Hi Mavs fans, I know our dear ol team is out of the playoffs, but there are other teams vying for the O'Brien this year. 2nd Round is up and we have: East 1. (2) Heat vs (3) Pacers 2. (4) Celtics vs (8) Sixers West 1. (1)Spurs vs (5) Clippers 2. (2) Thunder vs (3) Lakers Yes the East doesn't look that exciting. But the West is. These four remaining WC teams are the ones most Mavs fans hate the most. Which team are you gonna root for? Discuss.

Editor's Note: Front-paged

While most of the buzz around the Mavs' 2012 free agency surrounds Deron Williams, it is painfully clear that Dallas needs more production from the center spot.

With this in mind, I thought I would take a look at all the Mavericks' options at the center position.

1. Keep Brendan Haywood and sign a quality backup who could possibly compete with him. To most Mavs fans, including me, this seems like the most unpalatable option. Haywood, on paper, can be called a "solid" center. As in, he is a solid 263-lb mass whose biggest contribution is, at times, playing decent post defense. Unfortunately, he also possesses arguably the worst hands of any player in the league (except maybe Erick Dampier), has no offensive moves or great athleticism, and is on the wrong side of 30.

This isn't to say he's an awful player. But it is obvious by now that he should not be a starting center, and only is paid like one due to the ridiculous dearth of any quality centers in the league the last few years.

If the Mavs choose to keep Haywood, that would probably mean amnestying Shawn Marion. It is easier and cheaper to replace a swingman generally, but in this case it would mean saying goodbye to all of Marion's tough man-to-man defense, finishing ability in transition, and general offensive activity.

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My early opinion of what the Mavericks should do this offseason.

Bring back Delonte West. He showed the ability to run the pick and roll, hit some shots and play touch defense. He could be a good backup guard coming off the bench and he would be a valuable part of any good team.

Jason Terry. It really depends on how much money he is asking for, i would like to see him back and still coming off the bench but a part of me feels like he is going to want too much and money and we're going to have to send him packing.

Mahimi should be brought back as well, he shows the potential to be a good backup. He has good hands for a Big man and he showed the ability to score around the rim.

Amnesty Haywood, i think everybody just about agrees with this one.

Deron Williams obviously should be a primary target for this off-season, can't say enough about how much it would help to bring him here.

Some other guys i think the Mavericks should take a look at. Nick Young, Spencer Hawes, Chris Kaman, Dj Augustine(if we don't get Deron Williams). Obviously this is presuming all these guys don't resign with their own teams right now.

Just taking a look at this second round matchup and what the Pacers would have to do to TRY and pull of a very unlikely upset of the Miami Heat. Again, not saying this is going to happen just having some fun and breaking down what they would have to do to improve their chances.

Roy Hibbert. In order for Indiana to have any shot of upsetting the Heat in this series, Roy Hibbert is going to be required to have a great series. He is going to have to dominate in the post offensively against the weakest part of the Heat's team, as well as tenaciously defend the rim and change Wade and Lebron's shots at the rim. He's just going to have to dominate, plain and simple. Maybe this is the series where Hibbert takes the next step? o_O

I think Darren Collison is going to be an important X-Factor in this series for the Pacers. He is going to need to penetrate off the pick and roll and get Granger and George involved hitting some three pointers, as well as keeping the defense honest by showing the ability to finish at the rim (in the mold of a J.J Barea last year.) If he is able to succesfully do this he will take a lot of the pressure offensively off of Granger and George who are going to be defender touch this entire series.

David West should be attacking the rim hard throughout this series for two reasons. One to get some much needed points in the paint, as well as try to get Chris Bosh in some foul trouble. Preferably West could catch the ball off some pick and rolls in a position to attack the basket. If he can get Bosh in foul trouble it will take a big part of the Miami Heat offense off the floor and force the suspect cast of Heat role players to fill his shoes.

The best way for Granger to get his offense in this series will be freeing him up by setting some screens for him to come off in the wing areas. It will be much easier for him to either pull up for the jumpshot of take it hard to the basket in this manner. The Heat have great wing defenders and if left in isolation situations with Lebron and Battier will have to work incredibly hard the entire series in order to get his points, the Pacers have to make things easier for him by getting the ball in favorable positions for him.

Hibbert, West, and Hansbrough need to go to the glass hard through the entire series, not taking any plays off, to get a good amount of second chance opportunities, the heat are going to play tough defense and you have to counteract that by getting as many shots as possible.

Overall the Pacers are going to have to dominate in the painted area, on the boards and shoot the ball well from 3 to be able to get it done offensively in this series. Granger and George are going to have to get some easy shots and need to have high percentage games, not taking too much difficult contested shots.

The most important thing to do against the Heat defensivly is do NOT turn the ball over, turning the ball over against the Heat is an automatic death sentence as everybody knows. They have to take GREAT care of the ball to have any chance, turn the ball over and lose the series it's as simple as that. Do not ignite the fast break. Also, don't settle for too many jumps shot, jump shots also help the break start easier.

The pacers should go under on all screens/pick and rolls for Lebron and Wade, the more jumpshots they take the better. Come hard on help defense when they do get into the painted area, force their suspect supporting casts to beat make shots and beat you.

Granger and George are going to have to play tough and give all on defense defending Wade and Lebron, your obviously not going to stop them but you have to make them work for every bucket.

The Pacers have to win the hustle plays as well, diving for lose balls, fighting for lose rebounds etc. they have to outwork them.

Overall the chance of them winning this series are not great, as the Heat best players are just better players then the Pacers best players, they also have more experience playing in the post season. But if they want to have any shot, i believe this is the game plan that will get it done. If they can successfully do all the things listed here(Big If) they might just suprise the Heat(hopefully).

Obviously, we're all concerned with the Mavs' offseason at this point. Cuban will have cap space to work with for the first time as an owner. So, who can he get with it?

Looking over Hoops World's list of 2012 Free Agents I see quite a few quality, unrestricted or player options available:
- Point Guard:
Deron Williams, Brooklyn Nets
Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns
Aaron Brooks, Phoenix Suns
Raymond Felton, Portland Trail Blazers
Kirk Hinrich, Atlanta Hawks
Andre Miller, Denver Nuggets
Chauncey Billups, L.A. Clippers
Jameer Nelson, Orlando Magic
George Hill, Indiana Pacers
Leandro Barbosa, Indiana Pacers
Goran Dragic,, Houston Rockets

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Editor's Note: Front paged for discussion potential!

Jason Terry's last shot of the 2012 NBA season: an off-balance 3-pointer with only a few seconds to go that hit...rim. As I saw Jet launch that one, I was actively thinking about the possible end of his career as a Maverick. It seems quite surreal.

I have been a Mavs fan since around December 2002, so the first Mavs I grew up with were the classic Big Three -- Nash, Finley, and Nowitzki. I was a huge Nash guy. I remember going to Game 4 of the 2003 Western Conference Finals and I was devastated that Dirk was out with a high ankle sprain. I'll never forget, sitting in those crappy nosebleed seats, seeing Nash put up 25 and hit a crazy four-point-play with the classic extended-leg follow-through. He was far from a superstar back then, but he was the head of the snake, even over Nowitzki.

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UPDATE 1: Oden won't be playing in the 2012-2013 season anymore (alcohol issue)

UPDATE 2: CJ Miles voiced out his displeasure with how Ty Corbin handles the Jazz. Come back home CJ?

UPDATE 3: Added Andrei Kirilenko to the list

As much as we hate it, our season is over. And I don't want to stop talking about my beloved Mavericks so I thought about creating a fanpost about the upcoming off season to discuss some potential pick ups we might get.

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For the first time in the Dirk Nowitzki era the Dallas Mavericks were swept out of a playoff series. With fundamental structural changes in the make-up of the roster and identity looming it is perhaps time to reflect upon a decade of sustained excellence led by Dirk Nowitzki. While it is certainly too early to close the door on Nowitzki, it does appear that the times of him carrying a team to a top-ten offense and 50+ wins year in year out by himself are over.

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Editor's Note: Front-paged

The title defense of the Mavericks is officially over after being swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier. It was a disappointing early exit for this team but now, all the organization can do is rest, clear their minds and recharge for the offseason and prep early for the upcoming season.

This blog will include the recap and analysis of the Mavs during the regular season and playoffs, as well as my outlook of the Mavs during the upcoming season and my recommendations for another run next season.

The Regular Season

The Mavericks' regular season was an inconsistent one, which can be blamed at the compressed 66-game season, their roster's age, a shortened training camp and the lack of a sufficient and capable roster to truly compete for a playoff run. Their defense was good, because of Rick Carlisle's ability to coach and with the team effort the team was exerting towards defense. On the other hand, offense was the problem, due to the lack of training camp and the difficulty of the new players being integrated into the system. But with the core players and the supporting cast playing well enough the make it to the postseason, I would say that is still an achievement with the different factors that had settled in that could have ousted the champs from making the playoffs.

Continue after the jump...

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Watching the Mavs get swept by a team with three scorers last night, I realized that they did the right thing when they let Chandler and the other guys go to make an attempt to bring in some more scorers this year. All the teams going deep into the playoffs this year have three and the Mavs, with or without those guys, have only one. But that's going to change this summer, one way or the other. Dirk plus two guys who can score and play defense ... and the Mavs are capable of hanging with the elite. Dirk and a lot of overpaid role players and we get one championship every decade or so. So in this time of dark despair, take heart Mavs fans. Help is on the way.