His greatest present came almost a month early, but Caron Butler will officially celebrate his 30th birthday Saturday.

Nothing he gets will top the trade to the Mavericks.

"It has been an intense month with the change in teams and then getting comfortable here in Dallas, but to have won 13 straight games and be playing so well as a team is really exciting," Butler said. "At the beginning of the season I believed I would have a shot at the title. While I might not be with the same team, I still have that same goal in mind. My 30th birthday wish is to make that championship run and win it all this year."

Butler has meshed well, as have his other Washington transplants, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson.

"I've celebrated my last four birthdays in Washington, DC, but now I am here in Dallas and I want to enjoy my 30th with a win at home this Saturday night against the Knicks,'' he said.

Butler not only will hit 30 today, but his wife also is pregnant with the couple's second child.

"I know how fortunate I am," he said. "Dallas is starting to feel a lot like home. The fans have embraced me, and I want to continue to show them the type of player I am, and the contributions I can make to the team."

--Eddie Sefko

The Ticket's Craig "Junior" Miller, one of the Gentle Musers on The Dunham and Miller Show mornings from 6-10 a.m. on KTCK-AM 1310 in Dallas, answered Mavericks questions in a chat on Friday.

On whether the older Mavericks players can make it into June:

Sometimes age (and wisdom) is a good thing, but the Mavs are the oldest team in the league by a full year (average age-wise). They are playing on the great adrenaline rush provided by the trade, but I expect the legs to catch up to the minds soon. Having said that, I like this Mavs team more than any recent vintage Mavs team. It looks like a real basketball squad, not as many gimmicks as past teams.

On if Uwe Blab is in his Mavericks' all-time top 10 centers list:

Uwe was great, no doubt. But the Mavs have been so loaded at the center position over the years that it's tough to put him in the top 10. He would get edged out by Donald Hodge on my list.

On if the Spurs, his favorite team, are done:

I'm afraid they are done. They remind me of the Patriots, former champs just trying to hang on. They are getting old, they are getting injured, and they don't have a reliable long body next to Duncan (like Robinson or Horry) to take some of the pressure off of him. Jefferson has been a huge bust. Plus, their schedule down the stretch is the toughest in the NBA.

On if he would see a Mavericks regular-season game at Cowboys Stadium:

I went to the All-Star game, and it was quite a spectacle, and that's my measuring stick for hoops at the Death Star. So, I don't know if any regular season game could match that experience. If they want to do that once a year, maybe when LeBron comes to town, that might be cool. Any more than once a year might be a beating.

Jason Terry went through practice Friday and here's what he said about returning for Saturday's game against New York:

"I'm going to play tomorrow night - 2-K-10 PlayStation and see what happens.''

Turning serious, Terry did say he could see a light at the end of his tunnel already. He had facial surgery on March 5. The timetable was set at 10-to-14 days. He's already closing in on a week and he said he's looking at playing before this four-game home stand is over.

"Even though I didn't make a shot in practice and couldn't see the basket, I'm pretty sure I'll be back in rare form,'' Terry said. "I'm looking at next week. We got two games and one of those two, I'll definitely be ready to go.''

The Mavericks play Chicago on Wednesday and Boston on Sunday.

Terry did say he was wearing a protective mask during Friday's practice and has a custom mask on the way.

"I look terrible,'' he said. "That was probably the worst part and I'm glad there were no cameras in here. If you talk to any of the guys, there was a slip and fall incident on the court. I couldn't see. This mask was like a hockey mask. It was terrible.''

--Eddie Sefko

The Ticket's Craig "Junior" Miller, one of the Gentle Musers on The Dunham and Miller Show mornings from 6-10 a.m. on KTCK-AM 1310 in Dallas, is answering your Mavericks questions in a chat at noon today. To ask questions or join the discussion, click here.

Caron Butler had a large welt in the middle of his forehead after Wednesday's game, a parting gift from an elbow by teammate Brendan Haywood.

The play happened late when Haywood and Butler were going against several New Jersey Nets for a key rebound.

"That's all fair in the art of war,'' Butler said. "We're battling. He did a great job battling for the rebound and unfortunately I was on the bad end of it. But we got the rebound.''

--Eddie Sefko

If you enjoy seeing top-level ping pong, not to mention a ton of sports celebrities, put Sunday's Purple Ping Pong event at SMU's Moody Coliseum on your calendar.

Rick Carlisle has made this celebrity and professional tournament a personal cause because it benefits pancreatic cancer research.

The Mavs' coach lost two close friends to pancreatic cancer in 2009, so when representatives of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCan) contacted him about taking part in a fund-raising event, he needed no convincing.

Last May, Chuck Daly, who was one of Carlisle's closest friends, died of pancreatic cancer. In September, Indiana Pacers' co-owner Melvin Simon also succumbed to the disease.

"There's a personal attachment I have to it,'' Carlisle says. "So that's a lot of what my involvement is. And I'm also a table-tennis enthusiast. I was interested in putting together an event that's different and fun, but also helping to support the sport of table tennis. It's an Olympic sport played by over 40 million people around the world.

"And pancreatic cancer is the most under-screened, but most aggressive form of cancer there is.''

The event will be Sunday from 1-4 p.m. and all proceeds will benefit pancreatic cancer research. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and under. More information is available at pancan.com/pingpong. Doors open at noon.

Numerous Mavericks are scheduled to take part, including Dirk Nowitzki and J.J. Barea, rumored to be the best ping-pong players in the locker room, as well as Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, Caron Butler and others. Former Rangers Jim Kern and Jeff Russell will participate, as will Olympic gold-medal winning gymnast Nastia Luiken and her father, Valeri.

"In fact, Nastia called and asked if her friend, Carly Patterson, could take part, too,'' Carlisle said. "I told her, 'Yeah, and any other Olympic gold-medal winning friends you have are welcome, too.' ''

There will be 16 celebrity teams, some of which are still up for sale as part of the charity endeavor.

Also, numerous local table-tennis professionals will take part in an invitational tournament.

For more information, visit the website or email Susan Bruck at sbruck@pancanvolunteer.org.

--Eddie Sefko

Our friends at Fox Sports Southwest offer video of postgame comments from Caron Butler and coach Rick Carlisle after last night's win.

The DMN's David Moore answered Mavericks questions during a chat Wednesday. Here are some highlights:

On which center starts when Brendan Haywood and Erick Dampier are healthy: This, as they say, will have to be managed. But Haywood clearly brings more to the table on offense and is a better shot blocker. He deserves to start.

On whether a mid-season deal has ever helped another team as much as the Mavericks' recent trade: Detroit and Rasheed Wallace a few years ago.

On how close injured guard Jason Terry is to returning to the lineup: It was 10 to 14 days from the surgery before he could take part in basketball activities. I would define basketball activites as shooting free throws. He's still a week away from that mark.

Click here to read the entire chat.