Eddie Sefko

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You might remember a week ago when somebody in this space said not to panic and wait at least another week or two before getting concerned about the Mavericks after their season-opening loss.

We're not in the "told you so" business here, but let's just say you should always trust the beat writer.

The Mavericks have reversed field nicely and are doing exactly what they need to do to keep the Western Conference big dogs within a leash's length. That's in spite of the meltdown/choke they suffered Wednesday night in New Orleans.

Who knows, a month or two from now, we might be talking about the Mavericks with a bite that's as nasty as their bark.

A full week-plus into the season, there isn't much room for critiquing things because it's so darn early.

But that won't stop us. Other than the Mavericks looking quite competitive so far, here's a few other stunners in the early going:

Wait, there aren't any.

OK, maybe you didn't think Boston would be 6-0 or Denver would be 5-0. But it's not really a shocker that either are, is it?

And the teams you thought were in for a long season have already started them, such as the Kings and the Warriors and the Nets. In fact, is that Jason Kidd/Devin Harris trade really looking that bad these days?

That's a hard question to ask for the only local guy who dumped on it when it happened.

Q: Don't you think Shawn Marion should slow down? It seems like he is going too fast and sometimes loses the ball or gets too far in front of the play. Your thoughts?

Tommy M.

SEFKO: This is a great question. We've all seen Shawn seeming like he's doing trying to do too much in the first five games of the season.

My take is that it's exactly why the Mavericks need him. They need somebody eager to make the move to the basket or force contact to try to get a rebound. This is a perfect compliment to the Mavericks' other heavy lifters who usually play away from the rim.

Yes, Marion has had a lot of missed opportunities in the paint.

And I've already heard a bunch of people in the league who say he can't finish anymore and that he'll end up breaking the Mavericks' heart.

Can't buy that.

No way.

Shawn is giving the Mavericks exactly what they need in terms of defense and an active offensive player.

Should he slow down?

Not under any circumstances. I'd rather have a guy overly aggressive to the rim on both ends of the court than somebody who is a calculated rebounder and defender.

Give me the all-out worker bee anytime.

Q: Surely you didn't mean to say "Bad things sometimes happen to good people" on your blog reference to a man willingly getting into a vehicle drunk and driving erratically. Maybe you meant to say "Good people sometimes make terrible decisions."

Your coddling of the situation by saying that it could have happened to millions of us is also insulting. I have no issue with the idea that Popeye is a good guy. But write about the pitfalls that good people sometimes succumb to. Write about the poor decisions that the best of people sometimes make. Do NOT write about how Popeye "had a bad thing happen to him." Disgusting.

Jared T

SEFKO: Sorry to walk a fine line here, but it would be wise for all of us to avoid jumping to any conclusions about Popeye Jones' DUI arrest.

There are a lot of details to that story that have yet to come out and until they do, have you heard of that little thing about innocent until proven guilty?

Personally, I'm curious why we haven't seen the squad-car film yet.

But anyway, I get your point. Drinking and driving is not a bad thing. It's a bad choice, no matter who is involved. Possibly a deadly choice. And it's something we all should think a lot about the next time we have a few while watching the game.

Q: Of all the off-season additions, who do you think will have the biggest impact?

Creth

SEFKO: It better be Shawn Marion, or many millions of dollars will have been wasted.

Q: Are Jerry Stackhouse, Gana Diop and Devean George out of basketball?

James

SEFKO: I get a lot of questions about Stackhouse, who is unemployed at the moment but trying to stay in the best shape he can. It wouldn't surprise me to see a contending team or a team really trying to make the playoffs sign Stackhouse later in the season.

He's still got the grit that made him a hit with the Mavericks, even if the wheels aren't what they once were.

George, by the way, is on Golden State's roster but has been injured (shocking, I know) and hasn't yet played.

Diop remains a backup for the Charlotte Bobcats.

Q: Not sure this is a question for the newsletter, but I'm wondering why the Mavericks felt the need to add "Skin" to the telecast team? I believe Bob Ortegel and Mark Followill have more insightful and relevant knowledge.

Phil M., McKinney

SEFKO: I'm sorry to report that, since I'm at virtually every game, I don't get to see the telecasts.

I do get lots of e-mails about Jeff Wade, a.k.a. "Skin," some good and some bad. From what I've gathered from the Mavericks television, executive and owner-type folks, they wanted to get an infusion of different, off-beat outlooks on things. Jeff can do that, as Bob-O would say.

If it sounds like I'm not answering your question, you're right. Jeff's a friend and I really don't have any idea what kind of job he's doing because I never see the telecasts. But it really only matters what one person thinks. His e-mail is mark.cuban@mavs.com.

Q: With a three-point lead in the final period, shouldn't the coach have instructed the players to foul the Hornets rather than allowing a 3-point shot? Of course, Terry and Barea should have sacked the game away with free throws. Shouldn't the coach have put Roddy Beaubois back in? At least he could make free throws.

Cynthia C.

SEFKO: Could he?

Nobody knows whether the rookie would make free throws in a pressure situation. Not even the player himself. The bottom line is that you go with proven competitors.

But I agree with you that the 3-point question has some validity. I've always been a fan of that you hack whenever you can do it and not lose the game.

Not that it always works. But you are guaranteed at least a chance to end the game on your terms.

Q: Why does our coach continue to lean on J.J. Barea in the fourth quarter? His offense is welcome, but he's a liability on defense. I would rather have Jason Kidd and Jason Terry out there. I know Terry and Barea both missed free throws late, but Terry usually hits those.

Phil M.

SEFKO: Clearly, Terry doesn't make them in crunch time, either. I can't help but think that Barea is earning these minutes through practices. He took a legitimate charge from Chris Paul in the final seconds Wednesday and his scoring has been essential through five games.

The one interesting thing will be when Josh Howard returns.

How much time will Barea get then? My guess is that his minutes will diminish.

Q: Is Kris Humphries better than Drew Gooden? I know Gooden has been injured, but I haven't been enthralled with his game.

Graham A., Washington, D.C.

SEFKO: Can't argue with you that Humphries has looked like a player in the first few games. But Gooden has been a productive starter just about everywhere he's been.

I sense that there's a head coming between these two. Humphries has earned his playing time and I can't see it coming at the expense of Dirk or Marion. Or even Dampier, with the way he's playing.

So somebody else is going to have to sit if Humphries is a 20-minute player, which he's looking more and more like.

That could all change if Gooden starts making some shots. He wasn't a high first-round pick for no reason.

Q: We know that Dampier's expiring contract is potentially valuable to a team that wants to lose salary later on down the road. However, these first few games, we have seen is value when properly motivated.

Long question longer: Should we trade him at the deadline for an impact piece that management feels could put the Mavericks on another level?

Jesse, Denton

SEFKO: I have only one thing to say:

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

You know how people like to be politically correct and say they're going green.

In the NBA, never underestimate the power of going for the green.

Q: What's it going to take to get Joe Johnson from Atlanta?

Brandon J.

SEFKO: A Brinks truck owned by Mark Cuban.

Q: Is there any way to put a plastic bubble around Dirk? If he gets hurt, the Mavs are done for. It became painfully obvious that if Dirk's not on the floor or not producing, there's no way for our offense to score. We'd gotten lucky to even be in that game with Jet's shooting.

Eric, Forney

SEFKO: Well, I'd say that they were doing just fine without Dirk until they missed four of five free throws to throw away the game they'd already won.

But you're right. If Dirk goes down, it's the same as if Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, Yao Ming, Dwight Howard or LeBron James goes down. None of those teams are going to be any good without their stars.