The Kings just bought out Drew Gooden's contract so he can sign with a playoff contending team.

What would you think about the Mavs pursuing him and would you like to have him?

He would be a good veteran presence on this team, and he could log some minutes at both forward and center.

Source: Yahoo! Sports Article found here: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=ApPFu82tIdwXZ8S9v3hPeku8vLYF?slug=ap-kings-gooden&prov=ap&type=lgns

Other notable free agents are Stromile Swift, Joe Smith, and Luther Head.

Here is another suggestion my brother an I have come up with for the potential blockbuster trade we are all waiting for the Mavs to make.

It's a Three-Team Trade between Atlanta, Dallas, and Charlotte, and it breaks down like this:

Atlanta Receives:

Josh Howard (via Dallas)

Erick Dampier (via Dallas)

Alexis Ajinca (via Charlotte)

Charlotte Recieves:

Zaza Pachulia (via Atlanta)

Jerry Stackhouse (via Dallas)

Marvin Williams (via Atlanta)

Devean George (via Dallas)

Dallas Recieves:

Joe Johnson (via Atlanta)

Gerald Wallace (via Charlotte)

Nazr Mohammed (via Charlotte)

 In Joe Johnson, The Mavericks will finally get a starting caliber shooting guard to compliment Jason Terry coming off the bench. The two combined would make an excellent one-two punch.

Gerald Wallace gives the Mavericks a scorer who can also help on the defensive end.

The aquisition of Mohammed gives the Mavericks a center with the departure of Dampier.

Dallas'  lineup would end up as:

C Nazr Mohammed / Ryan Hollins

PF Dirk Nowitzki / Brandon Bass / James Singleton

SF Gerald Wallace / Antoine Wright / Gerald Green

SG Joe Johnson / Jason Terry / Matt Carroll

PG Jason Kidd / JJ Barea

What do you all think of this trade?

Here is the link to ESPN Trade Machine:

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=1007~2016~2797~181~267~2006~802~3410~568~1026&teams=6~30~30~1~30~1~30~1~6~6&te=&cash=

A great win last night for the Mavs, as they played very well versus the Pistons, rebounding from one of the worst losses of the year. They came out firing on all cylinders and, most importantly, the defense was great. Finally, the Mavericks are beginning to get STOPS. 

A win like this should give the Mavs great confidence heading in to Boston to take on the World Champion Celtics. If the Mavericks play like they did against the Pistons, they may have a good shot at beating the Celtics.

However, Carlisle still needs to use our bench more often. He praised Carroll for being a great shooter, but even by being ahead by 20 for most of the fourth quarter, he did not put him in until the final minute. Both Hollins and Carroll have a good upside, as Hollins has proven with the very few minutes he has recieved. If he continues this type of production, he should get more minutes, and Carlisle should not be afraid to give Carroll a chance. 

The Mavs would be trading Shawne Williams, Stackhouse and Josh Howard  to the Bucks for Michael Redd and Ramon Sessions.

In Sessions, you get a decent backup point guard to Kidd, as well as have him available to groom to be the future starter.

In Redd, the Mavs get a lights out shooter who can also attack the basket.

In our opinion (there are two people to use this profile, in case you didn't know), this is a great deal for the Mavs.

Give us your feedback on this trade.

As of late, the Mavericks have struggled on the defensive end of the floor. Even against the Sixers, the Mavs let Philly go on a 12-0 run in the last 2:00 of the game before Nowitzki hit his vintage fadeaway that sealed a win for Dallas. That's fine and good when you do this against mediocre teams, but what happens when the Mavericks face the elites of the NBA, such as Boston, Cleveland, and Los Angeles? The Mavs will get blown out of the gym if they continue this horrendous defensive trend. It's time for a change, NOW.

First off, the Mavericks would be better off without Josh Howard. He is a selfish player, who upon reciveing the ball, will more often than not shoot, usually causing a miss as he tries to force his shots. He is a one man show, which, with Jason Kidd at point, should not be the case. Howard should sit back and wait for Kidd to find him an opening, rather than try to play 1-on-5 against the opposing team.

Secondly, the Mavericks need to trade to get a defensive minded player on the team, other than Jason Kidd. Take one Gerald Wallace of the Bobcats for example. He averages 6.4 defensive boards per game, giving us a rebounding threat, as well as contributes 1.8 steals and a block per game. And, he, unlike Howard, does not force his shots and try to carry his team when it is not needed.

In Wallace, we also get a slasher. Howard has resorted to taking low percentage jumpers, which do not fall for him in most cases. Wallace attacks the basket, guarunteeing a high percentage shot almost every time. He also gives Kidd a legitamite target to throw alley-oops to, which can only increase the Mavericks offensive threat.

Another hurt to this team, not only on defense, is the coaching style of RIck Carlisle.

Coach Carlisle always uses too many time-outs, and in odd, sometimes even rediculous circumstances. Using them all up on small things such as the other team scoring a few baskets in a row, not only falters the teams confidence, but uses them up early on in the game, taking away their avaiability in crunch time, which can seriously hurt the Mavs. Taking these timeouts on the road builds the confidence of the other team, causing them to believe that the are getting to the Mavericks, building the oppositions momentum during the game.

He also, which never ceases to amaze, does not play the Mavericks young, talented bench. The athletic swingman Gerald Green rarely gets minutes, which not only takes away yet another offensive weapon, but greatly hinders his long awaited development. How can he improve if he never gets the chance to? 

Under Carlisles style, Kidd has averaged a career low in assists. By not using Kidd to his full potential, we have also capped the teams potential as a whole. Not allowing Kidd to run the show has seriously hurt this team. Letting him loose, however, can have some very positive effects. Take the 29-point comeback over the T-wolves for example. Carlisle was ejected, and Assistant Coach Dwayne Casey took over. Casey allowed Kidd to do his thing. Not only was the deficiet erased, but Kidd had a season high 16 assists in the game. We all know the result of the game, which is a beacon to Kidd's ability as a player.

So what changes should the Mavericks make?

Howard should go, preferably in exchange for someone like Gerald Wallace.

And the most critical piece of change should come with Carlisle, who eerily is reverting back to the days of Avery Johnson. Either he needs to begin to trust the team, or he should be let go, and let Assistant Coach Dwayne Casey take the reigns of this championship-hopeful team.