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Sixth in a 15-part series ranking the Mavericks' 2011-12 roster in importance of bringing back next season.

The curious case of Kelenna Azubuike as a member of the Dallas Mavericks started March 22 when the club released athletic big man Sean Williams, who had spent most of the season with the D-League Texas Legends.

A week earlier, the San Antonio Spurs had traded for Stephen Jackson and were closing in on signing Boris Diaw to bolster their roster for a deep playoff run. What were the defending champion Mavericks up to in releasing Williams and opening a spot on the 15-man roster? Who was on their radar that could provide an immediate jolt one month from the true start of their title defense?

Last year, Dalllas signed veteran sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic and the move paid off handsomely. At this point in the season, they could use someone like him. Three-point shooting -- heck, shooting in general --- had taken a significant dip throughout the truncated schedule and the Mavs would need firepower down the stretch and into the playoffs.

Could 3-point specialist Jason Kapono, recently released by the Lakers, be on his way? Maybe the 6-foot-7 Andres Nocioni? Sure, he was down on his luck, but still he was a 37.3 percent 3-point shooter throughout his career.

Turns out Kapono wasn't coming and neither was Nociono.

Who'd the Mavs have up their sleeve?

Azubuike, an intriguing shooting guard, oh, about three seasons ago before a torn patellar tendon put his career on indefinite hold.

And the Countdown ticks down to No. 10 ...

KELENNA AZUBUIKE
Pos: SG
Ht/Wt: 6-5, 215
Experience: 5 years
Age: 28 (Dec. 16, 1983)
2011-12 stats: Played total of 18 minutes in three games
Contract status: Team option for next season
2011-12 salary: $280,192
2012-13 salary: $992,680

His story: The Mavs signed the 6-foot-5 London native March 23. This was not a shot-in-the-arm acquisition like the S-Jax trade or the Diaw signing the Spurs pulled off (and are now reaping the benefits). Azubuike was starting to make a name for himself in 2008-09 with the Golden State Warriors when the formerly undrafted free agent averaged 14.4 points and 5.0 rebounds and knocked down 3-pointers at a 44.8-percent clip. He was a heck of an athlete built for an up-and-down game. Then came the devastating patellar tendon injury nine games into the 2009-10 season. The impatient Warriors traded him to the New York Knicks, who waived him Feb. 28, 2011. On March 23, 2012, Azubuike got another chance in the NBA, thanks to the Mavs, who knew he wouldn't be helping them to defend the title. So what were the Mavs' hopes in signing him? An inexpensive option with hopeful upside at shooting guard and/or small forward for next season? Perhaps. After all, Jason Terry will likely be moving on and so could be Shawn Marion, maybe even Rodrigue Beaubois and Vince Carter, too, depending on various factors in Dallas' venture into free agency. Interestingly, Azubuike, after playing just three regular-season games with Dallas, was on the active roster in the first round against Oklahoma City, taking the spot of second-year guard and 2010 first-round draft pick Dominique Jones.

His outlook: The Mavs believe they have the best head athletic trainer in the game today in Casey Smith and an elite orthopedic crew headed by team doc T.O. Souryal. Azubuike will be three years removed from the horrific knee injury that put his burgeoning career in jeopardy and one that remains terribly difficult to watch on YouTube. But here's the hope for Azubuike: A second surgery in March 2011 was performed to fix the first surgery that wasn't done properly. Azubuike confirmed that fact on Twitter in March 2011, saying: "The 1st surgery in '09 wasn’t done right. Gettin it done right this time!” The Mavs' medical and training staffs have a track record with patellar tendon injuries after Caron Butler's awful injury on Jan. 1, 2011, in Milwaukee, which happens to be where Azubuike also blew up his knee. There's no guarantee that the the former Kentucky Wildcat will ever regain his explosiveness, but watching Butler this season with the Los Angeles Clippers has to be encouraging that he can at least be a productive player. At less than $1 million next season, Azubuike is low-risk and if he turns out to be high-reward, the Mavs will have made a shrewd move at a time when many were scratching their heads at the timing of the signing.

No. 15 Lamar Odom
No. 14 Brian Cardinal
No. 13 Yi Jianlian
No. 12 Dominique Jones
No. 11 Brendan Haywood
No. 10 Kelenna Azubuike
No. 9 Coming Tuesday

First in a 15-part series ranking the Mavericks' 2011-12 roster in importance of bringing back next season.

The offseason certainly arrived much sooner than anyone could have predicted, just like Lamar Odom's premature exit from the Dallas Mavericks.

The 6-foot-10 forward kicks off our offseason blog series that ranks the 2011-12 Mavericks roster in order of importance for the front office to bring back. Four of last season's six free agents found new homes with the exception of Peja Stojakovic, who called it a career after winning his first championship, and Brian Cardinal, who re-signed but made virtually no impact on the season.

Eleven months ago, the title team proved difficult to rank in importance and I started the Countdown with DeShawn Stevenson as the least important. It drew quite a few raised eyebrows from those wondering how I could possibly consider the defensive bulldog and surprisingly valuable 3-point shooter the least important member of the title team to bring back.

In retrospect, the choice probably violated the spirit of this series. I chose Stevenson not because I didn't think he was an asset and worthy of returning for a chance to repeat, but because the Mavs traded for shooting guard Rudy Fernandez, a move that, to me, signaled that Stevenson wouldn't be back. Who would have figured that neither Stevenson nor Fernandez would start the season with the Mavs?

This time around the lead-off man in these rankings is a no-brainer. Odom's career-worst season has to go down as the most disappointing season in the league and one of the more frustrating ones for a franchise in recent memory.

With that, on with the series:

LAMAR ODOM
Pos: SF/PF
Ht/Wt: 6-10, 230
Experience: 13 years
Age: 32 (Nov. 6, 1979)
2011-12 stats: 6.6 ppg (35.2 FG%), 4.2 rpg
Contract status: Signed through 2012-2013
2011-12 salary: $8.9 million
2012-13 salary: $8.2 million ($2.4 million guaranteed)

His story: There's a certain reality TV show on a certain entertainment channel starring a certain Kardashian sister and her basketball-playing husband that can provide the background of what went wrong in Odom's four short months with the Mavs. What didn't go wrong? Dallas thought it was getting a versatile forward who would help ease the pain of losing Tyson Chandler by supplying his unique skills that had helped the Lakers win back-to-back titles. Owner Mark Cuban says he'd make the trade all over again that brought the emotionally bogged-down Odom to Dallas for a draft pick and a trade exception. And hey, when the stunning trade went down Dec. 11, most thought the Mavs had just pulled off a coup and wondered why in the world the Lakers would seemingly just hand over last season's Sixth Man of the Year to the team that swept them out of the playoffs. Now we know.

His outlook: Odom is actually under consideration for a spot on Team USA for the London Games because of the rash of injuries that have taken out star players like Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard. Cuban actually said he'd love to see it, but only because he has such disdain for Olympic basketball, so he figures the two were meant to be together. Where Odom lands next season will be a far more intriguing story to follow. For starters, Dallas will try everything it can to dump him off on a team with loads of salary cap space such as Toronto or Sacramento and throw in $3 million to offset the $2.4 million guaranteed on Odom's deal next season. If the Mavs can't dump him in a trade, they'll waive him and be responsible for the $2.4 million, which will eat into their cap space this summer. Such a result will not please Cuban. No matter what, Odom will be long gone from this organization. A return to the Lakers is not likely since they can't add him to the roster for a full year after the date he was traded, Dec. 11. Could he land with the Miami Heat, one of his former teams that obviously will be a contender for years to come? Well, if he wants to sign for a fraction of his actual 2012-13 salary, then it's possible. Of course, no team might risk much more than a couple million anyway. How about the team with which he started his career, the Los Angeles Clippers? Possible. Caron Butler is signed for two more years at small forward, but Kenyon Martin and Reggie Evans are free agents.

The Countdown
No. 15 Lamar Odom
No. 14 Coming Tuesday

DALLAS -- Whether Rick Carlisle returns to the Dallas Mavericks next season or takes his coaching chops somewhere else, no one can take away the day he raised the banner to the rafters.

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"It was great," Carlisle said during Sunday's exit interviews when he still kept talk of his contract status under wraps. "The raising of the banner is one of the most emotional moments I’ve had in 28 years in this league. Really, it’s hard for me to explain, but when I walked out there with my daughter, it was the beginning of a season no one believed was going to happen [because of the lockout], and the banner was there ready to be raised. I became very emotional and I was choked up about it, for a lot of reasons.

"Part of it is the personal journey you go through during that period of time and you think about the opportunity you were given to come into that situation and how grateful that you are, and also the great players you had to work with. And again, probably the foremost thing was just the experience that the fans got to go through when we were able to win it that year."

The lockout provided the Mavs the rare opportunity for multiple celebrations. They raised the banner before the season opener Dec. 25 and then had the ring ceremony a month later when J.J. Barea and the Minnesota Timberwolves rolled through town. Then there still several more more ring deliveries when departed members of the title team like Tyson Chandler, Caron Butler and DeShawn Stevenson came in with their new teams.

During each ceremony, Carlisle brought the player to midcourt with a heartfelt introduction.

"That was a great moment, giving the guys their rings was a great moment," Carlisle said. "It was just one of those years, every time we handed out rings, we ended up losing games. Not every time, what was it two out of four? Thank God Butler missed that shot. I never would have heard the end of that in a text message from him."

Butler nearly hit a game-winning 3-pointer in his return to the AAC with the Clippers. Hard to believe just 11 months ago, Butler, unable to play despite his frantic rehab to get back on the floor, was on the stage on Miami's home floor raising the championship trophy.

Now Butler has the best chance of any of the title-team Mavs to advance to the second round. And the Mavs have plenty of time to watch.

"Time goes by fast and it doesn’t seem like 11 months ago," Carlisle said. But look, as great as the championship run was, there always comes a time when you have to look forward and that’s where things are at now. I look at this summer for this franchise as a summer of opportunity and excitement, and I don’t think anybody should look at it any differently."

DALLAS – Two words immediately come to Rick Carlisle’s mind when he thinks of DeShawn Stevenson, who will become the latest ex-Maverick to receive his championship ring Tuesday night.

“Ultimate pro.”

That’s not exactly how Stevenson was perceived when he arrived in Dallas as a throw-in with Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood in the 2010 All-Star break blockbuster deal with the Wizards. At the time, well, folks didn’t know quite what to think of the two guard with tattoos from his forehead to his feet.

There was a strong suspicion that Stevenson, whose claim to fame had been a high-profile playoff trash-talk war with LeBron James, was a wee bit crazy. That turned into an appreciation around these parts for Stevenson’s unique personality after he played the biggest role of any of the ex-Wizards in the Mavericks’ first title.

“I had a bad rap of being a loose cannon,” Stevenson said Monday night after the Nets’ practice at SMU. “I think it’s a different type of crazy. It’s a crazy where I’m going to go out there and fight for my teammates and do the right thing. I’m kind of misunderstood, but that’s what I try to do and I won a championship doing it.”

Stevenson’s style and work ethic earned him immense respect in the Mavericks’ locker room.

The Mavs’ veteran leadership trio of Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry twice lobbied Carlisle to insert Stevenson into the starting lineup. Carlisle listened on both occasions, once near the beginning of the season and the second time just before the playoffs began.

The Dallas vets embraced the nasty tone that Stevenson, who usually got the most difficult defensive assignment among the opposing guards and small forwards, set along with big man Tyson Chandler.

“Just a tough, tough guy that we miss,” Nowitzki said. “I’m happy for him that he gets his ring and he’s going to get a standing ovation. He brought a toughness and grittiness to our club last year that we needed.”

In between his successful stints as the starting lineup’s defensive stopper, Stevenson fell out of the rotation while his minutes went to Rodrigue Beaubois. Stevenson never complained, continuing to prepare the same way, a persistence that paid off in the playoffs.

Stevenson’s professionalism was never more apparent than Game 4 of the NBA Finals. After Stevenson started the first 18 games of the postseason, Carlisle decided to replace him in the lineup with J.J. Barea, in part because the Mavs wanted to make sure that Shawn Marion or Stevenson was always available to defend James.

Instead of pouting about a perceived demotion, Stevenson responded with his best performance of the playoffs. Stevenson outscored his old adversary LeBron, 11-8, playing lockdown defense and knocking down three 3-pointers.

“He kept himself ready and always answered the bell,” Carlisle said. “Always.”

Stevenson was ready to return to Dallas for the repeat attempt. However, he said he felt like he had done too much with the Mavericks to accept an offer for the minimum salary and moved on by signing a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Nets.

Stevenson will return to the American Airlines Center with mixed emotions. He looks forward to finally seeing the championship banner and getting his ring. (He’s seen plenty of pictures of the 31-diamond spectacles, including one fellow free agent departure J.J. Barea texted him the night of the ring ceremony.)

But Stevenson admits that he wishes he could stay in Dallas and move back into the locker now occupied by Delonte West.

“We just had a special team,” Stevenson said. “It’s just sad how it went down. It’s tough. It’s the business part, but I’m always a Mavericks guy until the day I die.”

DALLAS -- Caron Butler nearly put the final dagger in his former team. He had been landing darts all night. This 3-pointer for the win from the right wing looked dead-on, but skipped off the front of the rim.

“It felt real good. I got my feet up under me, followed through, it was a routine shot, just fell a little short," Butler said after registering a season-high 23 points in the 96-92 loss with his new team, the Los Angeles Clippers. "It would have been a great ending to the game."

It was an emotional night all the way around for Butler, who has clearly worked himself all the way back from the devastating knee injury that ended his season a year ago New Year's Day, and forced him to become the hardest-working bystander on the Mavs' title team. Monday night was his first time back in Dallas since the parade and the Mavs presented him with the diamond-encrusted championship ring during a brief pre-game ceremony.

Coach Rick Carlisle introduced Butler to the sellout crowd by sharing the story that he hates happened, but loves to tell -- about when Butler ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee and crumpled to the floor in Milwaukee, how he somehow managed to shove his exploded kneecap back in place and walk off the floor under his own power so his mother and other family members attending from nearby Racine wouldn't watch him leave on a stretcher.

"At that moment," Carlisle told the crowd, "the guy was a legend for life, for me."

Butler accepted his ring, held it up to the fans and tightly embraced Carlisle and owner Mark Cuban.

“I was in a good place. I was in a real good place," Butler said. "It felt good, I just really wanted to come back and step on this floor, one way or another and just show the fans that I was back healthy. There was a lot of love out there, and I appreciate that because they got me through a trying time last year.”

The Clippers will be back in April, but this trip to the club that he played just 56 of his 613 career games, but now shares a lifetime bond, served as the final act of his rehabilitation. And if receiving the ring wasn't enough, the Mavs production staff broke out Butler's popular Old Spice spoof and showed it on the video boards during a timeout.

Clippers players turned to watch, tapping teammates on the shoulder to get them to look above. Laughter broke out everywhere. Coming out of the timeout, Butler smiled and waved his arms in appreciation to the cheering crowd as he walked back onto the floor.

"It felt good," Butler said. "I just really wanted to come back and step on this floor, one way or another and just show the fans that I was back healthy. There was a lot of love out there, and I appreciate that because they got me through a trying time last year.”

Here's three more thoughts from Monday's game and with the Denver Nuggets on the way:

1. Dirk goes sleeveless: The sleeve Dirk Nowitzki has worn on his right knee most of the season was gone Monday night in perhaps what was another sign that he's back. And after the game, Nowitzki said he is all the way back, 100 percent. His shot didn't look for much of Monday's win. He finished just 5-of-15 and 2-of-7 in the fourth quarter when he still managed to score 11 of his team-high 22 points. In the last two games, Nowitzki is 12-of-35 from the floor after that blazing stretch, but he also gone to the free throw line 21 times.

2. More Brendan Haywood: Not only is owner Mark Cuban campaigning for Shawn Marion to be recognized as a top defender in the league, he also was signing the praises of starting center Brendan Haywood, who has successfully taken over Tyson Chandler's job as the backbone of a very good defense. Haywood has defended well in back-to-back games even though LaMarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin finished games with good-looking stats. Nothing came easily for either with the larger Haywood contesting. Against the Clippers on Monday, Haywood also put up a team-high 10 points and six rebounds in the first quarter.

3. Key goals attained: The Mavs had several goals against the Los Angeles Clippers and they attained most, if not all. First, they wanted to slow down L.A.'s typically fast starts. They did, holding the Clippers to 19 first-quarter points on 36.8 shooting. It was a continuation of the Mavs' quick starts. After committing 41 turnovers in the previous two games, Dallas limited those to 11 for just 10 Clippers points. Meanwhile, the Mavs cashed in 22 points on 21 L.A. turnovers. Dallas lost the rebounding battle, 50-36, but had the edge in points in the paint (40-34) and fastbreak points (22-16). And perhaps the biggest goal attained was the victory while no Mavs player logged more than 32 minutes.

DALLAS -- Teams like the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder are like the shiny sports cars with the motor revving high, waiting for the light to turn to green. Man, they're fun to watch and the publicity never stops.

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The Dallas Mavericks, they're more like the old, reliable sedan. They don't turn many heads and might not put on quite the show, but more often than not it gets the job done. That was the case again Monday night as the little-talked-about defending champs went on a 9-1 run to extinguish another hot-shot contender.

The 96-92 victory, the Mavs' fourth in a row to move them to a season-best seven games over .500 -- and one more victory than the Clippers -- was another example that the Mavs are deep, experienced, smart and when crunch time inevitably comes around against their younger counterparts, they will welcome the situation, now and in the playoffs.

"We have an edge over whoever we play because of our experience, because of what we've went through," Mavs guard Jason Terry said. "I'll take us over anybody in the fourth quarter, tight ballgame, and I believe we'll come out winning more times than not, just again because of our leader Jason Kidd and because of the familiarity that we have with Shawn, myself and Dirk."

All three made plays that contributed to the fourth-quarter lockdown that allowed the Clippers to score 16 points and just eight during a seven-plus-minute stretch during the heart of the quarter. No, it wasn't perfect. Kidd, who had three assists, three rebounds and a steal in the final quarter, almost threw the game away with his ill-fated inbounds pass with less than 10 seconds to go and the lead just two. But, former Mavs forward Caron Butler, who had already buried five 3-pointers for a season-high 23 points, couldn't make it six with 2.9 to play.

But, the Clippers were in a desperation mode because even with the insanely talented Paul directing traffic, execution was flawed at the most pressurized moments of the game -- nine turnovers to five field goals in the fourth quarter with Blake Griffin bricking five free throws and going 1-of-2 in a Hack-a-Blake scenario.

If the Clippers and Thunder are indeed the greatest threat to dethrone the Mavs in the Western Conference, there is work to be done by both. Yes, the Mavs' 2-3 record against these two high-flying outfits might suggest otherwise, but remember, OKC needed a 27-foot Kevin Durant buzzer-beater to win up there in the third game of the season and then squeaked one out here more recently against a depleted Mavs roster that strangely felt more like a Dallas win.

The Clippers needed a buzzer-beater in L.A. without Paul and lost with him Monday. Paul finished with 16 points and nine assists, but he had one inconsequential 3 late in the game and had a bad turnover dribbling through the crowded paint with 4:23 to go, the Mavs up three and the Clippers entering a third minute of a five-minute scoreless drought.

"It's too early to say who you have an edge over," center Brendan Haywood said. "But, at the end of the day we know we're going to execute. We know where we're going to go and they have to figure it out."

And then there's this convenient fact as well: Rick Carlisle continues to coach these games while adhering to his plan to limit minutes. No starter played more than Nowitzki's 31:53. Jason Terry logged a team-high 31:57. And it was a game that simply looking at the box score might suggest a Mavericks loss.

Nowitzki was 5-of-15 from the floor, yet poured in 11 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter with just two field goals. Kidd had three points and four assists. Terry was 4-of-12 from the floor. But, there was Haywood with 10 first-quarter points and strong defense throughout on Griffin. Vince Carter nailed two more 3-pointers and finished with 10 points. Delonte West had 10 points. Lamar Odom received more Rick Carlisle love for becoming more and more engaged.

And, Marion, what more can be said about the small forward who at times defensively swallowed up the All-Star point guard and tossed in 16 points with three assists?

"Everybody's got to get a piece of the wealth, that makes us that much more dangerous," Marion said. "When it's just one guy, it's real hard for us. When it's everybody collectively, it's amazing to watch and it's hard to stop.

How it happened: The Clippers got a taste of what some of the other Western Conference contenders experienced during the playoffs last season. They were on the business end of a Mavericks close-out.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 11 of his 22 points in the final 6:03, but defense was the primary reason the Mavs pulled out this win.

The Mavs held the Clippers to nine points and three field goals in the final six minutes. Shawn Marion spearheaded the phenomenal defensive effort.

Marion guarded Clippers star point guard Chris Paul (16 points, nine assists) for much of the game, including the final 5:13. Paul had only one basket -- a falling-away 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining -- and one assist in that final stretch.

Marion made two huge plays in the final two minutes as a help defender: a steal of a Blake Griffin pass and a block of a Kenyon Martin layup attempt.

The Mavs also benefited from a little luck in the last minute. A turnover led to an open transition 3-point attempt by Caron Butler. But the ex-Maverick, who received his championship ring in a touching pregame ceremony, missed the potential go-ahead shot with three seconds remaining.

What it means: The Mavs have started off one of the toughest stretches of their schedule, in terms of quality of competition, with four consecutive wins. The Clippers went 4-2 on their road trip.

Play of the game: Vince Carter offered a reminder that Griffin wasn’t the only dunk contest champion in the house, and Randy Foye was on the wrong end of the reminder. After catching the ball in the post and facing up, Carter went right to blow by Foye on the baseline, took off at the charge circle and threw down a sweet one-handed slam on the other side of the rim.

Stat of the night: This was the first time the Mavs have won a game they trailed after three quarters this season. The Mavs, who were only down two entering the fourth, were 0-9 in such games.

DALLAS -- Caron Butler's got the 3-ball working and he's got a season-high 23 points with 10 coming in the comeback third quarter. L.A. erased an eight-point lead at halftime behind three Butler 3-pointers in the period. He's 5-of-9 from back there and just 7-of-17 overall.

Dallas, meanwhile, was just 7-of-20 shooting after hitting 57.9 percent in the first half.

Blake Griffin has just 14 points and Chris Paul has eight points and eight assists. Dirk Nowitzki has 11 with Shawn Marion leading the way with 14.

DALLAS -- This one is going up and down and it's the old legs of the Mavs that continue to lead and continue to make the smart plays. The Clippers rolled early in the second quarter to cut an eight-point deficit to 33-31 and then 43-31, but Dallas ended the period strong.

The Mavs are shooting 57.9 percent and Shawn Marion and Brendan Haywood have done a bunch of damage with 10 points each. Dirk Nowitzki has eight points on 2-of-3 shooting and is strangely 4-of-7 from the free throw line.

Caron Butler leads the Clippers with 13 points, nine coming in first on three 3s. Blake Griffin has 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Chris Paul has five points and six assists.

Vince Carter has seven points and has abused his smaller counterpart, Randy Foye, throwing down a reverse jam off a baseline drive late in the second quarter.

The Mavs are indeed the older team, but the Clippers are playing the final game of a long six-game road trip. Will they have the legs to run away from Dallas? Or can the Mavs expand the lead with more strong offense that has yielded a 28-16 advantage in the paint?

Also of note, the Mavs have just five turnovers.

DALLAS -- This is getting to be an old story line around: Mavs have excellent shooting first quarter and jump out to a lead. Only how they got that lead is different than most nights.

Brendan Haywood found freedom in the paint, his teammates hit him and he made the Clippers pay to the tune of 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting with six rebounds. Those are good full game totals on most nights for the big fella. His only shortcoming was -- what else? -- free throws. He missed all three attempts.

Caron Butler got his championship ring before the game and then drilled a trio of 3-pointers to lead L.A. with nine points. Chris Paul is scoreless and Blake Griffin has eight, but points nine and 10 launched off the back rim near the end of the quarter as he missed a high-flying alley-oop.

DALLAS -- On Saturday night, Portland Trail Blazers All-Star reserve LaMarcus Aldridge threw down 33 points and 12 rebounds. Now comes All-Star starter Blake Griffin.

"It's Murderer's Row of the power forward position," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "Our fans are going to see the three best power forwards in the West in these two games -- Dirk [Nowitzki] and Griffin and Aldridge."

And then Carlisle paused as a thought -- or lob pass -- crossed his mind.

"And Chris Paul, he's another story," Carlisle said of the Clippers point guard, also an All-Star starter. "He's a monster, too."

He's also the difference between the Blazers and Clippers. Dallas eked out a double overtime win Saturday despite 23 turnovers that helped in blowing an 18-point lead. It also helped that the Blazers' backcourt of Raymond Felton, Wesley Matthews and sixth man Jamal Crawford combined to go 13-of-51 from the field, including 3-of-15 from 3-point range.

Paul and the Clippers' backcourt, despite having lost big shot Chauncey Billups -- who made the buzzer-beating 3 in L.A. to drop the Mavs -- are dangerous shooters. Paul, who missed that first game with a hamstring issue, ranks third among guards in shooting percentage at 50.5 (and 43.1 percent from 3). Mo Williams, who crushed Dallas in the first meeting with his sharpshooting, is dropping 3s at nearly a 40-percent rate from beyond the arc. And don't sleep on Randy Foye launching from the outside.

As for the 41 turnovers Dallas has committed in the last two games without paying the price in the loss column, it'll be playing with fire if the count grows high again tonight.

Records: Clippers (17-8); Mavs (17-11)

When: 7:30 p.m.

Where: American Airlines Center

TV: FSSW

Radio: ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM; 1270 AM (Spanish)

What to watch: In the first meeting in L.A. on Jan. 18, the Lob Angeles Clippers -- or Lob City, whichever you prefer -- had five dunks and three alley-oops -- in the first half. And that was with lob maestro Chris Paul sitting on the sideline in a suit. He's back and Dallas' defense, on the perimeter and interior, will be put to the test to cut off the lob.

Key matchup: Caron Butler vs. Shawn Marion
These two created quite a combo for the Mavs last season until an ugly knee injury sidelined Butler for six months, all the way though the championship run. His dedication to get back netted a three-year, $24 million deal with the Clippers and he's been a major asset to their early success, averaging 14.7 points and 3.9 rebounds. He's also still got the 3-point shot working, connecting at 35.8 percent. Marion's defensive exploits are well-chronicled these days. In the last two games alone he's gone against point guard Ricky Rubio and power forward LaMarcus Aldridge. Now he gets someone his own size. When Butler scores 17 or more points, L.A. is 6-2.

Injuries: Mavs - None. Clippers - G Chauncey Billups (torn left Achilles) is out.

Up next: Denver Nuggets at Mavs, 7:30 p.m., Wednesday.

DALLAS -- Shawn Marion has a simple, selfless explanation for his recent scoring spree that came with Dirk Nowitzki down and out.

“This is just about helping my teammates,” Marion said.

Well, the last possession of the Dallas Mavericks' 93-87 win over the Phoenix Suns might be considered an exception. Marion jacked up a wild, off-the-dribble runner in what seemed like a desperate attempt to hit the 30-point milestone for the first time as a Maverick.

That shot didn’t fall, so Marion settled for a 29-point performance that served as another strong reminder that he’s still capable of filling it up like he did as a four-time All-Star in Phoenix when he’s a focal point of the offense.

“He’s playing the best out of anybody on this team right now,” point guard Jason Kidd said. “He’s been carrying us.”

That was apparent in last week’s road win over Utah. The Mavs needed someone else to step up with Nowitzki and Jason Terry struggling. Marion responded with 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting.

He topped that against his former team Monday night at the American Airlines Center. The Matrix pretty much put the Mavs on his back in the third quarter, when he poured in 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting. That included a flurry of three 3-pointers … which matched his total from his entire first season in Dallas.

Marion finished the night 11-of-21 from the floor and 4-of-6 behind the arc.

“He has the green light to shoot 3s,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “The first year, we discouraged it and it was the wrong thing to do. A guy that has that kind of career and everything, you’ve got to let him play his game.”

Marion has adjusted his game to fit with the Mavericks. He’s readily accepted being a role player, even coming off the bench before Caron Butler suffered a season-ending knee injury last January.

The 20-point performance that used to be routine for Marion doesn't come very often these days, with the last week being an exception. He’s accepted the challenge of becoming the Mavs’ defensive stopper, a job he performed well against superstars Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and LeBron James during Dallas’ championship run.

Marion is mostly a complementary offensive player now, a guy who gets the majority of his points as a cutter in halfcourt sets or fast-break finisher. But he’ll proudly tell you that he can still be a go-to guy when need be, something he’s proven over the last five days.

“The more touches, the more you get in a rhythm, the better off you’ll be,” Kidd said. “Especially when you’re a scorer, and that’s what he is.”

Matrix is whatever the Mavs need him to be. At the moment, that’s a scorer.

Brendan Haywood just can't catch a break around here. When he showed up in the Josh Howard trade with Caron Butler and DeShawn Stevenson, he quickly caught everyone's eye with some impressive play.

Then Erick Dampier got healthy, got his starting job back and Haywood was perceived to have sulked. That summer, with Dampier on his way out, Haywood thought he had the starting job sewn up, and why not, coach Rick Carlisle promised it to him. Along comes Tyson Chandler, who goes on to change everything we always thought we knew about the Mavs.

Now Chandler's gone and this 6-foot-11, energetic French kid is stealing the spotlight.

But Haywood isn't letting Ian Mahinmi's surprise rise get him down. The 7-foot veteran is just going about his business and getting the job done on the defensive end, a significant reason why the Mavs are the third-ranked defensive team in the league.

Haywood, bouncing back from tough night against skilled Lakers center Andrew Bynum, logged two of his higher-minute games in the back-to-back set against the Clippers and Jazz, and for good reason.

Wednesday night in L.A., coach Rick Carlisle tried to give Dirk Nowitzki a break by putting him against offensively limited center DeAndre Jordan while the 7-foot Haywood took on athletic and rugged power forward Blake Griffin, who averages 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Haywood, playing 26 minutes, used his size effectively and held Griffin to 14 points on 6-of-15 shooting (Griffin did miss some point-blank attempts and he did get to the free-throw line eight times, making just two). And what happened with Jordan, who averages 7.8 points a game? He went off for a season-high 19.

In the big win Thursday at Utah, Haywood logged 29 minutes -- nine more than his season average -- and made smooth-scoring center Al Jefferson work for his 22 points on 18 shots. Haywood also supplied three assists and he was a perfect 4-of-4 -- no kidding -- from the free-throw line.

Carlisle called Haywood's game against Jefferson and the Jazz probably his best work of the season.

On the surface, Haywood's 4.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in the first three games of the road trip don't leap off the screen, but he's been a steady presence in the paint, the area of top concern entering the 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.

PODCAST
Coop and Nate discuss the play of Dirk this season and if they have noticed whether's he has hit a wall. Listen

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

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."