<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Are the Mavericks' five best players on the court when the game starts? Can the inconsistency after six games be traced to two inconsistent parts in the starting lineup? To be fair, the Mavs' 4-2 record -- 3-2 on the road -- won't bring many complaints. And charting trends before a second home game leaves a margin for error. But there have been points of concern. Two teams on the just-completed 2-1 road trip -- Philadelphia and New Orleans/Oklahoma City -- shot better than 50 percent. All three teams, Charlotte included, outscored the Mavs in the fourth quarter. When it comes to measuring production conventionally, two of the Mavs' least productive players -- Doug Christie and Erick Dampier -- play on the first team. "We've got one new starter in our lineup right now [Christie] and we're trying to figure out what's the best fit," coach Avery Johnson said. "We're still evaluating that part of it." There's no questioning three-fifths of the starting group. Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry and Josh Howard are playing well. Keith Van Horn has provided a sizable punch off the bench, and the Mavs appear the most potent when Nowitzki and Van Horn share the court, though the pairing has defensive limits. Devin Harris, Marquis Daniels and DeSagana Diop have also performed admirably in reserve roles. The same can't be said, so far, about Christie and Dampier, who are scoring more than only Diop and Darrell Armstrong. Christie is working his way into shape. He's not 100 percent after off-season ankle surgery, and he might not be this season. Christie appeared to move easier on the road trip, and Johnson has made a point of singling out the veteran's contributions. "What he does doesn't always show up on the stat sheet," Johnson said. Based on raw numbers, Dampier has been a disappointment. Johnson won't label him as such, but Dampier's stats (6.2 points and 6.2 rebounds) have taken a dive from last season's pedestrian averages of 9.2 points and 8.5 boards. Johnson did commend Dampier's defensive effort against Tim Duncan on Nov. 5 when the stoic center played a season-high 28 minutes. He hasn't played more than 21 minutes since. Dampier's season-high for rebounds is eight, matching that of Diop. Dampier hasn't blocked more than two shots in a game, while Diop has blocked at least three shots three times. Asked his thoughts on his play, Dampier said: "I don't know how to answer that question." Early foul trouble remains a problem, but he's not playing enough (21.2 minutes) to foul out. He's reached five fouls twice. "I'm not really frustrated [by foul trouble]," Dampier said. "Fouls happen during the game. I've got six of them. Why not use them all?" Johnson has used that approach to his lineup. Nine players are logging more than 14 minutes. The rotation figures to get more crowded when Jerry Stackhouse returns from his knee injury probably later this month. "We understand that you can't win with five guys, not over 82 games," Nowitzki said. "In the playoffs, when the timeouts are longer and you don't play the back-to-backs, then maybe you can play five guys.</div> Source
