Mavs Vs LAkers 3: What We Learned

Lakers,100-Dallas,95. If you're a Mavs follower, you know that I don't need to write anything else here, but the obvious. We saw Dallas struggle all through out the game even though Kobe just scored 10 points and played with a bad back and a broken finger. That only means two things. First and the most obvious, the Mavs need a legitimate center who can score, rebound and defend. Preferably young, but experieced. The game was dominated by Bynum and Odom, which are both tall and athletic. The Mavs definitely need to counter that if they ever want a chance to win against the defending champs. Second, the Mavs obviously still "love" Josh Howard, but I think it's time to start thinking about trading him and getting a healthier and more reliable shooting guard. Someone who can help carry the offensive load and defend elite shooting guards. I've read many articles that tackle this subject and I really do hope some of this articles (many of which are written by pro analysts and beat writers) reach the Mavs front office and hopefully they do something about it. February is the trade deadline, and since they made a move just a few days ago to try to acquire Boozer, It might not be far fetched that they try again. Not to get Boozer, but someone who could help the Mavs on those two positions. I am not an expert, I am just a fan, who is trying really hard to remain loyal after years of frustration. Don't get me wrong, The Mavs are great, arguably even an elite team for the past ten years. But I fear they may never win a championship with this current line-up. Heck, maybe not even the conference finals. I mean, what kind of fan are you if you do not expect and yearn excellence from your favorite team? What kind of fan are you if you're just content that your favorite team won 50 games every season for ten seasons, reached the finals, had a 67 win season, but never ever won a championship? As a fan, I will not settle because I know that the Mavs could do better. They have 5 potential All-Stars, a former MVP, a hall of famer point guard and an owner who is not afraid to spend just to win. They can certainly do better than lose by 5 points to a team without their starting center and with an ailing shooting guard (even if it is Kobe Bryant). Is it guaranteed that they can win a championship if they fill the void? Definitely not. Nothing is ever guaranteed in this game, but it would definitely improve their chances. And that's not a bad thing. At the very least, the fans would see that they are beng proactive when it comes to ensuring the success of the team. And that means that they too, are not settling.