The Mavericks' training camp opens Oct. 2 and, by all rights, they should be getting as much scrutiny as any storyline in the NBA.

Their house may not have been broken after last season's embarrassing flame-out in the playoffs. But it certainly was a candidate for some sort of fixer-upper project.

Then again, in the NBA these days, using any derivative of the word "fix" probably isn't a good idea.

The league's referee scandal and resulting tarnished reputation has kept the spotlight far away from players or teams this off-season. Aside from the blockbuster deals and signings that relocated Kevin Garnett, Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen, everything else has faded into the background this summer.

VERNON BRYANT / DMN

Erick Dampier (right) had shoulder surgery and it is uncertain when he will be available, but coach Avery Johnson is confident the team has the right players to win a title.

That's what happens when the credibility of an incredible league comes into question. Everything else gets pushed aside, including teams that deserve some serious questioning for what they did – or didn't – do during the off-season.

So here are the Mavericks, whose biggest reaction to a historic first-round loss to Golden State was to add 35-year-old Eddie Jones.

A nice support player, but hardly the kind of impact that's going to put a dent in what this club clearly lacks: athleticism and passing to deal with teams like Golden State, which provided a blueprint on how to beat the Mavs.

Jones, however, was about the only kind of player that was realistically available to the Mavericks this summer.

"When you get kicked in the teeth like that, it burns like you can't imagine," said president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson. "No one's proud of the way things ended the last two seasons. We're looking to get out there and make it right.

"But this team has taken us to some special places and these guys have earned the right to finish the job. And the reality is this summer's market is about support players. There were no world-beaters that were going to assure you get through the West."

It's easy to say that a 67-win team that went to the NBA Finals in 2006 deserves the right to prove that last season was an aberration. But saying that they stood pat because it was what San Antonio did last summer doesn't wash. The Spurs already had three titles in their hip pocket when they decided to stick with the status quo.

The Mavericks have no such bountiful booty.

So they return the same team, more or less, that was great for most of last season and flawed when it counted most. Now people want to know whether that trip to the '06 Finals was a one-shot deal.

The players can do nothing about that until April, when the playoffs begin. But they feel very strongly that avoiding major changes to the roster was the right move.

"That's a good assessment," Jason Terry said. "For us, that competitive fight is the reason why they needed to keep this thing together. We know we're not going to let ourselves down two years in a row.

"People are going to wonder every year. Coming off the Finals loss, they wondered how we would respond. And then we respond by winning 67. Then we get to the playoffs and look what happened. Every year is a different challenge and people are going to find something to wonder about you. The only way you can answer that is by coming out and proving them wrong."

Coach Avery Johnson had his staff spend a few days at The Woodlands last week, a retreat that was spent strategizing and organizing for the upcoming season. Johnson made it clear early in the off-season that the Mavericks believe they have the right players to accomplish the ultimate goal. That's why Jones, Brandon Bass and rookie Nick Fazekas are the only newcomers, to date. That could change later this month or in October if Chris Webber or P.J. Brown comes aboard via free agency.

One of those big men could be a necessity, not a luxury, depending on the status of Erick Dampier, who is coming off right shoulder surgery. Dampier said he's unsure whether he'll be ready for the start of the regular season. He has a visit to the doctor coming in two weeks, then may start running on a treadmill. Until now, he's been limited in his off-season work. But the surgery was unavoidable.

"They initially thought it was just a little tear, but when they got in there, it was a little bit more," Dampier said. "Everything went well. Now I'm just recovering from it and we've been pretty conservative."

If Dampier is not fully recovered before the regular season begins Oct. 31, that would leave DeSagana Diop as the only veteran center on the team.

Oct. 2 –Training camp opens

Oct. 9 –First preseason game

Oct. 31 –First regular-season game

April 19 –Playoffs begin