Dallas Mavericks Blog – Page 91 – NBA Blog

Mavericks beat previously undefeated Hornets

The AP reports:

Jason Terry scored 26 points, including the go-ahead jumper in the final minute, and the Dallas Mavericks handed the New Orleans Hornets their first loss of the season, 98-95 on Monday night.

New Orleans, which had been off to a franchise-best 8-0 start, got 22 points from Chris Paul, but only two came in the second half.

Dirk Nowitzki had 25 points and 10 rebounds to help the Mavericks stretch their winning streak to four games.

Peja Stojakovic added 17 points and Emeka Okafor pulled down 14 rebounds for New Orleans.

Timberwolves waive guard Maurice Ager

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has waived guard Maurice Ager.

Ager appeared in four games for the Wolves this season, averaging 3.8 points in 7.3 minutes. He was originally signed by the Wolves as a free agent on Sept. 24, 2010.

Dirk Nowitzki sprains ankle, plays anyway

Eddie Sefko of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports:

Humming along with a double-digit lead and the look of a team with payback on its mind, the Dallas Mavericks got a scare just before halftime Wednesday night.

Dirk Nowitzki went down in a crumble under the defensive basket with a sprained right ankle.

But rather than a difficult circumstance that could have ended up being an excuse for a letdown, the Mavericks — and Nowitzki — turned it into an opportunity, and a 106-91 thrashing of the Memphis Grizzlies.

At the start of the second half, Nowitzki was back on the court, clearly favoring his right leg, but determined to be there for his team.

In the Mavericks’ huddle, coach Rick Carlisle leaned in to his assistants and said: “He’s one tough dude.”

Rockets will keep Jermaine Taylor and not sign Erick Dampier

Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports:

The Rockets told second-year guard Jermaine Taylor on Sunday they would not release him because they no longer planned to sign center Erick Dampier, Taylor’s agent Michael Whitaker said before Sunday’s game.

“I was actually told that I’m here to stay,” Taylor said. “They told me I was here… “I’m happy to still be here and still have a job, but then again, I kind of wonder what would have happened if I went somewhere else.”

Mavericks waive Rashad McCants and Sean Williams

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that along with the departures of Dee Brown and Adam Haluska, the team has also waived Rashad McCants and Sean Williams.

Both players were signed to the Mavericks training camp roster on October 20.

The Mavericks current roster stands at 15 players.

Mavericks waive Dee Brown and Adam Haluska

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have waived guards Dee Brown and Adam Haluska. Brown and Haluska signed with the Mavericks as free agents on September 27.

Brown (6-0, 185) appeared in six preseason games for Dallas and averaged 2.2 points and 2.0 assists in 10.3 minutes per game.

Haluska (6-5, 210) saw action in three preseason games and averaged 1.7 points and 0.7 assists in 6.0 minutes per game.

The Mavericks current roster stands at 15 players.

Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle faints at practice

Reuters reports:

Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle fainted at a team practice Friday and was briefly hospitalized, the team said.

“Rick did faint at practice today and was taken to the hospital as a precaution,” Mavericks spokesman Scott Tomlin told Reuters.

Mavericks sign Steve Novak

The Dallas Mavericks announced today they have signed forward Steve Novak. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. InsideHoops.com assumes it’s a nonguaranteed contract for training camp.

Novak (6-10, 230) joins the Mavericks as a free agent from the Los Angeles Clippers where he spent the past two NBA seasons. He holds career averages of 4.1 points, 1.1 rebounds and 10.1 minutes in 195 career games with four starts.

Originally a second round draft pick (32nd overall) of the Houston Rockets in 2006, Novak played two seasons in Houston before being traded to the Clippers. In 2008-09, his first season with Los Angeles, Novak enjoyed a career year where he averaged 6.9 points and 1.8 rebounds in 16.4 minutes while shooting 44.4 percent from the floor and 91.3 percent from the free throw line.

Novak played his collegiate career at Marquette University. As a freshman, he saw action in 33 games and was a member of the Golden Eagles’ 2003 Final Four team along with current NBA players Dwyane Wade and Travis Diener. As a senior, Novak led Marquette averaging a team-high 17.5 points a game while shooting 97.5 percent from the foul line.

A native of Brown Deer, Wis., Novak played high school basketball for his father, Michael, and was named the 2002 Wisconsin Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

Mark Cuban again facing insider trading suit

Eric Torbenson of the Dallas Morning News reports:

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban had a turnover in federal court Tuesday as an appeals panel sent his insider trading case back for trial.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court’s dismissal of a Securities and Exchange Commission suit against the billionaire. The decision doesn’t mean the SEC wins outright, but simply that the issues need to get further hearing and the suit is back on.

The government contends Cuban broke insider trading rules by selling his stake in search engine company Mamma.com after learning of the company’s plan to sell a piece of itself to investors, which would dilute Cuban’s holdings. The stock sale allowed Cuban to avoid an estimated $750,000 in losses…

And a countersuit filed by Cuban that alleges the SEC brought the case against him in bad faith continues regardless of Tuesday’s ruling. Cuban wants the government to pay his legal fees for pursuing a case out of bias rather than legal merit, his own suit says.

Mavericks must find help for Dirk Nowitzki

Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reports:

The Mavericks’ future hall of famers are as dependable as any facet of the organization. And they have been durable. But addressing their roles and reducing their playing time is important because the two or three minutes per game saved would make a huge difference in the long run.

Mavericks must find help for Dirk Nowitzki

So where does the help come from? The first option likely will be Shawn Marion.

“I think something that’s been proven is that Rick is creative with the lineups, whether it’s three guards or going small,” said president Donnie Nelson. “That may lend itself to Shawn playing some (power forward) minutes. That’s certainly a strong possibility.”

Meanwhile, the emergence of Roddy Beaubois and the play of J.J. Barea and perhaps Dominique Jones will all be counted on to spell Kidd. And young big men Alexis Ajinca and Ian Mahinmi could get opportunities to help Nowitzki.