Dallas Mavericks Tickets

It's been tough for the Mavericks this season as they have watched former point guard Devin Harris turn into an All-Star with the New Jersey Nets.

The Mavericks traded Harris at last year's trade deadline to reacquire point guard Jason Kidd, who began his career with Dallas. The thought was that Kidd could help push them over the top in their quest for a championship.

However, the veteran was unable to help Dallas advance in the playoffs last year. He is playing a little better this season and always plays at a high level, but his best days are certainly behind him. The team would be much better off had they kept Harris.

Kidd is averaging just 8.8 points per game, although he is also adding in 8.4 assists and 6.3 rebounds. Still, the assists per game is well below his career average and his defense has been abysmal.

Forward Dirk Nowitzki, unlike Kidd, is still very much in the prime of his career. Nowitzki is averaging 25.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in one of his best seasons yet.

At 31-21 this season, you would think the Mavericks are in pretty good shape. In the Western Conference, think again. the Mavericks are in fourth place in their division, although just 4.5 games behind the leading San Antonio Spurs.

The team will also have to deal with the loss of guard Jason Terry, who recently broke his wrist. It's still unknown how long they might have to play without Terry, their second-leading scorer.

Forward Josh Howard has been able to overcome the controversy surrounding his comments about marijuana use and the Youtube video about his thoughts on the United States and the national anthem.

Howard is averaging over 17 points and nearly five rebounds per game as one of the team's top players. Still, his numbers are down a little bit from those in the past, and I'd expect him to be on his way out of town when the Mavericks find a way to make it happen.

Still, it seems like this Mavericks team is missing an important piece or two if they want to be a true NBA title contender. At some point, they might just need to blow this team up and start all over again. I'm thinking that point is coming really soon.