Dallas Mavericks preview by Wes Cox
1. What can the Mavericks learn from the 2006-07 season to help them improve their 2007-08 campaign?
Realize the regular season doesn't matter.
OK, maybe that's not entirely true, but it's close. Last year the Mavs went "full throttle" (pardon the cliche) during the regular season. They had the Southwest Division wrapped up by April 1st, and the #1 seed in the West clinched a week later. As a result, the Mavs followed their 13-2 March with a 6-4 April. In those last ten games, starters were rested, rotations were broken, and playing good basketball became secondary to being 100% for the playoffs. We know how well that worked out...
Said another way, being the number one seed doesn't mean anything if your best basketball is eight weeks behind you. The Mavs need to gear the entire regular season to being at their best best in May, even if it means dropping some games in November through March.
2. What was the Mavericks' best and/or worst move during the offseason, either by free agency, trade, or draft?
Eddie Jones? Nick Fazekas? Trenton Hassell? Brandon Bass?
Despite rumblings at the beginning of the offseason that the Mavs would/should blow up the team, it was quite a boring summer. None of the four roster additions jump off the page and really get you excited. Dallas replaced Dirk Nowitzki's backup, Austin Croshere, with a second round draft pick, Nick Fazekas, and Brandon Bass, who two seasons after being drafted by the New Orleans Hornets in the second round ended up on the Mavs' Summer League team as a non-roster player. He won his spot at the expense of Pops Mensah-Bonsu. It's hard to be confident with the backup power forward situation when he has that little NBA experience. Dallas is still linked with Chris Webber, but the odds of him coming to Dallas seem to decrease each week.
Eddie Jones (signed as a free agent) and Trenton Hassell (acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves for Greg Buckner) are both solid pick-ups, and while they do upgrade the roster, neither seems to qualify as the missing piece.
Without a doubt the best move made by GM Donnie Nelson was signing Devin Harris to a 5-year contract extension. Harris was already under contract for the upcoming season, but it was crucial for the long-term.
3. Who is the Most Important Player on the Mavericks? The MIP is not necessarily the most talented, but the one that makes the biggest difference in his team doing well each game.
I know I'm not supposed to go with the obvious here. That I should rave about Devin's perimeter defense, compare Josh Howard to Scottie Pippen, or mention the spark Jerry Stackhouse provides as a leader and scorer off the bench. But I just can't. As Dirk goes so do the Mavs.
Just look to the playoffs for proof. In the Mavs two wins against the Golden State Warriors, Dirk was great. He scored 26.5 points per game on 46.7% shooting, and got to the line 13 times per game where he shot 88.5%. In the four losses it was a totally different story - just 16.2 points per game, a woeful 34.4% from the field, and only six free-throw attempts per game. And then the season was over.
4. What needs to go right for the Mavericks to succeed this coming season?
"Right" for the Mavs means winning it all. It obviously won't be easy, but for it to be possible there are few things that MUST happen.
Have everyone healthy going into the playoffs. This wasn't the case last year because Erick Dampier was playing with a torn rotator cuff. He saw limited minutes in the series, and while Avery Johnson said it was because of matchups, it probably had just as much to do with Dampier's inability to fully lift his right arm above his head. Dampier had surgery on the shoulder once the season ended and latest reports say he might not be back until December. It goes without saying that Dirk needs to be 100% for the postseason, but with unproven players backing him up this year, a Dirk injury wouldn't just be problematic, but disastrous.
Figure out a starting five and stick to it. Four spots are locked up headed into the season -- Devin Harris, Josh Howard, Dirk Nowitzki, and Erick Dampier (when healthy). Jason Terry, Eddie Jones, Trenton Hassell, Maurice Ager, and Devean George are all fighting for the final spot in the backcourt. Jason Terry is obviously the favorite, but with Avery favoring a tall backcourt for defense, Terry's spot in the starting lineup isn't a foregone conclusion. Last year Avery cycled Devin Harris, Greg Buckner, and Devean George in and out of the starting lineup. By playoff time, Harris had made the starting spots his when Dampier was suddenly replaced with 6'8" Devean George. The switch didn't work and the players openly questioned the decision to make the change.
Most importantly the Mavs have to get over what happened the last two postseasons, tell themselves it's a new year, and wipe the slate clean. No more meltdowns.
5. Who are the contenders for the NBA Championship and who do you see taking the title?
As a Mavs fan it hurts to say, but there is no reason for anyone besides the San Antonio Spurs to be considered as the favorite. I hope I'm wrong, because I can't stand those guys.
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