DALLAS — The posters harping on defense are gone from the practice court. So is the high- pitched, Cajun twang of former coach Avery Johnson.
Otherwise, at first glance, the 2008-09 Mavericks sure look a lot like the group that got bounced in the first round of last season’s playoffs.
There’s Dirk Nowitzki, draining 3-pointer after 3-pointer. There’s Jason Kidd, 15 years into his NBA career and still refining his jump shot. There’s Josh Howard, working on his game and, one incident-free day at a time, his reputation.
There are a few new faces, mostly guys fighting for spots at the end of the rotation or the end of the roster.
But the biggest offseason acquisition and the main reason the Mavericks expect to rebound to the top tier of the Western Conference: their new coach, Rick Carlisle.
Carlisle brings a strong resume. However, his greatest attribute, to these guys, is simply that he’s not Johnson.
“Every coaching change brings fresh air,” Nowitzki said. “It’s been fun so far. We’ll have to wait and see if (a coaching change) is what we needed or if it was the players.”
Footnotes.
Warriors coach Don Nelson said he’s on the verge of agreeing to a two- year contract extension through 2010-11.
• The Heat waived center David Padgett and guard Jason Richards to get down to the 15-man roster limit.
