During the first three games of the Mavericks' four-game winning streak, they got superb output from their young, athletic reserves - some of whom were pressed into starting duty because of injuries.
In the fourth win, Friday against Memphis, that support crew was a no-show, which didn't necessarily tick off coach Rick Carlisle because the starters carried the load. Sometimes, he knows the cavalry isn't going to storm in to the rescue.
"They're not going to all be Rembrandts," Carlisle said. "You're going to have a Jackson Pollock once in a while when you're just splattering stuff out there and you have to find something that works."
So Carlisle threw stuff on the canvas, hoping for some abstract beauty. That's how J.J. Barea and Jason Kidd ended up on the court at the same time against the Grizzlies. The young, athletic players were struggling. So different measures were taken.
It was the first time this season that the two point guards were on the floor at the same time, with Barea functioning as the shooting guard, perhaps the shortest one in professional Basketball at a shade under 6 feet.
The ploy reaffirmed Carlisle's mission to play everybody he has confidence in, which is everybody. Early in the season, Gerald Green, Shawne Williams, James Singleton and Antoine Wright all have earned quality playing time.
And it's not going to change as Carlisle is adamant about the Mavericks nurturing younger, athletic players for the future.
Think about players like Detroit's Jason Maxiell, Phoenix's Raja Bell and Boston's Rajon Rondo. They all started their careers as afterthoughts. But coaches who took a chance on them have been handsomely rewarded.
"We're not going to be as good a team as we can be unless those guys can step up and play like they did in the previous two or three games," Carlisle said. "They give us length, quickness, energy. So we're going to stay on them.
"But [against Memphis], they struggled, to put it in a nice way."
Meanwhile, when it's not happening for the foursome of athletic young guys, other options will be utilized, like the Kidd-Barea pairing.
"It was surprising," said Barea, who had nine points in 19 minutes. "It was fun, too. He was my favorite point guard since I was a little kid. So playing out there with him is great."
No doubt Kidd, 35, was thrilled to hear his legacy being thrown around in such grandfatherly fashion by the 24-year-old Barea.
Briefly: The Mavericks and Jeff Schwartz, the agent for Jerry Stackhouse, are working on possible trade scenarios. But nobody expects anything to start heating up until Dec. 15, the date that players signed in the off-season become eligible to be traded. ... The Mavericks don't play again until Tuesday and were given Saturday to rest. Carlisle said they will have two hard days of practice starting today. ... Lest the Mavericks get too giddy about their four-game winning streak, Carlisle provided some perspective. "We're trying to dig out of a hole," he said. "We're one game away from being .500." In other words, they still need another win just to be average. The good news is that they are only two games behind the teams tied for second place in the Western Conference.
