--G Antoine Wright has been the big surprise of the preseason. The 6-7 fourth-year swingman out of Texas A&M had a leg up in learning the new offense because it's similar to what he ran with Jason Kidd in New Jersey.
Wright's size, defense and ability to penetrate has put him on the precipice of nailing down the starting job at shooting guard, which would allow Carlisle the luxury of bringing Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse off the bench. A reserve with the Nets, Wright was having his best season a year ago, but after the trade he found few minutes in Avery Johnson's rotation and largely remained a mystery.
"Nothing is penciled in yet. There's always an eraser," Wright said of starting. "It's just important to stay sharp and try to look at this as a steppingstone and try to secure a position in the rotation."
--G/F Jerry Stackhouse played for Rick Carlisle in Detroit and put up big numbers as a full-time starter. Neither Stackhouse nor Carlisle is certain what role Stackhouse, who turns 34 on Nov. 5, will fill this season.
One thing is certain. Stackhouse, slowed by groin and hamstring injuries last season, said he's in better physical condition than he's been in recent seasons.
"I probably short-changed myself a little bit by not being in the best shape as possible because I felt like I could come off the bench and play 18 to 20 minutes without being in top-notch shape," Stackhouse said. "With him (Carlisle) coming in and putting the onus on me, just getting my butt in shape, I did that."
--G Gerald Green, with his fourth team in the span of a calendar year, said if anyone thinks he underestimated the level of commitment required to survive in the NBA, they're flat wrong.
"I never underestimated. Never, never," Green said. "I know how hard I worked. I always wanted to be great and I still do. Now people may think I have, people may have misjudged me, but I know.
"Now, have I been ready? Nah. Sometimes I'd get in a game as a young player, I just wasn't ready to play. Me not putting the dedication in? No, I've always been dedicated to this basketball game."
Traded by Boston to Minnesota in the Kevin Garnett deal, then sent to Houston in February and cut by the Rockets in March, Green is entering a crucial fourth season in the NBA and first with the Mavs.
The former high school prodigy and NBA dunk champion will likely have to test his patience on a veteran-laden team. He didn't play a lot in the preseason and is behind Antoine Wright, Jerry Stackhouse, Jason Terry and Devean George at shooting guard.
"It's more than just patience," Green said. "It's more about being focused and dedication and being ready at all times. I don't know how the situation is going to go, but I have to be ready at all times and that's what I'm going to be."
MAIN REASON MAVS CAN WIN: They have all the veteran leadership a team could want, especially now at point guard, and a coach who knows how to deal with them. The offense is catered to Jason Kidd's strengths, and in a motion half-court set, Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard could be even tougher to guard.
MAIN REASON MAVS CAN LOSE: They don't have the personnel to carry out a fast-breaking offense over an entire season. Six key players are 30 or older and their young players are mostly unproven. Still lacking a consistent interior scorer, the Mavs could resort to becoming a jump-shooting team again.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We've got to coach these guys to have a nastiness about them at the defensive end. A lot of them have it naturally, others not as much. But, we have to have a strong collective will at the defensive end and if we do we'll be a good running team." -- Coach Rick Carlisle, when asked the key to becoming a successful transition offense.
