Wesley Matthews

Wesley Matthews will face his former team Friday night, when the Blazers visit the Mavericks.

(David Zalubowski/AP)

DALLAS -- As he prepared to face his old team, former Portland Trail Blazers guard Wesley Matthews was more eager to talk about what was going on in his own locker room rather than another reunion.

The Dallas Mavericks (0-4) are winless. He's not shooting well. His teammates are battling injuries.

Who cares about facing old friends?

"We haven't been winning games," Matthews said after the Mavericks' Friday morning shootaround at American Airlines Center. "Haven't been playing hard enough, long enough. We put ourselves in position to be in every game, just not enough to get over the hump. I haven't been shooting it the best. But you can't question what I've been doing on the other end of the court. Shooting is going to come. I'm not worried about that part."

Matthews is averaging 15.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, but is shooting just 31 percent from the field (22 of 60), including 34 percent from three-point range (9 of 28).

All the while, the aging Mavericks are ailing as key players Dirk Nowitzki (right Achilles soreness), Deron Williams (right adductor strain) and Devin Harris (right toe sprain) have all either missed time with injuries or been playing at less than 100 percent. Matthews' frigid shooting, combined with the Mavericks' slow start, means the always-emotional shooting guard will be extra salty tonight when the Mavericks host the Blazers at 5:30.

"We know where we're at," Matthews said. "We've got to come with an approach that we're pissed off, that we're not going to just roll over, that we are a lot better than what our record says. We have talent in the locker room. We have vets. We have guys that have success. We've got champions. We've got youth. We've got everything. We've just got to put it together."

Matthews, who signed with Dallas last summer after spending five years in Portland, said he hasn't paid much attention to the Blazers this season. And now that that he's spent a full year apart from his old organization, the oddity of facing former teammates has disappeared. "I'm over it," Matthews said. The feeling is mutual.

"Last year it was kind of weird looking at Nico (Batum), Wes and (LaMarcus Aldridge) on another team," All-Star point guard Damian Lillard said. "But I'm used to it now."

So as he walked off the American Airlines Center floor following an extended shooting workout, Matthews wasn't too eager to reminisce about old times. He's moved on and he's dealing with early-season drama.

"I'm pretty sure they don't really miss me," Matthews said of the Blazers. "And cool. It is what it is. I'm happy here. We've just got to get a win tonight."

Carlisle praises Aminu's growth

Before Al-Farouq Aminu signed a 4-year, $30 million free agent deal with the Blazers, he spent one season in Dallas, refining his jumper and expanding his game.

During that one season, he made a fan out of Dallas coach Rick Carlisle.

"For me, he's gotten better every year he's been in the league," Carlisle said. "When he came to us, he had other offers. What we told him was, we were going to commit to helping him learn how to stretch his game and be able to shoot threes. And it was a long process. But he worked at it. He was diligent. And then in the playoffs, he went 7-for-11 and then (the Blazers) gave him 35 million bucks. And he was gone."

Aminu was a key bench player for Carlisle during his only season in Dallas. But by the end of Dallas' playoff run, injuries thrust him into the starting lineup. Carlisle said he was ready for the challenge because of his committment to the daily grind along the way.

"I like Aminu," Carlisle said. "He's a great worker. He plays both ends. He's a unique player because of his length. He's a presence as a shoot blocker, even at the three and four position. He's gotten better and better. I know he's been in a bit of a shooting slump for a couple games. You've got to keep staying the course. That's the thing I loved about him. He was very committed to the process."

Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com 503-294-5183 @BlazerFreeman