DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Well, that didn't take long. The Mavericks' transformation, I mean.

A week ago we sat here slump-shouldered and long-faced, resigned to the fact that in the wake of last summer's NBA Championship general manager Donnie Nelson wasn't going to follow through on his promise to "keep the band together." With Tyson Chandler traded to the New York Knicks and J.J. Barea and Caron Butler allowed to walk via free agency, it seemed clear that the Mavs would raise a banner on opening day, then waive a white flag of surrender shortly thereafter.

The same team that beat the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals will be memorialized, yet is also only a memory. But then, before the first tear could trickle down our cheek, Nelson and owner Mark Cuban went to work.

"I understand it stings not to have Tyson and J.J. and those guys, but the rules of the game have changed with this new collective bargaining agreement," Cuban said Tuesday afternoon on 105.3 The Fan. "If we signed all those guys to long-term deals we'd have zero chance to improve our team down the road. Instead, we've got to find a way to stay competitive this year and create some financial flexibility for significant trades and free agents next summer and beyond. We're on our way to doing that."

The message, initially muddied by the complexity of the new CBA born from the lockout, became crystal clear this week.

Introducing your new (old) Mavericks, including reigning Sixth Man of the Year Lamar Odom, eight-time All-Star Vince Carter, veteran journeyman Delonte West and former Lottery-pick bust Brandan Wright. The core remains intact, anchored by Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and Shawn Marion.

"I'm not gonna lie, it's weird man," Marion said Tuesday. "I hate to see those guys leave because last year was so special. That'll never change. But last year is last year. We've got the makings of a really good team this year."

For now – veteran backup center pending – the Mavs' roster:

PG: Jason Kidd, Roddy Beaubois, Dominique Jones
SG: Vince Carter, Jason Terry, Delonte West
SF: Lamar Odom, Shawn Marion
PF: Dirk Nowitzki, Brandan Wright, Brian Cardinal
C: Brendan Haywood, Ian Mahinmi

To put it delicately, it's an experienced squad. To put it bluntly, the starting lineup's average age is 34. In a condensed, 66-game season in which teams will play back-to-back-to-back and sometimes six games in nine nights, having a 39-year-old point guard in Kidd, for example, can't be an asset.

"It's going to hurt us, no doubt," Cuban admits. "But the good thing is we don't have to be the No. 1 to be successful in the playoffs. We'll have to give nights off to J-Kidd and find spots to rest Dirk. But once the playoffs get here I think we'll all be really excited about this team and about having another special run."

There are questions about the Mavs as the Christmas Day debut against the Heat approaches: Can Carter still be a 15-point scorer? Will Odom – a villain as a Laker last spring – play inspired in his new role on a new team? And can Haywood be a productive center without Chandler?

A couple have already been answered. Cuban, who voted against the new CBA, has nonetheless learned to work the system. On Tuesday the Mavs traded Rudy Fernandez and Corey Brewer to the Denver Nuggets for … essentially nothing. That's Fernandez, whom Dallas spent a first-round pick to acquire from the Portland Trailblazers in a draft-night trade, and Brewer, to the Nuggets, in return for a future second-round draft pick.

"Flexibility," Cuban calls it. "When we acquired Vince and Delonte those guys' playing time was going to decrease and it gives us room and roster spots to make future deals."

In the new CBA-world, turning a first-round pick and a veteran into a second- round pick is somehow a shrewd move.

Cuban also says the Mavs' grand plan doesn't necessarily involve the targeting of one player such as Dwight Howard or Deron Williams, but indicating that Dallas next summer will be as flexible as any team in the league.

Another mystery solved: After input from players, Cuban says – after considering Rolex watches and joking about gold-plated mouse pads – he will indeed reward players with championship rings. He said Dirk and Terry designed rings that would cost approximately $150,000 each, well over the NBA's limit on such items.

"I know, killjoys, right," Cuban said.

The rings will be awarded to players on a night early in the season and replicas will be made available for purchase to all season-ticket holders.

This isn't last year's Mavericks. But it's suddenly a roster capable of last year's success.