Who Should Start: SG and SF

The Maverick starting five is not going to be extremely hard to decide, assuming no injuries occur before the start of the season. At point guard and at power forward, you have two hall of famers. There's a couple of locks. At center, you just spent 55 million on Haywood, and though Chandler has looked good in his USA basketball action, there's really not a position battle. With the money Haywood got, and his sensitive ego that we saw flashes of this past year, I just can't see Chandler starting.

That brings us to shooting guard and small forward. I think that last year's starting combo of Butler and Marion is probably the front runner, but the Mavericks have depth. There are four combos which I honestly believe could work, depending on exactly what the Mavericks are looking for.

SG: Butler, SF: Marion

As I said, this is likely the front runner. Chemistry wise, this is probably the best lineup. Both Butler and Marion have hinted that they would be upset with a demotion to the bench, while Terry is obviously okay with it and Beaubois isn't going to complain. Starting Marion allows him to match up immediately with the elite scoring wings. What's the point of having a lock down defender if he's only playing with the second string after Kobe and Durant and Anthony have come out to get some rest? With Butler's toughness and solid defense, this becomes a very balanced starting five, without any major weaknesses.

Of course, there aren't any major strengths here, either. Plus, this is the same lineup that we used last year that didn't work. Maybe things can be different, but why? Is Butler suddenly going to develop a high percentage three ball, or will Marion's rebounding skill suddenly come back, or is Kidd going to remember how to drive and finish? With Dirk on the floor, offense is not a weakness, but its very average with this collection of players. Certainly, the Mavericks can do better than that, right?

SG: Rodrigue Beaubois, SF: Caron Butler

Here's a lineup that has offensive strength. We all know Dirk creates open shots for his teammates because he has to be doubled, but Roddy is a penetrator, which will create more good looks. With the five on the floor, every one is solid at finishing when given that good look (though obviously Haywood's good look is within 5 feet of the basket, and Kidd's is 22 feet or farther). The defense is solid, too, with Roddy guarding PG's and Kidd taking the SG's. And Butler gets to return to his natural position, which helps trigger his bounce back season.

I like this lineup, but it has some weaknesses. First of all, Roddy is injured, and there's no telling if he'll be ready to be a starter opening day. Maybe in a few months this lineup will be much more viable, when Roddy has fully recovered and shaken off any rust, but it'll be a stretch for opening day. Also, starting Roddy at the 2 poses a problem on the boards. Haywood is good, but Dirk's rebounding fell off a lot last year, Butler is average for a small forward position, and Roddy doesn't have the strength to be a factor, despite his ups. Kidd will help, but this will still be a worse rebounding lineup than one that has Marion in it (and that Butler/Marion starting five wasn't exactly all-worldly either). Finally, there's no defensive stopper for superstar wing players. Butler can play some minutes

SG: Jason Terry, SF: Caron Butler

I'm not sure I've seen anyone talk about this lineup, but it has a few things I like. First of all, its a rip off of the Roddy/Butler lineup, but since Roddy has had the injury setback, it inserts JET for Roddy. Terry can't penetrate and create, but he can score (he scored 16 ppg last year, guys! He deserves a lot of his criticism, but its not like he totally fell apart...). He provides some more shooting, spreads the floor some more. Playing with Butler and Dirk more should eliminate some of those bad, contested 20 footers, also, at least in theory. We've said we want JET to have a smaller role this year, and maybe being the sixth man made him feel like he needed to carry the team when Dirk is off the court. The main reason this lineup might be plausible is because when Roddy is deemed healthy, the two can switch spots, as long as you make that clear to JET when he starts on opening night.

This lineup has the same weaknesses, though, as the Roddy/Butler one, plus some extra ones. Rebounding is still bad, and now defense is a problem too. The offense is also extremely reliant on the 20 foot jumper going down, with Roddy's driving or Marion's low post and fast break offense (its not consistent or deadly, but its a change up from the outside oriented games of our other guards).

SG: Roddy Beaubois, SF: Shawn Marion

This lineup does two main things. It can run, with two ball handlers and four great finishers (I think Roddy, Marion, Dirk and Haywood all finish very well, at least on the fast break) and of course one of the best passers in the history of the NBA. It also has a ton of versatility, with Caron Butler on the bench. If the team gets off to a slow start, Butler can sub in, either to get big (with the Butler/Marion combo) or to score (with the Roddy/Butler combo). The bench is also strong when its the full second unit playing, having Butler and JET. The defense isn't terrible, either, though a bit small.

Despite the strong bench, this starting five isn't really great at anything else. Its an OK rebounding, OK scoring lineup. If you are concerned about Butler and Dirk being the only two scoring options, be even more worried about Roddy, because he's going to be inconsistent, especially if his shot isn't going down. 

So have at it: Which combination do you like the best?