As recently as one week ago the Mavericks were getting roundly criticized for making no offseason moves while rival teams were making trades and getting better.

Throughout all the criticism owner Mark Cuban and GM Donnie Nelson continued repeating what seemed to be the company line that they were executing their plan.

After all the outrage and criticism, it's time to give the Mavs' front office their dues. After successfully bring back point guard Jason Kidd and signing former Orlando center Marcin Gortat they have now completed their trade for Shawn Marion (and other assorted players).

The deal is great for the Mavs, as they give up only role players Antoine Wright, Devean George and aging forward Jerry Stackhouse in return for a player who will start upon arrival in Marion.

This deal also leaves center Erick Dampier in Dallas, who is another potential trade chip the Mavs can use.

The lineup of Kidd, Terry, Howard, Marion, Dirk and Gortat will be more formidable than last year's Mavs on both sides of the ball. Sure, they're not the most star-studded team in the conference, but as Gortat's former team, the Magic (or the 06-07 Mavs) can tell you, the best team in the conference isn't always in the NBA Finals.

The move also shows fans the Mavs won't sit around and gamble in the 2010 free agent market. Players like Lebron, Wade and Bosh could all be free agents, but if one didn't end up with the Mavs, the strategy could have wrecked the franchise.

The Mavs had to do something while Dirk is still an elite player, and the Marion deal shows they aren't going to wait around and hope a championship falls in their lap.

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