Are the Dallas Mavericks, With Jason Kidd, the Real Deal?

There is a lot of buzz surrounding the Dallas Mavericks after they finally traded for Jason Kidd.  They will now have to answer questions like "can the Mavericks win the West?" and "how will the Jason Kidd trade make them a better team?" 

The Mavericks will have to prove that they are contenders and that they are the real deal, but the question is, are they?

There is not doubt about it, trading for Jason Kidd makes the Dallas Mavericks a better basketball team.

But how much better are they? Are they good enough to win the West? Are they now the best team in the league?

My answer to that is no.

In the trade, the Mavericks gave up two key players in Devin Harris and DeSagana Diop.  Now, as far as racking up the assists and rebounds, Kidd dominates Harris in that category.  But Harris is a much better offensive player then Kidd; over the last couple of years, Kidd has shown that he cannot make a jumper to save his life.  Defending the point guard would not be too hard for the opposing guard and thereby they can assert themselves more on offense.

They also gave up Diop, a primarily defensive center.  You might ask, how is giving up Diop for Kidd a bad thing for the Mavericks?  The answer is size. 

Diop is a seven foot, 280 lbs and uses his big body to guard the post and intimidate players from driving to the hole. With Diop gone, the Mavericks will now have to play small ball, with Erick Dampier as their only real center.  And suppose he goes down with an injury, when what? 

Compared to the other trades in the West, teams like the Lakers and the Suns traded for size.  If the Mavericks were to meet either of these teams in the playoffs, they would lose.  If they played the Lakers, Dallas would have to go up against a starting lineup consisting of four players 6'10” or more.  If they played the Suns, they would have to deal with a starting lineup of two players who are about seven feet. 

The Mavericks are a better team. They will make it passed the first round of the playoffs and they will win at least 50-55 games, possibly even 60. 

But pound for pound, they will not be able to match up with some of the bigger teams in the west, and even the East. 

The Jason Kidd trade does not make the Mavs the real deal.