MAVS NEWS:

[mvossman]

There's a lot of buzz about Luka now getting into top physical condition. If his improved conditioning holds, it will be quite a show in LA, and we will wish he had been willing to make that sort of commitment as a Mav.

But I am wondering -- is any of this lighting some kind of fire under AD, and perhaps Kyrie too, to prove that the MAVS (not LA) got the better end of this deal? The best NBA players are the best because they work hard at their game and are ULTRA-competitive, and I have a feeling the Mavs stars might take all these "Luka is committed and working hard to prove the Mavs messed up" summer stories personally and use them as fuel to be way better.

I can't imagine that fire being lit any more than it was right after the trade.  Unfortunately it may have contributed to him coming back too soon and pushing too hard.  The knock on him has always been more about staying on the court than motivation.  

As was mentioned earlier, I imagine having an 18 year old rookie be viewed as the savior of the franchise might have at least as much motivation.  I hope our vets handle that situation with more class than what we witnessed with Luka's rookie year.