Sefko Preview | NBA.com Preview | 3 Shades of Blue | Memphis Last 5: LLLLW | Dallas Favored by 9 | Over/Under 195

Discuss the game here.

GO MAVS

Sefko writes that with the Mavs playing well it is a perfect time to play nine of their next eleven at home.

"We've got to get a home win," said Jason Kidd. "We played some pretty good basketball on the road. Now we've got to take that home."

With nine of their next 11 games at AAC, the Mavericks had better be good at home.

... Interestingly, the Mavericks are playing consecutive games in the same city for the first time this season. Each of their first four home games were followed by games on the road.

-------------------

Jason Terry, says tonights game against Memphis is a must win.

"We haven’t done anything," Terry said. "All we’ve done is win a couple of games on the road. We haven’t won at home yet. It’s very important that we do that. So this next game against Memphis is a must. It’s a must-win for us and we see it no other way."

Mike Fisher points out that history is on the Mavs side tonight.

Dallas has beaten Memphis 15 straight times. Dallas has beaten Memphis in 20 of the last 21 meetings. Dallas is 44-7 against that club. And Memphis' lone franchise highlight, its 2006 playoff appearance? Dallas was there to ruin that, too, with a four-game, first-round sweep of that group, an outcome that at the time looked like the burial of the Grizz' best-ever player, Pau Gasol.

-------------------

Sefko's latest mailbag.

-----------------

Randy Galloway has an article on Cuban.

The Dream Shake | Yao Out |  Sefko Preview | NBA.com Preview  | Rockets Last 5: LWLWW | Houston Favored by 3 | Over/Under 190

So Far This Season:
Houston 112 @ 102 Dallas

Discuss the game here.

GO MAVS

It sure does seem like Kidd has attempted a fairly inordinate amount of three's this season, oh he has...

43 of his 89 field goal attempts this season have been from behind the arc.

That number doesn't include all the three's he has tried to take that have been called two's because he has had his toes on the line.  With those included it would probably increase the total to over 50 and easily raise the overall percentage to over half.

UPDATE: Here's the NBA leaders in 3PA % with a minimum of 80 FGA's.

Two in a row, and a win over the Rockets tonight will make the bad start feel like a thing of the past (but not in the standings....).  Jason Kidd thinks the rough start might help the team in the long run.

"Sometimes you dream about starting off undefeated," Jason Kidd said. "But sometimes it's good to go through something that's going to test a team and see where our character is. Are we going to give into the slow start or fight our way out? And this is a group of guys that's going to fight their way out."

And now everyone is looking forward to the Houston rematch tonight.

"Anytime you lose to a team and you get to play them on a quick turnaround, you’re looking forward to it," Howard said. "We know they’re going to be ready to play, so we have to be ready to keep fighting."

--------------------

The other stuff out there is all about Jerry Stackhouse, with Mark Cuban saying yesterday he would not buy out his contract.

"I won't buy him out. I like having Stack around," Cuban said.

"Stack's an emotional guy, and I give him credit for doing what he thinks will help the team. He was honest with us. And the guy wants to play."

He's definitely on the trading block, but how much interest is out there?

"I’m a little surprised he thinks there’s a better situation out there," said an NBA front-office source. "I think he’s about to get a rude awakening."

---------------------

Mike Fisher looks ahead at the schedule and sees a great opportunity at the start of December.

while Dallas isn't subject to B-2-Bs in those first seven games in December, five of their seven opponents will be going through such a gauntlet.

-----------------

Yao and Artest will both play tonight, and T-Mac is a game time decision.

• 
  It was really nice to see Dallas play a lesser team and convincingly "take care of business" (Dallas never trailed).  It's the type of performance Mavs fans have grown to expect but had been absent this season.
• Charlotte's starters tonight average 16.2, 13.0, 4.4, 9.4, and 3.5ppg.
• On a related note, Dallas started the game with a 15-0 run, and the Bobcats didn't score until 6 minutes and 48 seconds had passed.
• Announced attendance was 10,935, and I don't buy it.
• Josh Howard and Gerald Wallace always draw a lot of comparisons and occasionally generate some debate as to who is better.  Tonight it was easily Josh  -- 21 points on 9/15 compared to Wallace's 8 points on 3-13.
• This is a lazy comp, but James Singleton reminds me of Josh Powell.
• Know your demographic:  Middle of a Mavs game and there's a commercial for T.O and Sam Hurd's radio show.  No big deal, except the whole commercial was T.O talking about how he's a Lakers fan (really?) and Sam Hurd saying he's a Spurs fan.  Oh, well now I have to tune in.
• Jason Kidd's first field goal attempt came with four minutes left in the game.
• Jason Terry was 0-6 behind the arc tonight.  After one particularly awful brick, Bob Ortegel asked, "What was that?  Was that Jason Terry?"  Well, Jason Terry is now shooting 27% from 3 this season.  So it appears the answer is yes, that was Jason Terry.
• DJ Augustin is really good.  I wish he played for Dallas.
• Dirk scored over 30 for the fifth time in just eleven games.  He also has games of 8, 12, and 14.  Odd.
• Rick Carlisle after the game:

"We had it going from the beginning and played fairly well except for about a four minute stretch in the 4th. We just... I'm not sure what we were doing out there. You can't complain about a win with the way things have been going so far. It's important to just get the win and get out of here for tomorrow."

"We're one of the best running teams in the league statistically when we get stops. A lot of that has to do with the defense, and a lot has to do with Jason Kidd. Our best offense is a stop.  40% of our points come from transition and early offense, and the efficiency of those two areas is by far our highest."

"We were showing signs in recent games of being better on the boards.  We played small tonight and it didn't hurt us.  We still had good activity. Bass and Singleton are both strong, active, and dynamic guys.  As long as they can pull down their share, we'll be able to look at those lineups."

Box Score - AP Recap

Sefko Preview | NBA.com Preview | Jason Richardson Out | Dallas Favored by 5.5 | Over/Under 188

Discuss the Game Here

GO MAVS

I really don't have much to add on the Mark Cuban stuff, mainly because I can't add any insight into it, and partly because I don't really care.  Anything worth knowing about the situation can be found at True Hoop.  From everything I've read, if the allegations are found true it will end up costing Cuban far less money than George blocking the initial Kidd trade -- possibly even less than the sum of all his David Stern enforced fines.

All the basketball stuff out there deals with Jerry Stackhouse and his seemingly imminent departure.  Stack isn't happy with his lack of playing time, particularly since he's likely to be a free agent after this season (Dallas has a team option w/ 2 mil guaranteed).

"I play a lot of summer basketball," he said. "When I see [Knicks players] Wilson Chandler, Quentin Richardson and Jamal Crawford scared to guard me in the summertime, but it's not a matchup, a particular game that I should play in, then ..."

"There's always going to be a piece of me that's a Dallas Maverick, regardless of what happens from this day on," Stackhouse said. "As it stands right now, I just think we're drifting in different directions."

These sound like the words of a man with one foot out the door.  And Eddie Sefko says there are three ways that could happen.

There are only three ways that Stackhouse and the Mavericks could divorce - either through a trade, by waiving him or by buying out his contract, which is paying him $7 million this season and is partially guaranteed for $2 million next year.

There is no way the Mavs will just waive him, and if the Mavs cannot find a trade partner they'll likely satisfy his wishes by buying him out.  It's worth noting that despite the whole situation, Stack isn't demanding a trade or causing problems. His relationship with the team is still good, and it's not as if the front office is eager to get rid of him.

"Yeah, it's important for a ton of reasons,'' he said. "I talked with Donnie (Nelson), talked with Mark (Cuban), talked with Rick (Carlisle) about possibly one day coming back here and being part of the coaching staff or the front office with this organization. I'm not going to foil that by my competitiveness. It's just that it might be a better fit elsewhere.''

One way or the other, I'd say it's unlikely Stackhouse will still be a Maverick by December.  The fact is, he's 'surplus to requirements', hasn't played well, and doesn't want to be on the bench here.  Players  like that don't stick around.

Speaking of trades, Mike Fisher says Donnie Nelson is very busy in that regard right now.

------------------

It's November 18th, and Tracy McGrady is hurt.

------------------

I thought this was a little weird.  Stackhouse singled out the Knicks game as one he thought he should be playing in, but Sefko is reporting that Stackhouse won't be active tonight because of injury.

He's also fought a sore right heel, in which he recently got a cortisone shot and which will keep him out of tonight's game in Charlotte and probably a few more.

So has Stackhouse already played his last game for Dallas?

Can't say that I'm shocked...

Eddie Sefko is reporting that Jerry Stackhouse is talking with his agent and exploring his options to find a new team -- including a possible buyout.

"The team is always going to protect themselves, so I can't force their hand to do anything,'' Stackhouse said. "I don't really know all the options right now. I talked to Jeff (Schwartz, his agent) yesterday and we've had dialogue over the last few weeks and it's like we were going to keep playing it out. And it's to the point now where it's time to start researching some things and see if there are some other possibilities that make more sense for me right now.''