Sports Frog

Dallas Mavericks

Avery Johnson was probably a little sad on the first day of camp when he collected a stack of essays titled "What I Did With My Early Summer Vacation." Then again, when you suffer one of the more humiliating playoff defeats in the history of the NBA and use weak excuses of the "their coach knows our players' strengths and weaknesses because he used to coach them" variety, you deserve to get escorted into the summer a month early. The big question is how they bounce back to getting punched in the mouth by the Warriors last spring. Will they use more excuses or do they come out with a purpose, trying to show the world that they a legitimate title threat and not just a collection of talent that pounds on lesser teams when the games don't really matter?

Jason Terry and Devin Harris are back for another year of sharing the trigger of the Mavs' offense. While Harris has more "true" point guard skills, Terry's lack of size prevents him from playing strictly at the two.

It works out for the Mavericks, as Terry sports superior numbers in assists per 40 minutes (5.93 to Harris' 5.69) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.78-to-1 as opposed to Harris' 2.03-to-1). Is Harris really the answer to their point guard needs or would the Mavs be better served to trade the younger Harris and get a stereotypical 6'6" two-guard who can defend to partner up with Terry? It's too late now, as the Mavs inked Harris to a five-year extension worth $42 million last month. Terry also is an efficient shooter, connecting on no worse than 47 percent of his field goals in any of his three seasons in Dallas, and buried 162 treys at just under a 44 percent clip last year. Harris is quick, but is yet to pay off on the high pick invested in him and now has that albatross of a contract.

Josh Howard is a tough-minded player who contributes on both ends who has upped his scoring average each of his four years in the league to last year's 18.9 points per game and led the Mavs in scoring in their brief postseason appearance at 21.3 points per night. Howard also hit more threes last year than in his first three years combined, so he is capable of reaching the 20-point per game plateau this season. League MVP Dirk Nowitzki saw his scoring dip two points per game, but actually had a career year, setting personal bests in all three shooting percentages and assists per game while playing fewer minutes than any season since his second in the league. Erick Dampier returns as the hammer in the middle. While his penchant for committing fouls certainly limits his minutes, Dampier is overlooked for his rebounding prowess, ranking 15th in the league last year in rebounds per 40 minutes.

With Terry and Harris splitting the point, the Mavericks will bring in one of two veteran swingmen for backup minutes at the two guard and push whichever of the two starters is still in to the point slot. Jerry Stackhouse re-signed with the team, inking a three-year deal, and Eddie Jones joins Dallas in the hunt for a ring. Stackhouse is instant offense off the bench, scoring a hair under 20 points per 40 minutes last year, and punishes the opposition with his drives to the bucket, knocking down just under 85 percent of his shots at the stripe. Jones will bring in a defensive mindset and an ability to bury corner triples (1,512 threes in his career - seventh best in league history - at a 37.5 percent clip), not to mention pushing Devean George out of the rotation. Just like being a Laker again, eh, Devean?

Trenton Hassell will also force his way onto the floor at times with his defense and effort, swapping roles (and teams) with Greg Buckner. Nick Fazekas would normally be hard-pressed to break into the rotation as Nowitzki's backup, but the cupboard is pretty bare in the height department. Fazekas played well in summer league, so he should get a crack at the few minutes Nowitzki leaves on the table.

Speaking of guys who played in the summer league, DeSagana Diop will back up Dampier and be a deterrent at the rim. The more pressing issue with Diop is this: If you are a center getting serious playoff minutes for a top-seeded team and you just finished your sixth season in the league, what exactly are you doing showing up for summer league ball?

Dallas will score efficiently (Howard's 45.9 percent field goal shooting was the worst of the five projected starters and the five players who shot the most free throws on the team all connected on at least 80 percent of their shots) and guard well (fourth in points allowed seventh in field goal percentage allowed), save for Nowitzki. They'll be in their usual place, battling for the top record in the NBA.

However, that doesn't matter. This team will be measured strictly on their postseason performance and, after last year's effort (term used loosely), there has to be some nagging self-doubt, especially with Nowitzki's 38.3 percent field goal shooting against Golden State. Overcoming that is probably more important for the Mavericks than overcoming any team on their schedule.