Which older conference powerhouse is in the most danger of falling off next season (Boston, Detroit, San Antonio, Dallas)?
Andrew Ungvari: I'm going to say the Mavs, but the fall-off could happen this season.
The Celtics only significant free agent is James Posey and that's only if he decides to opt-out.
The Pistons will be fine in the East since the maturation of their young bench will over-compensate for the aging of their starting five.
The Spurs are getting older but their health issues this season don't seem to be age-related. As long as they have Greg Popovich, Tim Duncan, and Tony Parker they'll be competitive.
The Mavs, on the other hand, have the highest payroll in the NBA. Even with Michael Finley's $19 million amnesty contract coming off the books, they are still over the cap. If they miss the playoffs or get knocked out in the first round, I expect the Mavs to fire Avery Johnson within 48 hours and trade Josh Howard.
The team would prefer to trade Jerry Stackhouse, Erick Dampier or Jason Terry, but Stackhouse won't bring them back a significant player and Dampier and Terry are signed to eight-figure salaries through 2011.
Joe Willett: Dallas is going to have a tough time next season. Dirk Nowitzki isn't the same player that he was in his MVP season and can't really create a better team around him. Jason Kidd was a one year chance and it hasn't really had too much of a effect on the team.
Age is hitting this team hard and they are probably going to hit a wall next season. I'm probably being a little bit too hard on them, but I could realistically see them not even making the playoffs next season, and they could be replaced by the Portland Trail Blazers.
Chad Ridgeway: The Mavericks because they’ve already fallen off. They can’t beat a winning team and will struggle to be a winning team next year. They’re going to miss the playoffs this season, which will lead to a summer of epic turbulence that would make the Lakers jealous.
Will Avery be fired? Will the roster be overhauled? These are questions that only Mark Cuban can answer, as his expression grows ever more psychotic from his usual seat at games.
Andrew Kneeland: The Spurs because the average age of their starting five right now is 31. Yes, I know that Dallas is lower in the standings right now, but they have just added new talent, and should improve soon. San Antonio, however, is packed with a bunch of middle-aged men with no real great backups.
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