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Shawn Marion shrugs his shoulders and smiles when asked how he'll fit in the flow of the Mavericks' offense.

"Throw that [ball] up and let's go," Marion said.

Rick Carlisle and his coaching staff have put quite a bit more thought into the subject, but Marion's philosophy will a big part of the Mavs' offensive foundation. After being a middle-of-the-pack pace team last season, the Mavs plan to play much faster.

That plays to the strength of point guard Jason Kidd, even though he's 36 years old. Kidd doesnt rely on speed and quickness to push the tempo. He's perhaps the best in the business at advancing the ball on the break.

"Playing with a point guard like Jason Kidd, any time you run the floor, you're going to be rewarded," Drew Gooden said.

The Mavs have surrounded Kidd with players who should benefit from his style. Their two biggest acquisitions this summer are at their best on the fast break. Shawn Marion is one of the best runners and finishers in the league. Gooden has great speed for a center, which will be his primary position in Dallas.

Josh Howard and Jason Terry also possess excellent speed. Dirk Nowitzki won't ever be confused with a track star, but he's slimmed down about a dozen pounds in preparation to play more up-tempo and thrives in open-court situations.

"Our first challenge is to see who's going to get downcourt first," Terry said.

Priority No. 1 for Josh Howard is getting completely healthy.

Howard, who underwent operations on his wrist and ankle soon after the Dallas Mavericks' season ended, is not sure when exactly that will happen. He will be limited as training camp opens today and probably won't play much during the preseason.

"No timetable right now," Howard said. "I'm just happy to be walking and working out as long as I am right now."

Once Howard gets a clean bill of health, Jason Kidd will get to work on his goal for the 28-year-old swingman.

"I need to get Josh back to that All-Star level," Kidd said. "I'm going to push him all season. There's a lot of talk about Shawn [Marion]. But I think the X-factor for us is Josh."

Marion's arrival moves Howard to shooting guard to start games. The wings' length, athleticism and ability to switch on pick-and-rolls should significantly improve the Mavs' defense. The pairing of two players who have been All-Star small forwards also changes the dynamic of the Mavs' offense, at least for spurts of about six minutes to begin each half.

"I haven't played the 2 since college, but I don"t think it's that big of a deal," said Howard, who excelled late last season despite his injury issues. "I'll just be guarding smaller guys. It's part of my job and I'll have to adjust to it, but hopefully I can make teams adjust to me."

The Mavs probably won't run many plays for Marion, who will get buckets in transition, on rebounds and as a cutter. They'll count on Howard, who averaged more points in first quarters (7.6) than every player except LeBron James last season, to jump-start the offense early in games.

Howard is one of the Mavs' best at creating with the ball in his hands, but he's likely to do a lot of damage with his back to the basket when matched up with shooting guards.

"Our formula offensively with that first group is going to be a little different than the rest of our game," Rick Carlisle said. "We're going to have to play to certain strengths with that group, and Jason Kidd is going to be a big part of it, because he's going to be the primary ball-handler and decision-maker. We're going to have to take advantage of their ability to give us an advantage inside at times and invert our game a little bit."

This summer was unlike any other in Dirk Nowitzki's NBA career.

He dealt with the personal but public turmoil resulting from the bizarre end of his relationship with ex-fianc

The Mavericks were a decent defensive team last season. They need to be much better than in the league's middle of the pack defensively to be considered legitimate contenders.

That's the primary point of emphasis entering training camp.

Defense was the first thing discussed by the Mavs decision-makers in every conversation about personnel moves this off-season, according to president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson.

Acquiring Shawn Marion, one of the league's most versatile defenders, in a sign-and-trade was a significant move in the right direction. Nelson and coach Rick Carlisle believe Drew Gooden, who signed for most of the mid-level exception, will give them a chance to match up better with the new-age, face-up centers. New role players Quenton Ross and Kris Humphries could earn minutes because of their ability to defend.

"We can score," Carlisle said. "Getting better defensively is what we're going to have to do. The moves that we made were about bringing in dynamic, athletic guys who were better defenders and would help enhance us offensively as well. It's not about trying to become something that we can't become. It's about trying to get better in an area that we know is critical to ultimate success.

One of the new buzzwords around the American Airlines Center is "switchability". That refers to the Mavs ability to switch on screens and pick-and-rolls, particularly with the probable starting five (Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, Gooden). Veteran savvy and Marion's versatility Carlisle believes The Matrix can guard every position -- will be a couple of keys to the Mavs defensive plan.

"If everybody's helping each other, we can be that much better as a defensive team," Marion said. "But, of course, you've got to take the individual challenge on yourself."