Swing away: Mavs have options
By EDDIE SEFKO / Dallas Morning News
Judging from the bulging e-mail supply, the hottest topic on anybody’s mind is whether Doug Christie is assured the starting spot vacated by Michael Finley.
The answer is, most likely, yes.
Avery Johnson hasn’t etched anything in stone. But he wants to give Christie the chance to set a tone early in games for the Mavericks’ defense. This is not necessarily bad news for Jerry Stackhouse if he’s coming off the bench.
He may be the finisher at shooting guard, even if he’s not the starter.
Given their druthers, any player would rather be on the court at crunch time rather than the opening tip. And Stackhouse is a pro. He might prefer starting. But if he’s getting between 25 and 30 minutes a game, it won’t matter in the long run. And with injuries always a concern, he may end up starting some games, anyway.
For the second season in a row, the Mavericks will have plenty of players at the swing positions. Stackhouse, Christie, Josh Howard, Marquis Daniels, Josh Powell and Rawle Marshall all can play the two and/or three spots.
It’s a good problem to have, especially if somebody like Daniels shakes off the injury bug and makes a nice leap this season. He could easily be the wild card for this team.
By EDDIE SEFKO / Dallas Morning News
Judging from the bulging e-mail supply, the hottest topic on anybody’s mind is whether Doug Christie is assured the starting spot vacated by Michael Finley.
The answer is, most likely, yes.
Avery Johnson hasn’t etched anything in stone. But he wants to give Christie the chance to set a tone early in games for the Mavericks’ defense. This is not necessarily bad news for Jerry Stackhouse if he’s coming off the bench.
He may be the finisher at shooting guard, even if he’s not the starter.
Given their druthers, any player would rather be on the court at crunch time rather than the opening tip. And Stackhouse is a pro. He might prefer starting. But if he’s getting between 25 and 30 minutes a game, it won’t matter in the long run. And with injuries always a concern, he may end up starting some games, anyway.
For the second season in a row, the Mavericks will have plenty of players at the swing positions. Stackhouse, Christie, Josh Howard, Marquis Daniels, Josh Powell and Rawle Marshall all can play the two and/or three spots.
It’s a good problem to have, especially if somebody like Daniels shakes off the injury bug and makes a nice leap this season. He could easily be the wild card for this team.
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