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With Tyson Chandler being named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year today, it’s difficult not to wonder how things might be different if he stayed in Dallas.

The Mavs won’t waste any mental energy on the subject, but it’s impossible for fans and media to ignore.

Here’s all you need to know about how much Dallas misses Chandler: The Mavs’ starting center for the rest of this series is somewhat of a mystery after Brendan Haywood was benched for the beginning of the second half in Monday’s Game 2 loss.

Haywood hasn’t been on the floor for the last few minutes in either of the down-to-the-wire finishes in the first two games of the series. Coach Rick Carlisle, whose team is down 0-2 to Oklahoma City as the series shifts to Dallas, cited quickness and energy as two reasons Haywood has played so little against the Thunder (29 minutes in two games).

There aren’t many centers quicker than Chandler. There aren’t any with more energy.

Chandler averaged 8.0 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game in last season’s West finals, when Dallas dismissed the Thunder in five games. The Mavs’ three-headed monster, as they call their center trio of Haywood, Ian Mahinmi and Brandan Wright, has combined to put up slightly better numbers (11.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks) with a heck of a lot less presence in this series.

Would the Mavs be better off with Chandler serving as the emotional leader/defensive anchor and a three-headed backup monster? For right now, that answer is obvious.

That doesn’t make the decision to let Chandler go any more illogical. Mark Cuban made what he considered a serious attempt to keep Chandler while maintaining financial flexibility, offering him a one-year, $20 million deal.

Chandler considered it a no-brainer to take long-term security, choosing a four-year, $58 million deal from the Knicks. As divorces go, it was an amicable one.

Chandler went to a big-market team with star power. The Mavs moved on, flipping a trade exception acquired in his sign-and-trade deal for the reigning Sixth Man of the Year. Lamar Odom arrived in Dallas with a team-friendly contract, but he also brought team-wrecking baggage. Swing and a miss for strike one.

The Mavs still had dreams of pulling off a Heat-like free-agency bonanza, landing Dwight Howard and Deron Williams this summer. That’s no longer possible, with Howard opting to commit (contractually, at least) to the Magic for one more season. Strike two.

If Williams doesn’t come to Dallas this summer, the decision to kiss Chandler goodbye can be considered one of the great strikeouts of Cuban’s ownership tenure.

We can’t completely judge that decision until July. For now, the Mavs have the hands full trying to fight their way into a series without the big man from their championship run.

Blake Griffin’s beastly dunk over Oklahoma City’s Kendrick Perkins got my mind racing about the best dunks in Mavs history.

Then I had to adjust it to the best dunks of modern-day Mavs history. Hey, my memory is foggy and YouTube is lacking on dunk footage from the Reunion Rowdy days.

Dunks victimizing Mavericks don’t count in this conversation, so don’t bother bringing up Tracy McGrady rocking Shawn Bradley into retirement or Kevin Durant dropping Brendan Haywood off on the 10th floor. Only dunks by Dallas players were considered.

With some help from my Twitter followers, I put together a six-pack of sick Mavs slams with accompanying YouTube links.

Yao-zers: Who cares about a one-foot height disadvantage? Not Michael Finley, who punched it hard on Yao Ming’s head after catching Cuttino Mobley cheating on a pick.

Vintage Vinsanity: Half Man, Half Amazing still has it in him. He left no doubt about that a couple of weeks into his Dallas tenure, driving baseline by New Orleans’ Marco Belinelli and putting big man Emeka Okafor on a poster.

Delivering on the Mailman: Finley slashed past three Jazz defenders, took off at the charge circle and threw down a tomahawk in Hall of Famer Karl Malone’s face. (Clip is about 25 seconds into the highlight package after a couple of Finley dunks on the Mavs while wearing a Spurs uniform.)

Take Dat Wit Chu!: Guest color commentator Dirk Nowitzki’s classic call became part of Mavs’ lore, but Tyson Chandler’s dunk stands on its own. It was the most memorable of Chandler’s many alley-oop finishes on lobs from Jason Kidd in the big man’s lone season with the Mavs. Chandler soared over a pair of Raptors for the ferocious two-handed finish on a pick-and-roll.

JET takes off: Chandler was on the wrong end of this one, the best of a pretty impressive collection of driving dunks by the 6-foot-2 Terry. After blowing by a Hornets defender near the top of the key, Terry took off from a step outside the charge circle, cocked the ball back and threw it down hard with two hands despite contact from the wanna-be shot-blocking big man.

Kiddin’ with Trix: Kidd puts the ball high off the glass on a fast break against the Clippers and leaves the hard work to Shawn Marion, who soars for the two-handed slam as Steve Blake (and a ballboy trying to mop up sweat) scramble to get out of the way.

DALLAS – The Mavericks rank fourth among NBA teams in scoring defense, third in defensive efficiency and have allowed the fewest points in the paint.

They’ve improved significantly in all of those statistical categories since last season, when Tyson Chandler led a defense that was good enough to make a title run. The Mavs ranked 10th in the NBA in scoring defense, eight in defensive efficiency and 11th in points allowed in the paint in 2010-11.

Jason Terry doesn’t want to give big man Brendan Haywood too much credit for the Mavs’ defensive success so far this season. Not because the big man doesn’t deserve it, but Terry wants to make sure that Haywood maintains his edge.

“People talked a lot about Tyson leaving,” Terry said, alluding to the motivational power that might have had with Haywood. “I don’t want to stroke the guy too much, because I like where he’s at right now. I want to keep him mad and worrying that Tyson is gone, but he’s doing a hell of a job. He just has to continue doing what he’s doing.”

The Spurs caught fire from 3-point range to give the Mavs a serious scare Sunday, but Haywood might have had his best defensive performance of the season in the overtime win. He blocked a season-high five shots while holding Tim Duncan to 12 points.

“Look, Haywood’s been great really most of the year,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “I mean, the last three weeks he’s been phenomenal. He’s given us great basket coverage. He’s rebounding well. He’s a presence around the basket at both ends of the floor. He’s an anchor for us right now.”

DALLAS – With all due respect to Tyson Chandler, the Mavericks are doing just fine with their tag team in the middle.

The Mavs have the NBA’s third-ranked defense and have held foes under 100 points for a franchise record 15 games with Brendan Haywood and Ian Mahinmi sharing minutes at the big man spot. That duo both scored in double figures during Monday night’s win over the Suns, a first this season.

Haywood and Mahinmi are combining to average 13.6 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, numbers that aren’t far off those produced by the Chandler-Haywood duo last season.

“We have a good tag team just because we offer two contrasting styles of basketball,” said Haywood, who had 10 points and six rebounds in 19 minutes against the Suns. “We’re both confident in what we can do. It’s worked out pretty well for us so far. Hopefully, we can keep it going.”

Haywood is the traditional paint-protecting, glass-cleaning big man. Mahinmi, who had 17 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in 29 minutes off the bench against the Suns, is more athletic and has more finesse to his game.

“It’s Super Bowl time. It’s like the Giants,” said Haywood, the biggest football fan in the Mavs’ locker room. “You’ve got Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. Guess which one I am.”

That comparison confused the Frenchman Mahinmi: “I have no idea what he’s talking about.”

That’s OK. All the Mavs care about is how Mahinmi fills his role, and he’s doing that just fine.

A few more notes from the Mavs’ seventh straight home win:

1. Who needs Hall of Famers?: The Mavs went 4-0 while point guard Jason Kidd rested his sore back earlier this season. They’ve won both of their games without power forward Dirk Nowitzki, who will sit out at least two more as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer goes through a personal training camp and deals with a sore right knee. “It shows how deep we are. I mean, it’s that simple,” Kidd said.

2. Raves for Roddy B.: Rodrigue Beaubois’ line in the box score was butt ugly. He had four points on 0-of-5 shooting and only one assist in 18 minutes, but coach Rick Carlisle offered praise for the young guard’s performance. “He stayed in the game mentally,” said Carlisle, who was particularly pleased with Beaubois’ defensive effort. “He was in a stance and he was a positive factor.”

3. Ason Watch: Jason Kidd’s 3-point problems might be contagious. His primary backcourt partner appears to have caught the bug. Jason Terry was 1-of-5 from 3-point range against the Suns, which actually improved his long-distance percentage over the last five games (.194, 6-of-31). Kidd is 15-of-60 (.250) from 3-point range this season.

LOS ANGELES -- The Dallas Mavericks are 2-4 on the road, but two losses have come on last-possession 3-pointers via Kevin Durant and most recently Derek Fisher.

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A stiff challenge comes tonight back at the Staples Center against the re-made Lob -- er -- Los Angeles Clippers, with the job becoming especially difficult if point guard Chris Paul (hamstring) returns to the lineup (that seems to be highly questionable) after missing the last two games.

The Mavs have been a team the last two seasons that has thrived on the road. And despite the sub-.500 record, the Mavs have still been pretty good, at least from a defensive standpoint. Dallas is 2-2 in its last four roadies, but have held those four opponents to an average of 84.3 points with only San Antonio cracking 90. Three of the four shot below 40 percent -- only hapless Detroit in a blowout shot slightly higher.

The Mavs will get a Clippers team with a long list of injuries that's finishing a back-to-back-to-back and was a virtual no-show at Utah on Tuesday night, shooting 36.5 percent.

"We’re building momentum with our defense," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "Right now we’re No. 3 in the league (and No. 1 in West in scoring defense, 88.5 points per game), which is significant, and we’re No. 2 in the last 21 days. Those are positive things. I feel like we’re building some team toughness and we have to continue with it and understand that that’s going to be the key to our improvement and our success."

The Clippers, 6-1 at home, rank sixth in the league in scoring (99.3) with familiar face Caron Butler being one of five players scoring in double figures at 16.2 points.

Records: Mavs (8-6); Clippers (7-4)

When: 9:30 p.m.

Where: Staples Center

TV: ESPN, FSSW

Radio: 103.3 FM ESPN; 1270 AM (Spanish)

What to watch: Rick Carlisle said Tuesday that the nature of the schedule, injuries and the feeling-out process with this roster has made it impossible to establish any semblance of a consistent rotation. Tonight, Carlisle will be without key reserve Vince Carter, removing the one guy off the bench that can create for himself as well as being the team's best 3-point shooter. With Carter out, Carlisle suggested that Lamar Odom could pick up minutes at small forward, Brian Cardinal could get more involved and Rodrigue Beaubois becomes an obvious choice to take up minutes at shooting guard. It will be interesting to see, especially in a tight game, how Carlisle handles his bench.

Key matchup: Blake Griffin vs. Dirk Nowitzki
This is an example of where the Mavs miss Tyson Chandler. The athletic, 7-foot-1 center could defend players like Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge. But with Brendan Haywood as the starter now, the Mavs seem to have no choice but to guard the Clippers' rugged, 6-10 power forward with Dirk. It'll certainly make Dirk work hard on the defensive end as he's still trying to get his conditioning up to par and work through shooting struggles. Adding to the intrigue, Griffin is coming off a poor 10-point game Tuesday in a blowout loss to the Jazz. He only played 27 minutes, so the 22-year-old should feel OK physically considering this is a third game in as many nights.

Injuries: Mavs - G Vince Carter (sprained left foot) is out. Clippers - G Chris Paul (left hamstring) is questionable; G Eric Bledsoe (torn right lateral miniscus) is out; G Mo Williams (right foot) is questionable. C-F Brian Cook (left ankle) is questionable.

Up next: Mavs at Utah Jazz, 9:30 p.m., Thursday

Rebounding is a significant shortcoming through the first five games.

No Dallas Mavericks player is averaging more than Dirk Nowitzki's 5.4 rebounds a game. Starting center Brendan Haywood is grabbing 5.2 rebounds in his 18.4 minutes a game. Shawn Marion is averaging 5.0 and only one other player, Lamar Odom (4.0), is averaging at least four boards a game.

The simplistic conclusion is that the Mavs have not found a way to replace Tyson Chandler, who averaged a team-high 9.4 rebounds last season. But, Dallas has a big front line and so much of rebounding is based on effort and determination.

Nowitzki, a 7-footer, has averaged 8.4 rebounds over his career. The 6-10 Odom, whose minutes have been greatly limited so far, is posting less than half his career average. Dallas' center tandem of the 7-foot Haywood and 6-11 Ian Mahinmi must be able to at least match Chandler's prior production. So far, they are combining to grab 8.4 rebounds a game.

As a team, Dallas ranks 27th in the league in both total rebounds (36.2 per game) and rebound differential (minus-9.4), meaning the Mavs are surrendering more than 45 boards a game. Twice Dallas has given up more than 50 rebounds, including a lopsided, 54-35 margin Sunday in the 99-82 loss at Minnesota.

Of course, the correlation is that Dallas' defense ranks last in the league in opponent field-goal percentage (48.5 percent), so there are a limited number of defensive rebounding opportunities. Conversely, the Mavs have been an anemic shooting team, ranking 23rd (40.8 percent), so the opponent has had plenty of rebounding chances.

Still, all those missed shots are offensive rebound opportunities and second-chance points waiting to happen. For example, the Timberwolves shot 42.4 percent Sunday, but grabbed 17 offensive rebounds for 19 second-chance points. The Mavs shot 37.7 percent, but managed just six offensive boards for nine second-chance points.

Dallas ranks 28th in offensive rebounds (8.0 per game) and is one of just seven teams to average fewer than nine offensive boards per game.

The simplistic conclusion is if the Mavs don't start shooting better, they better start hitting the glass -- at both ends -- with much more resolve.

DALLAS -- Jason Terry didn't have much desire to contemplate former teammate Tyson Chandler's comments Tuesday regarding his non-surprise at the Dallas Mavericks' ugly, 0-2 start.

"Don’t care what Tyson’s saying or what he’s doing right now," Terry said following Tuesday's defense-intensive practice. "He’s not a Maverick, so it is what it is."

Here's what Chandler had to say Monday as chronicled by ESPNNY.com:

"Honestly, I'd kind of seen it coming because when you put a team in a situation and you say, ‘You're the defending champions and we're not necessarily trying to repeat.’ "When I say that, I'm not saying that they don't have the pieces there. I obviously think very highly of those guys. But I say that because they offered everybody one-year deals so they knew nobody was going to necessarily accept that. So you’re basically telling all the players in the locker room we're playing for free agency next year after a championship.

"You've got veteran guys in the locker room. The type of guys that they've got at this time in their career, it's tough to face that so I think they're just going through a little lull right now. But I'm hoping for those guys that it turns around because there's truly good guys in the locker room."

Because of the NBA lockout, the free agency period was a whirlwind. In a matter of days, the Mavs' roster changed dramatically. Players began to understand that owner Mark Cuban's business philosophy had changed under the parameters of the new collective bargaining agreement.

Cuban decided to offer one-year contracts to his free agents (with the understanding it would not be good enough to retain those players) with the goal of going into next summer with plenty of cap space to chase free agents for the first time in Cuban's ownership.

Terry said once it became clear that Chandler, J.J. Barea, DeShawn Stevenson and Caron Butler would not be back, it didn't take long to adjust the mindset.

Of course, after two blowout losses to start the season, if the psychological adjustment wasn't difficult, than it appears that the physical adjustment on the floor will be a process, and perhaps even a bumpy one.

"After you knew he wasn’t coming back, it was over," Terry said. "Again, we have a totally different team this year. We’re searching right now for an identity for this particular ballclub and we know that’s going to take some time. But, again, winning cures all, and watching on film definitely helps, because each person can be accountable and see where they can make an impact on the game."

It’s notable any time a defending NBA championship team opens the season with two home losses.

Actually, that had never happened until now. That dubious distinction belongs to the Dallas Mavericks after back-to-back blowout losses to the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets.

None of this comes as a major surprise to the final piece of the Mavericks’ championship puzzle, who now plays for the New York Knicks. Big man Tyson Chandler could see this coming from the Big Apple.

“Honestly, I'd kind of seen it coming because when you put a team in a situation and you say, ‘You're the defending champions and we're not necessarily trying to repeat,’” Chandler told ESPNNewYork.com’s Ian Begley. “When I say that, I'm not saying that they don't have the pieces there. I obviously think very highly of those guys. But I say that because they offered everybody one-year deals so they knew nobody was going to necessarily accept that. So you’re basically telling all the players in the locker room we're playing for free agency next year after a championship.

“You've got veteran guys in the locker room. The type of guys that they've got at this time in their career, it's tough to face that so I think they're just going through a little lull right now. But I'm hoping for those guys that it turns around because there's truly good guys in the locker room.”

The Mavs could use an inspirational, emotional leader at at time like this.

Chandler was that guy during the Mavs' magical championship season. Who fills the void now? That's one of many things the Mavs are trying to figure out on the fly.

The Dallas Mavericks have plenty to improve upon tonight as the Denver Nuggets -- with former Mavs forward Corey Brewer and former Mavs guard that never was Rudy Fernandez -- open their season at American Airlines Center.

The good news is the Nuggets aren't the Miami Heat, who outrebounded Dallas 51-31, scored 97 points through three quarters and drove to the rim with impunity. Still, a revamped Nuggets squad that is without the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Kenyon Martin, J.R. Smith and Wilson Chandler averaged 118.5 points in two preseason games and will look to run and gun and hand the defending champions consecutive losses for the first time since April 21 and 23 in the first round against the Portland Trail Blazers.

"The rebounding is a concern, turnovers are a concern, overall defense from a consistency standpoint is a concern," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "Denver is going to come in here with a shot at the champs. It's a situation where we've got to work to make quantum leaps as often and as quickly as we can as a team.

When: 7:30 p.m.

Where: American Airlines Center

TV: FSSW

Radio: 103.3 FM ESPN/1270 AM (Spanish)

What to watch: So, who starts at shooting guard? Vince Carter started Sunday, but Delonte West got the call to start the second half against the Heat because Carlisle said he was looking for playmaking. Carlisle also said the starter at two-guard could change from game to game depending on matchups. The Nuggets start veteran Andre Miller at point guard and the 6-foot-5 Aaron Afflalo is expected to start at shooting guard. This would seem to favor Carter starting with West coming off the bench to back up Jason Kidd and check Denver reserve Ty Lawson. ... Look for the Mavs to involve Lamar Odom early in the offensive sets. He swished his first shot on his first possession entering the game midway through the first quarter, but he missed all of his next five shots and was saddled with early foul trouble before ejected in the third quarter for arguing a charging call.

Key matchup: Brendan Haywood vs. Nene
Haywood had little offensive impact Sunday and defensively he finished up Sunday's opener with no blocked shots and one defensive rebound in 13:38 of playing time. The Heat don't have much of a low-post game, instead using their All-NBA wings to attack the rim. Tonight Haywood gets a chance to bang with skilled and agile big man Nene, who spurned lucrative free-agent offers elsewhere to return to a young and intriguing Nuggets team. Haywood was plagued by foul trouble Sunday, picking up two quickies before the end of the first half for three and then another quick one to start the second half for a fourth. On the surface, this is a difficult matchup for Haywood, but asking Ian Mahinmi or Brandan Wright to stick with Nene for long stretches could be a dangerous proposition.

Injuries: Nuggets - None. Mavs - Shawn Marion (fractured left pinkie finger) is probable.

Up next: Mavs at Oklahoma City Thunder, 7 p.m., Thursday

DALLAS -- In all three games the Dallas Mavericks have played this season -- two preseason clunkers against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Christmas Day blowout loss against the Miami Heat -- they've trailed by at least 23 points in the third quarter (by 35 Sunday to the Heat) and have yet to register a victory.

The common thread in all three is that the Thunder and Heat are talented title contenders that entered this shortened season virtually unchanged, a significant advantage. As was feared for the Mavs, Sunday's result proved that the heavy roster change is going to take time to sort out.

"They were a better team today, that's pretty obvious," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of the Heat after the 105-94 defeat. "We've got a lot of work to do and every day we're going to have to make some gradual strides to get better. We had some stretches where we got some traction, but the consistency is not there. We've got to keep studying and keep working on it."

The morning after every game, we'll provide this 3-point review of what happened and what's coming. Here's three to take away from Sunday's loss while looking ahead to tonight's game against the Denver Nuggets:

1. Defense, defense, defense: It doesn't matter if Tyson Chandler, Mike Tyson or Chandler from "Friends" is manning the middle, the Mavs have to play better on the defensive end. Transition defense was awful and the Heat shot 48.7 percent overall, but over 57 percent before an eight-point fourth quarter. It helps when 31 points come on the fast break and 44 in the paint (an 18-0 Heat edge in the first quarter alone). Carlisle said he hoped the Mavs' defense would be ahead of the offense (37.8 percent shooting; 32.1 percent -- 9-of-28 from 3), but Sunday showed both aspects need a great deal of work.

2. The new guys: Lamar Odom had a r0ugh debut, but there's little concern that he won't fit in soon enough. Delonte West should be fine backing up Jason Kidd. The question is, what about Vince Carter? He had a miserable debut from the get-go when his first jumper was tipped and he couldn't finish his second attempt at the rim. Carlisle benched Carter to start the second half and later the coach said that there could be "variance" in the starting two-guard spot from game to game. That's not exactly a confidence-builder for Carter, who turns 35 next month and clearly is no longer capable of the type of vertical performances that came to define his game. How Carlisle handles Carter -- and how Carter responds -- will be intriguing to watch.

3. Target practice: Carlisle and the players have been trumpeting the notion that every team on the schedule will want a piece of the defending champs. Next up is a potentially dangerous Denver team that will test the Mavs' interior defense with the return of center Nene in their season opener. The Nuggets no longer have star power, but they do have a young squad that will push the tempo. "We'll have to put our track shoes on," Mavs forward Shawn Marion said. "It's going to be a race [tonight], too."

DALLAS – Tyson Chandler isn’t coming back to Dallas. Not until March 6, at least, and he’ll be wearing a New York Knicks uniform.

Coach Rick Carlisle mentioned Chandler and the rest of the departed free agents from last season’s title team during the Christmas Day banner-raising ceremony, but the Mavericks must move on without the best big man in franchise history.

That means Brendan Haywood better step up, which is sort of a sensitive subject for Carlisle, who was publicly protective of the big man when he was an overpaid, under-producing backup for most of last season.

“I think it's important to point this out and to be very clear about it: Brendan Haywood is not Tyson Chandler,” Carlisle said after the Miami Heat hammered the Mavs 105-94 in the season opener. “He's a different kind of player. And you're not going to see the same kinds of things out there as you did with Tyson.

“Brendan is effective for us. In the first half, he was one of our more effective players from a plus-minus standpoint by being on the floor and he was doing some good things.”

In the first half, Haywood had no points, two turnovers, three rebounds and three fouls in 11 minutes. He added another foul and no other stats in a few minutes in the second half.

You certainly can’t make the case that Haywood was the Mavs’ biggest problem in a game that was a blowout until garbage time. As Carlisle alluded to, the Heat outscored the Mavs by only six points with Haywood on the floor.

But the Mavs will need much more from the only established big man on the roster to have legitimate repeat hopes.

That’s not news to the 10-year veteran 7-footer.

“My personal expectations is to go in there and help this team win, try to be a force in the paint offensively and defensively,” Haywood said. “Obviously, that wasn’t the case tonight.”

The Mavs aren’t asking anything of Haywood that he hasn’t done before. He’s been a solid starting center for most of his career, which is why they gave him a five-year, $42 million contract last summer.

Haywood was averaging 9.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 32.9 minutes per game for the Washington Wizards in the 2009-10 season when the Mavs acquired in a multiplayer blockbuster trade. The Mavs would be thrilled with that kind of production.

Actually, the Mavs would be ecstatic if Haywood played as well as he did during their run through the Western Conference playoff bracket, when he served as the defensive backbone for the small-ball second unit.

Haywood didn’t get a lot of credit for his postseason contributions, floating under the radar as folks focused on many more glamorous stories during the Mavs’ amazing run. But the spotlight will shine brightly on the big man this season, for better or worse.

“You can’t worry about what anybody else is saying or trying to prove anything to anybody else,” Haywood said. “You’re trying to help your team. It’s about the guys in this locker room. It’s not about the outside world.”

Haywood, like most of the other guys in the locker room, didn’t help his team in the season opener. Yet his coach was encouraged by his performance, an indication of how much the standards have changed at center for the Mavs since Chandler left town.

DALLAS -- The Dallas Mavericks' zone defense was so effective last season -- whether it was early in the year to throw a wrench at teams in crunch time or in the NBA Finals to force the more athletic Miami Heat into a bombs-away approach -- that it was widely regarded as the best in the business.

But without Tyson Chandler in the middle barking orders and with an influx of new players unfamiliar with the mechanics -- and add that assistant coach Dwane Casey, the defensive architect who called most of the sets, is now the head coach in Toronto -- one has to wonder if the zone will continue to be a part of Dallas' defensive repertoire or, at least, an effective part of it.

"Definitely, the zone is where it shows how long you’ve been together because it’s a lot of pointing and switching on the fly and matching up," Dirk Nowitzki said. "So, we’ll see how ready we are."

Dallas mastered what it called an amoeba-like, 2-3 zone that can look a lot like man-to-man coverage and used it extensively in the NBA Finals. On paper, the older Mavs couldn't match up with the Heat's athleticism and the zone proved to be a successful means to choke off the Miami offense and force 3-point shots -- six more per game on average than the Heat attempted in all three rounds of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Miami beat Dallas' zone in Game 1 with hot outside shooting (11-of-24). In fact, the two games the Heat won they shot a combined 19-of-43 (44.2 percent) from long range compared to 26-of-87 (29.9 percent) in the four losses. In the Eastern Conference finals against the Chicago Bulls, Miami averaged just 11.6 shots from 3-point range. In the NBA Finals, they took no fewer than 14 in any of the six games, and four times lofted 19 or more and once hit 30.

With Chandler out of the picture and the Mavs now starting less athletic center Brendan Haywood, and with Vince Carter replacing the tenacious DeShawn Stevenson for on the perimeter, will Dallas employ the zone Sunday, or even much at all in the early portion of the season?

“I don’t know. We’ll have to see from game to game," Nowitzki said. "Usually a zone can be a game-changer when the other team runs a play you can’t stop, when the pick-and-roll is hot or a post-up guy is hot, then you throw in the zone. But if our man-to-man is fine, which it was last year, then some games we didn’t even use it [the zone]. So it kind of just depends on how it’s going. If we have trouble guarding teams man-to-man, then we might throw it in there."

DALLAS -- A few years ago the Dallas Mavericks didn't have much success with a young, troubled player named Shawne Williams, who still didn't get it in Dallas and was rather quickly shown the door out of town.

Now comes a similar story in newly signed center/power forward Sean Williams.

The former 17th pick in the 2007 draft was a star at nearby Mansfield High School and then he took his talents to Boston College. His pro career has been a self-inflicted train wreck. Now 25 and his NBA days dangling by a thread, Williams has a chance to resuscitate his career the way Shawne Williams has managed to work his way back first with the New York Knicks before recently signing a free-agent deal with the New Jersey Nets.

Sean Williams is coming because the Mavs need help at center behind starter Brendan Haywood. The 6-foot-10, 235-pound Williams will be given the opportunity to push energetic, but still developing French center Ian Mahinmi for backup minutes. Williams is considered a big-time shot-blocker and solid defender and rebounder.

"I saw him play some in the D-League last year with Frisco," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "He’s a skilled, athletic, multi-positional big guy and has experience, so we’re going to take a look at him."

Williams, who was playing in Israel and was been released from his contract to return to the NBA, is expected to join the Mavs on Wednesday. He won't have the benefit of a playing in either preseason game and will have just a couple of practices under his belt by Sunday's season-opener.

Williams' problems have revolved around dalliances with marijuana and some poor, off-court behavior and immature decision-making. He played just 53 games combined in his last two seasons after a rather successful rookie campaign in 2007-08 when he played in 72 games and averaged 5.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in 17.5 minutes.

The Mavs got a look at him last season as a player for the Donnie Nelson-owned Texas Legends. If Williams can take advantage of his fresh NBA start back home, he can certainly become a contributor for a team that lost its best interior defender and rebounder in Tyson Chandler.

If he doesn't, the Mavs won't be shy about giving this Sean Williams the Shawne Williams treatment.

Brendan Haywood says he's ready to do whatever is needed. Ian Mahinmi says he hopes the coaches believe in him as the primary backup.

We'll see.

The center position is the most glaring area of concern as the Dallas Mavericks seek to defend their title without defensive leader Tyson Chandler. Haywood takes over as the starter. Mahinmi will be joined by a couple of 6-foot-10 power forwards/centers looking to move their so-far underwhelming careers forward, Brandan Wright and the newest acquisition Sean Williams.

The 235-pound Williams is a solid shot-blocker and rebounder who hails from nearby Mansfield, Texas, and could be the bigger threat to Mahinmi's potential playing time.

The possibility remains that Dallas could add another true center before long.

With smaller lineups, Lamar Odom and Dirk Nowitzki can fill time at center, but huge responsibility now falls into the hands of Haywood and likely the fourth-year Mahinmi, who has never been more than a third-string depth player.

"I’m pretty confident in myself and Brendan. We know each other and we know what we can do for the team," Mahinmi said. "I hope it, but if it’s not we’ll have to work with it and be ready to play."

The most obvious concern is fouls. Haywood has been known to pick up some quickies. And as far as the energetic Mahinmi, well, quickies doesn't describe the rate with which he hacks. Last season he nearly equaled his rebound total (120) with his foul total (105) and that's not going to cut it if he's second in line.

Mahinmi finished with five fouls in 25 minutes of Sunday's preseason opener.

"I’m thinking of two fouls I could have avoided, that little foul where I bumped [Kendrick] Perkins going down the lane and the other when I pushed into [Nick] Collison," Mahinmi said afterward. "Those were two fouls that I could have avoided. This is really something that I have to get better at. If it’s going to be me and Brendan, I need to make sure that I stay away from those fouls."

Haywood is coming off his least productive statistical season. He admitted at the end of the season that it took him some time to mentally adjust from thinking he was the starter to suddenly backing up Chandler, who quickly won the job and won over the locker room as a demonstrative difference-maker.

If anything, Haywood should enter the season enthused about starting for the defending champs and seeing his minutes increase from about 18 a game last season to potentially around 30 a game. If Haywood provides the steadiness and Mahinmi the exuberance while also limiting his foul trouble, Dallas could find itself with a serviceable tandem.

But, that is to be determined.

DALLAS -- Lamar Odom can't do all the things Tyson Chandler did for the Mavericks during the franchise's first championship march.

The intense big man the Mavs let go and the versatile forward they acquired are completely different kinds of players. But, if the Mavs are going to repeat, they need Odom's impact to be just as strong as Chandler's last season.

The Mavs are counting on swingman Vince Carter and guard Delonte West to be solid contributors. They'll need Odom, the Sixth Man of the Year with the Lakers last season, to play a starring role to earn another ring.

Chandler's role was easily defined: Be the Mavs' defensive backbone, battle on the boards, finish strong on the offensive end and serve as an inspirational leader. Odom's role will basically be to do a little of everything.

Odom will probably come off the bench again, playing significant minutes at both forward spots. He'll play some center in small-ball units. He'll frequently have point guard responsibilities, especially when coach Rick Carlisle wants to play shoot-first Jason Terry or Rodrigue Beaubois at the 1 with the second unit.

The Mavs need Odom to be one of their best scorers, distributors, rebounders and defenders. And he needs to get up to speed at pretty much every position in a new system by Christmas Day, even though he and his famous wife might not even have a place to call home in Dallas by then.

"This is more responsibility than I've ever had to put on a player's shoulders, but he's very capable of doing it," Carlisle said. "His versatility is going to be one of the real plusses for our team."

The Mavs aren't asking Odom, a 6-foot-11 dude who idolized Jason Kidd as a kid and has the skills to prove it, to do anything he hasn't done before. They'd be thrilled if he continues to produce like he did for the Lakers last season, when he averaged 14.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and shot a career-best 53.0 percent from the floor and 38.2 percent from 3-point range.

Of course, that's quite a challenge for a guy getting to know new teammates as he makes the transition from the triangle offense to Carlisle's flow-oriented sets.

"At the end of the day, it's basketball," said Odom, the rare player who is comfortable and effective on either end of a pick-and-roll. "These guys do a great job of just moving the ball and playing off each other. Hopefully, I can find my niche really quick.

"I can just play ball. I don't have to worry about how many shots I make and how many shots I take. I don't have to score the ball to be effective. I can be effective in so many different ways. Just have fun, just go out there and play the game."