A M V P race.

Right now, LeBron James is the front runner, collecting more than half of the first place votes.

But down in ninth is Luca Donkeys.

That's interesting because he entered the season with the best odds toe win the MVP.

So SportsCenter with Stephen A.

Smith is coming up at the top of the hour, and it's great to have him with us on this show now.

So Stephen A.

You spoke with Luca Don checks, and the full conversation is coming up on your show after talking with him.

How do you explain Dallas is down year so far?

Well, I think a combination of a couple of things number one day offenses in that elitist frank like 17th in the league.

And primarily it's due to Luke and poor Zynga's not hitting three point shots.

He's shooting 31% from three point range.

Look, Porzingis is about 33%.

Those are the cornerstones of your franchise.

They've got to shoot the ball a bit more efficiently So you definitely have to point to that.

They've got to play better defense as well.

But you certainly can't have those two weapons as the cornerstone of your franchise and rank 17th and offense, and you're relying entirely too much on perimeter shots.

You're like a top 10 in terms of three point field goal percentage, but your rank damn near 30th in the league.

And so you gotta take those things into consideration.

Look at what you're doing.

Get the ball in the hole and play better defense.

They know that because, as of right now, that 13th in the Western Conference and that's not gonna cut the mustard Luca dodging being just approaching age 22 already knowing that and speaking about that so eloquently, he deserves a lot of kudos for that.

But they're not.

They're gonna have to go on the court and get it done.

Absolutely.

This is a team that was expected to be in the thick of the playoff race in the West.

Now, another team that's struggling is the Nets.

They've lost three straight.

They play the Pacers tonight, but Kevin Durant was pulled for Covic concerns in the first of those three games, and he missed the last two.

How do you view this team as it's presently constructed?

Well, they're horrible defensively, primarily because they have a head coach who's very inexperienced, that he'll get his bearings under him.

But Steve Nash was never known for defense as a player.

I don't know why the hell anybody think he'd be known for defense now is a coach.

We know that.

So he's got some a learning curve there.

Also, let's not underestimate the absence of Kevin Durant.

He only played 19 minutes in that game against Toronto that he was taken out Friday night because of covert reasons.

And he came off the bench because originally he was told not to start.

So that kind of disrupted their flow, their chemistry to some degree.

And anytime Kevin Durant is out, it's going to be problematic for them.

Daniel, you look at the guy lost like last night to Detroit once again.

Kyrie Irving, averaging 27 a game electrified this season, but him shooting twice as many shots as James Harden is not gonna cut the mustard.

This is a man that's averaged over 30 the last three years, he's James Harden.

Even though he's averaging 24 11 on the season, they have a triple double.

The reality is, is that you have to be a bit more diplomatic and distributing the basketball, and you've got to make sure you get others involved.

Not just James Harden, but also Joe Harris, who's a pretty damn good shooters shooting better than 50% from the field.

That Jeff Greene, who's shooting effectively from the field as well.

If the Nets are gonna be what we think they are, what I believe they will because I believe they're coming out of the East, You've got to be able to make sure other people are actively involved.

If you don't do that, you're going to fall, particularly when you don't play defense.

Because Steve Nash and Mike D'Antoni are not going to help you.

But so much in the Department of Defense offense.

Yes, defense, Please.

We know better.

All right.

Well, Stephen A Thanks.

We're looking forward to your show coming up at the top of the hour right here on ESPN.

Thanks.

Absolutely.

Thank you.

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