Dirk Nowitzki's knee tough twist in Mavericks' makeover

• Mavericks whiffed on several big stars this offseason
• Dallas very different team from one that won 2011 championship
• Dirk Nowitzki's knee surgery will keep him out for at least first month

DALLAS — First things first: Dwight Howard isn't walking through the door. Neither is Deron Williams.

Actually, it's pretty difficult to recognize almost anyone passing through the entrance to the Dallas Mavericks locker room these days.

Remember the Dallas team that won the NBA title two seasons ago?

Of the 19 players who reported to the Mavs training camp, two — forwards Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion — were part of the playoff run that ended with a six-game victory against LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.

And 11-time All-Star Nowitzki won't be ready for the start of the regular season after having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Friday. He could be out for as long as six weeks.

Owner Mark Cuban and the Mavs front office likely will open the season with eight newcomers, including center Chris Kaman, shooting guard O.J. Mayo and point guard Darren Collison, and without popular fixtures Jason Terry and Jason Kidd, gone via free agency to the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks.

"It's part of business," Marion said of the extreme makeover. "We knew it was bound to happen. One thing I can say is Cuban made sure he found pieces to put in and make a nice team. Now it's about everyone coming together and jelling together and making it happen."

Cuban broke up his title team, letting rugged defensive center Tyson Chandler, flashy guard J.J. Barea and ace defender DeShawn Stevenson go to clear salary-cap space. He made no secret of trying to land one or both of the premier free agents of this summer — Howard and Williams — to team with his star, Nowitzki.

That scheme crumbled when Howard honored his option for 2012-13 and was traded from the Orlando Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers, and Williams, who grew up in the Dallas area, snubbed his hometown team to re-sign with the Brooklyn Nets.

With a year of planning wasted and the fan base panicking, the Mavs scrambled to make the most of what was left. They signed Kaman and Mayo, won the amnesty sweepstakes for two-time All-Star Elton Brand and traded for Indiana Pacers guards Collison and Dahntay Jones.

The Mavs have concocted a team with a little bit of everything: youth and speed (Collison is 25, Mayo and guard Rodrigue Beaubois are 24), experienced but aging stars (Nowitzki and Marion are 34, Brand 33 and Vince Carter 35), shooters, rebounders and tough guys.

What they don't have is the star power of Howard or Williams. And with Kaman sidelined with a strained calf and uncertain how long he'll be out, the onus is squarely on the remaining newcomers.

"Maybe we'll have to do it by committee, be a solid all-around team and play our roles, these new guys," said Brand, a former 20-point, 10-rebound a game big man whose averages have steadily fallen in recent years, hitting 11.0 points and 7.2 rebounds for the Philadelphia 76ers last season.

The good news is several of the players are familiar with each other. Nowitzki and Kaman have played together with the German national team, and Kaman and Brand were Los Angeles Clippers teammates for five seasons.

The bad news is they have one month to pull everything together before opening the regular season on the road against the formidable Lakers.

"When Brand and Kaman are out there together, they're in lockstep in what they're doing," coach Rick Carlisle said. "One guy zigs, and the other guy knows to zag. They know how to play together, and that's going to be something that helps us. The whole thing about Dirk and Kaman, there's a familiarity there.

"But all that stuff guarantees you nothing. We've still got to come out here and get these guys all tied together, not just two or three of them."

There's also a twist to the dynamic. Brand, Kaman, Collison and Jones come to Dallas with one year left on their contracts, while Mayo has one year plus a player option, giving the Mavs the feel of a rent-a-team.

And while the players in question have much to prove in what Brand termed an audition for their next contracts, there is also the challenge of making sure they play for the team rather than for themselves.

"It can be good, and it can be bad," said Kaman, a 30-year-old former All-Star who signed a one-year, $8 million contract in July. "Sometimes it pushes people to the point where they have so much pressure they don't know how to handle it.

"But that's the good thing about the guys here who have that kind of contract — they're professional, veterans who know how to handle pressure.

"I don't think it will be a big issue. Mark just wants to get a feel for how the guys fit together before he puts a long-term deal together. If we prove to him that everybody who's on these one-year deals is capable of playing well together and having some success, I think he'll reward guys.

"I'm excited to be here. I'm hoping for a longer-term contract with the Mavericks. I like it here."