Luka Dealt to Lakers: Nico Harrison is a Basketball Terrorist

[audiosway]

I know there are lots of if's and question marks with the Mavs, but I just think people are glossing over the Lakers issues, which to me seem more likely to keep them from a title.

I don't think the Lakers have any real shot this season. Too small, not enough depth, the overlap between Luka and Lebron is too clunky. And going forward, with LA there's BOTH a question of Luka's durability and ceiling (due to an inability to withstand the rigors of 82 games plus an extended playoff time), and also Lebron's limited shelf life. And they're not going to have a lot of roster-building flexibility anytime soon - right now their contracts for next year put them over Apron 1, limiting their choices considerably.

If I am picking who has the best chance this season, I think a HEALTHY Mavs team has a much higher ceiling than LA, although until we see them play for a stretch, it's hard to be sure how high that ceiling goes. Going forward, I think the likelihood of DAL getting healthy is greater than the likelihood of LA getting better. Obviously neither team goes far with injured players and broken down players. How it plays out, we won't know until we get there.

Totally agree. I think a healthy Mavs squad looks a lot like the 2011 team honestly. AD is no Dirk shooting outside. But, he is a beast in the paint and mid post. On defense they will have a chance to be better than the 2011 team due to the front line being so dominant. Physical team that's hard to score on. That's what I see.

I have a feeling we'll see PJ take a step forward in his growth this post season. He just has that look about him right now.

One thing to really pay attention to right now is that Kyrie is leading the team. He is putting his nose in and playing hard on defense. He has been getting physical with opposing players as well. The team seems to be feeding off of that.