Dallas Mavericks

It’s been widely reported that the Houston Rockets are a team that intrigues Dwight Howard. The Rockets might even rank ahead of the Bird-rights-owning Los Angeles Lakers as the Mavericks’ primary competitors for the perennial All-Star big man. Here’s one problem for Houston: The Rockets would have to do some significant payroll slashing to be positioned to offer Howard a max contract. Howard’s max salary next season would be $20,513,178.

There have been a lot of positive remarks about the questions and answers series that has started during the offseason. I think people are just thirsty for Mavs information or debate, but we’ll continue running with the series. If you ever have questions you want tossed into future a batch, you can always send them through Twitter or through the comments section. This batch provides a good mixture of looking back, looking ahead and evaluating who the true gambles are this offseason with free agency. If Dirk and Carlisle were your kids and you had to pick one as your favorite, who would you pick? Wait, parents don’t have to pick a favorite child? Oh, that’s good to know for the future. Anyways, a variation of that topic is brought up. For now, here are 10 more questions and answers about the Mavs. 1. How will the 2010-11 championship stand up over time? This is something I will be very interested in seeing develop. Time usually makes people forget, but it also can also lead to people having revisionist history. One thing is certain, we’ve seen Kevin Durant struggle without Russell Westrbrook, thus making Dirk Nowitzki’s run as the lone star in 2011 that much more incredible. You can even date back to LeBron James’ time with the Cavaliers and that puts more of a shine on Dirk. It depends on how this run ends for the Miami Heat, but the 2010-11 Mavs should hold up very well over time. I’ll continue to state that Dirk Nowitzki’s run during those playoffs was one of the most prolific runs by a single player in playoff history. He earned every bit of that Finals MVP award. Go back and watch the series against the Lakers and the Thunder and you’ll see a Dirk that refused to accept defeat. Just as fun, watch those series and listen to the fans as Dirk lines up shots when they’re on the road. They know. 2. Is there a definite path the Mavs should take with free agency? There’s no correct path. You can make a logical explanation for them going for a big man just as much as making a push for a guard. I prefer that they go for a point guard, but that route makes the facilitating moves different. If they were to go for a big man, it certainly changes the approach for their follow up moves. That’s what makes this summer so intriguing. Each and every move the Mavs make will have an immediate ripple effect. 3. Which Dallas free agent would I be surprised to see come back? I’d honestly be surprised if Darren Collison was back. Chris Kaman comes second in this question, but I’d be very surprised if the young point guard comes back to Dallas. He clearly feels that he should be a starting point guard in this league. Dallas certainly made it clear during the year that they didn’t feel he was capable of being a starting point guard for them. The market will be interesting for Collison. I could easily see him taking a one-year chance with a team that isn’t great so he can have the opportunity to just show he CAN be a starting point guard. If that’s the case, why doesn’t he take the qualifying offer from the Mavs and go into unrestricted free agency next summer? Because he played that game this past season. If he does it, he’ll want to go to another team. 4. Which current Dallas free agent would you be hopeful to see come back? I’ve already said that I would like to see Brandan Wright come back. If he’s off the board, I’d actually make a case for Anthony Morrow. He surprised me a bit with his willingness to shoot the ball off the dribble. Morrow is clearly a gifted shooter and teams simply need that asset. He seems like a very realistic option as a guy that can be a part of a rotation. On top of that, Morrow should come at a relatively cheap price, making the situation that much better for the Mavs. 5. Who are the guys the Mavs could gamble on this offseason in free agency? I think there are six guys that fit in my qualification as gamble guys (in no particular order): Brandon Jennings, Monta Ellis, Jeff Teauge, Tyreke Evans, Nikol

ESPNDallas.com will compare the Mavericks and Clippers in five facets -- other than money -- that could play a role in Chris Paul's free agency decision in a one-per-day series: owners/front office, coaches, co-stars, supporting casts and franchise tradition. We'll focus on Dwight Howard next week. Both of these franchises used to be NBA laughingstocks. The Mavs have since earned a reputation as one of the league’s best franchises. They were one of only three franchises in NBA history to reel off 11 consecutive 50-win seasons, making a pair of Finals appearances and winning one title during that span.

If we can't get Dwight or Paul this summer, we still have other options to bring a second star to Dallas this summer. What would you all think about either of the following ideas? 1.) Josh Smith for 1 year/max (or) 4 years/$64m with a player option after year 2. He gets a raise, a change of scenery and the chance to get the 10-year max level if he earns it (which according to his agent is a possible reason he'd take a shorter contract). Dallas gets the best player Dirk's ever played with, in his prime, and a great chance to be very attractive to free agents next summer when more salary opens up. The problem is, we'd probably have to trade Marion if he doesn't opt out and take less money per year for a longer contract - otherwise, we'd have too much salary tied up in only two positions. If we get Smith, we should trade him to a team needing a quality SF/PF and veteran leadership in exchange for role players and trade assets, or else we'll be seeing a lot more smallball with Dirk at center and hoping Marion-Smith can make up for our lack of a good rim-protector.2.) Bynum for max money/4 years with team options after years 1 and 3 (or only partially guaranteed money in the later years). I can't imagine a team giving him 4/5 max contract years with no team options considering his injury history, but I'd gamble on the second best 5 in the game if we have means to jump ship, worst case scenario. He gets a bad rap, but so does Cousins, and Bynum is bigger and (when healthy) better than Cousins on both ends of the floor. -- I'd rather not overpay the second tier [or the third tier, including Mayo] just for the sake of "winning", but we do have some negotiating room. If these guys can get more guaranteed money to play on some desperate crap team and choose to go, we can still bid on quality RFAs like Tyreke or Gerald Henderson or pick up a bunch of trade assets and quality UFA role players (Calderon/Jack/Dalembert/etc.) But I'd definitely do a compromise deal to get either Smith or Bynum if they'd take it. Thoughts? If we can't get Dwight or Paul this summer, we still have other options to bring a second star to Dallas this summer. What would you all think about either of the following ideas? 1.) Josh Smith for 1 year/max (or) 4 years/$64m with a player option after year 2. He gets a raise, a change of scenery and the chance to get the 10-year max level if he earns it (which according to his agent is a possible reason he'd take a shorter contract). Dallas gets the best player Dirk's ever played with, in his prime, and a great chance to be very attractive to free agents next summer when more salary opens up. The problem is, we'd probably have to trade Marion if he doesn't opt out and take less money per year for a longer contract - otherwise, we'd have too much salary tied up in only two positions. If we get Smith, we should trade him to a team needing a quality SF/PF and veteran leadership in exchange for role players and trade assets, or else we'll be seeing a lot more smallball with Dirk at center and hoping Marion-Smith can make up for our lack of a good rim-protector.2.) Bynum for max money/4 years with team options after years 1 and 3 (or only partially guaranteed money in the later years). I can't imagine a team giving him 4/5 max contract years with no team options considering his injury history, but I'd gamble on the second best 5 in the game if we have means to jump ship, worst case scenario. He gets a bad rap, but so does Cousins, and Bynum is bigger and (when healthy) better than Cousins on both ends of the floor. -- I'd rather not overpay the second tier [or the third tier, including Mayo] just for the sake of "winning", but we do have some negotiating room. If these guys can get more guaranteed money to play on some desperate crap team and choose to go, we can still bid on quality RFAs like Tyreke or Gerald Henderson or pick up a bunch of trade assets and quality UFA role players (Calderon/Jack/Dalembert/etc.) B

I have nothing for the #7; I mean, there's Adrian Griffin and DeSagana Diop (two members of our 2005-06 Western Conference Championship team) and... uh, yeah. That's really it (Lamar Odom never existed. And I didn't just type his name... you saw nothing!). 2013 NBA Playoffs: Eastern Conference Finals: (3) Indiana Pacers vs (1) Miami Heat Heat lead series 1-0 Western Conference Finals: (5) Memphis Grizzlies vs (2) San Antonio Spurs Spurs lead series 2-0 I have nothing for the #7; I mean, there's Adrian Griffin and DeSagana Diop (two members of our 2005-06 Western Conference Championship team) and... uh, yeah. That's really it (Lamar Odom never existed. And I didn't just type his name... you saw nothing!). 2013 NBA Playoffs: Eastern Conference Finals: (3) Indiana Pacers vs (1) Miami Heat Heat lead series 1-0 Western Conference Finals: (5) Memphis Grizzlies vs (2) San Antonio Spurs Spurs lead series 2-0

I talk to J-Tjarks about the draft, something he is one of SBNation's leading experts in, and you get to enjoy! The sound quality is not the best, we know. Tjarks-Tobo-1

Information is power. Getting seduced by information is dangerous. There is the clichéd saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, there were three photos that popped up last week that are very relevant in the Mavs’ universe. They provide information, two more interesting than the other. The first one came on Friday morning as owner Mark Cuban reinforced his point to the fans that he is committed to making this past season as an aberration as opposed to the new norm. In case Mavs fans are wondering where my focus is this summer.#MFFL twitter.com/mcuban/status/… — Mark Cuban (@mcuban) May 17, 2013 That really shouldn’t come as a surprise that Cuban is driven. He used the analogy that he has started to go through the seven stages of recovery when it comes to the pain that was the 2012-13 season. He’s broken up with 2012-13, or it broke up with him. Either way, he’s a man who is motivated. Sometimes you need to be humbled or possibly embarrassed to feel find that extra gear of motivation. It remains to be seen what will come of that new motivation. One thing is certain: he’s still networking in creative ways. And that leads us to the next photo. Playing the #tigerjam charity poker tourney in vegas and who’s at my table Chris paul with Tiger and mark Cuban twitter.com/daniel_shak/st… — Daniel Shak (@daniel_shak) May 18, 2013 Daniel “Dan” Shak is an American poker play and a hedge fund manager. He took the photo in question at Tiger Wood’s poker tournament in Las Vegas. I have no idea if Cuban is going to face any backlash or penalty as he could be interacting with a future free agent, forbidden by the league and considered to be tampering. I’m assuming that the fact this was a charity function will cover all the bases. It’s safe to say he’s smart and will make sure he plays by the rules, but will bend them when the opportunity presents itself. We later found out that Cuban was not alone in Vegas. “Poker Superstar” Dirk Nowitzki was in the building and a young lady has proof that Dirk and Paul were at least cordial for one part of the evening. (Photo Credit to Karin Kildow) Whether it’s a long shot or not, that is not going to stop Cuban and the Mavs will try their best to woo Paul into jumping ship and joining Dirk in Dallas. Sure, the visions of Dirk and Paul being friendly in Vegas is like the two operating in the pick and roll. It leads to pure excitement, but everyone needs to remember that the likelihood of Paul landing in Dallas is still a long shot. These photos provide information that can be very valuable though. Cuban is showing that he’s going to put on the full court press with free agents this summer. Dirk is showing he’s backing up his talk from earlier when he said he’ll get on a plane if he needs to and help make the pitch to free agents….for charity. I’m still invoking the same principle that I had last year when it comes to Dallas’ attempts to go after the big fish in free agency. When having the option to get on the roller coaster or stay off, it’s better to stay off. It’s not exciting, but it’s just better for the long run if you steer clear of it. Look at how it went for Deron Williams. That ride went for nearly two years. There was another photo, one that I took, back as the Mavs punched their ticket to the NBA Finals to face the Miami Heat in 2011. As the Mavs were finishing their interviews and getting ready to leave, there was one guest who was roaming around and giving his congratulations. That guest, sporting a red Texas Rangers hat, was Deron Williams. That started laying the groundwork for the potential of Deron landing in Dallas. The speculation continued last summer as the Mavs were swept out of the playoffs in the first round at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Deron Williams was the prime target for the Mavs as free agency was approaching. Anticipation was clearly high as everyone wondered what Deron would do.

Amid rumors of what the Dallas Mavericks will do with the 13th pick in next month's NBA Draft, Earl K. Sneed takes a look at the decisions the front office will have to weigh.

ESPNDallas.com will compare the Mavericks and Clippers in five facets -- other than money -- that could play a role in Chris Paul's free agency decision in a one-per-day series: owners/front office, coaches, co-stars, supporting casts and franchise tradition. We'll focus on Dwight Howard next week. Here’s where the Mavs have to make a heck of a sales pitch. It wouldn’t be difficult for the Mavs to create enough cap space to give Paul a max deal while keeping Shawn Marion and Vince Carter.

No. 13 draft pick slotted to make $1,655,300 in year one.Mavs need all the cap room they can get to make room for Howard. — Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider) May 22, 2013 This tweet from Chad Ford sparked one of our famous MMB email chains, so I've condensed it into a post for you all to enjoy. Some really good basketball minds reside here, y'all. Kirk Henderson: Why is he talking Howard and literally everyone else is talking CP3? Alan Smithee: I think there are at least a few people who prefer Dwight Howard. Not me, because I think Chris Paul is a god, but there are people out there. I know one of the ESPN radio programs had Chuck Cooperstein on for a back-and-forth and he's firmly in the Howard corner. Ford probably also looks at the roster and doesn't appreciate the disconnect between Collison's production and how out of favor he fell for the coaching staff (and fans). Jonathan Tjarks: Collison has to been seen to be believed. I certainly didn't appreciate his flaws till I saw him every night. Count me as someone who would take Howard over Paul. Always go with the big man first. It's much easier to find a PG down the road. Alan: I'll say this: all the excellent work from Jonathan, etc. has me really intrigued about Dennis Schroeder. I just wish I believed that Dallas would be willing to take a 19 year old kid and play him. Maybe they platoon him with someone like Calderon, who is big enough to even play with Schroeder. Jonathan: (Mike) Fisher has had the Mavs really high on Saric for awhile. Saric passes the eye test when you watch him play, but then you go and look at his career shooting percentages. I don't think he's a good enough athlete to where he can live in the paint in the NBA. Alan: Yeah, the iffy athlete + iffy jumpshot combination scares me. But I do like the point skills from a wing like that. If the draft-and-stash approach is what's coming, it's going to take something miraculous to competently fill both point guard and center this offseason. Andrew Tobolowsky: It's hard being an idiot about all this stuff, but just as a logical individual--to the extent that I am---it just SEEMS like they don't really like imagining that their failure to get ANYBODY in the draft in a decade is a matter of approach. I agree with everyone that it's hard to get value as low as they usually pick, and obviously even as high as they're picking this year in a pretty weak draft it's hard, but why is it point skills from a wing instead of point skills from a point, why is it shooting ability from a big rather than being big ability for a big---why is it always combo guards. You know? Wouldn't, at some point, whether or not you thought there was much you could do to change something, at least stop getting cute? Obviously, Schroeder or Saric probably saves them the this-year-cap-space problem, and I think I'd be pretty happy about Schroeder. But... Alan: A lot of what you say is true, and I agree with, and makes absolute sense (at least to me). I do think that if you really examine their ledger, saying they didn't get anybody in the draft, while for the most part true, is not the whole story. They most likely see the draft as one of many tools, not a tally of who "won" by picking a keeper rather than a bust. Their '07 pick was used to get Dampier, and the '08 pick Kidd. That's how they'll look at it. Not "well we lost that pick", but "we used this asset to help get a veteran". Of course, getting Kidd and Dampier is one thing, but having no pick in '05 because you just had to have Pavel Podkolzin the previous year is another. And as much as I want to convince myself of something else, I think the Jared Cunningham pick was about saving money for Deron more than anything else. Honestly, at some point, I feel like they're bound to pick somebody OK just by accident. Andrew: That's a good point. That's one thing I was thinking when the Thunder turned out to have the twelfth pick--lots more ways to be good at