Sent Out to Pasture

     The Dallas Mavericks are the exact opposite of the Green Bay Packers. The Packers are young, talented, and have a bright future. The Mavs on the other hand, are old and their window of oppurtunity is all but slammed shut. The Pack, led by quarterback and likely NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, started their campaign for another title with a 14 game winning streak, and are headed to the playoffs with a first round bye. The Mavericks, though they won an NBA Championship last year, are old and frail. To be honest, I predict they'll barely make the playoffs unless a miracle happens. Tyson Chandler was the reason they won it all, sure Dirk Nowitzki certainly helped, and so did J.J. Barea, but Chandler's defense and leadership put the Mavericks on a whole new level. Chandler and the aforementioned Barea haved departed in free agency, and Chandler's impact can already be seen in the New York Knick's great start, and in the 0-3 start Mavs have had without him. Mark Cuban has claimed that he hasn't given up on this season, pointing at the trade for Lamar Odom, but it takes more than one player to make a team, even Jordan had Scottie Pippen. Whether or not Odom will be Nowitzki's Pippen has yet to be seen, though his recent ejection isn't a good start. The league may be overreacting, the Mavericks came out of nowhere last year, and they may do it again, but an 0-3 start isn't a promising start on the road to back-to-back titles. Plus, last year's finals victory may have been a fluke .after the Miami Heat, their opponent in the finals, flat out destroyed them in their opening game.

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