Oct. 3--UNIVERSITY PARK -- OK, so the Mavericks want to get tough this season.
As October traditions go, this proclamation rates right up there with the Rangers packing for vacation.
The Mavericks insist it will be different this time. They have heard Rick Carlisle's words and had a few days to catch his drift.
What exactly the new coach told his players is a little R-rated. But suffice it to say, he's looking for them to be real jerks on the basketball court.
Think Bruce Bowen, and you'll have the right idea.
One of the Mavericks who has experience with Carlisle, Jerry Stackhouse, said he understands what the coach has in mind.
"We had it when we were in Detroit," said Stackhouse, who played for Carlisle with the Pistons during the 2001-02 season. "We didn't like the other team. We made a conscious effort not to see other teams in shootarounds.
"Nowadays, guys just bait you. Great players, [such as] LeBron James and all these guys, come in hugging in the morning and ready to kill you at night. A lot of guys on this team are capable of playing that way."
Guys like Brandon Bass and Stackhouse. And maybe Josh Howard.
"I think everybody has that in their own way," Bass said. "It's just about being consistent with that attitude."
Carlisle has to hope that being a brute can be an acquired skill, because the Mavericks have never been accused of attending the Rick Mahorn school of hard knocks.
"How do you get guys to be nasty? Well, I think hating the opponent is a start," Carlisle said. "You've got to develop that as we go along."
Razorback Red 
