• E-mail

Give Avery Johnson this much: He may not coax the best out of his point guards, but he sure slings a mean metaphor.

Just when Dirk Nowitzki's injury provided the rest of the Mavs an excuse to fold, Johnson magnified their dilemma.

"There's no Dirk coming out of a phone booth or anything," Johnson said. "They've got to stop looking."

Moral: If the Dirkless Mavs are going to salvage this season, they're going to have to save themselves.

And that's why Nowitzki's absence really is a good thing. Bear with me on this.

The Mavs can go one of two ways: They can close ranks and hold off Golden State and Denver, proving their mettle and getting a much-needed jolt when Nowitzki returns going into the postseason.

Or the Mavs can continue to flop-flop-flop along on a flat tire as they have since the Jason Kidd deal, a ride that should only get bumpier without Nowitzki, and slide off the road into the lottery.

Frankly, I'm not sure which is better. Tells you all you need to know about this season, doesn't it?

Consider the first possibility: No matter how much you hated the Kidd trade, he's certainly drawn the best from Nowitzki and Erick Dampier, of all people.

Nowitzki hasn't played this well since he earned all those MVP votes. He wanted a change at point guard, and he got it. Kidd's presence, particularly when he's pushing the ball, makes Nowitzki's life easier.

Question: So if Nowitzki's playing so well with Kidd, what's wrong?

Answer: It isn't the defense, despite warnings by the trade's critics.

If you think it's Kidd's shooting that's killing the Mavs, let me tell you a story.

A Mavs assistant confided after the trade that Kidd's indelicate shooting touch would keep him from succeeding.

Of course, that was the trade that sent Kidd from Dallas to Phoenix a dozen years ago. Kidd has dragged his woebegone shot through a Hall-of-Fame career.

And the assistant with the scouting report? He's been out of the league for years.

If it's any consolation, Kidd has been working on his shooting. A few media members with attention-deficit issues were distracted Monday from Nowitzki's impromptu news conference by the sight of Kidd putting up jumpers.

A few of us even counted.

"How many is that?" someone would whisper.

"Four."

Clang.

"Zero."

Bottom line: Kidd will never be a good shooter, but he can be better than he's been lately. He simply must keep shooting. And not worry that Johnson will pull him after the next brick.

Johnson could also help by letting Kidd post up smaller point guards. The concept worked for Kidd in the past, and it's time for Johnson to put it in the playbook.

Time for everyone to step up, actually. Houston did it when Yao Ming went down with an injury.

Sure, the Rockets had already won 12 in a row, and their bench is both younger and livelier than the Mavs'. But Yao's loss still could have been devastating. The Rockets simply wouldn't allow it.

"Adversity, sometimes, you can see somebody's true colors," Kidd said.

LOUIS DeLUCA / DMN

Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki answers questions Monday.

"This is just beginning. It should be fun."

Better than if he'd said, "terrifying."

Josh Howard must step in for Nowitzki like Tracy McGrady did for Yao. Brandon Bass must live up to the potential he's shown this season. Jason Terry has to come up big.

Avery Johnson? He has to find a way to make Kidd comfortable. If the former point guard can't, the Mavs won't make the playoffs.

You could argue that it won't make any difference if they do, given how poorly they've played lately. I'd counter that you never know what might happen in the playoffs, especially with the West so tight.

But for argument's sake, let's go with your pessimism. If the Mavs don't make the playoffs, the first-rounder that went to New Jersey with Devin Harris stays home instead.

Now, the Mavs in the lottery doesn't mean Michael Beasley's coming to Dallas. But an interesting point guard – Derrick Rose, O.J. Mayo, D.J. Augustin, Tywon Lawson, maybe Darren Collison – could be available. One of them could spend a year as an understudy to Kidd and perhaps provide a long-term answer.

Of course, that assumes Johnson would like any point guard, but that's a diatribe for another day.