Mavs Moves A Biaswed Views of the Western Conference Champs Moves After the end of the NBA Finals many wondered what the Mavs would need to have won the series? They were within two quarters of going up 3-0 on the eventual champion Miami Heat but they just didn't have that little something extra to get it done. As Dwayne Wade came alive, Dirk Nowitzki seemingly disappeared. The other Mavs seemed overwhelmed at times as the Heat's combo of the young phenom Dwayne Wade and a host of strudy vets (Shaq not the least among them) beat the Mavericks in 4 straight games and captured the title. So immediate the interest was on whom the Mavericks would go after/resign to try to ensure they wouldn't be just making plans for a parade next year, they'd actually be having one. Jason Terry First and foremost, the Mavericks resigned Point Guard Jason Terry. And I, for one, thought is was a great decision. Some didn't, however. Some felt Terry was a liability in the playoffs but I totally disagree. At times when the Mavs looked confused and nervous Terry would calmly dribble down the floor and drain a jumper. To me, it was the other Mavs not Terry that dropped the ball. So the Mavericks resigned Terry with Terry actually taking a pay cut to play for the Mavs for another 6 years. Continuity is underrated so I think this may well be the most important "move" for the Mavs in this offseason. Maurice Ager The draft wasn't something I was particularly looking forward to. Who are these people? I mean what a confusing day that was. But the Mavs may well have gotten a steal here out of Michigan State. He went lower than he was projected (though that draft was pretty hard to project) and could turn into another "Josh Howard" type pick for the Mavs. He plays steady defense and is a good scorer. He can run and dribble. He's also a good Free Throw shooter and that's important in the clutch. He could compete for the starting position at the 2 this year but I think he'll be coming of the bench. The Mavs may be able to put he and Harris in to inject some serious energy into the Mavs game. DJ Mbenga The Mavs had four centers last season. This was the season of decision as to which direction they would go in. A few years back they traded with the Jazz to get 7'5" Pavel Podkolzine but I think they underestimated how big of a project he would be. So they resigned the young Mbenga, whose a Dallas favorite, and plan to develop him behind Diop and Dampier. He's a tough player and could be a good Power Forward-Center type (see Lorenzen Wright). Greg Buckner Greg's basically a more offensively prolific/younger version of Adrian Griffin. Buckner's main focus is defense, like Griffin, but he was a slightly better ability to score. That will help make it easier to keep him in the game. He may well be the starting 2 but the Mavs have plenty of options at Shooting Guard and Small Forward. Austin Croshere Again, the Mavs were replacing a leaving Free Agent. They traded the young and talented Marquis Daniels (and his relatively large contract) to the Pacers for Croshere. Croshere is more consistent than the departing Van Horn (who he'll replace) and is also tougher. He'll get you more rebounds than Van Horn did and isn't afraid to play some defense here-and-there. He's also younger than Van Horn and only has a year left on his contract. If he impresses behind Dirk then maybe the Mavericks will consider resigning him after next season. However, I think they did this to 1) give Dirk some rest and 2) get some financial space after next season. Normally I'd be upset at this trade but I think this was the best move for the Mavs and Daniels (who was seeing limited playing time in the Mavs logjam at SG/SF). Anthony Johnson After the Mavericks lost out on signing Mike James they continued their search for another point guard. The ink had barely dried on the Daniels-Corshere trade when the Mavs and Pacers made another trade. The Pacers gave up point guard Anthony Johnson for Power Forward Josh Powell, Guard Rawle Marshal, and Point Guard Darrell Armstrong (essentially, the Pacers were dumping salary and removing a possible point controversy). This is surprising. Johnson had a great series against the Nets in last year's playoffs and looked like a solid piece of the Pacers puzzle. However, the Pacers were afraid he'd get sick of sitting behind Tinsley or Tinsley would get nervous aboug his job. They were also trying to dump more salary to get Al Harrington. The fact that Johnson signed off on this trade means he knows he'll be a backup (behind Terry) and doesn't mind so the Pacers reasoning must be focused on the latter. Johnson will be a great addition to the Mavericks roster. He could easily start at point guard but will provide a solid backup to Jason Terry. I foresee Terry starting the game and then shifting over to the two when Johnson comes in. He could also give Terry a rest or be a solid starter if Terry gets hurt. Either way this is an excellent pickup and adds some good depth. Devean George I really liked this signing. George was part of that Lakers dynasty. While he was far from the key to that run of chmpionships he's always been a solid role player. He's not the most clutch player in history or the best Small Forward he's good. He'll add some depth behind Josh Howard. George will give the Mavs added depth and there's talk he'll compete to start as the Shooting Guard (though I doubt that will happen). Pops Mensah-Bonsu If not for an injury this kid would've been drafted. He reminds a lot of Amare Stoudemire (don't get me wrong, I don't know that he'll be as good as Amare) in terms of his basic abilities. He is extremely athletic and jumps out of the building. He's also got a good wingspan and toughness. He's not much of a shooter but he rebounds well. In a few years Mensah-Bonsu could be a solid player. For now he'll be a third string Power Forward as he gets NBA ready though he may see some minutes here and there. Overall, I like what the Mavericks are doing. They kept the core of Terry, Howard, Nowitzki, Stackhouse, Diop, and Dampier. I think the Mavs have done nothing but make themselves better and keep themselves in the discussion of winning it this season. They've also gotten some good young prospects (as long as returning Harris) so they'll continue to be a good team for a long time to come.