The Dallas Mavericks are the reigning NBA Champions. The roster they had last year will be kept together for the upcoming season, so they may not need to go on frenzy in the offseason or at the trade deadline to add players to the team. As long as their core of players stays healthy, they will once again be very competitive in the NBA playoffs.

The Mavericks and their fans know what to expect from Dirk Nowitsky by now, so the real important part of building that team is Read on …

Some believe that when it comes to a great team, if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. However in the world of Professional Sports the drive is to always seek ways of improving things. So it is not a hard to believe concept that even the Mavericks will be making some changes this year as well. Who should go you may ask? Well it depends on what is out on the table that will be a good fit Read on …

After the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA championship, many are questioning whether or not they will be able to repeat. First let us look at the age factor, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry are nearing the end of their careers and many NBA analysts are expecting the Mavs to be looking for a legit point guard in the 2012 draft. After they traded their two draft picks to the Portland Trail Blazers for flashy forward Rudy Fernandez, it leads us to question, Read on …

Your friends may be all caught up in NFL Sunday Ticket right now but pretty soon it-s going to be basketball season again and March Madness will take over everyone-s world. Beat them to the punch by setting up your very own NBA Fantasy Leaguehere are the first steps.
Go to EPSN.com: It-s got the best advice and everything you need to start your own fantasy league. It-s not hard but it can be complicated so get online right Read on …

Is it wrong to feel like we are trapped alongside Bill Murray in a never ending cycle of identical season upon season. It may be still be December, with Groundhog’s Day over a month away, but already the eerie feeling that we’ve been here before is beginning to sink in. The Mavericks are streaking, among the hottest teams in the league throughout the early season. Also performing well about league average are the division rival Spurs, defending champion Lakers, along with the Jazz, Nuggets and upstart Thunder. So what has changed since a season ago? Well on the bright side, it seems as if the Suns have lost a step with the departure of Amare Stoudamire, though in reality, the suns never proved to be a true title contender even while racking up astronomical regular season win totals. The point is, the Mavs have been a perennial title threat since their last NBA Finals appearance in 2005-2006, yet have been unable to replicate similar post-season success. Since that fateful season and the heartbreaking loss to the Heat, the Mavs have not won less than 50 games, peaking with a phenomenal 67 win season the following year in 2006-2007, but have won only 1 playoff series, a first round matchup against the Spurs, only to be dispatched by the Nuggets in round 2. An upset at the hands of the 8th seeded Nuggets, a 5 game surrender against the Hornets and vengeful payback by the Spurs have otherwise sent the Mavs home early. Read on …

With limited help coming in through free agent, as the Mavs have so far been unable to land a big name by sign and trade, the current team is going to have to make major strides forward from within in order to take the next step going in to the 2010-2011 season. Assuming Dirk Nowitzki can maintain his current level of production, and management is obviously willing to bet 20 million a year he can, the Mavs should continue to be competitive in the West, though a true championship contending team has eluded the city of Dallas since 05-06. Here are a few ways the Mavericks might could make a play to advance further in the playoffs, all without acquiring any more players this off-season.Use Tyson Chandler Appropriately This is the Mavericks’ lone big acquisition (in terms of size and contract) for the summer, so the temptation is to throw him out there and see what he gives the group for 30 minutes a game despite his well documented injury concerns. If the Mavericks decide Chandler is really the answer this season (more on this later), it doesn’t make sense to waste his best efforts in the regular season, when the current unit more or less has done fine on its own, securing a 2 seed last season. Don’t limit him to over-the-hill Shaq numbers, after all he’s only 27, but play him within reason until it’s time for a post-season push, ensuring he will be healthy and fresh when it matters most.Find Playing Time for Youth When teams can’t acquire new talent, the best way to improve is by developing young assets. Following this logic, the Atlanta Hawks have improved from 37 to 53 over the last 2 seasons, relying largely on the progression of Josh Smith and Al Horford. The Mavs have young talent in the form of Rodrigue Beaubois and All-Summer League squad selection Dominique Jones. Getting them on the floor and into meaningful rotation roles may mean less time for Jason Terry and even some spelling of Kidd, but the current unit could use a youthful infusion at times. Read on …

Let’s get this clear; it was never a realistic consideration for Dirk Nowitzki not to resign with Mavs this offseason, nor for the Mavs to not resign him. Dallas is the only NBA home Dirk has known over the course of his 12 years of service, and considering the new 4-year deal is now official, it certainly appears the Mavericks have no intention of letting the longtime face of their franchise don another team’s jersey. Seeing a player, especially a superstar in today’s volatile NBA climate, stick with the same team for what will amount to 16 years, were he to play out his entire contract, is a refreshing change of pace. Looking down to South Beach, where the Miami Heat’s new high-prized second banana is drawing league-wide criticism, Dirk’s decision is exactly what a lot of fans across the country had hoped would happen with James and Cleveland. A sense of ownership for a team’s long term success, a sense of loyalty, heck, the general sensibility not to carve out the collective heart of your devoted followers on prime time television, all of this is why Nowitzki’s legacy in Dallas, and throughout the NBA, will go down as a great one, whether or not he ever hoists the trophy at year’s end. Read on …

With NBA Summer League action safely in the rear view mirror, the Mavs squad of first and second year players closed out an up and down performance by blowing out the Sacramento Kings summer team in the finale. The summer got off to a rocky start as the young Mavs dropped their first two at the hands of the Rockets and Nuggets, before finally rebounding with a one-point victory over the Bucks. Before Sunday’s win, the team took a 6-point loss to John Wall and the Wizards, bringing the total Win-Loss to 2-3. Though coaches do like to see how players respond to various situations in an in-game format, all in all, summer records are more or less meaningless, with individual performances serving as a better barometer of an organization’s success. After all, the bright spots from the team are the only ones that will show up on the NBA roster when game results actually matter. Here’s a look at the summer-Mavs’ most high profile players and how they fared in the Vegas heat.Rodrigue Beaubois After a surprisingly successful rookie campaign in which Beaubois generated a lot of buzz around the league, don’t read too much into his underwhelming summer stats. Beaubois was plagued by turnovers throughout, averaging 4.2 as compared to just 3.0 assists. His summer was highlighted by a 28 point outpour against Houston in which shot an efficient 12-20, although this game as unfortunately the statistical outlier.Dominique Jones The rookie out of South Florida gave the Mavericks’ their most impressive performances. Though he proved he couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn from outside, not managing a single 3-pointer all week, Jones was able to use smart angles when slashing to the basket to either finish or draw the foul, while showing some grit on the defensive end. After a shaky start to the summer, Jones closed out strong with a 28 point flurry against the Wizards and a 17 point 7 assist (to just 1 TO) effort against the Kings. Read on …

Somewhere between the promising seven-foot 2nd overall pick out of Dominguez High School and the wandering journeyman cast away by the likes of the Hornets and Bobcats, at one point traded for scraps to the Thunder were it not for a failed physical, lies the real Tyson Chandler. With the Mavericks acquiring Chandler and Alexis Ajinca from Charlotte in exchange for Eduardo Najera, Matt Carroll and Erick Dampier’s unguaranteed contract (providing around 13 million in financial flexibility for trade partners), the question remains, “After nine NBA seasons to work with, what exactly are the Mavs getting out of Tyson Chandler?” Read on …

In a move perhaps more evident of the Dallas Mavericks increasing age and veteran experience than on-court performance, point guard Jason Kidd will take his talents to the Team USA sidelines for the first time in his career. In what could be viewed as a rebuilding squad for America’s team, Kidd provides veteran leadership and international competition savvy without playing a single minute in upcoming games and events. Not to say that Kidd couldn’t hang with the youngsters, as he still remains a valuable contributor under contract with the Mavs for the upcoming season and beyond, but as Team USA looks to replace its nucleus of previous years, the organization will look to let a new generation of superstars blossom together. Read on …