During their practice sessions inside the bubble in Orlando, Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is experimenting with something he’s never done.
He’s allowing the media to watch the Mavs’ practice sessions.
Carlisle usually closes his practices to the media, and then effectively let them in when the players are working on free throws, 3-point shooting or other mundane things. But that has changed leading up to the restart of the 2019-20 season.
“This a free-for-all down here,” Carlisle said via a Zoom conference all. “We’re giving all-access, we’re allowing writers to watch practice. This is like Christmas every day for you (media) guys.”
Indeed, Mavs videographer Jason “Chopper” Chinnock has enjoyed an all-access pass to go almost everywhere the Mavs are.
“This is historic, and we want there to be documentation of everything that’s going on,” Carlisle said. “Because this is such an unusual absence from our fans, I feel it’s really important to give them as much access as possible.
“Mavs Instagram has gotten better stuff than they’ve ever had. Mavs Twitter. You name it. The players are getting stuff from Chopper for their individual Instagram accounts and other social accounts. We’re having a blast here. This has really been fun.”
The fun for the Mavs will be temporarily put on hold on Thursday at 6 p.m. when they open their three-game scrimmage play against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. It’ll be the first time the Mavs will have faced an opponent since the season was suspended following their March 11 home game against the Denver Nuggets.
As far as what to expect against the Lakers, Carlisle said: “We’ll be looking at combinations, we’ll be looking at our conditioning, we’ll be looking at how to attack different coverages that the Lakers throw at us and we’ll look to change up our coverages defensively and study how we’re doing with different kinds of things from base defense to switching to trapping scenarios and those kinds of things. I’m looking forward to it.
“It really feels and appears that this has timed out well for the scrimmage to be happening when it is this coming Thursday.”
Since center Dwight Powell is still recuperating following right Achilles tendon surgery and center Willie Cauley-Stein isn’t in Orlando because of the birth of his daughter less than two weeks ago, the Mavs also will be dabbling with a few combinations at the center position.
“So many teams now play a (center) on the perimeter scenario where all spots are interchangeable,” Carlisle said. “We’re similar, but with our numbers being down with Powell unable to play and Cauley-Stein not being here, we’re going to have to be ready to be creative.
“Today we had a scenario where (6-7, Dorian) Finney-Smith was playing some (center) during practice. He’s got a good feel for it, he’s got a good feel of mixing up rolling and popping, and he’s shooting the ball really well. We’ll continue to look at all of that stuff. Who knows? Maybe we’ll get an alignment out there with all guards. We’ll have to see how things go.”
After Thursday, the Mavs will scrimmage the Indiana Pacers on July 26 at 3 p.m., and the Philadelphia 76ers on July 28 at 7:30 p.m. before they restart the season July 31 at 7 p.m. against the Houston Rockets.
“My understanding is that the first scrimmage is going to be shorter quarters – most likely 10-minute quarters – and also from what I’m hearing I don’t believe the first one will be broadcast,” Carlisle said. “When we get to the second and third (scrimmages) those will be regulation 12 minute (quarters) and they will be broadcast and they will be presented as real actual NBA games.
“I do think there’s some latitude to do some different things. I think anything is in play with this. That’s one of the things that I love about it. It’s just a really unique thing all the way around.”
Just like the all-access pass Carlisle has given the media.
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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