The new guys look at what surrounds them and can't help but gush. The old guys see the changes and are understandably excited. The old coach looks at all the possibilities and nearly salivates.

One game and three practices into The New Mavericks, the squad is just now grasping the limitless possibilities of what it can do with two 7-footers who can shoot long jumpers as smoothly as any of the guards, two guards who can penetrate as well as any in the league, and another who can be an explosive sharp-shooter.
With ever-creative coach Don Nelson running the show, the unconventional wheels in his head have been turning on how to make The New Mavericks most effective. They have a potential starting lineup averaging 98.9 points per game. They have two 7-footers, Dirk Nowitzki and Raef LaFrentz, who hit more than 40 percent of their 3-pointers. They have two point guards, Steve Nash and Nick Van Exel, who can score and create.