Dallas Mavericks: Projecting Starting Lineup and Rotation

Rick Carlisle has left Dallas Mavericks fans scratching their heads from time to time. How could a three guard lineup of Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and J.J. Barea work?

How would placing Barea in the starting lineup fare when he was slated to guard Dwayne Wade? But those buttons were all pushed correctly by the head coach, and you can't argue with a Larry O'Brien trophy. 

Lineups are going to be even more fun this year, now that Carlisle has Lamar Odom and a healthy Rodrigue Beaubois who knows what he'll cook up. 

But here is the projection of the starting five to face the Miami Heat Christmas day; not that this five will finish or even play the most minutes. But it's a start, and the creativity begins after that first five hits the floor. 

Point Guard: Jason Kidd

The 38-year-old wants to play until he's 40. How much does he have left in the tank?

If last year was any indication, he can still be one of the most effective passers and late-game defenders this league has ever seen. 

His defense and leadership aren't likely to decline before he's ready to hang 'em up, and if he can continue to shoot the three ball at a clip of 35 percent or higher, he can space the floor for Carter, Odom and Rodrigue Beaubois to find off the penetration. 

But the Mavs need to keep his minutes somewhere between 25-28 a game...at least until the postseason, especially with a 66-game slate that is sure to be unfriendly to the veterans of the NBA.

Delonte West, Dominique Jones and Beaubois are going to have to take some stress off Kidd, or he'll be out of gas come title time.  

Shooting Guard: Vince Carter

VC's dunk in the Olympics might be the best one in the history of international basketball. He's an eight-time All-Star, and a candidate for the Hall of Fame when it's all said and done. 

But reports of injury and old age have people voicing their doubts about the 34-year-old.

With the Corey Brewer and Rudy Fernandez departures to the Denver Nuggets, and a reluctancy to take sixth man candidate Jason Terry and place him in the starting lineup, it seems that Carter is really the only option to man the two.

But Terry, Beaubois and maybe Jones will be in the rotation, and it won't be up to Carter to score 20 points a game to be considered a success in Dallas.   

Small Forward: Shawn Marion

The Matrix spent time in both the starting lineup and coming off the bench last year, and he kept his athleticism and defense prowess high due to a reduction in minutes.

But his backups for the majority of last year were DeShawn Stevenson in stretches, Peja Stojakovic and Corey Brewer, all of whom are long gone.

Enter Lamar Odom, who can play both the three and the four, and on any other team other than the Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers or Miami Heat would start and average 35 minutes a game.

Mixing Odom and Marion, and playing them simultaneously will be fun for Carlisle. It will allow him to keep minutes low, and keep players fresh for an onslaught of back-to-backs.   

Power Forward: Dirk Nowitzki

Who else but Dirk to start?

Not much you can say about the Big German, but a lot to say about who's going to step up when he needs to rest. 

Nowitzki is in his prime, and he seems to be getter better with age. But no doubt playing this season's schedule will have him at the very least needing a break from time to time, and the Mavs will have to mix and match to find a suitable replacement when Dirk gets a blow. 

Brian Cardinal, Brandan Wright and Odom will carry the brunt of the minutes at the backup four, and some argue that Odom does the most damage when he's matched up against power forwards who can't guard him. 

But no matter who gets the minutes in Dirk's stead, it's clear: It starts and ends with Dirk. And it will until the day his number hangs from the rafters in the American Airlines Center. 

Center: Brendan Haywood

Haywood has some big shoes to fill. Ironic, because he's actually bigger than New York Knick center Tyson Chandler.

But Haywood's arrival netted a first-round playoff loss, and Chandler's netted a championship. 

So the defensive weight will fall on the shoulders of Haywood, who the team will have to build its defensive game plan around. 

Behind him, Ian Mahinmi, Brandan Wright and Odom might even see stretches at the five, but Haywood's play will likely be key to getting the Mavericks back to the promised land. 

Bench Rotation

Terry and Odom will likely have a little competition to see who is the better man off the bench. Each have won the sixth man award, and each has been good enough to make their bench dangerous.

The Mavs have the argument that their bench is now the best in the NBA. 

Odom and Terry can go off any night. Beaubois and West will be interesting in the back court, and each has shown flashes of being able to fill it up at will.

Mahinmi and Wright are both mysteries, but each has the size and athleticism to be major contributors. Brian Cardinal will give you five minutes a night of a three pointer, good defense and a charging foul.

The Mavs are set up for a title defense. Their lineups are going to get creative and cooky at times, but Dallas has learned to trust in Rick, and he'll surely have something up his sleeve each night.