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.