Marion was 28 years old in 2006. But to hear the Mavericks tell it, three more years have done nothing to diminish Marion's skills - and certainly haven't hurt his status as one of the best 6-7 rebounders in NBA history.

"This move, along with [Marcin] Gortat, puts us back in the hunt," Dirk Nowitzki said from Germany. "I'm already looking forward to training camp and getting things started.

"[Marion is] a great all-around player and brings athleticism and experience. I also think he will play great off of J-Kidd."

Having a pass-first point guard has always helped recruit good players, and this was no different with the Mavericks having re-signed Jason Kidd.

"It's a great acquisition," Jason Terry said of the four-time all-star. "He's an upgrade to our roster and will be a huge contributor. Offensively, he adds a variety of ways to score, and defensively he guards four positions. Last but not least, he brings the toughness of a battle-tested veteran. We're back."

Coach Rick Carlisle said Marion is the kind of player who can be a difference-maker at both ends of the court.

"We get a lot of flexibility at both ends of the court," he said. "He's just a very unique player.

"Defensively, there are so many difficult individual matchups. And having his extra long, angular body that you can put on so many different players at different points in a game is a big plus."

Nowitzki added that he respects the move from a management standpoint. Owner Mark Cuban and president of Basketball operations Donnie Nelson have let Nowitzki know that they are intent on keeping his window of opportunity for a championship open as long as possible.

DMN