The Mavericks fortified their bench by signing veteran forward Juwan Howard to a contract. Howard played in 80 games (38 starts) last season for the Rockets and he averaged 26.5 minutes, 9.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. Howard has now played in 951 games (869 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 35.1 minutes, 16.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. He will likely back up Dirk Nowitzki for the Mavericks. D.J. Mbenga played in 21 games (0 starts) for the Mavericks last season and he averaged 3.9 minutes, 0.8 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Mbenga played in 79 games (2 starts) in his three year career with the Mavericks and he averaged 4.8 minutes, 1.3 points, 1.0 rebound and 0.1 assists per game. This was an excellent move by the Mavericks as Howard still has a lot left to offer a team in contention.

Avery Johnson will not hesitate to use his bench early and often this season as the Mavericks have a talented group. Jason Terry will be the first man off of the bench and he will provide instant offense for the Mavs. He played in 81 games (80 starts) last season for the Mavericks and he averaged 35.1 minutes, 16.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.0 steal per game. He also is an outstanding shooter as he hit 43.8% of his shots from three point range last season. Erick Dampier will share the center job with DaSagana Diop but he’ll be coming off of the bench this season. Dampier played in 76 games (73 starts) last season with the Mavs and he averaged 25.2 minutes, 7.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 1.1 blocks per game. Most of his shots are putbacks and dunks which explains why he shoots better from the floor (62.6%) than the free throw line (62.3%). Eddie Jones was brought in by the Mavs because of his defensive ability and his three point shot. He played in 64 games (41 starts) last season for the Heat & Grizzlies last season and he averaged 24.9 minutes, 7.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Trenton Hassell was brought in by the Mavs in a trade with the T-Wolves in the off-season and he’s one of the best defensive guards in the NBA. He played in 76 games (68 starts) for the Timberwolves last season and he averaged 29.3 minutes, 6.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Devean George will also come off the bench this season for the Mavs and he brings experience and hustle. George played in 60 games (17 starts) last season for the Mavericks and he averaged 21.4 minutes, 6.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. Brandon Bass is a young power forward that the Mavs will try to develop. He played in 21 games (3 starts) last season for the Mavs and he averaged 7.7 minutes, 2.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. Rookie Nick Fazekas was an incredible player at Nevada in college but their have been whispers that he’s soft. Still, he has a very similar skill set that Nowitzki has so the Mavericks will be patient with him.

Three of the five starters from last season will return in their roles. MVP Dirk Nowitzki will be the starting power forward for the Mavericks and he’s the guy that makes everything go for the Mavericks. Nowitzki played in 78 games (all starts) last season for the Mavericks and he averaged 36.2 minutes, 24.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Nowitzki also is a good shooter from anywhere on the court as he hit 50.2% of his shots from the floor, 41.6% from the three point line and 90.4% from the free throw line. Look for a determined Nowitzki to have another stellar season in 2007-08. Josh Howard really stepped up at the small forward spot last season for the Mavericks and he was a big key to their regular season success. He played in 70 games (69 starts) last season for the Mavericks and he averaged 35.1 minutes, 18.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Look for him to possibly improve on those numbers this season. Devin Harris will man the point guard position for the Mavericks and he will have to pass the ball more with Jason Terry coming off of the bench to start the season. Harris played in 80 games (61 starts) last season for the Mavericks and he averaged 26.0 minutes, 10.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Harris is also one of the best defenders in the league at point guard so the Mavs could have a lot of fast breaks this season. Jerry Stackhouse will be moving into the starting lineup this season. He was outstanding off the bench over the last couple of seasons for the Mavs so it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to starting once again. He played in 67 games (8 starts) last season for the Mavericks and he averaged 24.1 minutes, 12.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. DeSagana Diop will start at center for the Mavericks and his job is to rebound and play defense. He played in 81 games (9 starts) last season for the Mavericks and he averaged 18.3 minutes, 2.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 1.4 blocks per game.