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.