Tim McMahon reports that Rodrigue Beaubois no longer feels pain in his foot and may return to action as soon as Wednesday. The Mavericks host the Kings on Wednesday, then travel to Phoenix Thursday before taking five days off for the All-Star break. Rick Carlisle is noncommittal:
"It’s going to depend on the next four days," coach Rick Carlisle said. "We’ll see where things are on Wednesday morning."
Beaubois broke his left foot about six months ago while preparing for summer duty with the French national team. Mark Cuban and the Mavericks initially expected him to return in time for the season opener, but the injury proved to be more troublesome.
With Caron Butler’s season-ending knee injury, Dallas has needed additional scoring punch. Jose Barea has overcome a two-month slump and leads the NBA in three-point shooting in 2011, while Peja Stojakovic enjoyed his most successful performance with the Mavs Saturday night, hitting for 22 points in 28 minutes on 8-12 shooting. Beaubois’ return will give Carlisle one more option for perimeter scoring.