Dennis Smith is back and Mavericks say everything’s fine. And it certainly was Tuesday
Everything is fine. There’s nothing to see here.
Dennis Smith Jr. rejoined the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday night after missing the past six games for less than clear reasons and the Mavericks are ready to pretend like nothing is amiss.
In fact, there wasn’t Tuesday as Smith, along with rookie Luka Doncic, had a standout performance in the Mavericks’ 106-98 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers at American Airlines Center.
Smnith finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists in his return, while Doncic added 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Before the game, owner Mark Cuban and coach Rick Carlisle both said there is nothing to be concerned about with the second-year point guard who has been rumored to be trade bait.
Smith missed the first three games with what was described as a back injury. The previous three missed games have been less defined as an illness.
Cuban said there’s nothing between his head coach and Smith that can’t be resolved.
“There’s never been a coach who hasn’t had disagreements with players or issues with players,” Cuban said. “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. It’s going to happen again. That’s just the nature of the beast.”
Carlisle welcomed Smith back after announcing that he would be in the starting lineup against the Clippers.
“We’ve definitely been missing what he brings to the game in terms of speed, athleticism and those kinds of things,” he said. “We’re happy to have him back and that’s all I’m going to say about it.”
Cuban laughed off any long-term concerns with Smith finding his way in the starting lineup with the inclusion of Doncic, who has assumed the team’s primary point guard duties.
“We’ve got to work with it. We’ve got to make it fit better,” Carlisle said. “As you’ve noticed, we’ve had flexibility with the starting lineup. We will continue to have some flexibility with the starting lineup at times, depending on matchups.”
Cuban downplayed any concerns.
“There’s no team that this doesn’t happen to,” he said. “He comes back, he plays, that’s it. Nothing more to say. Just come back and go to work. It’s rare there’s a game where a player is not mad at someone on the coaching staff. It’s just part of the game.”
In Tuesday’s victory, Harrison Barnes scored a game-high 20 points and DeAndre Jordan had a game-high 16 rebounds as the Mavericks (21-26) snapped a four-game losing streak.
This story was originally published January 22, 2019 at 7:09 PM with the headline "Dennis Smith is back and Mavericks say everything’s fine. And it certainly was Tuesday."