Harrison Barnes has only moderately been performing to the level of his contract in the early going of this season, which has a lot of people in Dallas scratching their heads. They feel if they paid so much for a guy he should be a lot better than what he's showing.

However, fans who feel this way need to give Barnes some time to adjust to his new style of play. He's no longer just standing in the corner waiting for an open shot to come his way. Now he must more consistently create his own shot and look to score rather then move to the open spots on the floor.

Meanwhile, Dirk Nowitzki has been out with an Achilles injury and is starting to show shades of deteriorating just like Kobe Bryant did his final few years. That's what happens when you play for so long, especially someone of his size and caliber. The Mavericks are going to have to learn a completely new way to operate without him as the end of his career approaches.

Harrison Barnes had this to say about the prospect of Nowitzki departing form the NBA, via ESPN's Tim MacMahon:

“It's no secret that Dirk is going to be leaving this team and the Mavs are going to be entering a post-Nowitzki era. We have to be prepared for that. That's why I'm working every single day, working with the coaches, so I can do my part and make sure I'm ready. Whether that time is now or that time is whenever, I need to be able to step into that [role] and have it be a seamless transition.”

Maybe this could be the reason for Barnes' struggles. He is trying to hard to fill the void of Dirk Nowitzki, which is an almost impossible task within itself. All the people of Dallas can ask for is that Barnes continues to improve.

It will be very interesting to watch the Mavericks without Dirk, this season as he deals with injuries, and beyond.