Can the Dallas Mavericks complete another run?

The Mavericks have twice lost out on getting their prize Dwight Howard. And it’s safe to say they’ve moved on. They’ve done some things during the off-season that I like.

Last season, Dirk Nowitzki spent most of his season injured. And the Mavericks struggled. With Dirk back, although another year older, the Mavericks should be back in the playoff hunt. The question becomes: How far will they go?

Dirk is the key. But additions like Monta Ellis, Devin Harris, and DeJuan Blair will be needed as well. Shawn Marion is gonna be needed. Heck, the team has to be better as a support cast to Dirk. He can’t carry the scoring load anymore. Samuel Dalembert is the type of center they need. He’s no Tyson Chandler, but he’ll block shots and grab boards. He’s good with defending other bigs too so he’d be valuable for guarding Duncan, Howard, Marc Gasol, and other top western centers.

So, how far will they go? Can they complete another run for the title? I say no. Placing in the West, I’d say 5-8th seed. That would mean pulling off an upset to get to round two. Eh, not feeling that. Yeah, I think first round exit for the team is where it’s at. At the same time, there is some experience on this team. Experienced teams are known to be better on the road than younger and less experienced teams. So they would have that in their favor.

Could we expect a mid-season trade? Like, a splash for Rajon Rondo? Perhaps, although I don’t think they have players the Celtics would want.

Still, a 50 win season is reasonable. Maybe.