"The Mavericks' offense needs help.

For all of coach Rick Carlisle's harping on the other end of the court - and it's true that the Mavericks can't be great without toughness on defense - it's clear that their inability to score points has dragged them down during the last three weeks.

So how much will Peja Stojakovic help matter?

Much depends on the health of the sharpshooting veteran, who is on track to sign with the Mavericks on Monday. The league is looking into the potential transactions - which include the trading of Alexis Ajinca - but it is expected to approve the moves.

If Stojakovic's knee s cooperate, he will be in line to collect a large portion of minutes at small forward and perhaps start there. The Mavericks need his ability to spread the court. Opponents cannot leave the 6-9 Stojakovic when he is stationed on the 3-point line.

However, it will be up to the rest of the Mavericks to move the basketball and create openings because the arrival of Stojakovic is not going to instantly increase the number of easy baskets they get.

Right now, they get none.

That's why the offense has struggled to score. In their 3-10 stretch, they have averaged a fraction under 90 points per game. They have given up more than 96 per game, which they could live with in most situations.

But not when the offense is misfiring like it is.

The Mavericks have averaged 24 3-pointers per game since their 24-5 start. During the good times, they shot slightly more than 19 treys per game."