The last three playoff exits weren't easy for any of the Mavericks to deal with, and the aftermath has opened up plenty of questions for a franchise in transition. Rick Carlisle was hired to help answer some of those questions.

"In any situation, there has to be an acceptance of where you are and that things that happened have happened for a reason," Carlisle said the day of his introductory press conference. "The one thing about change is there is an opportunity for things to be a little different, maybe the approach is a little bit different, maybe the tone is a little bit different, who knows?

"We've got to make sure that we approach these guys from the standpoint that we're going to drive them hard, but we're going to give them confidence and be supportive as well. You can't be as good a team as you possibly can be unless you have a coaching staff that's behind you."

Carlisle's vision of the team's offense next season goes right to the heart of the blockbuster trade that reshaped the roster.

"When you play with Jason Kidd, I think you've got to open up the floor and allow him to push it up and our wing guys are going to have to get in condition to really run," Carlisle said. "The thing that Jason Kidd does better than any point guard probably in the history of the game is push that thing ahead."

SEASON HIGHLIGHT
The Mavs locked down their eighth consecutive postseason trip with their only solid stretch against playoff contenders since adding Jason Kidd. After dropping 10 in row to winning teams, Dallas knocked off Golden State, Phoenix and Utah over a nine-day period in April. The victory over the Jazz on April 10 clinched the playoff berth.

TURNING POINT
The front office tried to find answers with the trade for Jason Kidd during the All-Star break. With less than 30 games left in the regular season to work with, the blockbuster deal didn't have the impact the team hoped. Recognized as perhaps the best pure passer in the NBA, Kidd never brought the dynamic dimension Johnson's system needed.

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