About one month ago, Shawn Marion found himself staring down Caron Butler at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. In the final seconds of a Mavericks/Wizards game, Marion’s squad led by one, and Caron’s squad was looking for him to change that by delivering a dagger.

Two of the most versatile forwards to come through the NBA over the last decade went head-to-head, strength against strength: Caron’s offense versus Marion’s defense. Caron made his move, went for a jumper, and Marion blocked it. Game over.

Today, Marion and Caron are teammates, following a Feb. 13 trade that brought Butler to Dallas along with Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson. Each of the new additions has started at least one game for the Mavs since the trade, as the team adjusts on the fly while trying to contend for an NBA championship. Last night, the Mavs knocked off the conference-leading L.A. Lakers (with Caron sidelined due to illness), Dallas’ fifth win in a row and keeping them atop the Southwest Division.

Earlier this week, I caught up with Marion at his home in Dallas, where he talked about the trade, the controversy surrounding ex-teammate Josh Howard, and the Winter Olympics:

*** *** ***

Dime: Coming to Dallas during the offseason, what kind of role did you see yourself playing?
Shawn Marion: Just anything to help the team, you know? It might be a little different than what I’ve done before, it might not. I didn’t know what to expect; it just depends on each game.

Dime: Most people say Phoenix was the perfect system for you. How does the Dallas system fit with your game?
SM: Well, it’s two different situations. The makeup of this team is totally different. At the same time, on any team it’s just a matter of doing what you gotta do to win. I do whatever I’m asked. I’m all about winning right now. It ain’t about nothing else.

Dime: Why did you choose #0 in Dallas?
SM: I had the fans vote on Twitter and on my website, and they chose it. Thirty-one has always been my number, but in Dallas that’s Jason Terry‘s number. Jet was gonna give it to me, but I was like, “Nah, that’s your number here.”

Dime: The last two trade deadlines, you got moved, to Miami in ’08 and Toronto last year. When this year’s trade deadline was coming up, were you worried at all about getting dealt again?
SM: No, not at all, not at all. It wasn’t even that kind of situation this year.

Dime: Is it tougher changing teams in the middle of the year as opposed to during the offseason?
SM: In the middle of the season it’s more frustrating than the summer. In the summer it’s easier to get acclimated to your teammates and to get moved in and everything. Middle of the year, you’ve got to do everything spur-of-the-moment, and there’s so much stuff to do and so much being thrown at you. But at the same time, it’s a business and we all know that, so you take certain precautions.

Dime: What do think of the Caron Butler trade?
SM: I thought we did something to shake it up, to shake the team up, so it was cool. I hate to see my other teammates leave, but that’s part of the business. We were in a little funk here where we would win one, lose one, win two, lose two … so as far as shaking it up, Caron and Brendan Haywood will definitely do that. Brendan is a legitimate 7-footer who can bang inside. And Caron, he’s a great perimeter player.

Dime: There was talk that maybe Josh Howard got traded more because of his off-court behavior than for anything on the court. Any thoughts on that?
SM: No comment. That’s none of my business. I wish Josh the best up there in Washington. He was a good teammate — a GREAT teammate — to me. But I don’t … You know, I didn’t see nothing, I don’t know nothing. It’s messed-up how they put labels on players like that. Josh is a great teammate. He came to work and he was a professional.

Dime: You’ve guarded everybody from point guards to centers. What type of player is the hardest to guard: Somebody who’s strong, somebody who’s fast, somebody who’s crafty?
SM: I’ll tell you this: The hardest person to guard is the person that gets a lot of shots. ‘Cause they’re eventually gonna hit some shots. They’re gonna score. That’s what it boils down to. You have to make them work hard. And the thing is, most scorers don’t wanna play defense. It’s very rare that you get a scorer who plays D just as hard consistently night in and night out. So you make them work on the other end when you’re on offense and it’s harder for them to score.

Dime: Have you been watching the Olympics?
SM: No, not really. I watched a little bit of curling, but I’ve been busy doing stuff around the house. Then I was out of the country during All-Star.

Dime: You’ve been in the Olympics before, in Athens in 2004. What is it like being around the best athletes in the world in other sports?
SM: It’s cool as hell, man. It’s fun. That’s something you cherish the rest of your life. Walking out there, holding the flag, knowing you’re playing for your country, that’s an honor and a privilege, man. I went there and won a medal. Some people might see it like you lost the gold, but I’m like, we won the bronze. How many people have an Olympic medal?

Dime: Was there an athlete in a different sport at those Olympics that you were a big fan of in particular?
SM: Michael Phelps, man! He took off, know what I’m saying! I was fortunate enough to get to see him in the Olympics. I also got to see Michael Johnson run before he retired, at the Goodwill Games. That’s something you don’t forget.

More Dallas Mavericks stories:

- The Mavs Have To Be Considered Darkhorse Title Contenders

- The NBA’s Top 10 Frontcourts

- Defining Dirk Nowitzki’s Place in Dallas History