Posts Tagged ‘Dominique Jones’

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Mavs Release Fisher At His Request

December 22, 2012  ·  7:53PM

HANGTIME SOUTHWEST — Derek Fisher, signed by the Dallas Mavericks just after Thanksgiving, didn’t make it to Christmas.

The Mavs announced Saturday that they waived the 38-year-old point guard just two days after he strained his right patellar tendon. The knee injury, which the team did not believe to be serious, is not the reason the team let him go. Fisher, who instantly took over as the starting point guard ahead of Darren Collison, asked to be released to return to his family in Los Angeles.

A league source said that when Fisher signed with Dallas in late November, he had a handshake agreement with Mavs owner Mark Cuban that he would be granted his release if Fisher deemed it necessary due to his family situation. The personal family reason for Fisher’s departure is not clear.

While playing for the Utah Jazz in 2007, Fisher’s infant daughter Tatum suffered from retinoblastoma, a childhood cancer of the eye. Fisher’s journey from a New York hospital, where Tatum had a tumor removed, to Salt Lake City to return for a playoff game, was well-chronicled and became the heartwarming story of the postseason.

When Fisher completed his first practice with the Mavs on Nov. 30, he did not sound like a man with concerns that could drag him away from a 17th season after he was not signed by a team during the offseason.

“I told the guys today, ‘This is not a pit stop. This is not kind of the final whatever before I decide to retire soon,’ ” Fisher said. “I’m here to give everything I have to help this team right now and continue to build as we go through this season.”

On Saturday, Fisher issued a statement that said the knee injury will keep him out at approximately two weeks and  coupled with the “the difficulty I have been having being away from my family, I have asked the organization to waive me so I can return home.”

Fisher praised Cuban for his support and for granting his release. He also thanked coach Rick Carlisle and his Mavs teammates: ”I have made decisions in the past, leaving money and opportunity on the table, and I will need to do that again. My family is my priority and that is where I choose to be. I won’t close the possibility that I will play again, however for now my family and being close to them remains the priority.”

It leaves the Mavs where they were 14 games into the season when Carlisle opted to bench Collison and the Mavs decided to sign Fisher. The Mavs were 7-7 at the time and now stand at 12-15 entering Sunday’s game at San Antonio.

Dallas waived Delonte West prior to the season and have used Dominique Jones behind Collison. Roddy Beaubois, once considered a point guard of the future, has mostly been buried at the end of the bench.

The Mavs have had a revolving door since West’s release. They’ve signed and then subsequently released Eddy Curry, Troy Murphy and Fisher.

To fill Fisher’s roster spot, the Mavs will sign D-League Texas Legends guard Chris Douglas-Roberts. He will be in uniform at San Antonio. The 6-foot-7 Roberts has averaged 22.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 11 games. He is being re-called over first-round draft pick Jared Cunningham.

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With Fisher Out, Heat Rises On Collison

December 20, 2012  ·  2:29PM

DALLAS – With Derek Fisher out at least the next three games with a right knee strain, the stage is again yours, Mr. Collison.

That’s Darren Collison, the point guard the Dallas Mavericks traded for in the offseason to take over as their starter and then benched after just 14 games.

Fisher, signed a month into the season, suffered a right patellar tendon strain in the Mavs’ Tuesday night win over Philadelphia, a game he almost sat out because of the flu. But he didn’t and five minutes in Fisher was on the floor grasping his right knee. The Mavs announced Thursday that he will miss tonight’s game against the Miami Heat and at least through the following two-game road trip at Memphis on Friday and San Antonio on Sunday.

It clears the way for Collison to get back in the starting saddle (although coach Rick Carlisle would not confirm his starter at shootaround with Dominique Jones being an option), and that means in a national television showcase against the defending champs (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT). Carlisle benched Collison after an often reckless, turnover-tinged start and with the Mavs sitting at 7-7 during their favorable portion of the schedule. That’s when the veteran Fisher came abroad to deliver a rudder to Dallas’ listing, Dirk Nowitzki-less ship.

Now they’re 12-13 and embarking on a most daunting six-game stretch that also includes a road game at Oklahoma City after Christmas, followed by home dates with Denver and the Spurs again.

How well the Mavs close out 2012 could well depend on how reliable Collison, who has averaged 5.3 assists and 2.6 turnovers, can be as the starting point guard as the competition level significantly rises.

“Right now we’re trying to figure out how not to turn the ball over 17 times a game,” Carlisle said Wednesday. ”And then, yeah, these are all good teams coming up. Nothing’s ever easy, particularly this year. It’s been tough. We’re going to prepare hard and team’s got to deal with us, too.”

Nope, nothing easy, particularly in the turnover department. Dallas coughed it up on an average of 21.4 times in three consecutive road losses, with a high of 28 in the double-overtime loss at Boston. Against Philly, they did a better job, limiting the turnovers to just 11 that the 76ers turned into six points. Collison had just one turnover in more than 30 minutes.

The short-handed Mavs, obviously still without Nowitzki, who practiced for the first time on Wednesday, have other injury issues as well heading into tonight’s game against Miami, which is just 4-4 on the road. Forward Elton Brand (groin) is listed as day-to-day as is reserve center Brandan Wright, who turned his ankle late in the Philly game.

Collison, who wasn’t happy with the demotion at the time, has come off the bench the last 10 games and will need to play big during this stretch. As a reserve, his playing time dropped by only three minutes a game and his stats have remained relatively the same with the exception of his assists dropping from 6.3 a game to 3.8. His scoring dipped from 12.9 to 11.1, but his overall shooting percentage rose to 46.7 percent from 43.3 percent (although his 3-point percentage has plummeted to 21.1 percent).

His turnovers have tapered off some with two or fewer in five of the 10 games, although he’s had three games with four or more, including seven in the Boston loss.

Come tonight’s tip, Collison will be eager to show the basketball world that he is what Dallas brought him in to be — a starter.

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Adding Fisher Illustrates Mavs’ Deep Flaws At Point Guard

November 29, 2012  ·  3:50PM

HANG TIME SOUTHWEST — Mavericks officials were quick to pump up Darren Collison‘s confidence upon trading for him in July, saying they had him “penciled” in as the the starting point guard after he lost his Indiana starting job late last season.

Well, they’ve picked up the eraser, so to speak, with coach Rick Carlisle’s announcement Wednesday night that the club is turning to the steadying hand of 38-year-old and previously out-of-work Derek Fisher. Dallas made it official Thursday afternoon.

After a fast start, Collison’s building demise – shrinking shooting percentages (43.8 overall, 31.6 on 3s), rising turnover rate (2.53/game) and turnstile defense — convinced Carlisle he’d seen enough to bench him Friday at Philadelphia after just 14 games — all without the benefit of playing with Dirk Nowitzki – and to do so without a more reliable replacement option than two-year bench-warmer Dominique Jones.

A sprained right middle finger sustained in the Philly loss kept Collison out of Wednesday’s ugly defeat at Chicago, Dallas’ eighth in the last 11 games to fall to 7-9. Afterward, Carlisle announced the agreement with Fisher by saying: “We need help at the point-guard position. It’s challenging for us. I don’t see (Fisher) as a cure-all, but he can help.”

Carlisle certainly seemed to suggest that the five-time champ with the Lakers will hop off the street and into the starting lineup:

“I loved the way he played in Philly,” Carlisle was quoted in the Dallas Morning News, noting Collison’s high-energy performance off the bench. “I think that’s a great role for him right now. I think Fisher can help us as a starter. This is a great opportunity for Darren to develop into a true starting point guard in this league.

“I really like Darren Collison as a player, and I like him even better as a person. But putting him in a position to be the starter on this team right now isn’t fair to him. With Derek coming in, it’s a great opportunity for Darren to learn from one of the greatest winners in the history of the game.”

The pending Fisher addition not only illustrates Collison’s frustrating inconsistency this first month, but the Mavs’ overall dire situation at the position, one turned down by Deron Williams and then stunningly vacated by Jason Kidd.

Dallas waived its best on-court talent Delonte West before the season because of recurring issues off the court deemed detrimental to the team. Rodrigue Beaubois has been so disappointing that he’s out of the rotation and 24th-overall pick Jared Cunningham hasn’t seen the light of day.

To add Fisher, the Mavs waived forward Troy Murphy, who signed a non-guaranteed deal on Nov. 2. Murphy is the third player the transitioning Mavs have cut in the last month, including West and center Eddy Curry.

Dallas not been as many as two games under .500 this deep into a season since Carlisle’s first campaign in 2008-09. In a congested and competitive Western Conference, they’re desperately seeking stability in Nowitzki’s absence and as a road-heavy schedule stiffens.

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Collison, Brand Benched In Mavs’ Loss

November 27, 2012  ·  11:32PM

HANG TIME SOUTHWEST – Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle looked to send a clear message and jump-start two starters Tuesday night by benching Darren Collison and Elton Brand in a game with personal meaning for both.

For Collison, it was his first chance with his new team to go head-to-head against former UCLA teammate and emerging Philadelphia 76ers star Jrue Holiday. The two were drafted four picks apart in 2009, Holiday taken 17th, and Collison 21st.

The veteran Brand played the last four seasons in Philly before the club amnestied him in the summer to wipe his $18.2 million salary this season off their books.

Early on, neither player has met expectations in Dallas. Collison has struggled with turnovers and porous defense, and Brand has struggled to do much of anything. After Saturday’s appallingly sluggish 115-89 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Carlisle sought a solution with a lineup shakeup, and Collison and Brand paid the price.

Both players responded Tuesday with mostly solid efforts, although Dallas still lost 100-98, its seventh defeat in the last 10 games to fall below .500 (7-8) for the first time this season.

As the Mavs head to Chicago to face the Bulls on Wednesday night, the benchings would appear to be one-game statements, at least in the case of Collison, a young player Dallas would love to develop into its long-term point guard.

“He’s our starting point guard, but tonight he came off the bench,” Carlisle said during his post-game interview. “Jason Terry was our starting 2-guard, but he came off the bench for four years. So it’s not that big a deal. The big deal is that we’ve got to quit doing the things that are making us shoot ourselves in the foot. That’s where it’s at.”

Collison finished with 12 points, six assists and five steals in nearly 30 minutes. But he was still dogged by four turnovers, including consecutive blunders in the fourth quarter, the type of mishaps that shoot teams in the foot and drive coaches crazy. Philly went on a 12-0 run to take a 91-81 lead.

Carlisle immediately yanked Collison after the second turnover, then subbed him back in 88 seconds later.

Collison did provide an immediate jolt off the bench after the starters got down 21-13 after just six minutes. He quickly converted two backcourt steals into layups and put up eight points, five assists and four steals in his first nine minutes.

“I love the way he played, and he impacted the game immediately with quickness and energy,” Carlisle said. “So I thought he was terrific.”

However, with shooting guard O.J. Mayo struggling from the floor and scoring just 11 points, the Mavs’ backcourt was again badly beaten on the defensive end with Holiday and Evan Turner combining for 40 points on 15-for-25 shooting, and 11 assists.

Brand came through with a season-high 17 points, eight rebounds, a block, a steal and no turnovers despite logging only 19 minutes, three below his already depressed season average. Rookie forward Jae Crowder got the starting nod at small forward with Shawn Marion moving to power forward.

Dominique Jones, mostly a bench-warmer in Dallas during his first two seasons, made the second start of his career in place of Collison. Jones has become Collison’s primary backup mostly by default because Rodrigue Beaubois has failed to step up.

The Mavs reportedly tried to trade Jones before the start of the season, but found no takers. The unpolished combo guard is a non-threat to unseat Collison and proved it Tuesday by missing all five of his shot attempts and committing four turnovers in less than 18 minutes.

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Point Guard Problem In Dallas?

November 20, 2012  ·  11:24AM

DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday face old pal Jason Kidd and the New York Knicks for the second time in less than two weeks. In the time between, the drastic decline witnessed at point guard must be unnerving for Dallas.

The promising start Darren Collison rode into the Big Apple on Nov. 9 is swerving amid a mess of poor decision making, poor shooting and perplexing turnovers. After Monday’s 105-101 overtime home loss to the Golden State Warriors in which Collison was terrible offensively (seven points on 2-for-11 shooting, five assists and five turnovers) and torched defensively by Stephen Curry (31 points, nine assists), his quickest move was exiting the locker room before the media was granted entrance for post game interviews.

Mavs coach Rick Carlisle addressed his point guard’s spotty play by saying he must help Collison snap out of it.

“Right now, he’s our starting point guard,” Carlisle said. “I know he can play better. I know he’s frustrated with how things are going. Right now, I’ve just got to help him get better. When players struggle, it’s on the coach. I don’t dodge that responsibility.”

Even if Carlisle wanted to make a switch, he has no realistic option. Dallas waived the disgruntled Delonte West before the start of the season. Roddy Beaubois continues to be disappointingly ineffective and third-year guard Dominique Jones, while flashing potential in his recently increased role, is reckless handling the basketball and unreliable shooting it.

This isn’t to suggest the Mavs would be better off with Kidd, who is off to a strong start with the Knicks in his 19th season. Dallas wanted the 39 year old back, but he spurned its offer to join New York, the right move for him and the Mavs, regardless if Collison ultimately becomes Dallas’ long-term (not to mention the short-term) solution or not.

The Mavs were 4-1 when they headed to Madison Square Garden and gamely competed against the then-undefeated Knicks before falling late. The loss started this current 2-5 stretch that has Dallas, still without star Dirk Nowitzki, at .500 (6-6) and backed into a corner with the revenge-minded Los Angeles Lakers following the Knicks into town Saturday night.

It was in L.A. on opening night that the speedy Collison carved up Steve Nash and Dallas’ new cast surprisingly revved up an uncertain offense. In the first five games, Collison averaged 16.2 points on highly efficient shooting at close range, and 7.2 assists, while committing just six total turnovers.

In the last seven games, he’s averaged 11.2 points and 5.9 assists with 21 turnovers. In just the last four games, he’s shooting 30.8 percent while averaging 10.0 points, 5.5 assists and 3.3 turnovers.

At the other end, it’s been a scorched trail of point-guard destruction: Kemba Walker, Luke Ridnour, former Pacers teammate George Hill, Kyrie Irving and finally Curry’s explosion for a season high in points and assists. The Mavs have yet to see All-Star point guards the likes of Chris Paul, Tony Parker and Russell Westbrook.

“Stephen Curry just didn’t outplay one player,” Mavs shooting guard O.J. Mayo said. “He outplayed the Dallas Mavericks.”

Maybe so, but Collison was on the floor for 38 of Curry’s 43 minutes and served as his primary defender. Offensively, Collison was ineffective, at best. He did hit the game-tying jumper with 36 seconds to play to force overtime after Curry’s fourth-quarter blitz, but even that was a broken play in which he failed to get the ball into center Chris Kaman on a mismatch.

If not for Mayo’s late scoring takeover — hero ball, as they like to say nowadays, at its essence — the Mavs might not have even reached overtime. Mayo had 18 of his team-high 27 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and accounted for all 11 of Dallas’ points in OT on just one assist.

“I had the opportunity to have the ball in my hands,” Mayo said. “I didn’t have to depend on someone creating a shot for me.”

Not exactly a ringing endorsement for your point guard. And that’s a problem.

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Selby, Lillard Named Co-MVPs

July 22, 2012  ·  7:10PM

By Drew Packham, NBA.com

LAS VEGAS — Memphis guard Josh Selby and Portland point guard Damian Lillard were named co-MVPs of the Las Vegas Summer League on Sunday.

Selby, the Grizzlies’ second-year guard out of Kansas, led all players in scoring at 27.5 points per game as Memphis went 2-2 entering its final game Sunday. Selby shot 59.3 percent from the floor — including 70.6 percent on 3-pointers. Selby made at least five 3-pointers in each game, talling 24 in the four games (24-for-34). Selby was also active defensively, averaging 2.5 steals.

Lillard, whom the Blazers took sixth overall in the 2012 Draft, averaged 26.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists in four games. Lillard shots 43.8 percent from the floor, highlighted by a 31-point, seven-assist performance in Thursday’s 84-78 win over Atlanta. Lillard finished second in scoring (first among rookies) and sixth in assists (third among rookies).

All-Summer League Team:
Josh Selby – Memphis Grizzlies
Damian Lillard – Portland Trail Blazers
Malcolm Thomas – Chicago Bulls
Bradley Beal – Washington Wizards
Tobias Harris – Milwaukee Bucks
John Henson – Milwaukee Bucks
Jeremy Lamb – Houston Rockets
Dominique Jones – Dallas Mavericks
Cory Joseph – San Antonio Spurs
Jimmy Butler – Chicago Bulls
Kemba Walker – Charlotte Bobcats
Donatas Motiejunas – Houston Rockets
Jae Crowder – Dallas Mavericks

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Las Vegas Summer League: Day 3 Recap

July 16, 2012  ·  1:40AM

By Drew Packham, NBA.com



LAS VEGAS — The first seven-game day of action saw a handful of second-year players prove their worth. Markieff Morris had 21 points and nine rebounds to help the Suns to a win over New York in their first game. San Antonio swingman Kawhi Leonard showed why he’s a starter with the Spurs, scoring 23 points on 8-for-18 shooting (0-for-3 on 3s) in an 82-76 win over Atlanta. Jordan Hamilton had 18 points and seven rebounds in Denver’s 88-77 loss to the Mavs. And third-year forward Luke Babbitt closed out the day with a surprising 19-point, 10-rebound double-double for the Blazers.

Non-rookie of the day: Morris, Hamilton and Leonard had nice showings, but the nod goes to Dallas guard Dominique Jones. The combo guard entering his third season put up 32 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the Mavs’ 88-77 win. “I have a good opportunity out here to be myself with nothing in the back of my head and just play my game,” Jones said. Jones was aggressive getting into the lane (he got to the free-throw line nine times)

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Jones Trying To Find Spot With Mavs

July 15, 2012  ·  10:37PM




By Drew Packham, NBA.com

LAS VEGAS -- Dallas guard Dominique Jones is doing all he can to make his way into the team’s rotation.

Sunday’s performance wasn’t a bad opening statement.

Jones, the 25th pick of the 2010 Draft, scored 32 points with eight rebounds in the Mavs’ 88-77 win over Denver. Jones has struggled to find playing time in Dallas (7.9 minutes per game in two seasons), bouncing back and forth with the Texas Legends of the NBA D-League.

“This year, I’m kind of looking in the mirror and saying I have to get back to the old me,” Jones said. “They’re either gonna like my game or hate it. To each his own. I’m gonna come out here and play my game the way I want to play and do the things I wanna do and show my game how I’ve played my whole life.”

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D-League DPOY Steps Up For Blazers

April 22, 2011  ·  2:22AM

PORTLAND – After days of playing Dirk Nowitzki on the scout team in practice, Trail Blazers rookie forward Chris Johnson finally got a chance to play against the Mavericks’ All-Star Thursday night in Game 3 of this playoff series.

And he didn’t disappoint.

Johnson joined Blazers star Brandon Roy as one of the surprise heroes of the Blazers’ 97-92 win, playing huge fourth quarter minutes off the bench in relief of both Marcus Camby and LaMarcus Aldridge to help the Blazers pull to within a game (2-1) in the series.

No one was happier for the D-League Defensive Player of the Year than the men he relieved, Camby more than anyone since taking Johnson under his wing when Johnson signed with the Blazers as a free agent March 14. His 6-foot-11, 210-pound protegé looked like Camby-lite, grabbing three rebounds, blocking two shots and altering a couple of others in his six minutes of crunch time action against the Mavericks.

“Chris came in played well and you always get happy for guys like that, who work so hard behind the scenes,” Camby said. “You never know in this league when your number is going to be called. And tonight he played well when his number was called.

Johnson is one 45 former D-Leaguers working in the playoffs, a list that includes Mavericks guards Jose Barea, Roddy Beaubois, Dominique Jones and forward Ian Mahinmi. Johnson has plenty of D-League alumni company in his own locker room with Luke Babbitt, Earl Barron, Armon Johnson and Patty Mills all have logged time in the D-League.

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Caron Butler out for season

January 4, 2011  ·  3:19PM

DALLAS — The news the Dallas Mavericks were hoping wouldn’t be delivered, but privately feared Saturday night, was confirmed today. Starting small forward Caron Butler is going to miss the rest of the season after having surgery Tuesday to repair a ruptured right patellar tendon.

NBA.com first reported the possibility of Butler suffering a patella tear after the Mavericks lost Saturday night at Milwaukee. Butler was injured in the first quarter of that game.

The Mavericks, a team with title aspirations, now begin to seriously weigh their options going forward without their third-leading scorer. They have several options. It could look internally to fill the void — Shawn Marion likely moves into the starting lineup and getting injured second-year guard Roddy Beaubois is key. Dallas recently recalled rookie guard Dominique Jones from the D-League.

“We will ask other guys to step up,” Mavs owner Mark Cuban told NBA.com.

The Mavs could also apply for a disabled player exception. The injury exception would be worth half of Butler’s salary, approximately $5.3 million, and would allow the Mavs to trade or sign a player up to that amount. Dallas would have 45 days to use the injury exception if it’s granted.

A trade to strengthen either the bench or the starting lineup could be a possibility. Butler, being on the last year of his contract, could be used in possible trade as salary cap relief.

The Mavs (25-8) are second in the Western Conference and return to action tonight against Portland (18-16) at American Airlines Center. Dallas is also without Dirk Nowitzki, who’s out for the fifth straight game with a sprained right knee.

Butler’s surgery was performed by team physician Dr. T.O. Souryal at Texas Sports Medicine in Dallas.

Update:
Caron Butler checks in from the hospital via his Twitter feed.

Caron Butler

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