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But I only like certain types of straws. I like to consider myself a straw connoisseur. McDonald's straws are definitely my favorite. Marty Snider from TNT thought he could stump me on a blindfolded straw taste test. Don't he know who I am? I'm the STRAW GURU! Check out the video for youself.

Here I am in the playoffs. I'm two years removed from my last postseason appearance and it feels great to be making another appearance. When the season started out I thought I would be here in a Wizards uniform. But the move was made and I'm obviously better off because of it. I'm here in Dallas with an actual title contender.

The First Round

Anybody in this Western Conference is a legit threat. They clawed and fought all the way. So I know that we are meeting San Anotnio in the first round and they mean business. It was no easy task for them to make it in the postseason in this conference or to hold on to the seventh seed.

Teams like the Cavs and Lakers got the chance to rest key players who are huge difference makers. This also gives them a chance to give their bench guys some run. We didn't have the liberty of doing things like that and I even played with a sore hip the last game of the season. We were still fighting and clawing our way into the postseason.

Since we didn't get to rest we have to keep this energy up straight into the postseason. The best way to do that is to just keep a clear mind and stay focused on your one goal, winning a championship.

When we were in the race for the playoffs we had to watch out for the lowly, non-winning teams. They were the most dangerous towards the end of the season. At times they have an out of body experience and want to prove something by knocking you down. But that's all over and done with, and we are on the road to a championship. First victim....San Antonio.

Knowing my role

My role on this team right now is a lilttle bit of everything. I defend and take on those tough assignments. Offensively, I take the pressure off of Dirk and the other guys.If you look at our startinng line up we got four All-Stars starting each game. So we are a forced to be reckoned with this postseason.

The team as a whole is focusing on having a great defensive presence, executing our offense properly and making sure teams know they just can't waltz down the middle on us.

'Dem UConn Huskies

They are a beast. Our program at UConn is just built for greatness. Shout out to Maya Moore doing it big in the championship. That championship game was a pretty tight one. It was amazing to see them bounce back in the second half like that. That was a great look. I think they can continue to dominate with this win streak. They are going to be on top until coach Gino leaves.

Baby Caron on the way

My wife is in her last trimester right now and the baby is due in June. It'd be a good look if we could have a Larry O'Brien trophy baby.  :-)

See you guys in the postseason!

--Tough Juice

You've all seen that crazy Old Spice commercial with the man on a horse, right? Well check out my version using Mavericks Musk. We showed this at American Airlines Center and it's been pretty popular with the fans.

"I'm on a horse."

--Tough Juice

My move to Dallas is a good situation and I’m happy with the move unfortunately we weren’t able to finish what we started in Washington. But I’m happy to be here in Dallas competing for a title.

Obviously playing with a guy like Jason Kidd, you don’t have to work so hard and Dirk draws so much attention and you got guys that just truly want to win and that’s the only goal.  I’m just enjoying myself and I’m happy and I think that just lifts a lot of weight off my shoulders. It’s much easier with these guys because they tend to find you right in rhythm and they are excellent team players since they have been around the league for a long time. They understand the game.

Dirk is a funny guy. Playing against him you wouldn’t think he has so much personality and a sense of humor, but you see him behind the scenes and he is unbelievable. He made this whole transition very easy for me. Like we went to the Jay Z concert the other night.  We just enjoy each other and he is always checking on me making sure I don’t need anything and helping me find a place. He is just an all-around good guy. That just shows me that he really wants me here.

My first game in Dallas, I got an insane applause and 80 percent of the arena had straws in their mouth. It was unbelievable. And obviously that straw thing got cut off quick. It is what it is though. I respect the league's decision, even though it’s something I been doing for eight years. It’s all good, I can find something else to chew on.

The transition to the Dallas style of play has been pretty smooth as you can see. I'm getting my shot off quicker and really contributing to this team. The hardest thing about joining this team was moving from the East coast. I've been traded a couple of times but I usually left during the summer and not mid-season. So for me to do this was an adjustment and different. With my wife being pregnant and leaving the kids behind it was tough. I understand this business so I had to do what I had to do. 

So now that I'm the new kid in town, what do you guys suggest I do? What spots should I hit up first. Let me know!

Meeting Charles and the Inside the NBA Crew

After my trade, I made an appearance on Inside the NBA with Charles, E.J. and Kenny. Those guys are ridiculous. I don't even know how they let Charles say the things he says. Check me out. My suit was kind of fly too wasn't it?

--Tough Juice

PLAYING THROUGH TOUGH TIMES

We just have to keep our head up. The other day one of the trainers gave me a hug out of no where just right before the game. He just told me to keep my head up. That’s how we are getting through this ordeal, just showing a little love where we can.

We have to bind together and keep moving forward. After all, there are still games to be played.

This season has presented some challenges. Everyone’s aware of our locker room situation, and it’s been tough for us. On top of that I recently came home to news that my uncle had an accident and needed surgery on his eye. My uncle was hanging drywall and as he was hanging the nail up it ended up backfiring back onto him and then it went through his eye and it split it. So he had to have surgery on it so hopefully he will be able to see out of it again. All that combined has made it has been chaotic last few days. So hopefully this team can get back rolling.

LOOKING FOR THE BRIGHT SIDE

To take my mind off of the things that are going on around the team I just tend to do what I always do, catch games on Direct TV and on NBA TV obviously and spend time with my kids my wife or littler brother. Just try and enjoy the best parts of life.

Like right now, my daughter who is 5 years old is always reading to me and her vocabulary is getting rather large very quickly. She is reading books on lands and so when I come home she has lots to show me. She just drew a picture of Australia, so she is working on her continents. She is drawing stuff on the map and showing me all the places on the map we have been. She has little red dots there. She is very intelligent and growing up rather quickly.

PART OF THE BUSINESS

I’ve come to the point where I just accept trade rumors for what they are. Preparing myself and my family for it is just part of the game. It’s always an honor and a privilege when other teams want you out there and are calling and inquiring about you. That’s the nature of this business. I’ve been dealing with this stuff for eight years. That’s just how it goes.

Being traded is not something I want necessarily because at this point in my career I’m about building my legacy and staying put in places and setting a foundation but it’s only a few guys in this league that aren’t tradeable. Probably three, maybe four guys that aren’t tradable and outside of that anything can happen. It is what it is.

It’s a new year for me and I’m just making a promise to myself to go out there and have fun and continue to be a professional.