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By Sam Amico

TALKIN’ MAVS

-- So I write about the Dallas Mavericks, and they lose two in a row. Longtime readers of the newsletter know that’s how it works. I tell everyone how great you are, and suddenly, you‘re lousy. All of this has me thinking about changing my arrangement with the readers: I’ll keep sending out the newsletter for free, but I will accept money to NOT write about your favorite team.

-- In my defense, both of the Mavericks’ losses came on the road (at Washington and Toronto), and without Steve Nash, who sat with a sore shoulder. Obviously, Nash is the motor that keeps Dallas’ high-octane offense running smoothly. Without Nash, the Mavs seemed to have no concept of how to start the offense, and generally looked like a bunch of preschoolers whose teacher just left the room.

-- Kelly Clark (Columbus, Ohio) wrote that the Mavericks remind him of the old Denver Nuggets teams featuring Fat Lever, Alex English, and Kiki Vandeweghe. “But I still stand by my opinion that the day Dallas coach Don Nelson wins an NBA championship is the day I’m wearing a full length fur coat and sipping hot chocolate with the devil himself. Nellie is to coaching what Pee Wee Herman is to acting. He’s funny to watch but no one takes him seriously.”

TALKIN’ ANTOINE

I wrote some kind words about ex-Boston Celtic forward Antoine Walker, implying his trade to Dallas may be the fresh start he needs. But longtime Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan took a strong parting shot at Walker in the November issue of Basketball Times.

“No one in Boston who cares about basketball is neutral on the subject of Antoine Walker,” Ryan wrote. “If you’re 40 or older (perhaps even 35), and your basketball frame of reference lies somewhere between Bob Cousy and Larry Bird, the day of the trade that sent Walker to Dallas was a day of rejoicing.

“You decided long ago that it would be a happy day when you no longer had to put up with those hideous threes, those foolish coast-to-coast excursions, and the theatrics that were the hallmark of Antoine’s game.”

Ryan went on to agree with my assessment that Walker might be a good fit in Dallas -- but for different reasons.

“Dallas is the ultimate Basketball Worker’s paradise, a franchise where players are fawned over to a disgusting degree in the guise of creating a viable workplace. Mark Cuban is every athlete’s fantasy owner.”

Ryan also wrote that Don Nelson loves coaching “oddball” players, and that no one fits that description better than Walker.

“Walker is a 6-foot-8 guy with a questionable body who can make threes but who shoots too many of them; who can dribble like any guard you can name but can’t really handle the ball properly; who has post up moves but can’t get them off against any good athlete; and who can make sensational passes but can’t be trusted to make them at the proper moment. If anyone can make sense of all this, it’s Nellie.”

TALKIN’ NBA (AND NBDL)

-- It was good to see San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili jawing with Gary Payton in the Lakers’ double overtime win Nov. 6. I’ve always said European players could use a little more street in their game.

-- I wasn’t overly impressed with anything about the Denver-Cleveland game featuring LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony -- unless you count Earl Boykins (hey, at least someone avoided the Amico Report jinx). The over-hyped game wasn’t as big of a letdown as Michael Jordan’s first trip to Chicago in a Wizards uniform, but it was close.

-- I’m still sticking with my theory that LeBron will become one of the all-time greats, and Carmelo won’t be far behind. But don’t kid yourself, neither is ready for prime time yet.

-- The best block I’ve seen in years was when Ricky Davis came flying out of nowhere to swat Anthony’s layup into next week -- and Davis did it from behind! Having said that, Davis is a phenomenal athlete, but don’t expect him (or Darius Miles, for that matter) to be playing in Cleveland much longer. The Cavaliers are said to be disappointed with Davis’ continued selfishness, and the fact Miles has gotten only slightly better since last season.

-- At this writing, Byron Scott is one win away from becoming the winningest coach in Nets history. Make of that what you will.

-- The first day to sign players to 10-day contracts is Jan. 10. (Note to NBA general managers: I‘m available).

-- The Philadelphia 76ers have a league-high three players on the roster who were selected No. 1 overall in their respective drafts: Derrick Coleman (1990), Glenn Robinson (1994), and Allen Iverson (1996).

-- Former Ohio State center Ken Johnson was selected with the first overall pick by Huntsville in Thursday’s NBDL draft. Here are other names you may know who were drafted (selection number and team in parentheses): Terence Morris (2, Columbus); Carl English (11, Charleston); Sam Clancy (12, Fayetteville); Erick Barkley (13, Huntsville); Mateen Cleaves (37, Huntsville); David Webber (57, Asheville); Moses Malone Jr. (59, Charleston).

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Talkin’ NBA is a FREE supplement to my FREE regular newsletter about pro basketball, The Amico Report. To sign up for both, just send your e-mail address to me at amicoreport@hotmail.com. Questions and comments can also be e-mailed to that address, although you must include your full name for your thoughts to be published. Also, please include your hometown, as I like seeing where the e-mails are coming from.

HAVE A GREAT DAY!