The Mavericks intend to sign Caron butler to a long-term contract, according to his agent Raymond Brothers.

Donnie Nelson is currently prohibited from commenting on the issue.

"After the championship was over," Brothers said, "Donnie texted me and told me he wanted Caron to be part of the team long term."

Butler suffered a season-ending injury to his patellar tendon on Jan. 1.

"His preference is to stay with Dallas and help them compete for a championship," Brothers said. "We are optimistic and hopeful that we'll come to an agreement that works for both sides."

Pistons guard Ben Gordon is one of four players who will continue to get paid if the NBA lockout stretches into the upcoming season.

All are clients of agent Raymond Brothers, who spread their 2010-11 NBA salaries over 18 or 24 months in case the lockout forces the cancellation of games.

The others are Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph, Mavericks forward Caron Butler and Clippers forward Al-Farouq Aminu.

According to a source close to the NBA's league-wide audit, three teams -- the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic -- will be paying close to $20 million each as part of the league's luxury tax this season.

All three had player salaries well over the $70 million threshold. The Mavericks and Lakers, two of the most successful franchises over the last decade, have traditionally had high payrolls, while the Magic have been adding salary in an attempt to keep Dwight Howard in Orlando.

The traditionally free-spending New York Knicks are a notable absence from the list. Despite adding Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire in the last year, they won't be paying the luxury tax for the first time in over a decade. 

Dirk Nowitzki will try to help his country reach the Olympics again.

The German Basketball Federation announced on Friday that both he and fellow NBA big man Chris Kaman will play for the national team at the EuroBasket in Lithuania.

Should Germany reach the Final, they will book a place in the London Games.

If they come in third, fourth, fifth or sixth, the German national team will be invited to the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

"The break was very short, but I would like to help the German team be successful at the EuroBasket,” Nowitzki said to basketball-bund.de.

"I will try now to do everything to get top fitness and am looking forward to the time with my teammates."

The Dallas Mavericks won the 2011 NBA Championship and will appear as the marquee attraction for several nationally televised games during the 11-12 regular season.

Dallas will host the Chicago Bulls on Nov. 1 as the season opener and will also host the Miami Heat on Christmas Day on ABC.

The Bulls will be in Los Angeles on Christmas Day to play the Lakers.

The Heat will start their season on Nov. 2 against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks will travel to play the Nuggets on Nov. 16, which would mark the first game back in Denver for Carmelo Anthony. The team will also be involved in the Christmas Day slate as they will play the Boston Celtics.

Blake Griffin and the Clippers will be featured heavily on national television, with 13 appearances on either TNT or ESPN.

The Raptors will host the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 2 for their season opener.

Jason Kidd has some time to enjoy himself after a long playoff run that resulted in theDallas Mavericks' first NBA title. What better way than joining the likes of Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and former Stars Mike Modano and Brett Hull?

When asked of his future plans Saturday during an on-course interview with Jimmy Roberts during the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship at Lake Tahoe, Kidd had this to say:

“Hopefully I got three years left. I have a year on my deal and then I would like to get past 40 and then watch the young guys play.”

During the playoffs Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, Tyson Chandler and Brian Cardinal made regular visits to a Texas wellness facility to take part in whole body cryotherapy, standing in a silo that dropped to as low as minus-320 degrees Fahrenheit.

"It's not going to make you fly out of the room or jump like LeBron James," says Terry, "but the feeling you get when you step out of that machine is unbelievable. You feel completely rejuvenated."

"I can't take it quite as cold as some of the others," said Kidd, who split time defending James and Dwyane Wade during the Finals. "But it still worked."

"It gave us a tremendous edge, not only physically but psychologically," Terry says. "I don't know if it was a team-bonding thing, but it's something that came up every day. We'd plan on getting together and hitting it. It became a ritual."

It was definitely a fun night to be a member of the Dallas Mavericks.

Dirk Nowitzki picked up a pair of trophies, including male athlete of the year, and the Mavericks were chosen as the best team Wednesday night at the ESPY Awards.

Nowitzki also won best NBA player during ESPN’s live telecast from the Nokia Theatre. Rick Carlisle was named best coach for leading the Mavericks to the NBA championship.

Whenever the NBA lockout ends and a frenzied free-agency period begins, Tyson Chandler and his agent, Jeff Schwartz, know he will have the entire league -- or at least those teams with spending power -- in the palm of his large hand.

"It's a great point in my career, and I'm coming up under free agency and there's a lot of great teams out there, a lot of great opportunities out there, a lot of up-and-building things," Chandler said Wednesday in a phone interview. "So, I mean, I've got to take a look at all that. I've got to take everything into consideration, and the good thing is I'm on a good side. I'm coming off an incredible year, so it's not a situation where it's worrisome.

"It's going to be a lot that comes into play," Chandler said. "I've got a family, so I want to make sure I put my family in a good situation, where my kids will be comfortable going to school, being able to adjust. That's my No. 1 priority. Being on the court, my surroundings, my teammates, the organization, the history of the organization, our chances, the type of impact I'll make. All that stuff is going to come into play. It's a long list."

Dirk Nowitzki was recently asked what impact Dwyane Wade and LeBron James are having on the NBA.

“American basketball needs players like James and Wade, but the NBA also needs down-to-earth people like me. We players are all part of a show, and it only works in the long term if there is variety, when there is something there for everybody.”