DALLAS (USA TODAY) — The Dallas Mavericks’ problems appear to be greater than X’s and O’s, although coach Rick Carlisle has tried to take the blame for his team’s 0-2 start.

The Mavericks lost six players from last season’s NBA championship team that beat the Miami Heat, most notably 7-1 defensive pillar Tyson Chandler, change-of-pace guard J.J. Barea and physical perimeter defender DeShawn Stevenson.

Still, Western Conference foes won’t write off the Mavericks, who have been blown out twice at home: 105-94 by the Heat and 115-93 by the Denver Nuggets. They last opened 0-2 in 2006-07, when they started 0-4.

Through Monday, the Mavs led the league in points allowed (110.0 a game). Last season, they were 10th (96.0).

“We look old, slow and out of shape,” Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki said after Monday’s loss. “I still think this team has a lot of potential. We just need to work. We probably needed extra weeks of training camp. But we don’t have it, so the young teams, the athletic teams, look better right now than we do.”

What opponents don’t overlook is a champion’s resolve.

“The team that wins the championship usually is formidable because they’ve gone through an experience nobody else has,” Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said. “They have a mental toughness. They have the confidence to know they can.”

Nuggets guard Corey Brewer, who had five points and four rebounds Monday, played for Dallas’ championship team.

“When Tyson jumped out, he pushed the pick-and-roll back and he protected the basket. … There wasn’t any layups, no dunks without Tyson coming to contest it,” Brewer said. “But they got to trust the system, because the system is great. Dirk is going to get everybody shots and guys get confidence, and that’s how they win.”

Besides losing key players, Dallas lost assistant coach Dwane Casey, Carlisle’s “quarterback,” who orchestrated the 2-3 matchup zone defense that keyed the title run. Casey is coach of the Toronto Raptors.

Casey called the defense under Carlisle. After Dallas’ made baskets, Casey would signal to point guard Jason Kidd, who would retreat with a clenched fist high. That meant a switch to the matchup zone. When executed properly, it’s difficult to decipher it from a man-to-man defense. Monte Mathis, a Mavs assistant last season, has assumed Casey’s role.

“He’s got not only the complete respect of the players, he’s a bright young mind,” Dallas general manager Donnie Nelson said of Mathis. “When you lose a guy like Dwane … it’s just another change you have to get used to.”

Nuggets coach George Karl thinks these Mavericks need time. “In an 82-game season, I don’t think anybody knows anything for about 20 games,” he said. “With a 66-game season, after 10 to 15 you’re going to have to make some decisions. I don’t think it’s time to panic.”

Nelson isn’t sure when they’ll click. “We’re patient,” he said. “I don’t think you can put a time element on chemistry. The good news is we’ve got veteran guys, and usually that stuff with veterans goes faster than not.”

Copyright 2011 USA TODAY

Read More: bruce pearl, bruce pearl d-league, Dallas Mavericks

Bruce Pearl’s next coaching stop could be in the NBA Development League. If that ends up being the case, the former head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers coach will reportedly be compensated quite handsomely to put ‘D-League coach’ on his résumé.

Pearl is meeting with the Texas Legends this week, the D-League affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks that is co-owned by Donnie Nelson, and reportedly is being offered a package approaching $500,000, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein. Both the Legends and Pearl are scheduled to meet with the media on Thursday, according to a team release.

As Stein reports, the $500,000 figure would easily be the most lucrative coaching package put together for a head coach in the D-League. In fact, there are very few coaches being paid six figures to coach in the D-League, much less being offered $500,000 to coach a 50-game season.

This isn’t anything new as the Legends have made plenty of headlines ever since becoming an expansion franchise — and continue to make the national media with the Pearl interview. Last season, the team hired Hall of Fame member Nancy Lieberman as the team’s first head coach and had a front office staff that included Nelson, Del Harris and Spud Webb.

Still, it seems quite a risky business venture if the $500,000 figure is legit.

DALLAS — Fired Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl is scheduled to meet Wednesday with the Texas Legends, an NBA D-League team looking for a new coach.

The team planned a media availability with Pearl and Donnie Nelson, the Dallas Mavericks general manager who is a co-owner of the D-League team, after the two meet.

Pearl was fired by Tennessee in March after the school learned the coach had possibly committed another recruiting violation after his teary admission six months earlier of lying to NCAA investigators. Pearl had been charged with unethical conduct by the NCAA.

Nancy Lieberman led the Legends to the playoffs in her only season as coach. She is now the team’s assistant general manager.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.