Practice report: No-shave pact showcases Mavs' solidarity
Practice report (02/08/13)
No-shave pact showcases Mavs' solidarity
DALLAS — What began as just a joking suggestion between teammates could ultimately become the rallying call for the Dallas Mavericks this season.
From one bearded baller to the next, Mavericks leading scorer O.J. Mayo joked to veteran teammate Vince Carter that the team should collectively agree to a no-shave pledge, at least until the Mavs have battled their way back to even .500 basketball. In the last two days, the idea seems to have now spread outwardly to the fan base and throughout the rest of the locker room, as 11-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki and rookie Jae Crowder joined the pact while the Mavericks (21-28) try climb their way back into playoff contention.
“It was O.J.’s idea, not mine. You know, he mentioned it to me. I don’t really see what’s the big deal, but everybody’s making a big deal about it,” Carter explained. “He came out of the blue and said, ‘Hey, let’s grow our beards out.’ That’s easy for me. And sometimes Dirk has one and [Chris] Kaman has one. We just asked people who usually grow out the beard mostly. Crowder said he’d grow one, but he can only grow the little ant mound around his face, or whatever that is, so he said that he would join in with that. That’s all.”
“Somebody told that to me last night,” a goatee-sporting Shawn Marion said after hearing about the pledge late. “I hadn’t heard nothing about it. I could do it. … I think I could pull it off. It’s going to be neat if I do it, though. I’m not just going to let it be rough, rough. I’m gonna trim it up or something. I’ll do it if everybody’s going to do it. But if everybody ain’t gonna do it, I ain’t gonna do it. So everybody’s got to be on board, ’cause we’ve got a lot of kids on this team with baby faces, so like a lot them can’t grow hair. They might have to glue on a beard or something.”
Meanwhile, the pact could carry over from the players to the coaching staff after news of the pledge reached Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. And with his team searching for togetherness heading into Saturday night’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors, a squad that has beaten the Mavs twice by a combined seven points this season, the coach could take the sidelines with a scruffy look should his players ask him to participate.
“Well, I’ve heard a little bit about it and I’m all for it,” Carlisle said. “I’m in favor of anything that creates solidarity and focus on a certain mission. I like it. … No one has approached me about it yet, and I doubt they will. I’m always open-minded.”
Mavs Fans: Are you hopping on the beard bandwagon? Show your support and make your pledge today!
Note: The Mavericks return to action to continue their five-game homestand against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night. The Warriors lead the season series 2-0 after wins by a combined seven points, including a 100-97 win in Oakland last Thursday night. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS (6287) or by visiting Mavs.com.
