The Dallas Mavericks are off to a much better start than anyone expected, and this is obviously due to the presence of Dirk Nowitzki and Rick Carlisle.

Those are two guys heading to the Hall of Fame, and they showed why in their discipline recently against the San Antonio Spurs. Gregg Popovich‘s squad won the matchup 88-83, but it really shouldn’t have been that close. Popovich has been impressed by Dirk’s production in the early season.

“He looks the same to me,” he said to ESPN. “He’s a remarkable player, competitor. Fierce competitor, class act, special guy.”

The Mavericks have looked fairly good, but they still don’t have enough players who are focused on defense. Nowitzki had 14 rebounds but was held to 13 points against San Antonio, and he has the Mavericks on a 9-7 start. This pace probably won’t be good enough for them to make the playoffs, but if they added a player like Joakim Noah, a postseason run might be in order.

The Chicago Bulls‘ big man could be available based on a recent Zach Lowe podcast with David Thorpe. Noah would add an element to the Mavs that they are sorely missing, and the center no longer makes sense on the loaded Bulls. Dallas could move Raymond Felton, Devin Harris and Zaza Pachulia to allow that swap to work financially.

The Mavericks also would have to give up a first-round pick to sweeten the deal, but that isn’t such a high price to pay for a big man who was an MVP candidate not too long ago. This trade could be a win for both sides, because Noah is frustrated with his role and Dallas needs more defensive talent.

Nowitzki is shooting 52.7 percent from the floor, 51.0 percent from three-point range and 90.2 percent from the free-throw line this season. Those are incredible numbers, and Dallas must honor its franchise player by actually pushing all chips onto the table.

If the Mavericks were going to tank, then they should’ve decided on that long ago. Now, they have to give themselves a shot at making the playoffs because it could be one of the last times we ever see Nowitzki on basketball’s brightest stage. Adding Noah is a gamble, but it is a risk worth taking if this means the Mavs could be playing in the postseason.

Dave Daniels is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter: @AllDave_AllDay, like him on Facebook here or add him to your network on Google.