[grndmstr_c]

Some thoughts after a night of rumination:
1) Given the reports that JT's been struggling through a vicodin induced stupor the last few days I'm not yet sold that this is a permanent move, which is to say that if Devin struggles it wouldn't surprise me to see JT back in the starting lineup, but at the same time if Devin's not being clearly outplayed by JT I think the move will stick.

2) I was thinking the other day what a completely ideal situation this is for Devin. To come into the league as a high lottery pick on a playoff, and perhaps even chamipionship caliber team where he'll be given the opportunity to compete for minutes and a starting spot with a very talented, though not entrenched veteran like JT, and where he'll be mentored by the likes of AJ and Nellie. Say what you will about Nellie but if there's one thing I trust him to do it's develop the talents of a young perimeter player. I can't believe Devin would be getting this opportunity if he weren't really taking advantage of the generous providence fate has thrown his way, and accordingly I can't help but feel confident about his being a cornerstone of the franchise's future.

3) Re: the minutes crunch. If any of our 1/2/3's make a push for more than 30 mpg, especially the rook, and all the guys are healthy, we will definitely be in a major minutes crunch, but at this point we don't know which, if any, of the guys will be making that push to be dominant in the rotation. It's tempting to get into ideas of how the problem that might occur could be alleviated with Stack and Terry trade ideas, but until it becomes apparent that the problem actually exists, and until it becomes clear just what form the problem takes (the possibilties are wide open) I'm inclined to just continue to be happy about the depth and leave it at that.

4) I really hope JT takes this well, because if he can come around to being okay with this I think there's a very good chance it could be a great thing for him. There's a history of sixth man combo guards like JT being real boons for teams with championship aspirations. I think some of that is because when a player really embraces the sixth man role it helps them in a way to focus in on playing their game, which can be difficult for tweener types in general, and which by my reading has probably been JT's biggest hurdle in the preseason - just being himself. If JT's starting for the Mavs he's Steve Nash's replacement, and mimicking Steve isn't really something he's well suited to do in kind (though I do think the caliber of his contribution can be quite close when you factor in the upgrade he represents on defense). But if he's coming off the bench he's Nick 2.0, and in so far as Nick was primarily a scorer with pg skills as a Mav, that could very well be right up JT's alley. And when you factor in that JT's a more efficient scorer and a considerably better defender than Nick, I think it could very well be right up the Mavs' alley as well.