NBA Countdown: No. 5 Dallas Mavericks

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By Fran Blinebury
Sporting News Yearbooks

If the Dallas Mavericks take the floor on opening night with a new look, maybe that's the result of a touch of Grecian Formula in their temples.

Will Modern Maturity magazine become a staple of their locker-room reading? Will they be mixing lots of bran flakes into their diet?

No, they're hardly a collection of limping codgers on their last legs. But the Mavericks did spend the summer getting older (and hopefully wiser) with a plan that doesn't look further into the future than next spring and the playoffs.

The Mavericks are all about right now.  They are a team of the present.

"These guys know how to win," said Donnie Nelson, the Mavs' president of basketball operations.

"These guys" are the newly acquired Shawn Marion(notes), 31, who'll play small forward opposite 31-year-old Dirk Nowitzki(notes).  Jason Terry(notes) is 32, and point guard Jason Kidd(notes) (who re-signed in the offseason) is 36.

"We call it ‘experience,'" Nelson said.  "These guys have been down in the trenches and been through everything in the playoffs. And we really want to make the most of this window of opportunity."

It is a window the Mavs view as wide-open for the next two peak-performing seasons that Nowitzki is under contract. So with their fast finish last season-which included a first-round playoff win over the Spurs-fresh in their minds, it made perfect sense for the Mavericks to stack up their poker chips and go "all in" by trading for Marion.

The Mavericks did strike out in their bid to land free-agent center Marcin Gortat(notes) off the Orlando roster. When the Magic matched the offer sheet, it threw a wrench into plans to unload the last two years and $23 million of Erick Dampier's(notes) contract. Dampier, of course, has his moments when he piles up points in bunches by cleaning up all of the garbage around the hoop. Rarely, though, is he an offensive threat.

After losing free agent Brandon Bass(notes) to Orlando, the Mavs came back and signed veteran Drew Gooden(notes) to a one-year deal for roughly $4.5 million. Gooden, 28, can still provide quality minutes off the bench and get points and rebounds.

The new energy injection this season should be from Marion, who gives the Mavs a hard-nosed, versatile defender at small forward. Marion doesn't have the picture-perfect stroke that the Mavs might wish for on the wing, but his odd-looking jumper goes in enough times from behind the 3-point line to keep opponents honest. He is also an excellent rebounder who can get the ball off the glass and into Kidd's hands to ignite the fast break.

Marion could fit into a reconfigured lineup with Josh Howard(notes) at shooting guard, giving the Mavs plenty of length to go around Nowitzki and Kidd.

After landing Marion, Dallas wasted no time in signing him to a five-year, $39 million contract. It's the kind of move that could come back to haunt the Mavericks a few seasons down the line. But the last thing on their minds right now is the future.

In a Western Conference where the arms race continues to escalate, the Mavs are older, wiser and figure they have reloaded enough to do battle in the here and now.

Fast Facts:
2008-09 record: 50-32
Last playoff: 2009 (lost in conference semifinal)
Coach: Rick Carlisle

Burning question
What does Jason Kidd have left in the tank?
The Mavericks were active on the market this season, adding Shawn Marion and Drew Gooden, among others. And Dirk Nowtizki, even at 31, is still at the top of his game. But the team's success likely rests with the performance of its point guard, Jason Kidd, who turns 37 in March and had the lowest scoring production of his career last year, at 9.0 points per game. He's still a top-notch playmaker, though, and if he can continue to set up the many weapons on the roster, the Mavericks have a shot at contending.
- Sean Deveney

View from the other bench
(an opponent breaks down the Mavs)
"It took them a while last season to adjust to the change in head coaches from Avery Johnson to Rick Carlisle. But now everybody seems to be on the same page and they have their swagger back. As long as (Shawn) Marion doesn't show any signs of breaking down physically, they're a team that should be able to get out and run for easy baskets and put up plenty of points. Aside from the question about Marion at (age) 31, they've got to hope that Josh Howard is willing to make any adjustments in his game to accommodate a new offensive weapon."

Rookie to watch: G Rodrigue Beaubois(notes)
The 21-year-old Frenchman is a long-armed, athletic playmaker with a 40-inch vertical leap. Beaubois has played professionally the last three seasons in the French league, and the Mavericks' front office is high on his potential.

Inside the numbers
40.6: Three-point shooting percentage for Jason Kidd last season, highest on the team and a career best for the 15-year veteran.
19.6: Scoring average off the bench for Sixth Man of the Year Jason Terry last season, the highest by a qualifying player since Thurl Bailey's record of 20.4 points per game in 1987-88.
37.9: Points per game by Dallas' bench in 2008-09, most in the league. The Mavs' starters averaged 63.8 points, fewest in the league.

Additions: Quinton Ross(notes), G/F (Memphis), Tim Thomas(notes), F (Chicago), Shawn Marion, F (trade, Toronto), Kris Humphries(notes), F (trade, Toronto), Drew Gooden, F (San Antonio)
Subtractions: Brandon Bass, F (Orlando), Jerry Stackhouse(notes), G (trade, Memphis), Antoine Wright(notes), G/F (trade, Toronto), Devean George(notes), G/F (trade, Toronto), Ryan Hollins(notes), C (Minnesota), Nathan Jawai(notes), F (trade, Minnesota)

For much more on the Dallas Mavericks, purchase a copy of Sporting News Pro Basketball '09-10 by calling 1-800-380-7404. Or order online at sportingnews.com or streetandsmiths.com.

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