Although J-Kidd and the Mavs are above .500 for the first time this season, there has yet to be a line-up used more than three times, and the Mavericks are still figuring out coach Rick Carlisle.
One thing Carlisle knows for sure: having Jason for a whole preseason has only helped the team’s cohesiveness. As he told the Dallas Morning News:
“The key for us this year was we had Jason Kidd from the beginning of training camp, and it gave us a chance to integrate him with the rest of our team and see how we were going to play.”
Owner Mark Cuban echoed that sentiment, adding that it has been the collabrative play by Jason and J.J. Barea that is giving the Mavs’ a spark. Cuban spoke to the Star-Telegram:
“Some of our best runs have come with J.J. and J-Kidd playing side by side.”
NEXT UP
Tonight the Mavs’ will take on a team in a similar situation, the Phoenix Suns (11-8) who acquired Shaq mid season last year. The game is Dallas on TNT. Tip is 8pm.
RELATED ARTICLES
As J.J. Barea improves, so do the Dallas Mavericks (Star-Telegram, Dec. 4th, 2008)
http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/story/1073657.html
Dallas Mavericks, Suns have changed with the season (Dallas Morning News, Dec. 3rd, 2008)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/120408dnspomavslede.38e2ce1.html
Mavericks finding their way under Carlisle’s new system (USA Today, Dec. 4th, 2008)
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/mavericks/2008-12-03-carlisle-revival_N.htm