MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Last year's league MVP remains the franchise's foundation. Dirk Nowitzki led the team in scoring (23.6), rebounding (8.6) and heart. His playoff flop a year ago wasn't repeated during the season or the first round against New Orleans. If the rest of the team cared as much as Nowitzki, the Mavs would still be playing.
MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER: Josh Howard, hands down, takes home this (dis)honor with a selfish and confusing pattern of behavior late in the season. Not only did the one-time All-Star struggle to fit into the Jason Kidd-led offense, but his admission of marijuana use and decision to throw a birthday party after losing Game 4 puzzled/angered the coaching staff and several of his teammates. BIGGEST NEEDS: The Mavs need an infusion of youth and athleticism, especially on the perimeter. A pair of swingmen who have been playing overseas, Reyshawn Terry and Renaldas Seibutis, will be given a hard look this summer. The team would love to find another minimum-wage gem, as it did with F Brandon Bass a year ago.
FREE AGENT FOCUS: The team has strong interest in unrestricted free agent G Antoine Wright. Reserve point guard Jose Barea, a restricted free agent, is an option, though the team will try to upgrade. The future is unclear for free agents Devean George, Eddie Jones (player option), Juwan Howard, Malik Allen, Jamaal Magloire and Tyronn Lue.
PLAYER NOTES:
--F Brandon Bass is avoiding summer league for the first time in his NBA career after a breakout season. Regarded now as a building block, the thought of starting next season has entered the power forward's mind.
"That's a goal of mine," he admitted. "If the coach wants that, I want it, too."
Whether it's realistic or not, remember -- Dirk Nowitzki is on this roster -- the goal is admirable. Bass averaged a respectable 8.3 points and 4.4 rebounds in less than 20 minutes per game last season and was more productive in the playoffs.
--G Jerry Stackhouse knows Rick Carlisle better than anyone on the roster, having played for the new Mavs coach in Detroit. Stack believes he was the right choice to replace Avery Johnson.
"Everybody has their strengths and their weaknesses, and we all mature and try to figure out things that ultimately help us be better in the next situation than we were previously," Stackhouse said. "Rick wants to make sure he gets to know all the guys and make sure they understand where he's coming from so once training camp comes around we don't have to learn about each other."
--F Reyshawn Terry knows opportunity is sitting out there for him to grab this summer and fall. If the 6-8 small forward is going to make the roster, the time is now.
"If anything, I just want to be consistent," Terry said. "That's my main focus. Whatever I do from Day 1, I want to do that until the end. Whether that's to lock a man down for 48 minutes or hit a big shot, whatever I do, I want to be consistent.
"That's very important to me. I've been fighting that my whole career. I definitely feel this is a turning point for me in my career. Starting with summer league, this will determine what happens this year for me. Whatever I do, I just want to be consistent."
