In the midst of the hoopla surrounding LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh creating a mega-team in Miami, Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks are quietly putting together a solid team set to compete for a Western Conference title in 2010-2011.
With the recent trade dumping the salary of Erick Dampier (perhaps the worst signing in the history of the NBA) for Tyson Chandler, the Mavericks instantly upgraded their interior roster, as well as infusing more energy into an already deep bench. With center Brendon Heyward resigning to take Damp's starting spot, the Mavs can now bring Chandler off the bench to spot Heyward and provide a change of pace center to accommodate an already pesky 2nd unit.
JJ Barea, Jason Terry, and Chandler are three any team would love to have compliment Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Caron Butler, Shawn Marion, and Haywood. Those 8 players and the various line-ups available to head coach Rick Carlisle make for an impressive unit for the Mavs. Dampier's departure and replacement with Haywood and Chandler means the Mavs defense in the paint just improved 10-fold, with two legitimate shot blockers able to control the basket when the perimeter defense falters (as it tends to do with Terry and Kidd).
Whether or not the Mavs are able to snag another mid level free agent this summer (Richard Jefferson?), expect Dallas to compete for a top 4 seed. Assuming health can be maintained, the Mavs could potentially be a threat to the Lakers in the West with the new pieces built around Dirk.
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