(a sorta) League Preview: Dallas Mavericks

The fate of the sorriest teams and the lottery likelies is fairly clear: 82 and done. The prospects for the might be somethings are more promising, and the playoff solids are just that. The fifth grouping of teams is perhaps the most exciting. These two squads are not among the contenders, and may not perform as well as the playoff solids. But watch out, because if the gel as a unit, they have the potential to beat everyone. First up, the second best in the Southwest. Dallas Mavericks PG Jason Kidd Jose Juan Barea Rodrigue Beaubois SG Josh Howard Jason Terry SF Shawn Marion Quinton Ross PF Dirk Nowitski Kris Humphries Tim Thomas C Erick Dampier Drew Gooden Since being embarrassed by the Miami Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals, Dallas has mostly been an after thought in the race for Western Conference supremacy. The book on stopping Dirk was open to all. The inglorious dismissal of coach Avery Johnson after the...