The Mavericks pushed the Lakers around in this game as they built up a 78-60 lead heading into the 4th quarter. The Mavericks also played outstanding defense against the Lakers holding them to 39.5% shooting from the floor. Dirk Nowitzki led the way for the Mavericks in this game with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Shawn Marion was also solid for the Mavs in this game with 18 points and 6 rebounds. Jason Terry pitched in with 16 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. The Mavericks are now 1-1 on the season after this huge road win over the Lakers.

Quinton Ross is currently the starting shooting guard for the Dallas Mavericks, and he did not have a good debut for the Mavs in their loss to the Washington Wizards last night.  Ross has never been a full-time starter, with 45 starts being his high for a season (05-06′ Clippers).  I get Jason Terry is a great spark off the bench and still gets his minutes, but Ross doesn’t really seem to bring much to the table.  He played 19 minutes last night and finished with 2 points, 0 assists, 0 rebounds, and 4 fouls.  Terry didn’t have a good game either, going 4-12 from the field (1-6 3FG), but he is a much better player than Ross, especially offensively.  Ross is basically in there to play defense, but he did a terrible job of that last night with 4 fouls in 19 minutes.  If Ross doesn’t step his play up, then the Mavs need to start the undersized but talented Terry.

The Mavericks really laid an egg in the home opener last night against the Wizards. They were outscored 25-17 in the 4th quarter and they only shot 39.5% for the game and it’s very hard to win when you play that way. You can’t blame Dirk Nowitzki for this loss as he scored 34 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and he blocked 2 shots. Shawn Marion was solid in his first game with the Mavericks finishing with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Jose Juan Berea was electric off the bench in 23 minutes for the Mavericks as he finished up with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. The rest of the Mavericks played poorly in this game and that is why they start the season 0-1.

Adding Shawn Marion and Drew Gooden to the frontcourt will make the Mavericks a better rebounding and defensive team this season. That does not bode well for the rest of the teams in the Western Conference of the NBA. The Mavericks should be able to win 50+ games this season and earn a nice seed in the playoffs. Take the over with the Mavericks this year.

The Dallas Mavericks have released veteran center Jake Voskuhl. I’ll admit I was a tad surprised when Voskuhl accepted a training camp invite from a team that was so loaded in the frontcourt. He had to know that he wasn’t going to make the team unless the Mavericks suffered some injuries. Voskuhl will likely hook on with another team this season but the Mavericks won’t miss him due to the depth they already have at the positions that he plays.

The Mavericks have traded 23-year old center Nathan Jawai to the Timberwolves for a future 2nd round pick in the NBA Draft. Jawai was going to play in the D-League for the Mavericks this season as he was buried on the depth chart. This was a good move for everyone involved as a 2nd round pick might be more valuable than Jawai. It gives Jawai a chance to play in the NBA and show what he can do as the T-Wovles have a lot of injuries in the frontcourt.

Rick Carlisle is a good coach who knows how to win. He led the Mavericks to a 50-32 (61%) record during his first season in Dallas. The Mavericks were also 5-5 in the post season under Carlisle. He now has a career record of 331-243 (57.7%) during the regular season and he is 35-37 (48.6%) in the playoffs. The Mavericks spent a lot of money bringing in new players to give them one of the deepest rosters in the NBA and Coach Carlisle will use them well.

34-year old Erick Dampier will play more when the Mavericks go to their big lineup and 28-year old Drew Gooden will likely play center in the small lineup. Dampier played in 80 games for the Mavericks last season and he averaged 23.0 minutes, 5.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.2 blocked shots. He is a classic banger who plays defense and rebounds. Drew Gooden will be a tad undersized for the center position but he will also be faster than anyone in the pivot and he always has been a good rebounder. He played in 51 games with the Kings & Bulls & Spurs last season in which he averaged 24.8 minutes, 11.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. 31-year old Jake Voskuhl will likely be the #3 center for the Mavericks this season. He played in 38 games for the Raptors last season and he averaged 6.3 minutes, 0.9 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. 23-year old Nathan Jawai will likely keep the end of the bench warm this season for the Mavericks. He played in only 6 games for the Raptors last season and he averaged 3.2 minutes, 0.3 points and 0.4 rebounds.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CENTERS IN 2009-2010: C

31-year old Dirk Nowitzki is this generation’s version of Larry Bird. He played in 81 games for the Mavericks last season and he averaged 37.7 minutes, 25.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Nowitzki loves to mix it up around the basket and he is one of the best shooters in the NBA. Look for him to put up great numbers again this season for the Mavericks. When 32-year old Tim Thomas gets healthy he will back up Nowitzki. He played in 64 games for the Bulls & Clippers & Knicks last season in which he averaged 19.5 minutes, 8.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. His main asset is his long range shooting as he has nailed 41.7% of his shots from three point range. 24-year old Kris Humphries will likely be #3 in line for the Mavericks here. He played in 29 games for the Raptors last season and he averaged 9.1 minutes, 3.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. 28-year old James Singleton is back again this season for the Mavericks but he might have a hard time finding playing time. He played in 62 games for the Mavericks last season and he averaged 14.3 minutes, 5.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Drew Gooden could also get some minutes here for the Mavericks and he is a good player.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009-2010 SEASON FOR THE POWER FORWARDS: A

The Mavericks brought in 31-year old Shawn Marion in the off-season to start at small forward this season. He is a stat sheet stuffer who plays hard on both ends of the basketball court. Marion played in 69 games for the Heat & Raptors last season in which he averaged 35.8 minutes, 12.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Look for Marion to up his scoring average this season as he is probably going to be the Mavericks’ best finisher on fast breaks. 28-year old Quinton Ross will bring defense to this position when he’s on the floor. He played in 68 games for the Grizzlies last season and he averaged 17.1 minutes, 3.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. The Mavericks are trying to buy out the #3 small forward as Shawne Williams doesn’t seem to be worth the effort and money to keep around. He played in only 15 games for the Mavericks last season and he averaged 11.3 minutes, 2.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SMALL FORWARDS IN 2009-2010: B