BENCH POWER

Shawn Marion may find himself
coming off the bench for the
Dallas Mavericks this coming
season.

Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle is exploring things that could work for their advantage this upcoming season. Carlisle said he plans to play either one of his talented small forwards, Caron Butler or Shawn Marion, off the bench, according to Dallas Morning News. This move will not be considered a demotion to either Marion or Butler but Carlisle considers it a weapon to further expand their offensive arsenal.

“I've talked to both Shawn and Caron [Butler] that one of them could be coming off the bench for the first time in their careers. I want this to be an element of strength that we're playing to. Not that one of those guys is in decline or anything like that. None of it is personal. It's going to be about being the best possible team.

“We are a talented team and sometimes I think our veteran swagger kind of hurt us a little bit," he said. "But I also think it can be a powerful anchor for us. We got so many weapons and so much talent, I just want us to use everything to our advantage. We got to take advantage of all of it.”