Dallas Mavericks 2015 roster: Rick Carlisle must make do with another overhauled roster

This isn't the roster the Dallas Mavericks hoped to have when they began the summer. This isn't the roster the Mavericks thought they had, either, when DeAndre Jordan told the two-man recruiting class of Mark Cuban and Chandler Parsons that he'd sign with them. But alas, verbal agreements aren't binding and Jordan went back to the Clippers in the 11th hour.

Now the Mavericks are left licking their wounds, and it isn't pretty. Once again, their roster has completely turned over, but with Rick Carlisle at the helm, the team feels confident in his ability to shape a team that can contend for a playoff spot. It wouldn't be the first time he's taken a team that has no business vying for the playoffs and nearly gotten them there anyway, not after nearly squeaking in during the 2012-13 season.

The biggest questions, though, are questions that Carlisle can't strategize away. Parsons and Wesley Matthews are both nursing injuries from last season and could both potentially miss the start of the season. If they don't return quickly, Dallas will have a very difficult time standing out in a brutal West.

RECORD: 50-32 (7th in the Western Conference)
PLAYOFFS: Lost 4-1 to the Houston Rockets in the first round
OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY: 107.2 (5th)
DEFENSIVE EFFICIENCY: 103.7 (18th)

Coach: Rick Carlisle
Assistant coaches: Melvin Hunt, Kaleb Canales, Darrell Armstrong

IN: Wesley Matthews, Deron Williams, Zaza Pachulia, Samuel Dalembert, Jeremy Evans, others
OUT: Monta Ellis, Tyson Chandler, Rajon Rondo, Richard Jefferson,

Even without Jordan's wishy-washiness, the Mavericks once again had an eventful summer featuring massive roster upheaval. This has become the norm for Dallas, who has replaced more than half its roster for three straight seasons. Gone are Ellis, Chandler and mid-season acquisition Rondo, as well as various members of the Mavericks bench. Williams, Matthews and likely Pachulia will take their place in the starting five.

Though Parsons and Wes are both expected to miss at least the start of training camp, both have said they expect to be ready for the start of the season.

Whether that's true, we can't really say with certainty despite hearing it from the players themselves. The Mavericks have never publicly said what type of surgery Parsons had in the offseason, though he was cleared to start fully running recently. Matthews' Achilles injury is another story. Though he was among the best players for the Blazers last season, this injury is among the most difficult to recover from. And when he does come back, he probably won't be as explosive as he used to be.

The Mavericks are betting on their training staff, which is among the best in the NBA, so there are very few better hands both guys could be in to be game-ready as soon as possible. If they aren't ready, Carlisle is going to have to invoke some of his typical wizardry with a strange cast of characters that could include the aforementioned Anderson and Barea as starters, with Devin Harris, John Jenkins and Jeremy Evans coming off the bench.

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