POINT GUARDS
Jason Terry / Devin Harris / Darrell Armstrong
SHOOTING GUARD
Jerry Stackhouse / Doug Christie / Marquis Daniels
SMALL FORWARDS
Josh Howard / Josh Powell / Tariq Abdul-Wahad
Jason Terry / Devin Harris / Darrell Armstrong
SHOOTING GUARD
Jerry Stackhouse / Doug Christie / Marquis Daniels
SMALL FORWARDS
Josh Howard / Josh Powell / Tariq Abdul-Wahad
POWER FORWARDS
Dirk Nowitzki / Keith Van Horn
CENTERS
Eric Dampier / DJ Mbenga / Pavel Podkolzin / Desagana Diop
Dirk Nowitzki / Keith Van Horn
CENTERS
Eric Dampier / DJ Mbenga / Pavel Podkolzin / Desagana Diop
Other Players : Rawle Marshall (SG/SF)
2004/05 : 58-24, 2nd Southwest, Western Conference No. 4 Seed
Key Additions : Doug Christie
Coach : Avery Johnson
Strengths : Dallas Mavericks continue to be a slick offensive unit. Led by superstar forward Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks will always try and beat you from the offensive end of the court. Outside of Nowitzki's phenominal inside/outside game, they have the talents of Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse at the guard spots, and the super athlete Josh Howard at small forward. Keith Van Horn give Dallas a solid shooter from the bench, and new signing Doug Christie will try and and solidify Dallas's defense. 2nd year point guard Devin Harris should be improved from his rookie season, and the Mavs will hope for more from talented big Eric Dampier.
Weaknesses : The main reason Dallas have been knocked out of the playoffs reasonably early year after year has been their leaky defense. Perimeter player Doug Christie has been brought in to assist in this area, but even his ageing body will not overly help, particulary with Michael Finley departing. Dallas do lack another consistent post scorer outside of Nowitzki. Dampier's game is erratic, and their backup bigs are either scared of the paint (Van Horn) or have averaged more fouls then points (Mbenga, Pavel, Diop). Finding minutes for their swingman, Stackhouse, Daniels, Christie and Howard will prove a headache for Coach Johnson.
Key Player : Once again forward Dirk Nowitzki will have the weight of expectation thrown on his shoulders. With his long time running mates Nash and now Finley departed, Dirk will have to find a new way of getting this team to the next level. Dirk's offense and rebounding have been outstanding the past few seasons, and it might come down to a little more work on defense that proves the difference maker. However he needs support, which inst always forthcoming from the remaining roster players.
Overview : This is basically the same squad from last season's campaign with the swapping of Christie for Finley. Lumbering center Shawn Bradley has retired and has been replaced by an inferior player in Diop. With the roster if anything being weaker, Coach Johnson has to look within to find improvement. He has exciting young guns in Howard, Daniels and Harris to look to for an uptempo lift for the squad, and possibly center Dampier playin closer to his contract value. This team will remain dangerous, however dont seem to be on the same level as conference rivals San Antonio and Phoenix. Look for a similar record and unfortunately another early playoff exit.
Win Range : 54 - 59 wins