The 2008-09 Dallas Mavericks: What Should Fans Expect?

It's less than two months until the start of the NBA season. One of the most boring offseasons in recent Mavericks history leaves many fans with a sense of doubt for the future of this franchise. Is all hope lost? Could this team somehow still find a way to squeeze themselves into a better situation?

Maybe, and maybe not. I'll give my preseason grades for the status of all five positions (PG, SG, SF, PF, C) on this team. 

PG: Jason Kidd, Jose Juan Barea

Kidd is coming off another Olympic gold medal-winning performance. The thing that doesn't make sense to me is that he gave his gold medal to a lady associated with the Wynn Las Vegas casino. I do not like the Wynn casino. That was the casino I lost the most money from when I paid a visit to Las Vegas in March.

That being said, Jason Kidd is 35 years old. The main issue for Kidd is whether or not he will work better for this team under Rick Carlisle's system. What that system is? I'm not sure yet, but I hear it is supposed to blend offense and defense together. 

Barea, well, his insertion into the lineup during a playoff game aganist New Orleans last year may have been the downfall of the season. I like him, though. He provided a nice spark during the regular season. Unfortunately, Avery decided to put Barea into the lineup at the wrong time. Is that Avery's fault? Is that Barea's fault? I'm not sure. 

PG Grade: B

GPA: 3.00

SG: Jason Terry, Eddie Jones, Gerald Green

Hearing Terry mentioned as a shooting guard makes me cringe. I always liked Terry as a point guard, which is what he was during his first season as a Maverick and during the NBA Finals run. The reality is that Jason is 6'2". Jones only averaged three points per game last year, which was hardly worth anything. 

Green gives me some hope. Why? He's the same age as me. He was born less than four months before me. I have faith in the people born during 1986. I also like his athleticism and upside. Could Gerald Green be the next T-Mac? Perhaps the next Darius Miles? Somewhere in between?

SG Grade:C+

GPA: 2.33

SF: Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse, Devean George

Three words, respectively:

MARIJUANA, KNEES, I-CANT-BELIEVE-WE-RESIGNED-YOU

Additional words:

I could continue, but I think I will dedicate an entire article to the controversial enigma that is Josh Howard. 

SF Grade: A- if this is 2004, C since this is 2008

GPA: 2.00

PF: Dirk Nowitzki, Brandon Bass

Ah, finally a sigh of relief.

There aren't really many problems here. Nowitzki has the potential to put together his best year ever statistically, even with all the controversy. It all depends on how well Carlisle's system works for this team.

On the bench, Bass shows promise as a very solid mid-range shooter and rebounder. Don't forget his undeniable ability to throw it down. Bass and Green have the ability to make defenders just look stupid (often referred to short-hand as "POSTERIZED"). 

Grade: A

GPA: 4.0

C: Erick Dampier, Desagana Diop

Look, I'm a fan of getting Diop back. Did I want the team to use its mid-level exception on him? No, of course not.

I like this center situation on the defensive end, at least. Offensively, it's no secret that there is a slight deficiency. A rather significant one, actually.

Grade: B

GPA: 3.00

OVERALL GPA: 2.87

Conclusion

This is all just talk. Let's go Mavs. Who really knows what could happen this year. We could all be pleasantly surprised. 

Please leave your comments, because I'm sure there will be plenty of disagreements. I'm just trying to figure out how much trouble this team is really in, or if it's not as bad as it seems.