National Basketball Association

Marion may not be in step with Mavs' running game

Published Jul. 15, 2009 1:16 a.m. ET

foxsports

Here's the lowdown on the most significant of the latest batch of player movements:

Shawn Marion to the Mavs

PROS: He's still an extraordinary athlete who can run the floor and cover lots of ground on defense. Marion is more comfortable and effective guarding small forwards, but he can also match up against some smallish power forwards. A dunk-o-maniac as well as a long distance bomber, Marion is an explosive scorer. He also comes equipped with a neat crossover going either way, but prefers driving either left or baseline. He will corral his share of jumping-jack rebounds.

CONS: Marion has played over 3,000 minutes six times in his career, too many of those minutes against bigger, stronger power forwards. As a result, his 31-year-old body is beginning to wear down and he lacks the super-duper quickness he once had. That's why, in man-to-man defense, Marion has taken to reaching and haunting passing lanes more than he used to. Moreover, passing, consistently creating his own scoring opportunities, and operating efficiently in half-court sets, have always been his weaknesses. But if Marion's skills show to best effect in a running game, then Dallas is not the best venue for him.

PROGNOSIS: Jason Kidd is still a marvelous passer and floor general but, with his advanced age (36 is old for a point guard) and his speed diminished by his radical knee surgery, J-Kidd can no longer get to the basket with any degree of regularity. And if Kidd can no longer orchestrate a top-notch running game, neither Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Matt Carroll, Greg Buckner nor Erick Dampier are capable of playing get-out-and-go basketball. As such, the Mavs will have trouble developing an identity.