[MavsFanFinley]

Notebook: Nash is gone, not forgotten
Nelson misses All-Star guard, but likes the way Mavs have progressed

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

SAN ANTONIO – When Don Nelson has a sleepless night, one of the people he thinks about is Steve Nash. More particularly, what if the Mavericks still had Nash.

It's a moot point, of course. And Nelson doesn't allow himself to wallow in self-pity. It's easy for everybody else to spend Mavericks owner Mark Cuban's money. But anybody who can do the math knows the Mavericks could not afford to pay their $90 million payroll and also have Nash on board for six more years and more than $60 million.

So Nash ended up in Phoenix. Yet, Nelson still dreams.

"Of course I do," he said Friday, "and I envision we'd be having the same kind of year Phoenix (31-5) is having, because our teams are similar."

There's no way to know how the Mavericks' youth, particularly Josh Howard and Devin Harris, would grow had Nash stayed, and it's likely the Mavericks' defense wouldn't be what it is now. And the finances were never going to allow Nash to stay.

"Oh, I understand it," Nelson said. "So you move on.

"But we've done remarkably well for losing a guy like that. I'm very proud of the team. We've been playing good basketball and actually having a lot of success. So we have moved on. I'm not crying about it, at least not in front of you guys."

Injury update:

Erick Dampier sat out Friday's game to rest his sore left knee, and Marquis Daniels was placed on the injured list, meaning he will miss at least four more games to rest his left ankle.

Dampier injured his knee when he bumped it against an Indiana Pacer on Jan. 8.

"From that point, it hasn't been the same," Dampier said. "It swelled up a little after the Indiana game, but it's down now. It's a little tender. It's getting better, though. I expect to go against New Jersey."

Daniels said his ankle has not improved after taking the last five games off. So he was moved to the injured list.

"He's got a long way to go," coach Don Nelson said. "We're just going to keep resting him. Obviously, we don't think he'll play in a week because we put him on the injured list."

Happy camper:

Tony Parker has been enjoying the best stretch of his career, averaging better than 16 points and almost six assists over the last 26 games.

Is it coincidence that this stretch coincides with the time when he began dating Desperate Housewives' star Eva Longoria?

"He's not far away from [Steve] Nash, really," Don Nelson said. "He's progressed to where he could be considered an all-star guard."

And by the way, there's no truth to the rumor that Bruce Bowen, who won player of the week honors in the Western Conference last week, has hooked up with Longoria's co-star, Teri Hatcher.

Showing up:

Alan Henderson, who started at center Friday, is the only Maverick to play in all 34 games.

"Who would have ever thought that," Don Nelson said. "He's probably the most injured guy through his career. And he's been my most durable guy."

Henderson played only six games last season.