UNIVERSITY PARK – Jerry Stackhouse fell into a bad habit the last few years. At the time, he may not have realized it. But comfort zones are easy places to cut a corner or two. As a sixth man, Stackhouse knew he wasn't going to play 30 minutes a game. Closer to 20 was more likely.

So the veteran swingman could get away with being in less-than-top physical condition and skating through some practices, particularly in training camp.

Those days are over. Rick Carlisle came in with the expectation that the Mavericks – all of them – have to be ready to endure long, tough practice sessions.

"It's been a little different from the last four or five years," Stackhouse said Wednesday. "It could very well be the same role. It could be a lesser role. It could be greater role.

"He [Carlisle] doesn't want me to come in with the same mind-set [as a sixth man]. And I probably shortchanged myself a little by not being in the best shape possible because I felt I could come off the bench and play 18 or 20 minutes without being in top-notch shape.

"With him coming in and putting the onus on me to get my butt in shape, I did that for the last three months. We'll see where we're at."

Stackhouse doesn't want anything handed to him. He'd like to be a starter. But he'll see how things shake out in the preseason.

One thing he's certain of is that if he's going to be a starter for Carlisle, it will require a huge commitment from one of his teammates: Josh Howard.

Stackhouse has played small forward as much in his career as he has played shooting guard. Carlisle wants to play him in both spots again. But no matter which position he's at, the size of Stackhouse's role will rely on Howard, he said.

"Even when I was 23 or 24, I wasn't chasing Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade," he said. "Do they think I'm going to chase them when I'm 33?

"In order for it [starting] to work, the onus is really on Josh to step up and be able to be that defensive stopper in that unit. If that happens, then there is room possibly for me to be in the starting lineup."

FILE PHOTO 2007

Jerry Stackhouse may be asked to play more minutes than the 24.3 he averaged per game last season.

That would allow Stackhouse to guard the lesser offensive weapon and still take advantage offensively. If Jason Terry is the starter in the backcourt alongside Jason Kidd, then it will be Kidd who has to guard the opponent's bigger guard.

As for Stackhouse handling more minutes than the 24.3 he played last season or the 20 he averaged in five playoff games, not a problem, Carlisle said.

"Stack can still run," he said. "His knees are fine. I think it would help us if we can get him to some three [small forward] this year where he can put the ball on the floor and drive it. He knows the game. He's a little better defensively than people think.

"And along with everybody else, he's been working hard on his 3-point shooting because that's an area where we need to get better as a team."

Briefly: Paul Westphal, an assistant on Avery Johnson's staff last season, has been retained as executive vice president of basketball operations. Essentially, he's assisting president Donnie Nelson. "I think this is a good fit to get my feet wet in the management end of the business," Westphal said ... Another visitor to Wednesday's practice was Antoine Rigaudeau, the guard who had a brief playing career with the Mavericks in 2003. His post-playing career might be more important to the team as he is assisting with European scouting.

Jerry Stackhouse may see his minutes increase this season with the Mavericks. A look at his average minutes per game and points per game in his four seasons with the team:

Wednesday: Point guard Keith McLeod went through about two-thirds of practice because of a previous hamstring problem. Everybody else was healthy, except for Eddie Jones, who has yet to practice with a strained left hamstring. ... The Mavericks went nearly three hours and, as Rick Carlisle said, "we're learning what a commitment to full-bore basketball really is. It's a commitment to habits that you have to stay with no matter how tired you are."

Today: They will continue to get familiar with the coaching responsibilities. Among the assistants, Terry Stotts is mostly responsible for offense and Dwane Casey for defense. Mario Elie works with swingmen and guards; Popeye Jones helps with power forwards and centers. Upcoming opponents will be Tom Sterner's responsibility. "That's kind of how we've broken it down," Carlisle said. "But everybody has input on everything. I'm a good listener when it comes to that stuff."

Eddie Sefko