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10-07-2007, 01:43 PM
Johnson seeks lighter camp
By JEFF CAPLAN Star-Telegram staff writer Posted on Sun, Oct. 07, 2007
Could it be that Avery Johnson has gone soft?
"No, no, no. It's getting wise," Johnson countered. "There's a difference between soft and wise."
Johnson was asked that question Friday, one day after he gave the Mavericks the morning off just three days into what was supposed to be four consecutive days of two-a-day practices.
"Tomorrow," Johnson continued, speaking of Saturday's practice, "we're only going to go one time. Now, it might be a three- or four-hour practice."
That workout barely lasted two hours. Then Johnson sprang another surprise for Sunday: a day of rest.
Starting his third full season as the Mavs' head coach, Johnson is making several adjustments.
He believes the Mavs wore down at the end of last season and he hopes adjusting certain areas will help keep his team physically and mentally fresher through the 82-game grind and beyond.
He's altered the team's weight lifting and conditioning regiments and has put a restriction on himself, in terms of how hard and how quickly he puts the pedal to the metal.
"I haven't talked as much," Johnson said. "I'm still going to talk. I like to teach first early on in practice and then we're allowing them to play a little bit.
"I'm getting more communication out of our guys and they're taking more responsibility, which is kind of what maturity does."
Johnson said the Mavs' continuity since he took over as head coach is allowing him to rein in practice time without sacrificing work.
"I'm not nearly as spent now, and it's not because we're not working as hard," Johnson said. "It's mainly because these guys have matured. We've been together and there's just certain situations they know how to respond. We are just so much further ahead in terms of reading situations than we were at this time last year, or absolutely the year before."
In the same vein, the team is taking a wider scope of the upcoming season, no longer fixated on the No. 1 seed as the Holy Grail.
Johnson and the team has taken stock of how San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich eased his team through the early portion of the schedule, despite criticism that the veteran Spurs were too old and too slow, then had the team humming into the playoffs.
"We'd like to build our own model," Mavs swingman Jerry Stackhouse said. "Whatever that is and whatever he [Johnson] sees for that to be.
"We've just got to look at it and not worry so much about what the analysts or prognosticators are saying during the course of the season.
San Antonio took their share of lumps during the regular season about how they weren't playing well or how this was happening, they were looking old, and they hit their stride at the right time."
Sampson hobbled
Recently added center Jamal Sampson, the nephew of Ralph Sampson, twisted his right ankle Friday. He hopes to be ready for Tuesday's preseason opener against the Spurs.
With Erick Dampier (shoulder) out for the start of the season, a strong preseason by Sampson could force the Mavs to make a difficult decision regarding their final 15-man roster.
By JEFF CAPLAN Star-Telegram staff writer Posted on Sun, Oct. 07, 2007
Could it be that Avery Johnson has gone soft?
"No, no, no. It's getting wise," Johnson countered. "There's a difference between soft and wise."
Johnson was asked that question Friday, one day after he gave the Mavericks the morning off just three days into what was supposed to be four consecutive days of two-a-day practices.
"Tomorrow," Johnson continued, speaking of Saturday's practice, "we're only going to go one time. Now, it might be a three- or four-hour practice."
That workout barely lasted two hours. Then Johnson sprang another surprise for Sunday: a day of rest.
Starting his third full season as the Mavs' head coach, Johnson is making several adjustments.
He believes the Mavs wore down at the end of last season and he hopes adjusting certain areas will help keep his team physically and mentally fresher through the 82-game grind and beyond.
He's altered the team's weight lifting and conditioning regiments and has put a restriction on himself, in terms of how hard and how quickly he puts the pedal to the metal.
"I haven't talked as much," Johnson said. "I'm still going to talk. I like to teach first early on in practice and then we're allowing them to play a little bit.
"I'm getting more communication out of our guys and they're taking more responsibility, which is kind of what maturity does."
Johnson said the Mavs' continuity since he took over as head coach is allowing him to rein in practice time without sacrificing work.
"I'm not nearly as spent now, and it's not because we're not working as hard," Johnson said. "It's mainly because these guys have matured. We've been together and there's just certain situations they know how to respond. We are just so much further ahead in terms of reading situations than we were at this time last year, or absolutely the year before."
In the same vein, the team is taking a wider scope of the upcoming season, no longer fixated on the No. 1 seed as the Holy Grail.
Johnson and the team has taken stock of how San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich eased his team through the early portion of the schedule, despite criticism that the veteran Spurs were too old and too slow, then had the team humming into the playoffs.
"We'd like to build our own model," Mavs swingman Jerry Stackhouse said. "Whatever that is and whatever he [Johnson] sees for that to be.
"We've just got to look at it and not worry so much about what the analysts or prognosticators are saying during the course of the season.
San Antonio took their share of lumps during the regular season about how they weren't playing well or how this was happening, they were looking old, and they hit their stride at the right time."
Sampson hobbled
Recently added center Jamal Sampson, the nephew of Ralph Sampson, twisted his right ankle Friday. He hopes to be ready for Tuesday's preseason opener against the Spurs.
With Erick Dampier (shoulder) out for the start of the season, a strong preseason by Sampson could force the Mavs to make a difficult decision regarding their final 15-man roster.