Johnson pondering playoff rotation

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Mavericks Notes

Johnson pondering playoff rotation

By Art Garcia
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Provided the return of Erick Dampier and Jerry Stackhouse go smoothly, Mavericks coach Avery Johnson plans to work on his playoff rotation in next week's four-game homestand.

Specifically, Johnson is shooting for the two games after the Mavs face San Antonio on April 7 to begin trimming down the rotation to nine. He hopes to use the next five games sorting out who those nine will be.

"I'll have nine guys, and everybody else may get spot minutes," Johnson said. "I may have a situation where I use someone like [Darrell Armstrong] with two seconds to go in the game, like we did in Milwaukee."

Before Johnson makes any decisions, Dampier and Stackhouse have to return to action. Johnson expects both to play on the current four-game road trip, which began with Monday night's 95-88 victory against Detroit at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Stackhouse, taking care of personal business in North Carolina, wasn't with the Mavericks on Monday. He's expected to rejoin the team today in Boston.

Once Stackhouse is back in the mix, Johnson will have four players to pick from at the shooting guard/small forward spots. Michael Finley and Josh Howard have started all season when healthy.

Marquis Daniels' minutes have fluctuated since Johnson replaced Don Nelson as coach. Daniels has played as many as 31 minutes (vs. Charlotte) and as few as 14 (vs. Sacramento). Stackhouse was averaging 30.8 minutes.

"Guys' minutes may go up or down when Stackhouse gets back," Johnson said. "He's going to play at least 18 minutes a night. That's reality. That makes us a better team."

Johnson can use Daniels in the point guard rotation with starter Jason Terry and rookie Devin Harris, who's moved into the backup spot.

"Fortunately, we have a lot of different looks we can give," Johnson said. "We can go small with the rook [Harris] and JT, but I still like Marquis at point guard for two- or three-minute stretches per half. We may need that in the playoffs. That's another gear that we can go to."

Johnson said he isn't worried about upsetting any of the three he eventually leaves out of the rotation.

"We're not into hurting anybody's feelings right now," he said. "I think this is a real unselfish basketball team, and everybody wants to win. All people are going to remember you for is what you did at the end of the season.

"If you really want to be part of a winning team, you'll do whatever it takes. Even during the game, we've had more bench participation than at any point all year. That's a sign of unselfishness."

Punk'd

Dirk Nowitzki led a Mavs traveling party Sunday night to a local sports bar to catch his appearance on MTV's Punk'd, a practical-joke show hosted by actor Ashton Kutcher. The team's hotel didn't carry MTV.

"They actually put it on the big screen," Nowitzki said of the sports bar. "There were about 30 people there, and they were staring at me, so it was kind of embarrassing."

In the episode, Nowitzki is continually pestered by a kid seeking an autograph. The gag took place during a January trip to Los Angeles. Nowitzki was surprised he was singled out for the show.

"I had no idea," he said. "Usually you see actors and rock stars on there. I didn't think I was 'big time' enough. It was fun. They made me look good."

Teammate Michael Finley and equipment manager Al Whitley were in on the joke.

Coaching influence

Larry Brown is one of the three coaches Avery Johnson played for who guided their teams to NBA championships. Brown, who led Detroit to the title last season, is recovering from his second hip surgery this season.

Johnson hasn't talked to Brown since his latest setback, but they talked at length when the Mavs and Pistons played each other in early December. Johnson counts Brown as a coaching influence.

"He had a certain way he wanted to play, and he just didn't budge off that," Johnson said. "I'm kind of the same way. I have a vision for how I want this team to play."