Pivot Points: Can the Re-Vamped Mavericks Roster Stand Up To the Lakers' Girth?

The Dallas Mavericks made the deal which brought Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, and Deshawn Stevenson into the fold in order to deal with the top teams in the Western Conference.

Tonight Dallas gets to see how much of a difference those new players will make when they are matched up with the Los Angeles Lakers, the best team the Western Conference has to offer.

As far as measuring sticks go, there is none greater than the defending champions of 2009, and the current top team in the conference. Tonight should provide an indication of how far the Mavericks have to go.

They have lost two of their previous three meetings with the Lakers, and need this game to tie the season series in case records play a factor when determining seeding for the playoffs.

Butler was the player Dallas most coveted but Haywood should be the prize since he is a legitimate seven footer, and his size represents an element the Mavericks will desperately need against the Lakers' front court.

Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum of the Lakers are also legitimate seven footers, and two of the more skilled big men in the NBA. Their size and length have traditionally caused the Mavericks trouble, and Dallas is depending on Haywood to counter.

Actually Coach Rick Carlisle probably wished he had the tandem of Erick Dampier and Haywood to throw at the Lakers, but unfortunately Dampier dislocated his finger shortly after the trade was made.

So Haywood will be forced to go at it alone versus the Lakers and in his short time as a Maverick Haywood has been extremely effective as a physical presence in the paint.

He is averaging 11 points and 10 rebounds and his size has been the cause of numerous blocks and altered shots as he has began to get accustomed to the Maverick scheme.

The Lakers though are a different beast, equally able to force the ball in the paint, or play a perimeter game directed by the newly returned Kobe Bryant, a perpetual thorn in the side for Dallas.

The Mavericks have never had an answer for Bryant and he once famously out-scored the entire Maverick team through three quarters, but Dallas is hoping the superior defensive skills of Butler can slow him down.

If Butler is ineffective on Bryant expect to see Shawn Marion get multiple opportunities at slowing him, and in the process the Mavericks hope Dirk Nowitzki can provide the same type of mismatch that Bryant usually does.

Nowitzki's seven foot frame causes various match-up problems due to his preference to play on the perimeter, and even though Gasol has defended Nowitzki competently, Lamar Odom will likely be his primary defender.

Nowitzki has been having an MVP caliber year, and if Dallas hopes to advance deep into the postseason this year it will be mainly due to the offensive skills of the German born player.

Tonight's game should be highly entertaining, and Dallas has the benefit of playing the Lakers after an emotional one point win over Memphis, in which Bryant hit the game-winning shot with 4.3 seconds left.

The Mavericks are anxious to prove their trade drew them a little closer to the top teams in the Western Conference, and tonight they get their chance to see if their re-vamped roster can hold up.