We Were the Champions: Dallas Mavericks' Age Will Have Them Hurting

The Dallas Mavericks reached the pinnacle of success last season by winning the 2011 NBA Championship, but there will be no repeat this season.

A 2-4 start to the year has the team looking old and slow.

Although it is still very early in the season, there have been little signs of life, and it seems the dynasty will end at one title.

Here are some reasons why the Mavs will struggle this season.

Age

It has been said, but it must be repeated. The Dallas Mavericks are old.

Eight players on the roster are 32 or older, including four starters.

Delonte West is the youngest starter at 28, but each of his backups are 34 in Vince Carter and Jason Terry.

The team has some depth, but there is a good chance that injuries and fatigue will set in as the season progresses, which will shorten the bench.

In the most compact NBA season in recent history, the younger teams will be the most successful.

Brutal Schedule

Every team in the NBA will have to face a similar compact schedule this season as the league tries to fit 66 games into a shortened season.

However, this change will hurt the older teams more than the younger ones.

After playing more than 10 seasons in the NBA, it gets tougher to recover from night to night. Teams like Oklahoma City will be successful because the players have more energy.

The Dallas Mavericks go through their tough stretch from March 8-10, which consists of three road games at Phoenix, Sacramento and Golden State.

That type of stretch might be tough to recover from.

Possible Injuries

It is impossible to completely predict when injuries will occur, but after a while it becomes apparent that some players are just injury-prone.

Vince Carter has had a great career and could be an interesting addition to the Dallas Mavericks this season. However, he has only played in 80 games three times in 15 years. Seven years he played in 60 games or fewer.

Shawn Marion has also had injury problems throughout his career, especially from 2007-2009.

As for the rest of the team, injuries become more likely for older players than younger players, so everyone on the roster better take care of themselves.

Little Trust in Young Players

There are some talented young players who can have a future in the NBA, but so far this season they have made little impact.

Head coach Rick Carlisle has been sticking with his veterans more often than not, and it will cost him as the season continues.

Center Ian Mahinmi is really the only young member of the rotation at 25 years old. He receives about 18.5 minutes per game and has been efficient in that time with 8.2 points per game and 4.2 rebounds.

Rodrigue Beaubois has been a disappointment in his career so far, but that means the team needs to find someone who can play the point. Jason Kidd is 38 and should not be playing more than 30 minutes in games at his age.

Unless Dallas can find some youth through trades, it will be in for a long season.

Returning Champions

Everyone knows it is better to be the hunter than the hunted, but the Dallas Mavericks no longer have a choice.

After winning the NBA Championship last season, the team now has a mark on its back.

This means that every single night, teams will be giving the Mavericks their best shot to beat them as opposed to resting players against weaker teams.

The night after night tough games will get to Dallas after a few months, and it will hurt the team's chances for the rest of the year.