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3/4/15: Sometimes the best trades are the ones not made. Dallas maybe thinking that, or rather regretting the decision to trade for point guard Rajon Rondo a few months ago. Rondo is a veteran with a ring and likes to call his own plays. Head coach Rick Carlisle prefers to call plays from the bench. The two strategies collided last week resulting in a shouting match between coach and player, with Rondo getting benched for the final 20 minutes of the game. This will have to be an issue that is cleared up soon if the Mavs are going to do anything in the upcoming playoffs. The Mavs ended up suspending Rondo for a game.

2/25/15: This would have been bigger news five or 10 years ago, but the Dallas Mavericks signed Amar'e Stoudemire last week. Dallas is currently almost 20 games over .500 this season, and that is good enough for only sixth in the Western Conference. By comparison, that would be about third in the East. The playoffs are likely, but not guaranteed, so signing Stoudemire is a good move. He was bought out of his last year with the New York Knicks recently. Amar'e provides depth up front after trading Brandan Wright when the Mavs acquired Rajon Rondo a few months ago.

2/18/15: The Mavs Dirk Nowitzki is still a marvelous player and one of the best in the league, even if he has lost a step in the past few years. He is good enough to be going to the All Star Game, even if it is as a replacement for the injured Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans. This was not a coach's choice, it was a selection by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. And Dirk deserves it too. Maybe not for his play this season, but sort as a 'lifetime achievement' honor. Just do not tell that to Doc Rivers, the head coach of the L.A. Clippers, who thinks it is a 'travesty' that DeAndre Jordan was not selected.

2/11/15: The Dallas Mavericks made a big trade a few months back to bring Rajon Rondo to Big D. It should be a good trade for the Mavs, who are in playoff contention in the hyper-competitive Western Conference. But Rondo has been out recently with fractures to his face (a result of getting kneed by teammate Richard Jefferson). The Mavs could have used him last week when Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors went off for 51 points against Dallas. Rondo is likely to be out past the All Star break, and the Mavs need him. Their defense improves a shocking 5.2 points per 100 possessions when he is on the floor.

2/5/15: As is often a theme this year, the Dallas Mavericks are a better team than what their rank in the standings would indicate. True, the Mavs have lost four in a row and the San Antonio Spurs have caught up to them, but the Mavs still have 30 wins on the season. That would be good for third place in the Eastern Conference. That is not to say that Dallas is not a legitimate contender this season. Any team that makes the Western Conference Playoffs has a chance to win the right to represent the Conference in the Finals.

1/28/15: All Star voting is coming to an end and soon it will be up to the coaches to round out their rosters. Count one vote for the Mavericks' Monta Ellis. Head coach Rick Carlyle took to the media to campaign for Ellis who leads the Mavs in points per game, minutes per game and is the only player to appear in all of the team's games this season. Carlyle notes that Ellis' defense and leadership is a big reason for Dallas' success this season. And speaking of All Star voting, Mavs owner Mark Cuban wants to get rid of it citing that only 1.5 million votes have been made, meaning fans do not care much about it.

1/14/15: The Dallas Mavericks are coming off of a 10 game stretch where they went 6-4. That is good, but not great. Fortunately, everyone else in the Southwest Division was the same or worse, so Dallas stays in third place in the Division and fifth place in the Western Conference. The NBA is nearing the halfway mark for the season and real contenders and real bust teams are in full view. Several Western teams have been busy reworking their rosters, particularly the Houston Rockets, so it will be interesting to see if the Mavs follow suit or trust the roster that they already have.

1/7/15: For the first time in his career, Rajon Rondo walked on to the famed parquet floors in Boston from the visitor's locker room last Friday. Rondo had spent his entire eight year career wearing the Celtic Green, but was traded two weeks prior and now sports Dallas Blue. It was his first visit to Boston since the trade and the crowd treated him to a standing ovation while the Celtics played a highlight reel on the big screen. Rondo was emotional, but calmed down enough to drop 29 points on his former team in a 119-101 win. Boston's hospitality was gracious, but Rondo is in a much better position with a team that can win it all.

12/3/14: Regardless of how the Mavericks play, they always seem to be in the news because of owner Mark Cuban. Cuban publicly proposed that the NBA realign to bring more parity between the Eastern and Western Conferences. The West is certainly the more talented and dominant Conference. For example, Dallas is 13-5 and in fourth place in their own division. That would be second place overall in the East. As if it wasn't obvious, Cuban pitched that Dallas should be one of the four teams that go to the East. Realignment is not likely, and any short-term gains in parity are likely to be mitigated over the long haul.

11/12/14: The season still has another seven months to go, but it is never too soon to talk about next year. The rumors floating around Dallas is that the team has cleared enough (almost) cap space to offer a max contract. The big free agent is expected to be LaMarcus Aldridge, currently with the Portland Trailblazers. Aldridge says he will re-sign with Portland, where he will make the most money, but Mavs offer an enticing platform. Dirk Nowitzki is trying to put down any talk about pitching Aldridge, but they could make a great combo and be a real force in the West.

10/29/14: The Dallas Mavericks visited the Orlando Magic last week in preparation for the regular season and looked like a team already in mid-season form. Dirk Nowisky set the tone early with three pointer that simply looked effortless to give the Mavs a 5-0 early lead. He ended with 16 pints in 23 minutes. Chandler Parsons had a big night with 24 points and Jameer Nelson, making his return to Orlando, received a standing ovation and a touching video tribute. Dallas actually trailed 27-25 after the first quarter, but pulled away in the second quarter en route to a 117-92 win. Dallas has their home opener on Thursday against Utah, then heads to New Orleans on Saturday, and will be back at home against the Boston Celtics on Monday, November 3rd.