Associated Press - Vince Carter racked up 21 points in his Orlando debut and Brandon Bass added seven of his 13 points in the final two minutes to lift the Magic to a 110-105 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the preseason opener for both teams on Monday night.

Carter, who was acquired by the Magic in an offseason trade with the Toronto Raptors, scored 15 points in the third quarter. Bass was a key reserve for the Mavericks the past two seasons before signing a four-year free-agent deal with the Magic during the offseason.

Dallas held a 101-99 lead with 2:41 left before Bass powered inside for a three-point play with 1:50 left that put Orlando ahead for good.

On the Magic’s next possession, Bass drove hard to the basket and converted the ensuing free throw for another three-point play that gave the Magic a 105-101 edge.

Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki scored 23 points, including going 17-for-19 from the free-throw line.

Drew Gooden, an offseason free-agent pickup by the Mavericks, added 18 points.

Orlando’s Dwight Howard had 17 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out with 4:31 left in the third quarter.

Rashard Lewis added 18 points for the Magic. Lewis is suspended for the first 10 games of the regular season for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy but can participate in preseason games. Lewis tested positive for a banned substance that was found in an over-the-counter supplement he was taking.

The Mavericks carried an 82-80 advantage into the fourth quarter, with Nowitzki and Gooden scoring 12 points apiece in the third.

Dallas shot 33 percent from the floor in the first half but held a 47-45 halftime lead at the break behind J.J. Barea‘s 13 points.

Shawn Marion had been set to make his Mavericks after being acquired in an offseason trade, but Marion was held out with what the team termed a slight right calf strain.

Mavericks swingman Josh Howard will miss the early preseason games as he recovers from offseason surgery on his left ankle. Howard has been doing some light running, but is being held out of 5-on-5 scrimmages.

Coach Rick Carlisle said Howard is “progressing” and “hopefully he can play the latter part of the exhibition schedule.”

Undoubtedly, the answer must be Josh Howard. He is one of the only players with trade value and skills recognized around the league. The problem is, Josh’s PR wreck of a year last year earned him dubious status around the league. On top of that, his performance has been lackluster and he’s been injured a few times.

Will the Mavericks blow up the team and trade Dirk? Not likely, though who wouldn’t be interested in a Chris Bosh or Blake Griffin in a Mavs uniform?

Expect Dirk and Jet to stay. Expect Jason Kidd to leave and the Mavs to start JJ Barea. Expect Josh Howard to be traded for either a replacement 3 or a point guard. Expect expiring contracts to flutter around in trade rumors (Stackhouse) and hopefully land the Mavs a decent first round draft pick.

But in the end, based on the past, expect very little actual improvement overall. The team simply hasn’t been the same since Steve Nash left. And that’s one mistake the Mavs may never recover from.

Finally! Josh Howard has brought balance to the Force. Maybe NOW the Mavericks can make some headway. They’ll need all the focus and positive energy they can muster against a Western Conference that only got stronger in the offseason.

Stay tuned.

Here’s a recap of the video recording Josh Howard’s latest stupid statement. Let’s get past it, trade Josh for someone more productive, and move on.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdyB0IEPAH0]

Mark Cuban admitted to Randy Galloway two days ago that prior to the 2007-2008 season, the Mavericks could have traded Dirk for Kobe straight up. And yet Cuban and Nelson didn’t want him. Do what? They didn’t want Kobe? The most driven player in the entire league? The self-starter?

On top of that, Dallas could have traded Josh Howard for Pau Gasol. That was an option briefly discussed, but the Mavericks sat on it and Gasol was gone to L.A. Nice going, guys.

Imagine it. Devin Harris at point. Kobe Bryant at shooting guard. Brandon Bass at the small forward. Pau Gasol at power forward. Erick Dampier at center. Jason Terry, Tyronn Lue, and DeSagana Diop coming off the bench. Sounds pretty good to me.

Devin Harris slashing to the hoop, dishing out to Kobe. Kobe fakes outside, lobs it in to Gasol. Bass and Dampier down low for the rebound. Where’s the downside here? True, Devin isn’t the ultimate point guard, but Kobe would have either straightened him up or pushed him out. Same with Damp. I can picture Kobe giving Damp the verbal tongue lashing he’s always deserved. In response, we’d see an extra five points and 4 rebounds per game from Damp.

Kobe won’t settle for laziness. He gets the best from his teammates or he makes them leave. Call it a strength or call it a weakness. Dallas needs someone with real passion for the game. Kobe would have been the spark Dallas hasn’t seen since Finley carried the team before Dirk.

Ah, what would have been. So much for that. Instead, we have a Round One playoff elimination, Jason Kidd, pot smoking Josh Howard, and no backup center or driving force behind this team.

Add Kobe and Gasol to the list of historic tragic misses that have come to be expected from your Dallas Mavericks.