DALLAS - In what everyone hopes is the last chapter of an uncomfortable, but
quickly diffused, controversy, Mavericks coach Don Nelson and Antoine Walker
cleared the air Wednesday morning.

Nelson admitted disappointment with Walker's public comments after Monday's
103-90 win over Phoenix. Walker didn't hide his frustration after playing
just 18 minutes against the Suns and openly questioned his role on the team.
Walker did his best to move past the issue Tuesday, vowing not to be a
distraction.

Nelson declined comment on Walker's outburst until the two men had a chance
to meet face-to-face. Since Tuesday was an off day for the Mavs, that meeting
occurred Wednesday for about 30 minutes before a brisk practice at American
Airlines Center. Nelson wanted to talk to Walker before the Phoenix game, but
said a trainer failed to pass that message along to Walker.

Nelson said Walker would hold down his usual spot in the starting lineup
tonight at Sacramento. How much Walker plays -- he's started all 63 games
this season -- will depend on how he performs.

"He's my starter," Nelson said. "He's going to continue to start. But he's no
different than anybody else. If a player's not playing well and somebody is
playing better behind him, then that guy is going to play. I'm not going to
be intimidated by someone yelling and screaming and whatever. It doesn't
affect me. I'm going to do what's right as a coach."

What is right, according to Nelson, is putting the players on the floor who
are contributing. Against the Suns, Nelson played Antawn Jamison, Josh Howard
and Eduardo Najera a combined 95 minutes off the bench.

"Well, there's 240 minutes per game last time I looked at it," Nelson said.
"There's only so many to go around. There are some deserving players that
deserve to play these minutes. And I'm going to give more minutes to the guy
that is playing the best. It doesn't matter who it is. It's just the way it
is. If somebody plays more, somebody's going to play less. It's the guy most
deserving and the guy that is least productive or having a bad game at that
time."

Walker, who declined to talk to the media Wednesday, is averaging 36.1
minutes per game this season, but only 23 in the past four games. He's
shooting just 27 percent in his past five games (13-of-48) and is averaging
7.8 points and 5.6 rebounds.

"We want to have a deep team," Nelson said. "It's not difficult for me. It's
obviously difficult for Walker. It's not difficult for me. If Walker is not
playing well, then somebody else is. I'll tell you who's playing well and
that's Jamison. If it were Jamison who complained, I wouldn't have liked it,
but I wouldn't have been surprised.

"If anyone needs to play more, it's Jamison. He's shooting [52] percent. He's
doing everything we ask him to do. And Howard deserves to play. He's a
dominant young player right now. It's not that you're penalizing somebody;
you're playing the best players in a particular game or a particular stretch."

Jamison is averaging 14.3 points in 28.9 minutes per game, seven minutes less
than Walker, who is averaging 14.8 points. Both were 20-point career scorers
with their previous teams, Jamison with Golden State and Walker with Boston.

"This is the first time where Walk and myself have been in this situation,"
Jamison said. "I can't really comment on what Walker is going through. I can
only comment on my experience. Being in a situation where you're accustomed
to losing and things are not going the way you would like it to go, and to
come into an atmosphere where ... this is the most wins I've ever had in my
career and having an opportunity to go to the playoffs. Those things tend to
make it easier to accept coming off the bench and not getting to play that
many minutes and things like that. The whole mind frame coming in is we're
going to sacrifice."
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