DALLAS—As thousands of Maverick fans crawled back off the ledge on Sunday, even Rick Carlisle knew it was fruitless to try to temper enthusiasm.

“We’re going to be a very good team,” the coach said flatly after the first of two practice sessions at American Airlines Center. “We’re going to be a dangerous team and our goal is to mold into, once again, a championship team.

“Those things take some time, but I’m excited about this group, and I don’t think we’re done yet.”

It was those last six words that resonated. The Mavericks acquired Lamar Odom late Saturday night, and the National Basketball Association (NBA) signed off on the trade on Sunday. In addition, Vince Carter’s free-agent signing is expected to become official on Monday.

Those are huge roster upgrades. And yet, there is more to come. Of that you can be sure. The Mavericks still need a center to share time with Brendan Haywood. They still need point guard insurance behind Jason Kidd.

For now, the Mavericks should be taking apologies from the fans who had serious doubts about the validity of letting Tyson Chandler and Caron Butler walk.

Hey, if the NBA had to apologize for the lockout, the olive branch must be extended both ways.

There is no denying that the outlook is far sunnier now than it was 48 hours ago when the Mavericks were stung by the departures of Chandler to New York and Butler to the LA Clippers in free agency.

“We’re a franchise that has proven that we can find ways to reinvent who we are,” Carlisle said. “And this is another great example. This was a deal that took shape very quickly. And it wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t obtained the trade exception in the Chandler deal. Normally, deals take months. This one happened in a matter of hours and minutes.”

The roll that owner Mark Cuban and president Donnie Nelson are on seems to have no end. They made the tough decisions about letting key pieces of the championship team go. And they heard about it from fans.

Now, they have created a new-look Mavericks team. The only question is how long it will take to create the same kind of chemistry they had last year with Chandler and Barea playing big parts.

Understanding how the Mavericks pulled all this off isn’t important. Even Dirk Nowitzki doesn’t know.

“I mean, really, to get Lamar Odom for a trade exception…and I don’t even know what that is…so we turned nothing into a great player,” he said. “I’ve always been a fan of his game because he’s always been a great all-around player, very smooth, very fun to watch, so I think he’s going to fit in great.”

Carlisle went so far as to say that it’s going to be hard to beat the Mavericks’ herd of forwards.

“Right now, for me, having Odom, Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion, we may have the best forward trio in this league right now,” he said.

And big. The Mavericks have quietly turned themselves back into a big team, which they were last year, too, by the way. Size still wins in the NBA.

Getting a six-foot-10 forward in Odom who can play virtually any position on the court can do nothing but help. And this isn’t like acquiring the versatile Antoine Walker a few years ago in an experiment that blew up.

Odom is a far better locker room presence and more reliable player.

“It’s a great move for us,” Carlisle said. “Mark and Donnie, they make things happen. Time and time again, they make things happen. This time of year, I can’t think of another owner or GM I’d want in the foxhole with me trying to put a team together. They’re the best.”

The Mavericks will not surrender any players. They are giving up a future first-round draft pick, in a season of their choosing. The pick is protected through the 20th pick and they have six years to decide when to send the pick to the Lakers.

What made the deal possible was the trade exception the Mavericks acquired earlier on Saturday in the Chandler sign-and-trade to New York. The Mavericks got an $11-million salary slot that the Lakers took, presumably to use in another deal, perhaps involving Dwight Howard of Orlando.

The Mavericks essentially traded Chandler for Odom on Saturday, although it was a wild, wacky day to get to that conclusion.

Odom, 32, has a reputation as one of the most well-rounded big men in the game. He has averaged 14.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and four assists per game in his 12-year career and had virtually identical averages last season with the Lakers.

Odom is scheduled to earn $8.9 million this season, but next season is a team option at $8.2 million, meaning the Mavericks could continue to keep their salary cap flexibility next summer.

The timeline to get Odom was a fast and furious one.

The departure of Chandler will go down as a sign-and-trade rather than a free-agency loss. That deal was finalized shortly after noon on Saturday. In return, the Mavericks got a player (second-year guard Andy Rautins) who won’t ever make it to Dallas. The Mavericks already have agreed to buy him out.

But it’s the $11-million trade exception the trade of Chandler reaped that put the Mavericks in a position to turn around quickly and get Odom.

Make no mistake, losing Chandler is a blow to any hopes of repeating as NBA champions. But the Mavericks quickly made up for it.

Chandler’s deal didn’t add anything to the contract he got from New York. But it helped the Knicks save a few dollars and created the exception for the Mavericks, which in many respects is like being under the salary cap.