Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says he plans to start a hedge fund, run by professional gamblers, to make bets on sporting events.

In a 1,278-word weblog posted over the weekend, Cuban said a gambling hedge fund would be no worse than the stock market, which he compared to a Ponzi scheme, with some people trading on inside information and others buying stocks on emotion.

Cuban, who recently was the host of ABC's The Benefactor, made his fortune by selling his Internet company at the height of the dot-com boom, accused public companies of manipulating profit numbers and said the Securities and Exchange Commission fails to make companies follow the rules.

NBA spokesman Tim Frank said the league needed more information about Cuban's plans.

"It's just a blog entry," Frank said. "We just became aware of it this morning, and we haven't had a chance to review it."

In his weekend posting, Cuban said he has "done very well" in stocks over the past 15 years but that for many investors, putting money in stocks is nothing more than gambling.

Cuban added that from "minimal reading and conversations" about sports betting, there are smart gamblers who win repeatedly, which he attributed to the vast information available about sports teams.

In casinos, he added, "Unlike the stock market, you know the rules exactly. You know without question, the house is going to play by the rules. The gaming commission appears to actually enforce rules of play, unlike the SEC."

Dallas Mavericks head coach Don Nelson will step aside for Tuesday night's game against San Antonio and let his top assistant Avery Johnson run the team.

Nelson will still be on the bench against the Spurs, but will leave it to Johnson to make decisions against a team the former point guard once played for.

"I'll give him my opinion and he'll have to make the call," Nelson said. "Just like when he gives me his opinion, I reject some of them, he can reject mine."

Nelson would like Johnson to be his eventual successor, and plans to let him coach five or six games this season. Nelson is in his eighth season in Dallas, and is signed through next season.

Nelson chose San Antonio as the first test because Johnson is familiar with the Spurs and coach Gregg Popovich. While playing in San Antonio, Johnson, aka The Little General, hit the title-clinching jumper in the 1999 NBA Finals.

Johnson ended a 16-year playing career when he retired during the preseason. He returned to Dallas this summer, initially signing as a player-coach.

Dirk Nowitzki twisted his left ankle late in the second quarter of a 110-82 loss at Denver on Sunday night. As the three-time All-Star left the arena on crutches, there were fears that it might be a severe sprain, but after viewing an MRI on Monday, doctors said Nowitzki should be back within seven to 10 days.

A week would force him out against the Timberwolves, Spurs, Trail Blazers and Grizzlies. His projected return is either next Tuesday against San Antonio or two days later against Houston.

"We're kind of pleased with how he was walking today," Mavs coach Don Nelson said. "He will miss some games, not as serious as we thought when he first did it."

It didn't take long for Dallas to be plagued again by injuries.

After getting Erick Dampier and Jason Terry back from injuries, Dallas lost Dirk Nowitzki when the All-Star forward stepped on the foot of Denver forward Nene late in the second quarter. Nowitzki couldn't put any weight on his foot as he was helped to the locker room and will have an MRI on Monday.

"We don't know how bad, but it is not good," Dallas coach Don Nelson said. "We can't catch a break with injuries. We have done well up to this point, but like I said before, the one guy we can't afford to lose is Nowitzki and now we have lost him for a while."

Nowitzki ended up playing just 18 minutes, scoring 11 points.

Steve Nash returned to Dallas for the first time on Tuesday night, as the Suns beat the Mavericks 107-101.

Nash was stellar as he scored 17 points and had 18 assists.

"I can't think of a more emotional game that I've had than this one," Nash said. "I didn't have any tears, but I was definitely nervous. I think it's just natural. There were so many memories here."

Dirk Nowitzki, who went to dinner with good buddy Nash the night before, finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds.

"I'm used to playing with him, but we've got to move on and put it behind us," Nowitzki said. "I guess we've got to get used to him in a purple and orange uniform."

Dallas Mavericks center Erick Dampier left Tuesday night's game against Phoenix with strained hip, then guard Jason Terry was lost to a sprained ankle.

Both injuries were listed as day-to-day.

Dampier will skip practice Wednesday in hopes of being able to return Friday night at home against the New York Knicks.

"I'm going to take a little time off and see how it feels," he said.

Terry will have an MRI Wednesday to determine the degree of his sprain. X-rays showed there was no break and the lack of immediate swelling left the Mavericks hopeful that he won't be on the shelf for too long.

Dampier was hurt late in the first quarter. He banged against a Phoenix player in the lane and grabbed his left thigh. He hobbled around until the next dead ball, then was helped to the locker room.

Terry went down seconds into the second quarter. He was chasing Phoenix guard Steve Nash when their feet became entangled and Terry rolled his right ankle. He also had to be helped to the locker room.

The Mavericks have placed guard Michael Finley on the injured list with a sprained right ankle.

Finley was injured in the third quarter of Tuesday night's game at Orlando on a drive to the basket.

Finley is required to miss five games for being placed on the IL, but coach Don Nelson indicated the absence could be longer.

"He's pretty sore, and he's going to miss some time," Nelson told the Dallas Morning News. "I'd say a lot more than a little."

To replace Finley on the roster, the Mavericks activated guard Dan Dickau from the injured list.

Eduardo Najera, dealt in the off-season as part of the sign-and-trade acquisition of Erick Dampier, will be back at American Airlines Center on Monday night, doing the dirty work for the Warriors, as he did in four seasons with the Mavericks.

Erick Dampier will be seeing the Warriors for the first time since his seven-season tenure with them ended in August.

"I'm sure they're going to be ready to play," Dampier said.

Both players will try to treat it as just another game. But Najera clearly will get a warm reception when he enters the game.

In the Warriors' first three games, he's come off the bench. He had nine rebounds and three blocks Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Mavs owner Mark Cuban is finding new and interesting ways of being fined by the NBA.

Saturday, Cuban acknowledged on his blog Web site, www.blogmaverick.com, that he was fined by the league for his comments posted on the site Oct. 31, when he wrote that the NBA's decision to start the season on Election Day was "genius."

"I won't say what I really think about the genius that started the season on Election Day since it's probably the same person that started the season on Halloween in previous years," Cuban wrote. "Let's see, which [is] going to get more highlights and press coverage Nov. 3 -- the kickoff of the NBA season or the election?"

On Saturday, Cuban added to his blog that, "It [was] probably but just a matter of time till it happened. ... I'm sure this fine for a blog entry is a first in professional sports, and, in a lot of respects, it's amusing and will be fun for others to write and talk about."

Cuban, who has been fined more than $1 million since January 2001 when he bought the Mavs, was fined $100,000 less than a month ago for comments about the NBA's new rules regarding practice in training camp. He didn't disclose the amount of his most recent fine.

It is very rare for a rookie point guard to start for a playoff team, but Don Nelson is bucking a trend yet again, as Devin Harris will be Steve Nash's replacement on opening night.

"I think he'll be our point guard here for many, many years," Nelson said. "So I think it makes us a better team, plus it's the thing to do for the future."

Nelson almost never embraces a rookie enough to put him in the starting lineup from the start. Even Dirk Nowitzki came off the bench for half of his first season. Nelson said Tim Hardaway in Golden State was the last rookie he could remember starting for him in an opener.

Harris, told Friday that he'd be starting, seemed underwhelmed.

"Wow," he said, feigning surprise. "It's a good step forward. Hopefully, we can have 10 guys in our rotation and the second unit will have as much firepower as the first. But whether I start or come off the bench, I still have to play the same way."

Harris played very well in the preseason and has showed great signs of maturity.