DALLAS — Coach Rick Carlisle immediately reinserted Dennis Smith Jr. into the Dallas Mavericks‘ starting lineup after the second-year point guard’s return from a midseason sabbatical Tuesday night.
Smith missed the previous six games, the first three officially because of back soreness and the other three because of what the team called an illness. However, Carlisle acknowledged on his weekly radio show Friday that “business stuff” was behind the absence of Smith, who sources say has been shopped in the trade market this season and would welcome a move.
Carlisle and Smith, who did not join the team on its recent two-game road trip, had a conversation over the weekend before agreeing on the plan for the point guard to come back for Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
“All that stuff is private stuff,” Carlisle said when asked about his conversation with Smith. “I’ll basically tell you, defensively we’ve missed, offensively we’ve missed him, and tonight he’s back. So I’m happy, and I believe he’s happy, too.”
Smith, 21, was greeted with loud applause when the starting lineups were announced. He was not available during the pregame media access period.
Smith has not practiced or played with the Mavs in two weeks, but Carlisle felt comfortable putting him right back in the lineup.
“He’s been working hard the last couple of days, and he says he’s ready,” Carlisle said. “I don’t see any reason to wait.”
Sources have told ESPN that Smith has taken issue with some of Carlisle’s tough coaching tactics, and that he feels Carlisle doesn’t have enough confidence in him, giving him a short leash. Owner Mark Cuban dismissed concerns about Carlisle’s coaching style, saying conflicts between coaches and players are commonplace in the NBA.
“I like Rick’s style,” Cuban said after a shooting session on the American Airlines Center court a few hours before tipoff. “Look, all this stuff I’ve read about point guards and all that, it sure didn’t affect J.J. [Barea]. It sure didn’t affect Devin [Harris] coming back. Those guys left and came back. We traded them twice, they came back.
“There’s never been a coach who hasn’t had disagreements with players or issues with players. I’ve had three coaches since we’ve been here, and I’ve had players who have taken sabbaticals — that’s not the right word — or who haven’t played for whatever reason. … And it’s going to happen again. That’s just the nature of the beast. I’m not concerned. There’s no team that this doesn’t happen to.”
Cuban said he and Smith did not talk during Smith’s time away from the team. Cuban downplayed the severity of the situation, saying, “Things happen.”
“Just come back and go to work,” Cuban said. “Look, if you just watch a game, it’s rare that there’s a game where a player’s not mad at someone on the coaching staff. It’s just part of the game.”
When it was suggested that it’s even more rare for a disgruntled player to take time away from the team midway through his second season, Cuban shrugged.
“Like I said, he’s going to be back tonight,” Cuban said. “Coach will play him the way Coach is going to play him, and we’ll try to win the game.”
The Mavs’ starting lineup with Smith has performed poorly all season, posting an offensive rating of 97.1 points per 100 possessions with a minus-7.3 net rating.
Sources have said that Smith isn’t pleased with his role playing primarily off the ball because of rookie star Luka Doncic’s emergence as an All-Star-caliber playmaker. Carlisle acknowledged the production with the pair on the floor together has been poor — 100.9 points per 100 possessions, which would rank last in the league in offensive efficiency — but said the Mavs need to figure out how to make them fit better.
There will be opportunities for Smith to be the primary playmaker because of sixth man J.J. Barea’s season-ending injury, but Carlisle said bringing Smith off the bench is not a consideration.
“I see him as a starter, and I think he and Luka need to play together,” Carlisle said. “As we move forward, these guys need to have more time on the court together. That’s a reality, so we’ll go from there.”