Wes Matthews says he'll be ready in time for opening night

Conservative approach? What conservative approach?

Despite head coach Rick Carlisle's cautionary comments about bringing injured guard Wes Matthews along slowly, Matthews is singing a different tune.

A defiant Matthews said he'll be ready for opening night, as relayed by Tim Cato of Mavs Moneyball.

"I'm gonna say I'll be ready by opening night," Matthews said. Later on, when asked if would put that prediction in stone, he said yes.

"Anybody that knows me in this league knows that I'm going to give 150 percent," Matthews said. "You're going to have to kill me to stop me from going. Only thing that I can do is how I attack my rehab."

Despite sustaining an Achilles tear in March, the Dallas Mavericks opted to sign Matthews to a massive four-year, $70-million contract this summer. Owner Mark Cuban defended the move by embracing risk and entrusting confidence in his medical staff, something Matthews echoed.

"(Dallas' training staff) is known throughout the league as one of the top medical staffs in the NBA and it was just a perfect fit," Williams said.

The history of players returning from Achilles tears is spotty at best. But as Matthews points out, he's one of the league's most hardworking players and is hell-bent on returning to form.

However, Matthews' recovery is no sure thing, and it's just one of a handful of tricky questions for the Mavericks to answer in what projects to be a trying season to come.

Still, Matthews is confident, and to hear him describe his rehab, he appears poised to come back better than ever.

"I'm getting stronger every single day, doing more every single day," Matthews told Cato, who also relays that Matthews is currently shooting and dribbling on the court.