Last Season: The Mavericks won 50 games and were the sixth seed and faced a banged up Spurs team in the first round. The Mavs won the series in five games but then lost to the Nuggets in five. Dirk Nowitzki was unbelievable in the final series but his teammates were not.

Acquisitions: F Shawn Marion, F Drew Gooden, F Tim Thomas, F Kris Humphries, C Nathan Jawai, G Quinton Ross, G Roddy Beaubois

Departures: G Antoine Wright, G Jerry Stackhouse, F Devean George

Starting Five: F Shawn Marion, F Dirk Nowitzki, C Erick Dampier, G Jason Kidd, F Josh Howard

Bench Mob: Jose Juan Barea, Drew Gooden, Jason Terry, Tim Thomas, Quinton Ross, Kris Humphries, James Singleton, Matt Carroll

Most Interesting Man in the World: Mark Cuban – What the team lacks in interesting characters is more than made up for by their boisterous owner. Cuban has never been one to hide his emotions. He has been fined well over a million dollars for criticizing officials and last season during the playoffs his emotions got the best of him. The Mavs were in a physical series with the Nuggets and Cuban referred to them as the Denver Thugs. After a close loss in Game 3, Cuban screamed about the thugs and told Kenyon Martin’s mom, “That includes your son.” Cuban later apologized but Kenyon Martin didn’t accept the apology.

Over the Hill: The Mavs are one of the oldest teams in the league but I don’t think any of their primary players is going to suffer a big drop from last season. Nowitzki took the entire summer off and the rest should do him good. For years Jason Kidd has defied the odds and remained productive and reports are he’s in great shape this year. Shawn Marion should benefit from being in a much more potent offensive lineup than he has in recent years. Erick Dampier just uses his size to patrol the paint and there’s no reason to think he can’t do it again this year.

Ready to Break Out: Shawn Marion – This is the year Marion finally gets back to his old ways. In the past couple seasons Marion has switched teams four times and has seen his numbers decline but now he rejoins with former teammate Jason Kidd. Marion had his best seasons alongside Kidd in Phoenix and I think this reconnection will rejuvenate Marion’s career.

Outlook: The Mavs have the pieces to be very competitive in the West. Marion is a great addition to this team and will fit in perfectly. He doesn’t demand the ball but can hit the mid-range jumper and will open up the floor for Nowitzki. Jason Terry will provide the big spark off the bench and J.J. Barea is a very capable back-up for Kidd. The biggest question mark and the key to their season is Josh Howard. Howard is coming off of wrist and ankle surgery and his return is uncertain. He could be back during the preseason or he could miss over a month of the regular season. With that sort of uncertainty, who knows how he will be when he returns. If they stay healthy and Howard can return to 100%, this team will be in the running for one of the top seeds in the West.

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