Roddy B Free. Sorta

He's jumping!  And shooting.

Rodrigue Beaubois has been cleared to begin taking jump shots and showed off at Mavericks practice this morning.  His three-point shot was good enough to beat Dominique Jones and DeShawen Stevenson in a little competition.

Beaubois told me on a Mavericks pre-game show in November that he had hoped to be back around the first of the year but now admits it's going to be a while longer.

"I don't know," he said "I still need more time."

How important was being able to jump, finally?

"It's big because I've been on the floor so long. Now I can go up. It's a first step. Now the conditioning part is going to be hard because I can feel that I am getting tired very quickly."

Beaubois was scheduled to see a team doctor today to track his progress.

Even Roddy B's in on Free Roddy B. He's Funny, Too!

I hear you.   I read your tweets and found you on facebook.  The Free Roddy B campaign has never been as loud as it was in the final three quarters of  the Mavericks series-ending Game 6 loss to the Spurs.

You know the story.  Beaubois had 16 points in 18 minutes in the second and third quarters.  He provided that speed and spark off the bench that helped Dallas rally from a 22-point deficit.  Yet in the fourth quarter, he was mysteriously on the bench until the 2:44 mark of the final period.  At that point, the Mavericks trailed 89-81 and it was a cliche case of too little too late.

Even Mavericks owner Mark Cuban claimed he shouted "Free Roddy B!" when Beaubois was off the court.  Cuban was aloof when asked about it after the game.  "I'm not a coach, so I don't even have an opinion on that," he said.

It's rare when Cuban doesn't have an opinion on something, isn't it?  Isn't his lack of one telling?

Friday Carlisle took responsibility for Beaubois' benching saying that there are "no right decisions when you lose."

General manager Donnie Nelson stuck with the message.  "You can go around and around with that stuff," he said Friday.  "Pick your poison.  I don't think it's the right thing one of the all-time great 4th quarter performers Jason Terry is not out there.  It's such tough call but I think in those situations you go with the knowns."

Beaubois is smart and while he's cool with the coach's decision, he, like any competitor, saw opportunities to contribute.  "For sure, I wanted to play," he said.  "In the season I never really knew when I was going to play or not.  I just wait and that's it."

As for the Free Roddy B movement and the Mike Fisher-designed t-shirts that are scattered around North Texas, Beaubois admits it's pretty cool.

 "I was flattered when I saw that (the t-shirt).  It's good to have support from fans."

When asked if he had a Free Roddy B t-shirt he said someone gave him one Thursday night.  The media throng asked if it was from Cuban to which he replied in his wonderfully thick Guadeloupe/French accent, "no".

You kinda had to be there.