Donnie Chapter 2: Mavs Lineups And Rotations

   Mavs GM Donnie Nelson tells all! (OK, some.)

   DallasBasketball.com’s revealing and exclusive visit with the Mavs GM – suddenly a continuing series -- takes us to the issue of lineups and rotations.

   Donnie Chapter 2: What do you think the opening day rotation looks like?

   “We can feel pretty darn good about the 1, 2, 3 and 4; that’s as solid as can be,’’ Donnie tells me.

     In Donnie Chapter 1, Nelson took us on a tour of Drew Gooden's NBA travels and talked about the prospective signee's fit in Dallas. 

     In Donnie Chapter 2,  we keep the aforementioned in mind and here we go. …

     The starting four: “We can feel pretty darn good about the 1, 2, 3 and 4; that’s as solid as can be,’’ Donnie tells me.

   I think it’s hard to argue that on paper. Jason Kidd is a Hall-of-Famer at the 1. Josh Howard takes his erstwhile-All-Star status to the 2. Shawn Marion is just a season removed from having been a four-time All-Star at the 3. Dirk Nowitzki is an All-World 4. Marion makes that a front-of-the-rotation upgrade, and that’s where an upgrade matters most.

     “And then,’’ Donnie says, “we can be versatile from there.’’

     For instance, versatility at the 5: “We can go with Gooden at the 5,’’ Nelson says, “and in the NBA right now, especially in the West, it’s not as much about your center having to wrestle with Shaq as it is dealing with more athletic guys … so you go Kidd, Josh, Marion, Dirk and Gooden at the top of the rotation.

     “Gooden’s going to get a chance (to start), but there are times when Damp might be called upon there. And when the game ends, we can put our best five out there and go.’’

     The best five and go: As has long been the policy around here, that is how the Mavs intend to finish games. The Mavs think their best five includes the aforementioned 1, 2, 3 and 4 … with Jason Terry as the fifth “finisher.’’

     “With Josh and Jet as the 2’s,’’ Donnie says, “we’re set there.’’

      (I argue with Donnie about my wish that the Mavs go outside the organization to acquire a traditional 2 and … well, we’ll get to that in an ensuing Donnie Chapter.)

     “And Quinton Ross? When we added him, we envisioned him as a potential starter at the 2 and a guy who could develop into our Bruce Bowen-type. That can still happen,’’ Nelson says.

     Who else at the 5?: “Some nights we could start Quinton Ross at the 2 and Dirk at the 5, along with Kidd, Josh and Marion,’’ Donnie says.

     So we’re talking Drew Gooden as the starting center, maybe. And Dirk getting some SmallBall time there. …

     “And Marion can play some defensive 5, if you are talking SmallBall,’’ Donnie says.

     More Donnie: “When you add it up, even when we go SmallBall, we’ve got a 1, 2, 3 and 4 – and maybe even a 5, with Gooden -- who are among the best rebounders at their position in the league. We’re talking about some of these guys being all-timers when it comes to rebounding. It means you are getting stops, it means you can run, and I think you’ll see Gooden and Marion do some big things on the offensive boards, too.’’

     And in the backcourt: “With the moves we’ve made since (getting Ross), we’ve got an outstanding group at the 2 and the 1,’’ Donnie says. “Both Josh and Jet are going to play the 2. Jason Kidd ends up some there, too, defensively, when JJ Barea is in the game. Our three-guard lineup was one of our most effective last year. … at some point, we’ll see if Roddy (Beaubois) can be a part of all this.’’

     So, let’s add it all up: Says Donnie: “Josh gets some of the 3 minutes. Marion split between the 3 and backup 4. At times we’ll see Marion at the 5, when we’re going to play a little SmallBall. But obviously, Gooden and Damp play the 5. And Dirk is the 4 who will get some time there.

     “So,’’says Nelson, “you’ve got Kidd, JJ, Josh and Jet, that’s four guys in the rotation. You’ve got Marion and Dirk, that’s six. Gooden and Damp make eight. And then Ross is a wildcard behind them. And we’ve pretty much got our rotation in place.’’

     My thoughts?

    *The Mavs think they are loaded for bear at 1, 2, 3 and 4.

     *They are prepared to patchwork it at center, with Gooden offering a different dimension than they’ve had in the past. Note than when Donnie talks about Dirk or Marion at the 5, he’s talking about how Dirk can match up offensively and, most likely, about who Marion can guard when Dallas goes SmallBall.

    *Dallas is ahead of the game, in a sense, if it knows who will do what, eight or nine guys deep. Remember, a year ago at this time, and into camp, too, they hadn’t settled on a starting center and had four guys contending for the starting 2 job.

    *However, if were hoping the Mavs would get "two players better'' than last year, that hasn't happened. Maybe there are upgrades here and there, but Shawn Marion means they are essentially "one player better.'' Not that there's anything wrong with that. ... in the Mavs' mind, he is a single guy who solves a host of problems.

    *Eight deep … with Ross as a ninth guy/spot-starter/wildcard … and then what? Donnie mentions rookie Roddy Beaubois as a candidate to be in the mix a little bit. There’s 10. I’ve written that Tim Thomas is an 11^th man who can supplant Matt Carroll as a designated 3-point marksman off the bench.

    It’s instructive, I think, to note that Donnie does not mention the Nathan Jawai or Kris Humphries or Shawne Williams or Matt Carroll or Greg Buckner or James Singleton (unsigned) as being rotation candidates. So you’ve got a load of guaranteed contract, a limited number of spots, and an early-stage rotation that includes eight-guys-and-change.

    “What that means,’’ Donnie says, “is that at the bottom part of the roster we’ve got some pruning to do.’’

    Which will eventually bring us to Donnie Chapter 3: Does the “pruning’’ include a 3-for-1 trade? The use of “The Buck Shot’’ to acquire another rotation player? Or are the Mavs  -- with an NBA salary cap at $57.7 mil and the team’s payroll shooting above $80 million -- the ones who will make moves to save money?