--F Shawn Marion was once a 20-point scorer and All-Star with the Suns. Those days appear behind him, but he insists it's not because of diminishing talents. The 11-year veteran said there's a reason his production dropped in Miami and Toronto, and he's averaging 11.8 points per game Dallas. "When I first left I probably was averaging 20," Marion said of Phoenix. "You can't score 20 unless you get the shots. I don't get that many shots since I left." Marion has gone from being a primary option to being behind Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard and Jason Terry in the pecking order.
"That doesn't even matter," Marion said. "I'm here to help this team. It's going to be a learning curve. We all have to help each other."
--F Tim Thomas was among several people involved in a late-night altercation after the Mavericks' victory over Phoenix on Tuesday night, according to a Dallas police report.
Thomas hasn't commented on the situation publicly, and the team's front office has tried to downplay the issue.
"We've got a lot of good players," Rick Carlisle said. "Right now, I think one of the important things for me to do is get our core players playing well together."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Whenever it happens, I bet there's a lot of DNA testing going on." -- Owner Mark Cuban, on the first woman to play in the NBA.
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