Grading the Dallas Mavericks' Positions

The Dallas Mavericks finished last season with a 50-32 record. They lost to the Denver Nuggets in five games in the Western Conference Semifinals, and looked completely overmatched doing so. They had big question marks going into the offseason, and they have addressed a few of them.

Center: D+

Starter: Erick Dampier

Reserves: Nathan Jawai

Dampier has been under a lot of criticism from fans because he has not put up great offensive numbers, but he has been a consistent player for the Mavericks.

He has averaged over seven rebounds a game during the last five years, and while that might not seem like much, you must realize that he has not averaged more than 28 minutes since he arrived in Dallas. He is not going to score in bunches, but the Mavericks did not expect that when they signed him.

Jawai is a very young player that could be capable of anything. He hardly played last year in Toronto, but he might be forced into action this year if the Mavericks cannot find a better option at center.

He has virtually no experience playing in the NBA so if he is forced to back up Dampier, the Mavericks could be in trouble. They really need to find a more suitable backup.

Power Forward: A

Starter: Dirk Nowitzki

Reserves: Kris Humphries, Shawn Marion

Dirk Nowitzki is clearly one of the best power forwards in the game today. He has one of the best all-around offensive games in the league, with the ability to post up smaller players or dribble around bigger players.

And not to mention he can shoot with the best of them. Dirk Nowitzki has been the best player for the Mavericks for the past decade and will be listed among the all-time greats when he is done playing.

Humphries is another young player that still has some untapped potential. He was drafted 14th overall in 2004, so he had to be doing something right in college. Humphries probably won't get much time this year anyways barring injuries because Dirk will eat up most of the minutes and Shawn Marion is very capable of sliding over from small forward.

Small Forward: A

Starter: Shawn Marion

Reserves: Quinton Ross, Shawne Williams, Josh Howard

Marion comes over from the Raptors and will give the Mavericks a much needed athletic "freak" on the wing. He will guard the opponent's best player night in and night out, and will not need the ball to make an impact. He will run the floor on a fast break, rebound, and defend like there is no tomorrow.

Quinton Ross will be a good bench addition for the Mavericks, especially if Shawn Marion gets into foul trouble. Ross is another very good defender that will keep the defensive pressure up when he subs in for Shawn Marion. He has never been a great scorer, but the Mavericks brought him in to do one thing: defend.

Shawne Williams is another young player that still has the potential to develop into a solid role player for Dallas. He is only going into his fourth season in the NBA, and, at 23, his best years are still ahead of him.

If he proves to be incapable of giving the Mavericks quality minutes, Josh Howard will be able to pick up the extra time that Williams would have been playing.

Shooting Guard: B+

Starter: Josh Howard

Reserves: Jason Terry, Greg Buckner, Matt Carroll

Howard, with the addition of Marion to the team, moves over from his traditional small forward position to start at shooting guard. He is a very good player that still needs to learn to play to his strengths and play with consistency.

Many times, he will score 10-12 points in the first quarter and then disappear for the rest of the game. It will be interesting to see if he can guard the quicker, smaller guards he might face.

Jason Terry is one of the best sixth men in the league, and it showed last year as he won the Sixth Man of the Year Award. Terry, although beginning to slow down a bit, is still one of the best pure shooters in the game. He can really give the Mavericks a spark when they are having an off-night and can sometimes single-handedly carry the team to victory.

Both Greg Buckner and Matt Carroll will see limited playing time this year if they aren't traded or released. Buckner, never known for doing much on offense, is still an above-average defender that has been around the league for a while.

Carroll was unable to find a role with the Mavericks last year, and with the additions of Shawn Marion and Quinton Ross, it seems like it will be the same this year.

Point Guard: B

Starter: Jason Kidd

Reserves: J.J. Barea, Rodrigue Beaubois

Jason Kidd is a future Hall of Famer that is still playing at a high level. He is not as quick and as flashy as he used to be, but he is still very capable of successfully running an NBA team. And with players like Nowitzki, Howard, Terry, and Marion, what more does he need to do than just get the ball to the open shooter?

J.J. Barea had a bigger role on the team last year and showed he was capable of putting up pretty solid numbers when he had the chance. He is not a great passer and he is very undersized, but his quickness and scoring ability are a nice change of pace from the slow and steady Kidd.

Beaubois was a first-round pick in this year's draft (25th overall), obtained by the Mavericks from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Beaubois is very raw and is still only 21 years old, but he seems to think he will be able to make an impact very soon.

With Kidd getting closer to retirement, Dallas may have found a replacement that can sit for a few years and learn from one of the best to ever play.