Howard, Terry need to step up next season

By hiring Rick Carlisle as the new head coach, owner Mark Cuban has basically said he's not destroying his team's core...yet.  What he doesn't want to see is another first round flame-out by the veteran Mavericks next season.

Carlisle running the show should mean Jason Kidd running more, pushing the pace for a Mavs team that is more athletic than it is reliable in a half-court game.

The change of pace will hopefully ignite the production of guard Jason Terry and forward Josh Howard, both of whom have a tendency to disappear from time to time when the team can't afford it.

This should also relieve Dirk Nowitzki from having to create all the offensive production for Dallas, as he was forced to do against New Orleans in the playoffs. More production in a quicker tempo by Nowitzki's teammates means less defensive attention on him, which has been nothing less than smothering the last two postseasons.

An issue Dallas faces is its mortgaged depth and youth from the Kidd trade last season.  Gone is speedy point man Devin Harris.  while Harris isn't (nor ever will be) the decision maker Kidd is, his foot speed gave opponents fits.  That will be missed as Kidd's own engine wanes with old age.

Also involved in the deal was center Desagana Diop, who provided a young, shot-blocking presence the Mavs desperately missed against Chris Paul and the Hornets.  Erick Dampier, slow-footed and overpaid, is Dallas' only remaining serviceable center.  Acquisition and former all-star Jamaal Magloire turned out to be useless.

Unless Carlisle opts to go small the majority of the time, the Mavs will have to address their frontcourt depth, or lack thereof, in the offseason.

Offseason improvements won't be easy to come by, as Dallas has no first round picks in next month's draft.  The only youthful improvement might be the offseason doings of forward Brandon Bass, who Cuban fell in love with after he became known for giving the Mavs a shot of energy and rebounding off the bench.

Other than Bass, the Mavs don't have many tradeable assets.  It's doubtful they'll want to give up Jerry Stackhouse, who has provided consistent scoring off the bench for several seasons now.  Other reserves aren't likely to garner much attention around the league, so other improvement through player movement would almost inevitably involved at least one of Dallas' core players.

Their best hope is that Carlisle is able to implement a system that allows Kidd, Terry and Howard to contribute consistently.  That shouldn't be as difficult with a full training camp to integrate Carlisle's system and Kidd's talents with the rest of the team.

If those things happen and Nowitzki maintains or improves his superstar production, Dallas will be yet another contender in the western conference.

If their play remains uncertain and inconsistent, however, the Mavs could very well find themselves out of the playoffs for the first time since 2000.