move was a coach's decision and nothing out of the ordinary.
"As you can tell this year, nothing is permanent,'' Carlisle said. "Nothing is basicially going to be set in stone.
"One of the characteristics of this team is that they’re a wide-ranging array of different pieces that we have. Sometimes we’re going to have to do things based on matchups, sometimes we’re going to have to do things based on performance, sometimes we’re going to have to do things based
on situations.''
In other words, starting lineup No. 20 for the Mavs could be just around the corner. Maybe even tonight at 6:30 when the Mavs face the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
Carlisle has informed his players not to automatically think they're going to be in the starting lineup one game after they were in the starting lineup the previous games.
"They’ve been very professional about everything, and that’s all you can ask,'' Carlisle said. "My job in these situations is always to communicate with these guys and let them know the what and the why, and that’s what I try to do.
"The spirit of it is we’re trying to win games. I like our guys and we’re going to keep scrambling through this thing.''
-- Dwain Price
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@dwainprice
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