Is Dirk Nowitzki set to return to his 2006-07 MVP form?

NBA.com's Steve Aschburner definitely thinks so, ranking Nowitzki fourth in his "Race to the MVP" summer edition. But according to Aschburner, for the 7-footer to win the award for a second time he must first led the Dallas Mavericks to more regular-season success. Then he must also show more attention to the defensive end of the floor.

Here's what the veteran writer said of Nowitzki's chances of bringing the award back to Big D in 2010-11:

The cast around him in Dallas still is terrifically talented, but Nowitzki remains the essential Mavericks player. He signed for less money than maximally possible -- a classy MVP move right there -- and he's a past winner of this award. The Mavericks would need to finish with one of the top three records, probably, and more attention to defense (if possible at this stage of the 32-year-old's career) would earn him extra votes.

Aschburner notes No. 41's unselfishness this summer, re-signing with the Mavericks for a reported four years worth over $80 million, though he could have cashed in for a max-level deal worth upward to $96 million.

And anticipating that Nowitzki's candidacy for the award will depend on the Mavericks' on-the-court success also doesn't miss its mark, as seen by recent recipients of the award including Nowitzki's own personal accolade.

Since Nowitzki won the award after leading the Mavericks to a 67-win season, Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (2007-08 MVP) and back-to-back winner LeBron James (formerly of the Cleveland Cavaliers before deciding to bolt for South Beach and the Miami Heat this offseason) have led their squads to an average of 61 victories.

But coming off of a 55-win season and the Southwest Division title, what more can the Germany native do to lead the Mavs to even more notches in the win column?

The Mavericks' leading scorer and the league's seventh-best scoring assassin (25.0 ppg) in the 2009-10 campaign finished seventh in MVP voting. He also became the first Mav, first European-born player and just the 34th member of the 20,000-point club.

But according to Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, it's the team's success that drives Nowitzki. Not the personal statistics that captivates us all.

"You get a guy who is pure basketball heart. He'd do anything to win any ball game and he wouldn't care how many points he scored...That's what really makes him special, along with the other things (Dallas fans) have seen on a daily basis for over a decade," Carlisle said.

And though Nowitzki has proven to be one of the NBA's all-time deadliest scorers, in order to lead his team to more wins this season he may have to elevate his game in other categories as well. That may mean improving on the 8.2 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and just under a steal per game average. All of which are All-Star numbers, but elevating his game defensively could do more than just sway a couple of votes for the highly-coveted award.

Essentially, Nowitzki will need to be the Mavericks' defensive catalyst.

"As our offense gets better, we don't want to take steps back defensively," Nowitzki said last season. "We want to keep our defensive intensity at the same level and just get better offensively. We don't want to trade defense for offense."

That's the mind state that Aschburner says Nowitzki will need to display for 82 games in order to eclipse the likes of Bryant, (It's also noteworthy that James slipped to fifth in these rankings since joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami) scoring champ Kevin Durant and two-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard on his list.

And although the personal achievements, including a second MVP award, are not what push Nowitzki at this point in his career, the allusive championship that he longs to add to his list of accomplishments may also call on the nine-time All-Star to showcase more defense and less offensive flare.

Make no mistake about it, a title is the only thing that's on the mind of the Mavs' leader in virtually every major category. Not a second MVP.

"It's pretty amazing how far I got in 12 years, but my main goal now is to win a championship," Nowitzki said. "All of the individual goals will be nice once my career is over. I can look back, 'Hey, I scored 20,000 points. I got an MVP.' All that is sweet, but it doesn't mean that much to me as of right now. I'm still trying to chase my dreams and that's winning a championship."

Got a question for EKS? Send your question, along with your first name, last initial, city and state with the subject line "Ask EKS" to askeks@dallasmavs.com, and you could be published on Mavsfastbreak.com, the Mavericks' new official blog site.

For ticket information, call (214) 747-MAVS. For all of your coverage of the Dallas Mavericks this offseason, visit Mavs.com. And follow Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at www.twitter.com/EKS_MavsNBA.

Former Dallas Mavericks great Rolando Blackman is a man of many trades.

Since the end of his playing days, the four-time NBA All-Star has served as the director of basketball development for the Mavericks and a broadcaster on the side. Now, after previous experience as an assistant coach internationally, Blackman is once again using his knowledge of the game abroad.

Joining the host country of the FIBA World Championship held in Turkey from Aug. 28 through Sept. 12, Blackman has been named to Bogdan Tanjevic's staff as an assistant coach. Tanjevic coached Blackman to an Italian league championship with Stefanel Milano in 1996.

"Together we won the Italian league title. My reason for being here is Tanjevic," Blackman said. "I am very happy to work with him. He is a great coach. Knowledge of the game of basketball is everything, and Tanjevic knows the most."

The duo of Blackman and Tanjevic will try to led Turkey to another title, with a gold medal at stake. But before competing in the Worlds, the Turkish team must first battle its way through the Istanbul Cup this weekend against the likes of Iran, Serbia and New Zealand.

"The Istanbul Cup will give us a chance to see where we are," Blackman said. "The team is ready to win the tournament. Everyone is taking responsibility for each other and giving each other support."

And with help from Blackman, who has done it all in his basketball career, winning certainly seems to be in Turkey's future.

Got a question for EKS? Send your question, along with your first name, last initial, city and state with the subject line "Ask EKS" to askeks@dallasmavs.com, and you could be published on Mavsfastbreak.com, the Mavericks' new official blog site.

For ticket information, call (214) 747-MAVS. For all of your coverage of the Dallas Mavericks this offseason, visit Mavs.com. And follow Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at www.twitter.com/EKS_MavsNBA.

Is the entire NBA universe overlooking the Dallas Mavericks?

It certainly appears that way.

Tuesday, against the norm, the league office released the schedule of its marquee games -- nationally-televised matchups during Opening Week, on Christmas Day and on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. There were no Mavericks' games in sight.

Instead, the Mavs and their faithful followers will have to wait until Aug. 10 when the league unveils the full schedule. But the question comes to mind just why were the Mavericks left out in the cold with Tuesday's announcement?

Granted the Super Friends trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami will get plenty of airtime -- which in fact they did, with the opening game of the season on Oct. 26 against the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics, an Oct. 29 showdown with the Orlando Magic and a Christmas evening tip-off against the back-to-back champion Los Angeles Lakers.

Boston and Orlando will still hold your TV hostage as well, as expected.

Of course, Kobe Bryant and the two-time champs will receive a bulk of the face time also -- as the Lakers open up on Oct. 26 against the Houston Rockets, before a Western Conference finals rematch against the Phoenix Suns three days later, the Christmas meeting with the Heat and an MLK face-off with the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder.

And it is the Thunder that seemingly have become the darling of the Association with four marquee games. Kevin Durant, the youngest scoring champion in league history, is still just 21 years old and the Thunder is coming off a postseason run that saw the young squad push the Lakers to the brink of a seventh game before Pau Gasol's game-winning tip-in in Game 6 helped the champs escape the first round. So, Oklahoma City seems primed and ready for a deep playoff run in the West this season.

But where do the Mavericks fit in? Or are they perfectly fine with flying under the radar?

Well, the Mavericks didn't seem very concerned when they went on a league-best tying 13-game winning streak, though it was barely noticed last season. Thanks to a Feb. 13 trade with Washington for Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson, the team went on to win 55 regular-season games, finishing second in the West and claiming the Southwest Division crown. But a first-round exit at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs may be why the Mavericks aren't headlining the NBA's nationwide tour.

"We like the trade still that we did in February," forward Dirk Nowitzki said. "We felt like we were deep and could compete with the best of them (last season). We just happened to run into a tough team."

Now, after an expected full training camp together with Butler, Haywood and Stevenson alongside newly acquired centers Tyson Chandler and Alexis Ajinca from Charlotte in a five-player trade this offseason, flying under the radar seems to fit the Mavericks just fine.

"I've always felt like this is a great team," Chandler said when he joined the Mavs. "Now, to be on this team in this moment right now -- with the group of guys that they brought in last year, in addition to the guys that were already here -- I think it's a great combination."

And maybe it's a combination that can steal the thunder from the rest of the league, despite being overlooked for its marquee matchups.

Got a question for EKS? Send your question, along with your first name, last initial, city and state with the subject line "Ask EKS" to askeks@dallasmavs.com, and you could be published on Mavsfastbreak.com, the Mavericks' new official blog site.

For ticket information, call (214) 747-MAVS. For all of your coverage of the Dallas Mavericks this offseason, visit Mavs.com. And follow Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at www.twitter.com/EKS_MavsNBA.

After showing that he has what it takes to match up against his first-year peers, Dallas Mavericks rookie guard Dominique Jones now has to prove that he's ready to star at the next level.

The first-rounder who turned heads in the NBA's Summer League in Las Vegas, on his way to being selected to the All-Tournament team, is well aware that performing at a high level against fellow young pros was one thing. Making a name for himself by excelling on a nightly basis in the professional ranks is another story.

"I did okay (in Las Vegas), it started off kind of shaky a little bit," Jones said. "I think that I got better every game. I got more consistent every game, more efficient. That was my goal."

While Jones' 16.6 points per game in the Mavs' five matchups this summer was enough to lead the team, the 6-foot-4 combo guard believes it was just the start of impressive things to come. After outscoring No. 1 overall draft pick John Wall, 28-21, in their summer league head-to-head meeting, the young Mav might be right.

"I know myself, I'm gonna keep getting better as it goes on. You see people that start off good, then they die down. You know, I only get better. So, I'm just learning and trying to get better," Jones told NBA TV after his summer finale.

But can the former star at South Florida crack the Mavericks' rotation in a crowded backcourt?

"(Jones) has a pro ability to get his own shot," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "We feel like he's a unique guy. He'd probably be classified more as a scorer than a shooter. We obviously feel he is a guy that could help us next year."

And after leading his squad in scoring all three of his collegiate seasons, you can easily see how Jones could fit into Dallas' equation for years to come.

In his junior season, Jones earned First Team All-Big East honors and an All-American honorable mention after averaging 21.4 points (15th in the nation), 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He was the only player in the nation to average at least 21 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Now, Jones will not only put those surefire skills to the test while becoming a mainstay in a Dallas uniform, but he also hopes to show some of the NBA's best a thing or two.

"I mean, I'm looking forward to playing against everybody," Jones said. "I don't have an idol. I feel like I'm my best player. Because I feel like if D-Wade (Dwyane Wade) or Kobe (Bryant) is my best player, how do I approach that when it's time to play against them? So, I feel that I'm my favorite player, no idol. I'm just ready to play every time I step out here."