SAN ANTONIO – Like most other NBA coaches, Avery Johnson isn't fired up about wearing a microphone on nationally televised games this season.

It's even worse when he has to be the guinea pig.

Johnson will get miked up tonight for TNT's telecast of the Mavericks' home game against Denver. It will be the first time an NBA coach will have all his utterances on tape. He also will have to give an interview between the third and fourth quarters to Craig Sager, the TNT sideline reporter.

Coaches have been assured that TNT and ESPN, which also will put wires on coaches for their games, will be selective in what actually makes the air. But that still doesn't make a skeptical bunch of coaches feel any better.

"It's something they're trying to do to catch up with NASCAR and baseball," Johnson said. "It's something that we didn't have a vote on. And it's something that David [Stern] thinks is a necessity. They'll try it, see how it works and tweak it."

But what about sensitive material leaking out?

"A lot of coaches are concerned about those things," Johnson said. "You just don't know what you may say and where it may end up. But we have to cooperate."

Owner Mark Cuban is a big fan of coaches getting wired for sound, believing that it's another tool to help fans, who pay the bills for the league.

"It's about time people start to understand how coaches work and the impact coaches have and understand the strategy that goes on during a game," Cuban said. "I understand [coaches' fears] completely. But the more they have come out of the mouths of coaches, the less [misinformation] we'll get from the mouths of sports writers and columnists and commentators. Facts instead of fantasy, that's good."

Cuban also said the NBA will guard delicate information "like Fort Knox."

"The NBA is not stupid," he said. "They're not going to put stuff through. I've heard stories of what refs have said when they're miked up. They don't put that stuff on, and there's plenty of bad stuff. It's not about busting a coach."

Then the obvious question is, why do it if the networks are not looking for juicy nuggets?

"I'm willing to bet it would give pause to Commissioner Stern and his group if all of a sudden in their next important meeting it had a dedicated camera and microphone during the whole meeting," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "It would make them, as it will make us, act differently.

"Coaches won't be themselves, players won't be themselves. It will be a much more cautious, untrusting atmosphere."

Interestingly, Popovich and Utah's Jerry Sloan – both known for colorfully worded outbursts – will be wired Friday by ESPN.

Looking ahead: The next time Johnson is in San Antonio's AT&T Center, it will be to have his No. 6 jersey unveiled in the rafters.

That ceremony will take place Dec. 22, when the Mavericks have an off night and the Spurs host the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Spurs have retired the numbers of James Silas, George Gervin, Johnnie Moore, David Robinson and Sean Elliott.

Interestingly, Elliott's jersey was missing at the Mavericks' shootaround Wednesday. Johnson said the Spurs had to take it down for measurement purposes to make sure Johnson's is the same size as the rest of the oversized jerseys.

Asked if he wanted his jersey to hang next to that of Robinson, who was best man at Johnson's wedding, Johnson said: "You know what, it'll be nice to be anywhere in the building. They could put it in the bathroom. I don't care."