MINNEAPOLIS -- On this frigid Friday in the Twin Cities, following the Mavericks' morning shootaround, Rick Carlisle and Dirk Nowitzki had a heart-to-heart that would have been difficult for most coaches and most NBA stars.
The topic: A significant change in the way Nowitzki will and won't be utilized, including games in which he will play in only one half or not at all.
This development will jolt many Mavericks fans. And it would test most coach-player marriages, but this is Carlisle and Nowitzki. They've been together 11 years. They won an NBA championship together.
"We talked about it and handled it like grown men," Nowitzki told The News.