However, on the contrary...
DALLAS -- Rick Carlisle is ready to let Jason Kidd and the Dallas Mavericks run. And run.
And run some more.
"When you play with Jason Kidd, you have to open it up," Carlisle said Wednesday. "Our wing guys are going to have to get conditioned to really run. The thing Jason Kidd does better than probably any point guard in the league is push the ball ahead."
Carlisle emphasized his ready-to-run mentality in the opening statement at his news conference. He also stressed that while more fun, "it's a lot of work, a lot of sweat."
Carlisle added that he plans to keep the defensive core established by predecessor Avery Johnson, prompting a whisper of "That's cool" from Dirk Nowitzki, who was sitting with the media to hear what his new coach had to say.
"We've got to be passionate and vigilant about what Avery [started] here," Carlisle said.
Carlisle also was planning to have dinner with Josh Howard and may travel to North Carolina for more time with Howard and Jerry Stackhouse, whom Carlisle coached before in Detroit.
"This is not about me coming in here with my style," Carlisle said. "This is about fitting the style to the personnel."
His track record demands respect: A career mark of 281-211, with a Coach of the Year award and consecutive trips to the Eastern Conference finals, once with Detroit then with Indiana the next season. He's made the playoffs in five of his six seasons, getting fired by the Pacers after his lone flameout in 2007. He spent this past season working for ESPN.
This will be his first time coaching in the West. He arrives with the Mavericks getting older and the competition getting tougher. Dallas extended its streak of 50-win seasons and playoff berths to eight in a row, but both came down to the final weeks.
Nowitzki turns 30 next month and Kidd is 35, plus going into the final year of his contract. About half the roster spots are open, but the Mavericks already are over the salary cap, limiting the kind of moves they can make. Dallas also gave up its first-round pick in the Kidd trade
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3396239
I'd say with the running style that will be implemented, Howard is probably going to be a main piece to that. Carlisle planning to go to dinner with Howard shows that, as well.
I also think Rick would get Howard back to the more balanced Josh Howard from previous seasons. In the way of consistent defense and rebounding, and paint-oriented-first scoring.
Obviously they wouldn't do Dirk at C and Ron at PF, because that is a significant downgrade defensively.
Also there is talk that Dallas will look to use a significant deal of the MLE on former key Mav defender, DeSagana Diop this summer. Obviously Diop being a serious loss up front defensively in the Kidd trade.
