Who's the leader of the Mavs right now?
Since my post got removed from r/nba and all I want is just a civilized and fair discussion I'll try to post it here.
It seems like most of the mainstream media, whether they have their own agenda or not, are believers of this trade from the Mavs perspective. It seems that everyone lists the Mavs as even better title contenders right now.
But I think everyone is overlooking on one, in my humble opinion, very important question:
"Who's the leader of the team right now?"
And I'm not just talking about the last second shots. Who's the guy right now that after a 3 game losing streak will take the ball in his hand, 2 minutes to go, 5 points down, and create something out of nothing? Create a shot not just for himself, but a high percentage shot for the team. Sure defense wins you championships, but down the stretch, having a guy like that on the offensive end is vital. You still have to score points in order to win right?
This is what distinguishes title contenders from just good teams. This is why in the NBA, throughout history, only a couple of teams per season, because they have this certain caliber of players, have a realistic shot of winning it all.
EDIT: Let me rephrase the question, because we all know who the top 2 players are on the team. Knowing their history,
- Can you make a deep playoff run, even win a title, with Kyrie as your leader?
- Can you make a deep playoff run, even win a title, with AD as your leader?