Mavs have been busy

Dallas fell short in its bid to win the championship, as the Mavericks lost in six games to the Miami Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals. However, they had an impressive run to make it to the finals, sweeping Memphis in round one, eliminating San Antonio in seven in the conference semis and beating Phoenix in six in the West finals.

All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki, who had a strong showing in the postseason, led the Mavericks in scoring (26.6 ppg) and rebounding (9.0 rpg) during the regular season, while guard Jason Terry had his best season as a pro and registered 17.1 points and a team-best 3.8 assists per game in 80 contests.

Forward Josh Howard stepped up in his third year in the league, as the Wake Forest product contributed a career-best 15.6 points and 6.3 rebounds in 59 games. Howard has proved to Dallas management as well as the rest of the league that he is a rising star.

Howard, Nowitzki and Terry are the building blocks for the Dallas franchise. The 28-year-old Terry received a lucrative, multi-year contract extension in late July that should keep him in a Mavericks’ uniform for a long time. The team will most definitely try and do the same with Howard and Nowitzki.

Surrounding Howard, Nowitzki and Terry with players who can balance out the roster in a more efficient way is what Dallas has attempted to do during the offseason.

The Mavericks made a pair of trades with Indiana. First they dealt swingman Marquis Daniels to the Pacers in exchange for veteran forward Austin Croshere. The second deal brought point guard Anthony Johnson to Dallas for 38-year-old guard Darrell Armstrong, Josh Powell and Rawle Marshall.

Johnson, 31, was Indiana’s best player in the 2006 playoffs. The 6-3 Johnson, who will be playing for his seventh different franchise, averaged 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists during the Pacers first-round series versus New Jersey, which was won by the Nets in six games. Johnson will compete with Terry and Devin Harris for playing time.

Croshere will fill the void was created by the departure of forward Keith Van Horn, who is an unrestricted free agent and is expected to ink a deal with a new team.

Swingman Devean George and guard Greg Buckner signed with the Mavericks as free agents. The 6-8 George, who won three championships as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, can play small forward or shooting guard and adds athleticism to Dallas’ bench, while Buckner is known for his defense, which is something that the Mavericks have decided to play under head coach Avery Johnson.

Buckner, Croshere, George and Johnson are not stars, but they are solid role players who will help the Mavericks. Unlike year’s past, Dallas is not trying to simply put together the most impressive roster on paper, it is trying to build the best basketball team.

Points and the big shot when the game is on the line will come from either Howard, Nowitzki or Terry. Harris and 6-6 swingman Jerry Stackhouse will be expected to contribute on both ends of the court. Center is not a strong point, but Erick Dampier and DeSagana Diop know what is expected of them.

Avery Johnson is coaching a basketball team that has its stars and role players. The Mavericks didn’t need to make major moves in the offseason, but they did make some smart deals that make them one of the preseason favorites to represent the West in the 2007 finals.

It’s been a product offseason for the Mavericks.