DALLAS -- They don't have anyone participating in NBA All-Star Weekend for the first time since 1993. But the Dallas Mavericks will still be represented during the festivities in Houston.
That's because Mavs rookie center Bernard James will be honored Saturday night at the Toyota Center during the NBA Cares moment for his six years of military service."I'm flattered and it's pretty cool," James said before Monday's game against the Atlanta Hawks. "I just feel blessed that I was able to do what I did before I got here and that I'm being recognized for it."Because he saw no future in the tough Savannah, Ga., neighborhood in which he grew up, James dropped out of high school after the 11th grade to join the Air Force, then spent two years each servicing in Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar. The NBA took notice and decided to show James appreciation for what he did for his country."I just found out about a week ago and I was like, 'Cool,'" said James, who made his sixth start of the season Monday. "This will be my first trip to the All-Star Game, so it'll be a fun trip. In the big picture I'm honored, but my focus right now is just basketball. I'm very proud of what I've done in the past and I'm happy to be honored for it, but my focus right now is improving on basketball."Marion, Carter leadAlong with Dirk Nowitzki, the leaders of the Mavs have been Shawn Marion and Vince Carter."Vince and Shawn, we need them to do it on the court," coach Rick Carlisle said. "We need them to have that presence in the locker room, too."The Mavs also need the 34-year old Marion and 36-year old Carter -- along with the 34-year old Nowitzki -- to set examples for the younger players."It's huge because these young guys all know who Shawn Marion and Vince and Dirk are," Carlisle said. "And so they watch these guys very closely and they're going to pattern a lot of the things that they do after what those guys do."So you always want those guys being the type of people that do the right things."When the Mavs slipped to 13-23 after a 99-93 loss to the Los Angles Clippers on Jan. 9, owner Mark Cuban said it was Marion and Carter who helped keep the team together."A lot of guys could have tuned out when we were really struggling, and Vince and Shawn both kept guys focused," Cuban said. "You have to teach guys how to be pros and what it takes to be successful."Standing pat?Rick Carlisle doesn't believe the Mavs will make any trades by the Feb. 21 deadline."If you're asking me if we're going to trade anybody, I don't think we're going to," Carlisle said. "I don't think we're going to trade [Shawn] Marion, I don't think we're going to trade Vince [Carter], I don't think we're going to trade anybody. That's my opinion."Mark Cuban said the Mavs will continue to be opportunistic and that if he does execute a trade, no one will hear about it until it's a done deal.Dwain Price, 817-390-7760Twitter: @DwainPrice
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