Buckner, George have outside job

[kriD]

Buckner, George have outside job

07:15 PM CST on Friday, March 9, 2007
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
esefko@dallasnews.com

As much as Avery Johnson gets buttonholed as a defensive coach, it's surprising to some that his main concern coming into this season was the Mavericks' offense.

He liked last year's team. But he saw flaws. And one in particular was how two players who started 45 games each (DeSagana Diop and Adrian Griffin) basically went unguarded by opponents.

Scoring was that much tougher for Dirk Nowitzki, but especially so for Josh Howard and Jason Terry because defenders would cheat off of Griffin and Diop.

This is not to discount the job those two did. Doing the dirty work can be a lot tougher than the glory duty of filling up the basket.

But Johnson knew he needed more diverse players – at least at one of those spots.

That's why Greg Buckner and Devean George are in Mavericks uniforms. A game like Tuesday's against New Jersey proved their worth, as Buckner hit a pair of 3-pointers when the Nets' defense drifted away from him.

This team finds open players. What they must do is reward the passers by making shots. Last year, that didn't happen often enough to suit Johnson's taste.

"That's the key, because as much as I was concerned about some things defensively going into the off-season, I was concerned about our offense," Johnson said. "Buckner, the last game, he was a threat offensively. And George, before he got hurt, was pretty good offensively.

"So we just didn't want to bring in guys that were so one-dimensional defensively that it would bog us down offensively."

Buckner and George have turned themselves into respectable 3-point shooters. That's critical for the Mavericks to space the floor and give Terry and Howard room to operate. Nowitzki, also, has figured out that defenses are going to collapse on him like a boy-scout tent in the rain. So zipping passes to Buckner or George on the perimeter is a valuable weapon.

Buckner, in particular, is a much different player than when he left the Mavs after his first tour of duty here, which ended in 2002. His shot has improved and his defense remains a strength.

George, meanwhile, has finally erased seven years of the LA Lakers' system. He's using this four-day break between games to continue to strengthen his right knee, which he injured Feb. 13 at Milwaukee.

"We've got to be able to be a scoring threat," George said. "We work hard on defense, and that's got to be a focus. But you can't be a liability at the other end."

Bleeding green: Avery Johnson forged a relationship with North Texas basketball coach Johnny Jones when the Mavericks had training camp on campus in Denton.

When the Mean Green won the Sun Belt Conference tournament for an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament, it gave Johnson a wonderful feeling.

"I was walking through it with him the whole way," Johnson said of the conference tournament. "We were texting each other and phone calls, and I was on top of his games.

"The training camp there, I had a chance to talk to his team before the season, and I was excited about that. He seemed to think that had some impact. So I'm excited for Johnny and the Mean Green."

Johnson said his allegiance is firmly behind North Texas now that his alma mater didn't make the tourney.

"Since Southern didn't make it and they're out of it, I may give him some more tips," Johnson said. "We need to upset somebody in the first round. I'm excited about North Texas."

[dude1394]

Dang straight. Griffin/marquis kept the middle clogged up all of the time. Now other teams are starting to zone us.

We need to figure that one out. But alas I think the only good way to beat it is to hit outside shots.