The season is over. The coach is gone.

And so is the hope that this team can challenge for a championship as currently constructed.

The Mavericks lurch into an uncertain future in the wake of their first-round loss to the New Orleans Hornets. Here's a look at four pressing questions.

Sorry to tease all of you old stoners with a Cheech and Chong reference. We're talking about the Mavericks' leading proponent of recreational drug use.

What to do with Josh Howard is the toughest personnel decision the Mavericks face this off-season. Do they keep him, convinced the unfortunate episodes and sporadic play of recent months are an aberration? Or do they determine his undisciplined and idiosyncratic ways make him a bad bet moving forward?

If Howard continues to smoke the occasional joint, he will be caught. His proclamations have given the league probable cause to hit him with random tests over the next five months. His stock around the league is not at an all-time high – double-entendre intended.

Still, don't dismiss how much interest he would draw from other teams. If the Mavericks don't want him, some other team will.

This is the first big call the new coach will make.

You may think the Mavericks gave up too much for Jason Kidd.

You may believe the deal was the reason this team imploded and that Kidd is too old.

That's fine. You're entitled to your opinion. But ask yourself this: If the team turns around and moves Kidd now, what will it have to show? A point guard who's not as good as Kidd or Devin Harris.

Kidd's creative flair never fit with Avery Johnson's structured offense. But Johnson isn't here anymore, so it makes no sense to send Kidd packing. It does make sense to create an offense that takes full advantage of his special talents.

The question here is a contractual one. Kidd has one year left on his contract at $21.37 million. He will be 36 years old when that contract expires. Do the Mavericks sign him to an extension during the off-season or keep their options open? If they don't sign him to an extension, why did they make the trade in the first place?

We don't advocate that the Mavericks trade their best player. But this is the time for the franchise to take a long, hard look in the mirror.

Do the Mavericks believe they can compete for the championship over the next three years if they put the right players around Dirk Nowitzki? If the answer is yes, the club doesn't entertain the notion of moving him.

But what if the answer is no? Nowitzki will be 33 years old when his contract expires at the end of the 2010-11 season. If the club believes the championship window is shut over these next three seasons, will an older Nowitzki help pry it open?

Nowitzki's stock will never be higher than it is now. If the Mavericks determine they are too strapped in terms of talent and the salary cap to compete for the title, the quickest way to rebuild is to trade Nowitzki.

It wouldn't be a popular choice. It may not be the best choice. But the Mavericks' front office isn't doing its job if it's not discussed.

We considered listing all the players Avery Johnson paraded through Dallas in his effort to fill the void at shooting guard.

We didn't have the space. Let's just say the team's inability to find or develop a quality starter with size at the position has been a sore spot.

Jason Terry can play the position, but he's an ideal sixth man. The Mavericks need a shooting guard who can actually shoot. This is a key to spread the court and maximize the Kidd-Nowitzki combination.

Say all you want about Johnson's paint-by-the-numbers offense. A big reason for the team's inconsistency this season was its revolving door at shooting guard.

The Mavericks have taken a piecemeal approach to this position since Michael Finley's departure. They have acquired good defenders or players they thought were good 3-point shooters. It hasn't worked. It's time to make a trade for the total package or take a chance on a younger player and give him the minutes to develop.