Lakers' LeBron Returns, ‘Smells Weakness’ in Mavs & Rest of West

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is wanting to again climb the Western Conference tree. Will the Dallas Mavs help prove it to be too tall to conquer?

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James reportedly "smells weakness'' in the NBA Western Conference as the postseason fast approaches, a suggestion that he is taking teams such as the Dallas Mavericks lightly. 

Based on his team's performance this year, is he suffering from delusions of grandeur?

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that James, as well as fellow former champions Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns) and Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), see the West as ripe for the taking.

"Durant, LeBron, Curry and the rest of those Warriors, they smell something,'' Windhorst said. "They smell weakness in the Western Conference ... LeBron's coming back on a bad foot because they smell weakness.'"

James is a future Hall-of-Famer who has earned his right to grand visions. Yet, the Lakers have been underachieving for much of the season and no matter the talent, history shows that it is a challenge for teams to put it all together in a late-season scramble. Of course, if anybody could do it? James, Durant and Curry are strong candidates.

The Lakers are currently 38-38 -- good for the No. 8 seed in the West. While they've gone 13-8 since the deadline trades for D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt, such bold speech does not negate a mere 1.5-game lead they have over the No. 11 seeded Mavericks.

Speaking of struggling to put it together - thus Kyrie Irving's now-viral "clusterf***'' evaluation of the Mavs' playoff chances - Dallas has reeled since the acquisition of Irving. Still, the Mavs (37-40) do remain in the mix.

Looking at the top, the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings have stayed atop the conference. 

Denver is led by reigning two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and a healthy supporting cast featuring Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. Much-needed succor from Murray -- who scorched earth in a dominant 2020 playoff run -- along with his mates and a revamped bench unit, gives Jokic and the Nuggets firepower as the most-efficient shooting team in the league.

The Grizzlies have battled turmoil and "villainy,'' but are the best home team in the Association (33-6) and can excel even without Ja Morant in the lineup. 

And as for the Kings? Playoff-bound for the first time since 2006, they've done nothing but lead the league in scoring (121.0 points per contest) and give rise to the best performer in clutch time -- De'Aaron Fox. 

Conversely, the Lakers are an average defensive team with a 113.3 defensive rating (No. 13 overall), the Warriors can't buy a win away from San Francisco with a 9-29 road record, and the Suns have holes in their defense without Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and Jae Crowder.

Certainly the Lakers, Suns and Warriors have the championship cache and superior top-heavy talent to flex on the upper crust of the West. And the Mavs? With Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, they can claim some of the same as we're about to find out which team in the West can smell the sweetest.

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