Dirk Nowitzki and 4 Other Veterans Guaranteed to Return to Form

Ask most NBA pundits and they will tell you that they expect the eventual NBA Champions to  be either the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls or Oklahoma City Thunder.

That's hard to argue since those teams seem to be immune to the struggles that most teams have had with this crazy condensed schedule. They have been able to excel because they have young legs that can play three nights in row with no problem.

On the other side of the coin, there are veteran players who have had problems acclimating to a season in which the games are coming fast and furious with a minimal amount of practice time in between.

Their teams are squarely in the middle of the playoff hunt, and these veterans need to get back to what they are capable of. By playoff time, I guarantee these five veteran players will have hit their stride and will carry their teams into the postseason.

Dirk Nowtizki - Dallas Mavericks

2011-2012 Season Key Stats:

PPG: 17.6; RPG: 6.2; FG%: .461; 3P%: .211.

2010-2011 Season Key Stats:

PPG: 23.0; RPG: 7.0; FG%: .517; 3P%: .393.

There have been many reasons floating around about why Dirk is struggling.

Is it his conditioning?

Is it his knee?

Is he just satisfied with winning last year and does not care anymore?

I can tell you that it is definitely not the latter. Dirk is one of the most regimented athletes in any sport. The combination of playing with the German national team in the offseason and the uncertainty of the lookout caused Dirk's basketball schedule to be completely thrown off.

He isn't a super athlete who can just step out and play at a high level. Dirk needs to work his way into shape, and given how short the preseason was this year, unfortunately for Dirk, we have to watch him get into shape during the regular season.

Dirk is starting to show signs of getting back to being himself. Over the last couple of games, he is averaging 26 points and is making the shots that we are accustomed to seeing him make.

By the time the playoffs roll around, Dirk will be back to playing the same way he did when he won the 2010-2011 NBA Finals MVP. Guaranteed. Sir Charles.

Amare Stoudemire - New York Knicks

2011-2012 Season Key Stats:

PPG: 18.2; RPG: 8.2; BPG: 0.8; FG%: .447.

2010-2011 Season Key Stats:

PPG: 25.3; RPG: 8.1; BPG: 1.9; FG%: .502.

What is wrong in Gotham City? The Knicks have been the biggest disappointment in the NBA by a landslide.

Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler were supposed to be the Big Three that would challenge the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference. Instead, the Knicks are challenging the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers for the final playoff spot.

Amare has really struggled this year for two reasons.

1) No Point Guard in D'antoni's System

This is probably the most obvious of the two. Stoudemire thrived in D'Antoni's system in the past because he had Steve Nash and Chauncey Billups running the show. This year, the Knicks have gotten nothing from their point guard position. Knicks fans have to hope that the emergence of Jeremy "Linsanity" Lin isn't just a flash in the pan.

2) Carmelo Anthony

Playing alongside Carmelo has been a huge issue for Amare. Carmelo has even addressed the fact that he needs to get Amare involved more. If Carmelo can take a step back and share the scoring load with Amare, this team will have a much better chance of having a successful season.

If these two things are fixed, we will see Amare being Amare when the playoffs roll around.

David West - Indiana Pacers

2011-2012 Season Key Stats:

PPG: 11.6; RPG: 6.6; FG%: .451; MPG: 29.7.

2010-2011 Season Key Stats:

PPG: 18.9; RPG: 7.5; FG%: .508; MPG: 35.0.

David West hasn't played this badly since his second year in the league.

One would assume that his stats would take a hit because he is playing about five fewer minutes  than he did last year. A small dip in scoring and maybe rebounding could be expected.

But if you look at his shooting percentage, you will notice that he is really struggling. West hasn't shot this badly in any season in which he has played a majority of the games.

West is having to get accustomed to not being second in charge like he was in New Orleans with Chris Paul. Indiana has seven players averaging more than nine points per game. They love to spread the ball around and take advantage of mismatches rather than rely on one or two players to shoulder the scoring load.

Roy Hibbert grabs about 10 boards a game and that takes away from West getting some rebounds for easy second-chance points

. By playoff time, West will get accustomed to playing in this offensive system, and while his points and rebounds may not take a significant jump, his shooting percentage and efficiency will return to the levels to which he is accustomed.

Luis Scola - Houston Rockets

2011-2012 Season Key Stats:

PPG: 15.2; RPG: 5.7; FG%: .486; TO: 2.9.

2010-2011 Season Key Stats:

PPG: 18.3; RPG: 8.2; FG%: .504; TO: 2.0.

The Houston Rockets are currently in the fourth spot in the Western Conference playoff picture. While they can be happy to be right in the middle of the playoff race, they will need Luis Scola to pick up his play in order to stay there.

Scola is putting up decent stats, but he will need to get back to his production from last year for the Rockets to have a chance to make some noise in the playoffs. He is shooting the worst percentage from the field in his career and turning the ball over more than any other power forward in the NBA.

Given his skill set and style of play, Scola will be playing a lot better by the end of the year. Scola is most effective when the game has slowed down and both teams are grinding to get the win, much like playoff basketball.

With this condensed season, more teams will be in the hunt for playoff spots, so playoff-type basketball will begin in early April. You can bet that Scola and his stats will begin to improve at that time.

Lamar Odom - Dallas Mavericks

2011-2012 Season Key Stats:

PPG: 7.8; RPG: 4.8; FG%: .342; 3P%: .258.

2010-2011 Season Key Stats:

PPG: 14.4;  PPG: 8.6; FG% .530; 3P%: .382.

While the New York Knicks have been the most disappointing team this season, Lamar Odom is the front-runner for the most disappointing player.

His personal misadventures have been well-chronicled, and they have obviously taken a toll on his play on the court. His performance in every key stat is down this year. When you watch Lamar play, the first thing you notice is that he is just not comfortable.

In Los Angeles, Odom was used to a defined sixth-man role in the triangle offense. In Dallas, the offense is a lot more free-flowing. The Mavericks have so many different options offensively that Odom seems to get lost. He does not appear to be sure where his teammates like to get the ball.

One major result of the condensed season is that practices are few and far between. Just like Dirk, Odom has had to use the regular season to get into shape and rhythm.

But by season's end, Odom will once again be one of the best bench players in the league. Given that Lamar is so versatile, he will find his niche and will be a major factor in how far the Dallas Mavericks go in the postseason.