| Point Guard Platoon Authored by Jeff Stotts - November 10, 2005 - 12:06 am
When Steve Nash accepted a five year contract worth over $60 million with the Phoenix Suns two summers ago the Dallas Mavericks lost their floor general. Since his departure the Mavericks have made several acquisitions to try to replace Kid Canada. While it is impossible to completely fill the void left by Nash it seems now that the Mavs are attempting to fill the position with three men instead of one.
Devin Harris was the first piece of the puzzle. A draft day trade brought Harris, the #5 overall pick and Wisconsin product, to Dallas as an apparent successor to Nash. The plan quickly changed as Nash headed to man the point in Phoenix. Jason Terry was next joining the team as the key competent in the Antoine Walker trade with the Atlanta Hawks. A point guard in the mold of Nick Van Exel, Terry began his Mavericks career relegated to Coach Don Nelson’s bench. The final part arrived in an early-season swap with New Orleans as Darrel Armstrong was brought into the mix. Armstrong, a former 6th Man of the Year, became the seasoned veteran for the relatively young point guard unit.
Initially the group struggled to find their rhythm with Coach Nelson. In Nelson’s high octane offense the point guard position is key and the Coach never seemed confident in his players. Nelson finally settled on Terry as the starter after giving each individual a chance at the starting nod early in the season. Yet like Nash before him Nelson departed and fortunately for the Mavericks’ point guards he took his doghouse with him. Even more beneficial for the three, Nelson’s successor was Avery Johnson, a point guard during his playing days.
It was during the playoff run last year under Johnson that the three men manning the point began to see a difference in what was expected of them. Johnson’s game plan didn’t focus on what the guards were unable do but instead concentrated on each individual’s strength. The Little General asked Terry to not only step up his scoring but make shots in the clutch. He inserted Armstrong when the situation called for defensive intensity or when his team looked sluggish. The move was often successful, none more important that Armstrong’s constant hounding of Mike James during Game 7 of the first round series with the Rockets. James, frustrated after he was blocked by DA, erupted and was ejected from a game that would be his last with Houston. Harris, forever dubbed “Rook” by Johnson, saw little action but was occasionally used when speed and quickness was needed.
Johnson’s strength in numbers philosophy has carried over into this season with each point guard playing key roles in each game. In the season opener against the Suns Terry effectively slashed to the basket tallying 23 points. However it was Armstrong’s third quarter energy off the bench that was the catalyst for the Mavericks’ late rally. Once OT and double OT arrived it was Terry’s turn again as he hit a buzzer beating runner in the first overtime. The loss at Utah was disappointing but the Jet poured in 19 first half points keeping the Mavs in the game until the very end. The Spurs game was all Devin Harris. The second-year player was 8-8 from the field scoring 20 of his career high 22 in the fourth quarter. He scored by utilizing his speed and effectively penetrating to the hoop. The performance keyed a late run that allowed the Mavs to walk away with a 19 game win and resembled the style of play usually seen from the Spurs’ Tony Parker.
The Mavericks know Steve Nash is gone and irreplaceable. However by utilizing a trio of players with a variety of skills the Mavs appears to have recovered and look to the future. With the Little General leading this platoon of point guards the future appears bright. |
