very little else up front. Andrew Wenger - the number one

The Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks hooked up for a deal involving six players and a couple of draft picks. Numbers Game breaks down the deal sending Tyson Chandler back to Dallas. The Mavericks Get: C Tyson Chandler and PG Raymond Felton. Chandler, 31, returns to Dallas, where he was a critical part of their 2011 NBA Championship squad, and gives the Mavericks a more formidable presence in the paint. Chandler is not particularly durable, having missed 65 games over three seasons in New York and there are signs that his game is declining -- his .593 field goal percentage and 16.48 Player Efficiency Rating last season were his lowest since 2009-2010 and his estimated points allowed per possession was his highest since 2008-2009. Those statistical declines could be a reflection of Chandlers unimpressive supporting cast in New York, or it could be an indication of a 31-year-old centre who missed 20 games with a broken leg last season, but Chandler had more productive years in the previous two seasons with the Knicks. He was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2011-2012 and made the All-Defensive First Team in 2012-2013. The Mavericks need Chandler to stay healthy -- the only time in the past six years that he played more than 67 games in a season was his season in Dallas (2010-2011) -- and provide the same sound defensive presence for which hes been known, at least prior to 2013-2014. Chandler is entering the final year of his contract and it pays him nearly $14.6-million. Thats pretty good motivation to have a strong year, either to get an extension from the Mavs or hit the open market next summer. Felton is a 29-year-old point guard who has had ups and downs in his career, and is currently at a low point, having scored a career-low 9.7 points per game while shooting 39.5% from the field, his lowest since 2006-2007, last season. His 12.90 PER last season was the worst of his nine-year NBA career. Earlier in his career, Felton was a durable player, but hes missed 53 games over the past three seasons. Questionable conditioning has likely contributed to his increasing rate of injuries. On top of his poor performance on the court, Felton recently reached an agreement to a plea deal on a gun possession charge, so its probably best for him to get a fresh start somewhere else. Feltons not a strong defender, lacking the lateral quickness to handle other point guards, but if he gets in shape, he can be a contributor. As it stands now, the Mavericks are looking at a backcourt that includes veteran Monta Ellis and 2013 second-round pick Ricky Ledo. There are surely more moves to make, but there are minutes available, if Felton is up to the challenge. This season, Felton will earn $4.36-million on his contract, then has a player option for $4.54-million the following season; not unreasonable money if he bounces back from his down season. The Knicks Get: PG Jose Calderon, C Samuel Dalembert, PG Shane Larkin, SG Wayne Ellington and two second-round picks. Calderon, 32, didnt have a great season in Dallas. He struggled defensively, which is pretty standard, but his shooting wasnt as effective as it had been in previous years and Calderon couldnt get to the basket, earning less than one free-throw attempt per game. While Calderon did shoot a career-best 44.9% from beyond the arc, he shot 45.6% from the floor and attempted more threes (425) than twos (323) for the first time in his career. That may be a function of his role in the Mavericks offence, but it also is a reflection that Calderon wasnt getting any shots near the rim. Signed for three more years, at around $22.2-million, Calderon is a decent point guard option for the Knicks -- its not like replacing Felton is an impossible task -- but his defence is already poor and is only going to get worse as he approaches his mid-30s. If his offence is reverting to spot-up threes only, well, thats going to limit Calderons value. Since they didnt have many options, 33-year-old Dalembert started 68 games for the Mavericks last season. Hes an effective rebounder and shot blocker, who has had an above-average PER in four of the past five seasons. He has limited touches offensively, but shot a career-best 56.8% from the field last season and grabbed 6.8 rebounds with 1.2 blockes per game, while playing a little over 20 minutes a night. For all those attributes, which at least suggest that he can be useful in a reserve role, Dalembert could still be looking for a new team next season. The Knicks hold a team option, at under $3.9-million, for next season. Given what they have currently, the Knicks would have room to fit Dalembert in their rotation, but free agent options could be more appealing. The 18th pick in last years draft, 21-year-old Shane Larkin didnt play a lot as a rookie, averaging a little over 10 minutes per game in the 48 games that he played. Hes on the small side, at 5-foot-11, but has quickness and at least in college, at the University of Miami, he could shoot a bit (40.6% on threes as a sophomore). Will he be able to defend enough to play a big role in the NBA? While Larkin may not provide immediate value, he can continue to develop behind Calderon, ideally taking over as the starter at some point in the next couple seasons. 26-year-old Wayne Ellington has bounced around a bit since he was a late first-round pick by Minnesota in 2009. The Knicks will be Ellingtons fourth franchise in the past two years, and he scored a career-low 3.2 points per game as a spare part for the Mavericks last season. Ellington can shoot, 38.6% on threes for his career, but doesnt do enough otherwise to hold down a spot in the rotation. He is going into the final year of a contract that will pay him $2.5-million this season. The Knicks also get picks 34 and 51 in Thursdays draft. Over the past five years, picks in the 30-35 range have yielded an NBA rotation player 20.0% of the time, while picks from 50-60 have resulted in an NBA have provided an NBA rotation player 8.0% of the time. Its easy to see the appeal to this deal for the Mavericks, as Chandler gives them an immediate upgrade, without a long-term commitment. They have some backcourt issues to sort out but, after pushing San Antonio to seven games in the first round of the playoffs, there is some justification to believe that they can get into the title mix next season. For the Knicks, they could have a better point guard situation, both immediately and long-term and the hope is that Larkin can ultimately provide value. If not, there wont be much to gain. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Alex Erickson Jersey . For the Miami Heat, that was outstanding news. LeBron James scored the last of his 32 points on a layup that put Miami up for good with 11. Carlos Dunlap Jersey . The $145.7-million Tim Hortons Field was slated to open this month, a year before it was to host all 32 mens and womens soccer competitions. The delay has forced the Hamilton Tiger-Cats football team to use a smaller facility for the first two home games of the season. http://www.officialcincinnatibengalsfootball.com/authentic-tyler-eifert-jersey-womens . 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That ultimately saw the Marco Schallibaum era come to end, and the Swiss coach was replaced with former Chicago Fire coach, Frank Klopas. The move surprised some - the Impact were thought to be looking for a European to replace Schallibaum - but Montreal felt that Klopas has the right mix of MLS experience and understanding of the Impacts philosophy as a club to be the man to lead them over the next three years. Given the Impacts desire to embed their playing philosophy, I dont expect them to deviate from their preferred 1-4-2-3-1 formation. If that is the approach they continue to employ, this is how I expect them to line up: Goalkeeper - Troy Perkins Perkins is a steady, reliable MLS goalkeeper. He probably didnt get the credit he deserved last year - which may be down to the fact that he was playing in Montreal, rather than in an American MLS city - but he did lead the league in saves with 109. He will be hoping that he wont be as busy this season; a settled back four will have a big influence on whether or not that is the case. But even if the back four is breached, the Impact have a safe pair of gloves in goal in Perkins. Right Fullback - Hassoun Camara Camaras position in the team will be determined, I suspect, on the form and fitness of their central defenders. If Nelson Rivas can somehow manage to stay healthy for more than two weeks, he will partner Matteo Ferrari. If not, then Wandrille Lefevre will get the chance to impress beside Ferrari. If Lefevres form dips, expect to see Camara or new signing Heath Pearce slide inside to play centre back. This may very well be Camaras best position, but I expect to at least see him start the season at right fullback. Camara is good in the air, likes to get forward, and has even shown a knack for scoring goals. If he can cut out the mental lapses that crept into his game at times last season, he will be an ever-present in Klopas team. Left Fullback - Heath Pearce Aside from suffering a badly broken nose that forced him to miss four games, Jeb Brovsky was a fixture at left fullback last season. Right now, though, Brovsky is nursing his way back from a knee injury and will likely miss the start of the season. Montreal have been looking at options at this position, and their first round draft pick, Eric Miller, can play left fullback. But it is likely that Frank Klopas will prefer to go with former New York Red Bull, Heath Pearce, who has signed for the club after impressing in pre-season. Pearce is versatile, and can play both left fullback and central defender. That could prove useful for the Impact, who have injury and form concerns at both of these positions. Central Defender - Matteo Ferrari It is essential for Matteo Ferrari to remain healthy this season. With doubts over the fitness of Nelson Rivas, and question marks over whether or not Wandrille Lefevre can perform week in, week out, Ferrari is the rock upon which Frank Klopas back four needs to be built. Ferrari is arguably the best central defender in MLS - his pedigree is unmatched. He reads the game supremely well, and at times seems to be strolling through the game. He needs to ensure that he remains fully focused though, as his experience will be vital for the Impact in 2014. Central Defender - Nelson Rivas* The asterisk is there for one reason and one reason only - Nelson Rivas is never healthy. Rivas played only one game last season - the 3-0 loss to the Houston Dynamo in the MLS Playoffs - and managed to get himself sent off in the process. Hardly a ringing endorsement, but anyone who has tracked the career of the Colombian over the years will know that Rivas is more than capable of being a star defender in MLS. He is big, strong, fearless and comfortable with a ball at his feet. If he can miraculously get himself healthy, he will play alongside Ferrari. If not, expect Wandrille Lefevre to be given an opportunity to hold onto the position, as Adrian Lopez – signed last season from Wigan Athletic – is still not fully fit after recovering from ACL surgery. Defensive Midfield - Patrice Bernier Recently installed as the Impacts captain, Bernier has been a reliable performer for Montreal - despite having to overcome some obstacles in 2012. Dropped from the starting lineup by then head coach, Jesse Marsch, Bernier took the high road. He didnt complain, he didnt voice his disapproval in the media; he worked harder, got back in the team, and in the end, was voted team MVP. That is the kind of leadership that made selecting the Montreal native as the clubs next skipper a no-brainer.dddddddddddd Expect Bernier to anchor the midfield yet again this season. Defensive Midfield - Hernan Bernardello It was difficult to gauge the ability of Bernardello at times last season; it is always a challenge for players who join a club part-way through their season to really show their best form. But I saw enough from Bernardello to think that he is going to be a very good player for Montreal in the years to come. His touch on the ball is exquisite; his vision and passing range is superb. His effectiveness will increase as he becomes more familiar with his teammates and their tendencies - something that a full pre-season should do wonders for. Barring injury, expect to see B&B - Bernier and Bernardello - patrolling the midfield for Montreal this season. Right Midfield - Justin Mapp With two goals and eight assists, Justin Mapp had a good season for Montreal last year. But I think that Frank Klopas should expect more from the talented left-footer. When he is on form, Mapp can dominate games. He likes to play on his off-wing, so that he can drift inside on his left foot and strike for goal or slide passes through gaps between defenders. If he can pin his fullback high, he will create space for Camara to drive into, or for Bernier and Bernardello to slide across. The one area that Id like to see improvement in is consistency. If Mapp can bring his best game week in, week out, he will be a major asset for the Impact. Left Midfield - Sanna Nyassi This is a problem position for Montreal - because no one has really claimed it as their own. Cue the arrival of Uruguayan, Santiago Gonzalez. Nominally a forward, if Montreal goes with a 1-4-2-3-1- formation, it will be Marco Di Vaio playing up front on his own. So if Klopas wants to get his most talented players on the pitch at the same time, hell need to find room for Gonzalez on the wing, or as an attacking midfielder. But Gonzalez has played sparingly in preseason, as both a winger and as an attacking midfielder. It will take him time to acclimatize to his new team and to MLS, so until he is deemed to be ready, expect Sanna Nyassi to start over Blake Smith and Andres Romero. Nyassi can be very effective, but needs to be far more consistent in 2014 if he is to stay in the team. Attacking Midfield - Felipe Martins Felipe Martins had an outstanding debut season in MLS in 2012. His four goals and 10 assists underlined his role as a creative force in the Impact midfield. In 2013, he put up decent numbers again - 5 goals and 8 assists - but didnt seem to be as influential in Marco Schallibaums team. He wasnt an ever-present in midfield, and often had to make do with a place on the bench. This season, if the Impact are going to succeed, they need Felipe to be on the ball, facing goal as often as possible. He has good feet, an eye for a pass, and isnt afraid to shoot when in the attacking third. If the Impact are going to get goals from midfield, they will need to come from Felipe, in particular. Forward - Marco Di Vaio Aside from the first three games of the season (when Di Vaio will be suspended), expect to see the Italian legend leading the line for Montreal. At the age of 37, Di Viaos best years are behind him. But give him the ball anywhere close to goal, and he will once again show that he is the most clinical finisher in MLS. His 20 goals last season were the reason the Impact made their first-ever playoff appearance. He will need to come close to matching that in 2014 if Montreal is to make a second appearance in post-season play. The reason for that is that the Impact have very little else up front. Andrew Wenger - the number one draft pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft - has not shown the instinct and tactical understanding to be an effective forward in MLS. Work rate and fitness are of little use if they are not paired with tactical nous and finishing ability. Wengers two goals (from 24 appearances, eight as a starter) in 2013 will need to be increased considerably if he is to have a career in the game as a striker. Santiago Gonzalez will likely see time up front as well this season, and it will be hoped that he proves to be more prolific in front of goal that his American counterpart. For head coach Frank Klopas, the objectives will be the same as they were for Schallibaum: win the Canadian championship and qualify for the playoffs. As weve seen time and time again, the regular season goes out the window when the playoffs get under way, so that is the first step to winning MLS Cup. The key for the Impact this season is this: their experienced players (Camara, Bernier, Bernardello, Di Vaio) must stay healthy and must play well. If they dont, the Impact does not have the depth in their squad to cope. 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