Dallas Mavericks Report Card

Report card time"

Another Dallas Mavericks regular season in the books. Don't care what anyone says, winning and getting into the playoffs is entirely more valuable than losing and getting into the lottery.

Losing sucks and 51 wins still means something (even thought it equates to seventh in the conference).

Avery Johnson -- D
51 wins is still 51 wins. But you wonder who's succumbed to the pressure more -- the team or its coach.

Donnie Nelson -- F
The draft was a complete bust. Brandon Bass is the only positive on a horrid 2007-08 resume.

Malik Allen - B
When Allen's name was mentioned in the Jason Kidd-Devin Harris trade, I thought very little of it. Just too many "Maliks" sitting on benches across the NBA. Watching him play, you know he has value. Slightly undersized as a center, he can bang, rebound and be generally pesky. He is what he is.

J.J. Barea - F
I was willing to open my mind and let Barea play. Just to see what he has. As it turns out, very little. If you can't defend, then you'd better be one hell of an offensive player. And he's not.

Brandon Bass - A
A brilliant free agent move. He's deadly from 10-15 feet. He'll back someone down and lay it up. Play a little pesky defense and rebound. All of this and he's only like 5-11.

Erick Dampier -- C+
Offensively, he's the same ol' Damp -- inconsistent. But he's still a high-quality rebounder, defender and does all the intangibles that most centers ignore. Unfortunately, the progress he made last year was lost.

Devean George -- F
He's playing less and less. Injuries ate his lunch. Coincidentally, coming after a new contract. He's simply not a very smart basketball player.

Josh Howard -- D-
I give him the benefit of some doubt due to the first half of the season. The 20-footer parade ended in pretty short order after January. The most maddening Maverick and a guy who went to the untradeable list to the tradeable list over a course of a couple of months. The argument of whether Avery Johnson has "lost" this team begins and ends with Howard. Don't know if he's tired of the constant pressure to defend, rebound and go to the basket. Can he be a No. 2 guy in the league? Did anyone ask this question a year ago?

Juwan Howard - D
Again, the greatest 12th man in the NBA.

Eddie Jones - F
If Bass if the best free agent of the year, Jones is clearly the worst. He was it. He was going to solidify the shooting guard spot. Give the Mavs a threat on the outside and allegedly "defend" the Kobes of the world. Good luck with all that. The kicker is that he has a player option at the end of the season. He could just sit on the bench and get paid.

Jason Kidd - F
What's been so great about Jason Kidd? Actually, I'd like to hand out another "F" to all the media types and dudes with opinions telling me about "smart defense" and having a leader and a guy who can't shoot, but he's not afraid to take it. A tough guy who will run and gun and run the half-court with efficiency and an acute deftness. Kidd has proven to be none of these. And he's our for another year at $20 million.

Tyronn Lue - Incomplete

Jamaal Magloire - F
I asked how a guy who was so good for a couple of years could find himself on the bench for the New Jersey Nets. Then he became a Maverick. Who knew that conditioning was so important in professional sports.

Dirk Nowitzki - A
Just consistently good. Year after year. Still showing that he can get a big block, the bigger rebound and hit the largest shot at that particular moment. If Jason Kidd goes down with injury, we still have Dirk. If Dirk goes down with injury, well, season over. He won't win the MVP, but he's clearly the best player on this team.

Jerry Stackhouse - D
Don't think he has a lot left in the tank.

Jason Terry - C
It's nice that he's taken suck a liking to coming off the bench, but is he most effective there? Does he fit anywhere? Eh, forget it. Just put him on the bench.

Antoine Wright - Incomplete
Love to see more. Might not be able to.