Keith McLeod's contract amended to allow more time to look at him.

[dude1394]

Anyone remember this dude very much? If nothing else at 6'2" he's about 7 inches taller than JJB.

I watched the summer leagues and I believe he got most of the time at PG there. Surely can't hurt...JaJuanSmith needs a year in d-league for sure and the other dude's not very polished either.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...e.3c2563f.html
The right hamstring injury to Keith McLeod has led the Dallas Mavericks to amend the point guard's contract, giving them more time to determine if he can be the backup to Jason Kidd.

McLeod's original contract was non-guaranteed. But if he were still on the team when rosters are set on Oct. 27, the deal would become fully guaranteed.

The Mavericks worked out a change to the deal, making it a totally non-guaranteed contract. That actually helps McLeod, who probably would have been waived next week because he is not scheduled to play any of the three remaining preseason games.

"I was kind of glad it happened," he said. "I got on the treadmill today, so I'm hoping to get back on the court soon. But I don't want to get out there too soon and re-injure it."
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Getty Images
Point guard Keith McLeod, who played on the Mavericks' summer league team, has been slowed by a hamstring injury.
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With the revision to his deal, the 6-2 McLeod can be kept on the roster and the Mavericks can determine whether he is the proper fit for the backup point-guard spot.

McLeod's absence has left the Mavericks with J.J. Barea as the only true backup point guard. Jason Terry has been playing mostly shooting guard. They also have rookie free agents JaJuan Smith and Cheyne Gadson.

Barea has had a lukewarm preseason and suffered a bruised knee Thursday against Detroit. Barea sat out Friday night's Fan Jam at American Airlines Center and will not play tonight against Sacramento.

The Mavericks will have to make a decision about their backup to Kidd as soon as possible. McLeod played under coach Rick Carlisle at Indiana in part of the 2006-07 season and had some of his best games as a pro.

If McLeod is not the answer, or if he can't get healthy by the guarantee deadline, the Mavericks could explore other options, although the pool of available point guards is shallow.

Benefit of a high-quality staff: Carlisle has the benefit of having two former head coaches as his top assistants. Dwane Casey coached Minnesota for a season and a half and Terry Stotts had head-coaching stints at Atlanta and Milwaukee.

So who moves into the big chair when the inevitable first ejection comes for Carlisle? Casey would assume the lead role although he and Stotts would work in tandem.