http://www.yardbarker.com/users/RESPECTtheD Recent Yardbarker Articles: RESPECTtheD en-us It's got to be apparent by now; the Los Angeles Lakers are the team to beat in the NBA. After the Celtics losing two straight games to teams in the West and the Detroit Pistons ending their 10 game winning streak with consecutive losses the Lakers made a statement Wednesday night. More importantly, Kobe made a statement by dropping 41 points on the second best team in the Western Conference. I guess the pinky doesn't bother him that much. Whether you hate the Lakers or not you have to agree the game against Phoenix was one of the most entertaining games of the season, right up there with Boston vs. Detroit (Round 1) and the double OT game of Phoenix and New Orleans. It was neck and neck until late in the 4th quarter when LA's depth showed up. Guys like Vujacic, Farmer, Turiaf, Radmanovic and Walton can all give you solid minutes off the bench and produce quality shots as well as create plays for Kobe and the other starters. The depth of the bench has got to scare the rest of the league considering they will get Trevor Ariza, Andrew Bynum and Chris Mihm all back from injury before making a run in the playoffs. With the return of Andrew Bynum the Lakers could possibly have the best starting five in the league. I think Detroit has an arguement as well as Phoenix and Dallas in this debate, but you really have to give it to a team who's fourth and fifth options would be Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher (assuming that Bynum gets back to the level of play he had risen to before going down with the knee injury). It's hard to imagine a team this good not making it to the finals, especially with Phil Jackson, the "Zen Master" still at the helm and running the show. As for the trades. Phoenix- It's hard to say yet whether or not Phoenix improved by going out and getting Shaq. The dynamics of Phoenix's offense and Shaq's looming age and knee problems would make you think that the two could fit together like a round peg and a square hole. However, don't underestimate the big man's desire to win. His debut Wednesday was pretty decent with 15 and 9 I believe, similar to numbers Shawn Marion would put up night in and night out for Phoenix. I'm not too sure Shaq can put up those numbers with the consistancy that Marion did; he was almost guaranteed 15 and 10 just by stepping on the court with this team. What Phoenix did by adding Shaq though, was give Amare Stoudamire the green light to become Chuck Norris. Amare moves back to playing the 4 and immediately creates matchup problems for other teams. He had 10 rebounds in the first half against the Lakers! Also, the dude is 25 years old... that's scary. I see an MVP trophy in that man's future. Bottom Line- Phoenix will make the Western Conference Finals Dallas- I'm not too sure about the Dallas trade either. Giving up youth and size for one of the best point guards in the game. Yes Jason Kidd is a triple-double machine. Yes he can create plays. Yes he can even rebound. However, the Mavs gave up Diop, leaving Dampier as their only solid big threat. In the West right now, this may end up biting you in the ass. Most of the teams in the West got bigger this month, the Mavs got smaller and quicker. Could this be a reaction to the first round upset handed to this team by the Warriors last year? My prediction is a second round exit for 2008. I'm not too sure the Mavericks have the ability to get past the likes of Phoenix, LA, Utah, New Orleans or San Antonio... all of which will have a shot at making the second round. Also, don't count out the likes of Denver, Houston or Golden State when it comes to upsets. But then again, the Mavs already know that. ...Pt. 2 tomorrow Thu, 21 Feb 2008 22:22:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/158925 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/158925