Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard, Mavericks Need Fixing

Alright ladies, it's not time to sound the panic alarm yet. But there are some glaring questions, things that have gone wrong in the first three games that need to be fixed if this team is to make a deep run.

Thing No. 1: The Bench

Seriously, the Mavericks are not scoring points. Barea is a turnover machine, Stack couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, Diop is getting abused, and so on. For a team that came into the season priding itself on its bench, they have no dependable depth, save for Gerald Green.

Thing No. 2: Antoine Wright  Needs to be Benched

Start Gerald Green already! He's provided a great spark off of the bench, and he's got the athleticism to run with Kidd and Josh Howard. Wright on the other hand, is slacking on defense, can't make a shot, takes contested threes, can't hit open threes, and gets into foul trouble.

Thing no. 3: The tendency to Take Quarter(s) Off

When they faltered down the stretch against Houston, it was forgivable. But, when they falter for the second quarter against the T-Wolves, you notice. When you take a half off against the Cavs, then you've got problems. Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard cannot disappear, which they have done at key moments.

So what is the good news?

Jason Terry

The JET has been great, making jumpers at a good clip, running when filling in for Kidd, even doing a decent job on defense.

Brandon Bass

He's doing well on defense off the bench, and his mid-range jumper hasn't lost a step from last year.

How do we fix it? Simple.


Make this your starting five.
PG- Jason Kidd
SG- Gerald Green
SF- Josh Howard
PF- The Dirkster
C- Erick Dampier

Have Jason Terry be the backup PG, and have Antoine Wright and Stack split the other minutes.

Also, make this the small ball lineup.
PG- Kidd
SG- Terry
SF- Howard
PF- Bass
C- Dirk

Want to change things up? Put Dirk, Bass, and Dampier/Diop in at the same time. Dirk will create matchup hell with any small forward, and if you play Jo-Ho at the 2, and JET at the point, all of a sudden you've got a sharp shooting group out their, with bangers down low. Not a bad idea when you need to change up the pace.

Tonight: Dallas vs. San Antonio, who is struggling out of the gate. We'll see if the Mavs can get their season back on track.

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