Getting acclimated

- Slowly but surely. He's looking better and better. Another should-be easy game tonight and then the real games start. Big time playoff preview in the next week and a half.

Thursday 2/28 AT San Antonio
Sunday 3/2 AT LA Lakers
Monday 3/3 AT Utah
Thursday 3/6 vs. Houston

Kidd leads Dallas Mavericks past Timberwolves, 99-83

03:28 AM CST on Monday, February 25, 2008
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
esefko@dallasnews.com

MINNEAPOLIS – On top of everything Jason Kidd has accomplished in his career, he flashed perhaps an unexpected asset Sunday night.

He can pull off the rope-a-dope.

Having dished out pass after pass for three quarters with the Dallas Mavericks getting nowhere on the scoreboard, Jason Kidd became an offensive machine in crunch time, leading Dallas to a tougher-than-it-sounds 99-83 win over Minnesota at Target Center.

Playing in his 1,000th game, Kidd missed his 100th triple-double by three rebounds.

But with Minnesota geared to stop his passing, it was the three baskets he hit during a big fourth quarter that cleared the way for the Mavericks' second win in a row.

So what if it came against the two worst teams in the Western Conference, who own a combined 25-84 record? It still brings the Mavs joyfully back to American Airlines Center tonight for Kidd's home debut after last week's monster trade.

He's already shown why the Mavericks believe he's crucial to playoff success this season. Against the Timberwolves, Kidd piled up 14 of his 17 assists through three quarters. Yet the Mavericks were tied after each period.

They won the fourth quarter, 28-12, largely because of Kidd's assertive play.

"How many triple-doubles has he had in his career?" Jerry Stackhouse said. "You've got to have at least 10 points to get them. There are going to be games when we need him to be an effective scorer. They'll play off of him and he's very capable of making them pay and having big scoring nights for us.

"He set everybody up and then all of the sudden, they kind of forgot about him."

Kidd's line was eye-popping: 12 points, 17 assists, seven rebounds, four steals and just three turnovers.

But in the fourth quarter it was even better: seven points, three assists, 3-of-3 shooting, a steal and no turnovers.

With a precarious 81-77 lead, the Mavericks got a layup from Kidd that he said was the result of the defense playing him for the pass. He drilled a jump shot on the next possession and had a three-point play near the end of a 14-2 blitz that put the Mavs up 95-79.

"I was thinking going into the fourth quarter, I was setting the tone for me to get a layup," Kidd said.

Even Kidd's teammates knew it. They told him that on a couple of occasions he had passed up point-blank shots to try to set up a teammate on the perimeter.

"For us to be a great team, he's got to mix it up and score when it's there if they're playing the pass," said Dirk Nowitzki, who had 29 points on 10-of-15 shooting. "And he had some big plays down the stretch.

"It's definitely fun to see. Just put the ball in his hands and let him create, and he makes stuff happen left and right."

And straight ahead, too.

The Mavericks had moved ahead by double figures in the third quarter, but they lost all of that lead by the end of the period. Kidd was out of the game at the start of the fourth quarter, but his return made all the difference.

He had some help, too. Erick Dampier had a solid second half defending Minnesota's Al Jefferson, who had 22 points but only seven after halftime.

"When he got back in, he just took off," coach Avery Johnson said of Kidd. "You just had an all-star point guard that wasn't going to let us lose.

"And Damp's defense on Jefferson in the second half pretty much won the game for us. We couldn't guard him in the first half."

The assist total tied Kidd's season best and for the second game in a row, established a Mavericks season high.

It was a good way to go into his home debut, which comes against a new-look Chicago team without Ben Wallace.

"I'll be nervous," Kidd said. "But at the same time, I got the game under my belt in New Orleans [one day after the trade]. So it's just a matter of going out there and building on the last three games."


- The only Barry I can stand might be coming to Dallas?



If Mavs pursue Barry, they'll have company

By JEFF CAPLANStar-Telegram Staff Writer

MINNEAPOLIS -- With two roster spots that need to be filled by Saturday, the Mavericks are in the hunt for a big man and a 3-point ace named Brent Barry.

The Spurs traded Barry to Seattle for added inside muscle in Kurt Thomas and the Sonics cut him.

In what could have been viewed as a Jerry Stackhouse-style deal, it made sense to believe the injured Barry would sit out the league-mandated 30 days and then re-sign with the Spurs.

But that scenario's apparently not a slam dunk.

So that's where things get intriguing.

Barry can either return to San Antonio, the team he won two titles with and where his family lives, or spurn the Spurs by signing with one of their three key rivals: the Suns, Rockets or Mavs, all interested parties.

When asked about Barry on Sunday, Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said: "We're interested."

Houston, where Barry's analyst brother Jon finished his playing career, is seemingly putting on a full-court press. As for the Mavs, Dirk Nowitzki would only smile when asked if he's made a personal pitch to the 43-percent 3-point shooter and Jason Kidd said he'd welcome Barry.

"I was going to call him and see where his mind-set is, but I haven't had a chance to call," Kidd said. "He makes the game easy. He would definitely help."

That's what the Suns, Rockets and Spurs are thinking, too.

As for the Mavs' seeking to bulk up their interior, Jamaal Magloire, released by the Nets on Friday, will become a free agent Tuesday evening if he clears the 48-hour waiver process.

Forward Justin Williams, released by Sacramento, is also a possibility. Dale Davis is off the table. He re-joined his former team, the Pistons.

"Like other teams, whether it's Boston or Phoenix or L.A. or whomever, we make the same calls to good players that they make," Mavs coach Avery Johnson said.

"Everybody that we talked to is in the wait-and-see decision mode."

Players must be added by Saturday to be eligible for the postseason roster.

Front and center

Without DeSagana Diop, the Mavs' center rotation is moving from a two-man rotation to more of a rotisserie with Erick Dampier, the lone true center, grabbing the lion's share of minutes, Avery Johnson said. Depending on matchups, Dirk Nowitzki, Brandon Bass, Juwan Howard, Malik Allen and any newcomer could rotate in short shifts. Sunday, Dampier played 29 minutes. "At the end of the day it's going to be 12 or 14 minutes," Johnson said. "We know that our defense might suffer in terms of shot blocking [without DeSagana Diop], but we need to get more charges and maybe play some more zone."

Kidd under control

Avery Johnson and Jason Kidd have met several times off the court to better understand each other's tendencies on it, the coach said. "I'm going to let him go in a lot of ways," said Johnson, a micromanager with former point guard Devin Harris. "But there are times where we're going to need him to manage this particular team probably different than he did in New Jersey."

Team building

The re-tooled Mavs gathered for lunch Saturday at a downtown Minneapolis Italian restaurant, their first chance to meet as a team off the court since the trade. "You try to get a feel for guys and personalities," Avery Johnson said. "Everybody has different personalities. You try to push the right buttons with certain guys. Things are more meaningful to some guys than others."

New Bulls

Chicago comes to town tonight without the big hair of Ben Wallace, who was traded to Cleveland with Joe Smith at the deadline. The Bulls will have a new look with Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden.

Briefly
The Mavs improved to 4-16 when entering the fourth quarter tied or trailing.

The Mavs had 24 assists on 36 field goals. They've had 56 in the past two games. Before Kidd's arrival, the Mavs averaged 19.9 assists a game.

Breakdown

Why the Mavericks won: Although the Timberwolves had another hustling home performance, a strong finish by Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki sealed it in the final 5:30.

Three keys

Streaky Terry: Terry scored 20 points, giving him 42 in the past two games on 17-of-31 shooting (54.8 percent).

Hoppin' Howard: Maybe it's his sore back -- and a stomach illness Sunday -- but since Jason Kidd's arrival, Josh Howard has made just 16-of-56 shots (28.6 percent).

Road momentum II: The T'wolves took the Spurs to the wire two nights earlier, so winning in any fashion boosts confidence.

Up next: Bulls at Mavericks, 7:30 tonight, KTXA/Ch. 21



- Some national love from the NY Times for Bo Pelini.



Huskers’ New Coach Promises to Heed Program’s Old Ways

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — It did not matter that it was 10 degrees outside, that they were missing work, that the Cornhuskers’ season opener was still six months away. The people of central Nebraska had come to see two of the most important men in the state. They already knew — and loved — Tom Osborne, the iconic former football coach, a three-term United States representative and the current athletic director.

It was Bo Pelini, however, the man Osborne hired to restore Nebraska football to its place among the nation’s most storied programs, they were here to inspect. Until December, he was a highly regarded assistant from the N.F.L. and college ranks who was fresh off building the defense of the national champion, Louisiana State.

Pelini is more than a head football coach. He is the steward of a public trust, one cherished by the more than 1.7 million denizens of this state on the plains. Virtually all of the 1,200 people at the luncheon Thursday wore Nebraska red.

Still, they were reticent. They offered polite applause when Osborne introduced Pelini as a man as unpretentious as they are. They warmed as Pelini introduced the 10 assistants he took to Heartland Events Center with him, especially the familiar faces like the associate head coach, Barney Cotton, a starting guard from Osborne’s 1978 team.

Heads nodded enthusiastically when Pelini announced that the Huskers signed 30 walk-ons, mostly from Nebraska, and that these kids who grew up “bleeding red” would once more be a prominent part of the program.

Pelini made one promise. It had nothing to do with wins or titles. It was about how his teams would represent the state of Nebraska on and off the field.

“They are going to feel the sense of responsibility they have to you,” he said. “They will play with heart and passion.”

Pelini, finally, owned the room.

It was something his predecessor, Bill Callahan, who coached the Oakland Raiders to Super Bowl XXXVII, had failed to accomplish over his four years in Lincoln. Most believe he never tried, which was more unforgivable than his mediocre 27-22 record at Nebraska.

“They didn’t want anything from the past,” said Pat King, a bookkeeper who put on a Nebraska sweatshirt to hear what Pelini had in store for the team she has followed for more than 40 years.

“They wanted to shove it all out of the way and start their own thing,” she said. “It was a big mistake.”

Last October, when Osborne, 71, replaced the fired athletic director Steve Pederson on an interim basis, he understood how badly the state was fractured. After 25 years as the coach at Nebraska, he retired in 1997 with two national titles and a share of another. He served three terms in the House of Representatives and lost the Republican gubernatorial primary in 2006.

“When the call came and within 24 hours Tom was able to accept the job of athletic director, it put a calm across the state of Nebraska,” said Orv Qualsett, a Grand Island banker who organized the luncheon, which was sold out within a week.

On Nov. 24, after a 5-7 season, Osborne fired Callahan. Eight days later, he announced the hiring of Pelini, who had been an assistant at Nebraska in 2003 and led the Huskers to a victory in the Alamo Bowl after Frank Solich, a former Osborne assistant, was fired. There were many here, including Pelini, who thought he would be the next Nebraska coach. But Pederson was not one of them.

Osborne did what Pederson would not. He hired Pelini and on the same day offered a scholarship to Micah Kreikemeier, a linebacker from West Point Central Catholic in northeastern Nebraska, who had not been courted by Callahan. His father, Keith, was a walk-on for Osborne from 1981 to 1983.

“I wanted to make sure the Nebraska people understood that we weren’t overlooking them,” Osborne said.

Like another famous Nebraskan, the billionaire investor Warren E. Buffett, Osborne is a plain-spoken man with simple tastes and a quiet dignity. Before introducing Pelini here, he warmed up the faithful with a story about the courtship of his wife, Nancy, that showed his sense of humor.

Osborne, who grew up 25 miles south of here in Hastings, said all the familiar faces reminded him of his first date with her. He said she slapped him three times.

“It’s not what you think,” he said, holding the crowd for a beat.

“She wanted to make sure I wasn’t dead,” said Osborne, whose set jaw and stoic manner can famously make him look somnambulant.

Osborne then made it clear that despite the fact Pelini is originally from Youngstown, Ohio, and has a fiery reputation, he chose him because Pelini embraced the values of all Nebraskans.

Pelini, 40, understands that in order to build a program that can compete for a national title, he must first repair the damage done to its foundation. He is not only recruiting 18-year-old football players, but he is also tending to the collective psyche of a proud state.

He has been on the telephone courting the state’s high school coaches. He speaks with fervor of the vaunted walk-on program that Callahan and his staff merely paid lip service to.

Just as Osborne did, Pelini has assigned an assistant to every inch of the state to find the undersized-but-big-hearted football player who could be developed into a scholarship player or beyond. In the past, some have come from the eight-man leagues. Some turned down scholarships at smaller programs. Twenty-eight of them went on to play in the N.F.L., and many, many more became high school and college coaches.

“I’ve heard Coach Osborne talk about some of the players who came around here from different areas across the nation and who were huge talents,” Pelini said. “When you surround them with kids who grew up living or dying whether Nebraska won or lost, those talented guys become much more committed to the program. The more towns that are represented, the more ownership people have in our program.”

After each position coach gave a rundown of the strength of the Huskers on the team and of the 2008 recruiting class, the fans in the crowd were free to venture out in the bitter weather and return to work. Not many, however, were in a hurry to do so.

“What we really wanted to hear was Bo Pelini say that these boys are going to play with heart,” said Jane Anania, who like many of the state’s residents did not go to Nebraska but has adopted the home team. “That’s been gone, and we’ve been in mourning. But now we’ve heard it.”

So the Huskers faithful lined up to shake Pelini’s hand or have him sign a ball or pose for a photograph. They wished him luck, and told him how much they were looking forward to a fresh start.

Their new coach gripped and grinned and listened for more than an hour, until the place was empty. The football season had yet to start, but Pelini had earned an important victory nonetheless.



- Zubov out another month after foot surgery. The extra time off might actually save his legs for the playoff drive.



Dallas Stars' Sergei Zubov has foot surgery

03:36 AM CST on Monday, February 25, 2008
By MIKE HEIKA / The Dallas Morning News
mheika@dallasnews.com

After a hairline fracture in his right foot was slow to respond to rest, Dallas Stars defenseman Sergei Zubov had surgery Sunday to insert a screw in the bone and will be out for three to four weeks. The move was scheduled to make sure Zubov has enough time to heal and be ready for the playoffs.

"If everything goes as planned, he should be back by the last week of March, and then we'll have that week and a week and half in April," Stars coach Dave Tippett said (the playoffs start April 9). "That's the plan."

Zubov, 37, was being mentioned as a Norris Trophy candidate at midseason when he was among the league leaders in defensemen scoring. He has four goals and 31 assists in 46 games. He hasn't played since Jan. 17, missing the last 17 games with problems caused by the foot and a subsequent groin injury. He has missed 20 total games on the season.

"He's a huge part of our team, and he was having a great season," Tippett said. "We're hoping we can get this right, and he'll be ready to go."

Stars co-general manager Les Jackson said Zubov's surgery doesn't alter the team's outlook heading into Tuesday's trade deadline.

"We have an idea of what we're looking for, and this doesn't change it," Jackson said. "We're happy with what our team is doing, and we're happy with the way it's developing."

The Stars have been running with six defensemen for most of the season, including three rookies in Matt Niskanen, Nicklas Grossman and Mark Fistric. Veteran Philippe Boucher, who has been out since Dec. 3 with shoulder surgery, is practicing with the team and could return as soon as Thursday.

The Stars are open to making a move for a scoring forward and have been in talks with several NHL teams. Jackson declined to get into specifics on any possible trade but said the Stars feel they have proven a lot in their 11-2-0 run.

"I think we put a lot of confidence into some of our younger players, and they've responded well to that confidence," Jackson said. "That's important, and it's something we're certainly going to continue to do."

That said, the Stars still could work a deal where they give up some youngsters for a proven NHL player.

"It has to be the right trade," Jackson said. "So far, that hasn't come up."