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akaarod03 · 11-18-2004, 12:36 AM

Mavs' rookie Harris to get increased minutes

11:30 PM CST on Wednesday, November 17, 2004

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

It's the year of the replacement in sports.

Devin Harris had 15 points, six assists, five steals and no turnovers against Steve Nash and the Suns on Tuesday. Whether it's Ben Roethlisberger with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming in for an injured Tommy Maddox and reeling off seven wins or, to a lesser extent, Jerry Stackhouse coming in for Michael Finley and having three 20-point-plus games, unexpected stars are popping up on a consistent basis.

Is Devin Harris next?

The rookie point guard for the Mavericks had his best game Tuesday in a losing effort to Phoenix and Steve Nash. But the fact that Harris had five steals and 10 fewer turnovers (Nash had 10) showed he was able to handle himself against a two-time All-Star in a difficult situation.

Now, with Jason Terry probably out for a week or longer, the playing time that was being doled out in dollops will come hot and heavy for Harris.

Coach Don Nelson said Harris is going to get more minutes because Marquis Daniels, who also shares time at point guard, is going to play more shooting guard and small forward.

"So I have no choice," Nelson said. "And the more minutes you get for a rookie, the better it is at the end of the year. The more losses you have, too, probably."

Nelson was laughing when he said that. But he probably is right. The organization is so high on Harris that it is willing to sacrifice in the short term to make sure Harris is everything he can be by season's end.

"In a year, he ought to have it," Nelson said. "Hopefully by the end of the year, he'll be really good."

Harris said he's treating Terry's injury as a chance to show he's ready to make a leap to the next level.

"Definitely, it's an opportunity," he said. "It's unfortunate that guys are going down. But other guys have to step up, especially somebody in my position. I'm kind of up and down right now. But I was kind of thrown into the fire [Tuesday], and I tried to respond."

The fire is about to get hotter.

Injuries improving: The Mavericks may get Michael Finley back on schedule, if not ahead of time.

The original prognosis, according to coach Don Nelson, was three weeks, and he said Wednesday that looks like an accurate projection. That would give Finley a return date of Nov. 30, when the Mavericks host San Antonio.

In addition, Erick Dampier said his left hip flexor is not expected to be a long-term problem and he expects to miss 10 days at most.

"It's still sore a little," Dampier said. "Whenever I'm comfortable with the pain, I'll be back."

An MRI on Wednesday revealed Jason Terry has a first-degree sprain of his left ankle. He is day-to-day but not expected to play Friday against the Knicks.

Mavs break out new uniform: The Mavericks are unveiling a new road uniform Friday night against the Knicks. The Mavericks and four other teams will be allowed to unveil the new look at home games. The Mavericks are the first to do so.

The new uniforms, produced by Reebok, have been kept under wraps so far but will be available as part of a video-game marketing campaign by EA Sports.

Go to NBA.com on Friday for codes to unveil the look of the uniform.

11-18-2004, 12:36 AM	#15
akaarod03 Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 236	RE:Injury Update Mavs' rookie Harris to get increased minutes 11:30 PM CST on Wednesday, November 17, 2004 By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News It's the year of the replacement in sports. Devin Harris had 15 points, six assists, five steals and no turnovers against Steve Nash and the Suns on Tuesday. Whether it's Ben Roethlisberger with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming in for an injured Tommy Maddox and reeling off seven wins or, to a lesser extent, Jerry Stackhouse coming in for Michael Finley and having three 20-point-plus games, unexpected stars are popping up on a consistent basis. Is Devin Harris next? The rookie point guard for the Mavericks had his best game Tuesday in a losing effort to Phoenix and Steve Nash. But the fact that Harris had five steals and 10 fewer turnovers (Nash had 10) showed he was able to handle himself against a two-time All-Star in a difficult situation. Now, with Jason Terry probably out for a week or longer, the playing time that was being doled out in dollops will come hot and heavy for Harris. Coach Don Nelson said Harris is going to get more minutes because Marquis Daniels, who also shares time at point guard, is going to play more shooting guard and small forward. "So I have no choice," Nelson said. "And the more minutes you get for a rookie, the better it is at the end of the year. The more losses you have, too, probably." Nelson was laughing when he said that. But he probably is right. The organization is so high on Harris that it is willing to sacrifice in the short term to make sure Harris is everything he can be by season's end. "In a year, he ought to have it," Nelson said. "Hopefully by the end of the year, he'll be really good." Harris said he's treating Terry's injury as a chance to show he's ready to make a leap to the next level. "Definitely, it's an opportunity," he said. "It's unfortunate that guys are going down. But other guys have to step up, especially somebody in my position. I'm kind of up and down right now. But I was kind of thrown into the fire [Tuesday], and I tried to respond." The fire is about to get hotter. Injuries improving: The Mavericks may get Michael Finley back on schedule, if not ahead of time. The original prognosis, according to coach Don Nelson, was three weeks, and he said Wednesday that looks like an accurate projection. That would give Finley a return date of Nov. 30, when the Mavericks host San Antonio. In addition, Erick Dampier said his left hip flexor is not expected to be a long-term problem and he expects to miss 10 days at most. "It's still sore a little," Dampier said. "Whenever I'm comfortable with the pain, I'll be back." An MRI on Wednesday revealed Jason Terry has a first-degree sprain of his left ankle. He is day-to-day but not expected to play Friday against the Knicks. Mavs break out new uniform: The Mavericks are unveiling a new road uniform Friday night against the Knicks. The Mavericks and four other teams will be allowed to unveil the new look at home games. The Mavericks are the first to do so. The new uniforms, produced by Reebok, have been kept under wraps so far but will be available as part of a video-game marketing campaign by EA Sports. Go to NBA.com on Friday for codes to unveil the look of the uniform.