Teams right now that are better than the mavs..

[nsrammstein]

Rockets
Spurs
Lakers
Hornets
Jazz
Celtics
Blazers
Pistons
Cavaliers
and maybe the Suns

The Mavs have sunk to the 2nd tier of the NBA....How could Cuban let this happen? I hope Dirk asks to be traded

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Blazers?

[nsrammstein]

Blazers?

Blazers have a lot of Young talent and if oden and aldridge develop they could be one of the top 4 teams in the NBA a team which is currently better than the mavericks

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Blazers definitely got better, but until they actually show something on the court, Mavs>Blazers. Making the case that the Blazers are better right now isn't right.

[Ghazi]

Teams don't stay at the top forever.

And let's reserve such opinions until the regular season begins, please.

[JamStone]

Greece.

I'm sure Kill Bill will agree with me.

[Allanon]

I think most of you will be surprised at the Blazers this year.

They narrowly missed the playoffs last year and with Oden finally back and guys like Rudy Fernandez and Jerryd Bayless, they'll be above the Spurs and the Mavs.

Of last year's teams, I think Nuggets won't make the Playoffs and Spurs & Mavs will be around the 7/8 spots.

76ers can also make the list for better than the Mavs I think.

[Rip-Hamilton32]

76ers imo

[Ghazi]

I think most of you will be surprised at the Blazers this year.

They narrowly missed the playoffs last year and with Oden finally back and guys like Rudy Fernandez and Jerryd Bayless, they'll be above the Spurs and the Mavs.

Of last year's teams, I think Nuggets won't make the Playoffs and Spurs & Mavs will be around the 7/8 spots.

76ers can also make the list for better than the Mavs I think.

Troll.

[T Park]

Spurs in the 7 or 8

[confined]

Cavs, blazers, and suns are NOT better than the mavs

in the west i'd put houston, LA, SA, and NO as better teams than dallas.

Jazz = Mavs in my opinion

[tlongII]

Dont get your hopes too high for Rudy or Bayless. Neither one of those guys has shown as much promise as Marco Belineli of the Warriors, and yet he has yet to make a splash in this league. Bayless should get minutes but hes going to face a tough point guard in the West every single night! Rudy will get garbage minutes behind Roy who should play 38+ minutes, giving him hardly enough time to do what he does best. There are few teams that you can bank on competing for a top spot in the league and the Blazers just arent one of them.

Dude the Blazers will be pushing your beloved Lakers for the top spot in the West! What you don't realize is just how freaking dominant Oden is. As long as he is healthy we will be challenging for the le.

[pauls931]

Rockets
Spurs
Lakers
Hornets
Jazz
Celtics
Blazers
Pistons
Cavaliers
and maybe the Suns

The Mavs have sunk to the 2nd tier of the NBA....How could Cuban let this happen? I hope Dirk asks to be traded

Dude use some elementary math.

Teams that can beat Dallas = total # of teams in NBA - 1

[TheMadHatter]

A more interesting question would be who ISN'T better than the Mavs coming into next season?

[Allanon]

Troll.

Nah, not at all. I love Nowitzki, one of my favorite players. It's too bad the Mavs made bad player decisions, they're going to waste Dirk's best years in mediocrity.

JHo seems to have thrown a very promising career.
JKidd is more pitied than feared now
Devean George wasn't even good on the Lakers
JET is getting even more inconsistent these days instead of maturing into a consistent player

Brandon Bass is still a good backup
Dirk is still good

As cool as the new Blazers are, they in no way will be contending for a le this year but they'll be in the Playoffs.

[tlongII]

Oden is dominant based upon what??? Not even in fantasy basketball is he dominant. Dont worry, you will get that big test on opening day. The leauge didnt do you guys any favors by throwing the Blazers to the big bad Lakers. Im willing to bet the Blazers dont take a top 4 spot in the West. Here are the odds so far. Oh, and stop saying as long as Oden is healthy. According to you, the Blazers have the most talent in the NBA, so health issues should not slow them down. It didnt slow the Lakers down when we lost Ariza and Bynum did it.

Dallas Mavericks 10 - 1

Denver Nuggets 16 - 1

Golden State Warriors 25 - 1

Houston Rockets 8 - 1

Los Angeles Clippers 30 - 1

Los Angeles Lakers 7 - 5

Memphis Grizzlies 50 - 1

Minnesota T-Wolves 50 - 1

Minnesota Timberwolves 50 - 1

New Orleans Hornets 8 - 1

Phoenix Suns 8 - 1

Portland Trailblazers 12 - 1

Sacramento Kings 50 - 1

San Antonio Spurs 9 - 2

Utah Jazz 10 - 1

Oden is not even odds on favorite to be rookie of the year and you talking about him beasting!!!

Dude, you lost Ariza and Bynum. Not your best player. Oden will be our best player. Losing him would be like the Lakers losing Kobe. We play 18 of our first 24 games ON THE ROAD. And most of those are against playoff teams. You're right if you're saying we may have a tough start to the season. However, if we make it through that stretch in reasonably good shape we will run you down. Book it.

[Ghazi]

Nah, not at all. I love Nowitzki, one of my favorite players. It's too bad the Mavs made bad player decisions, they're going to waste Dirk's best years in mediocrity.

JHo seems to have thrown a very promising career.
JKidd is more pitied than feared now
Devean George wasn't even good on the Lakers
JET is getting even more inconsistent these days instead of maturing into a consistent player

Brandon Bass is still a good backup
Dirk is still good

As cool as the new Blazers are, they in no way will be contending for a le this year but they'll be in the Playoffs.

but the spurs 7/8?

[KobeOwnsBowen]

How could Cuban let this happen? I hope Dirk asks to be traded

Cuban is an idiot and Dirk is part of the problem. He is just too damn soft for Dallas to be considered real contender. Everyone has to make up for his weaknesses. Choking and poor defense is not a way to succeed in the playoffs.

[IronMexican]

Now Dirk has poor D?
haha, his D is average, nothing special, but not a liability

[ElNono]

Now Dirk has poor D?
haha, his D is average, nothing special, but not a liability

It's been said a few times already. Maybe you missed it.
Cue in the 'but he's a great help defender' excuses...

[ElNono]

The jury is still out on a bunch of teams. Some upgraded, some downgraded, and some just got older. Blazers, Sixers and Rockets look improved on paper, but we'll see when they play.
Also don't underestimate the fact that the Mavs have a new coach, and probably a new system too. While it might motivate some players to see a new face and a new possibility, it might take a while to get to know exactly what the coach wants.
The West looks ultra compe ive, and it's going to be tough for everybody. I was also very impressed with Dwayne wheelchair during the Olympics, and I think his team could make some noise in the East if they add a few more pieces in mid season.

[rj215]

The Mavs seemed to have had their psyche destroyed by the Heat and Warriors. Then they panicked and traded for Kidd. Their window seems closed even with talented young players like Bass on their team. And Dirk sounds like he's ready to leave already.

[lefty]

Is the West getting weaker ????

[dirk4mvp]

Cuban is an idiot and Dirk is part of the problem. He is just too damn soft for Dallas to be considered real contender. Everyone has to make up for his weaknesses. Choking and poor defense is not a way to succeed in the playoffs.

Fans of teams with Pau Gasol on it should never call another player soft.

[BUMP]

Fans of teams with Pau Gasol on it should never call another player soft.

(unless theyre talking about shawn bradley)