How LeBron James Completely Ruined the NBA

Once again, the Golden State Warriors have won it all! Is anyone really surprised? Here are my thoughts on the current state of affairs in the NBA and how one particular player has altered the league for good, in a very bad way.

Welcome to the age of the Super-Team! Before this season even started, I heard an ESPN commentator make the argument that only four teams (Golden State, Houston, Cleveland, and Boston) had any real chance to win the NBA title this year. Fast forward to the Conference Finals and those same four teams were the last ones standing.  And the Finals? Golden State vs. Cleveland. Again. For the FOURTH straight year! This past offseason, most of the movement of free agents in the league was done with the express purpose of creating teams of superstars while those teams without such combinations became a lower tier of competition. And who should we blame for this phenomenon? None other than King James himself.

To begin, how do we define a “super team”? Although some would say that any team with three legitimate superstars constitutes a super team, others are quick to consider how the stars arrived on these teams. NBA history includes plenty of dynasty teams with power-packed rosters, and the ability to draft and develop talent used to be what separated those successful franchises from the rest of the league. But things have changed. The new NBA is based on shortcuts, finding ways to sign or trade for All-Star caliber talents to add to already stacked rosters. And it all began with LeBron.

In 2010, James, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade joined forces to create a Miami Heat team that would waltz to four straight NBA Finals appearances, winning a pair of championships. (Were it not for those pesky Texas teams, they could have won all four!) Although not very common, superstars had been known to move before, but in this case, the three players had actually planned their free agency moves years in advance. Ignoring the NBA’s tampering rules, and with the help of Heat president Pat Riley, the three intentionally set out to stack the deck and establish a team of stars that could win multiple championships. And the NBA ignored the infractions as well, and allowed it to happen.

Four years later, apparently not content with two rings, LeBron did it again. This time, he became a free agent and returned to his original team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. In his absence, the team had played poorly enough to accumulate multiple lottery picks (including three overall number ones), picking up a few other star players, and then trading for others. Welcome, LeBron to your second super team! Other teams were quick to follow the formula. Golden State added Kevin Durant to an already championship roster. Houston picked up Chris Paul. Boston acquired LeBron’s old teammate, Kyrie Irving.

So, what’s the problem? Nothing, if you don’t mind sitting around for the whole season just to get to the preordained finish. Nothing, if your team is one of the super teams. On the other hand, it is frustrating to watch some of the teams with amazing young talent and think about how quickly those players will jump ship as soon as they hit free agency. Just like Durant, they have learned from LeBron how to work the system. In the meantime, if you’re tired of watching the Warriors and the Cavs play in the finals every year, don’t worry. LeBron is soon to be a free agent again and will likely leave Cleveland in search of his third super team. The wildest rumor is that he will go to the Warriors!

If that happens, we can just skip the whole season and give them the rings. Everybody else can just go into the consolation bracket and have a big tournament for second place.

For a really interesting article about the history of the NBA’s super teams, check out the following by Andrew Lynch. https://www.foxsports.com/nba/gallery/nba-superteams-history-lebron-james-heat-cavaliers-warriors-061617

So why do I blame it all on LeBron? In fairness to him, superstars have changed teams before in pursuit of championships, but seriously, if you are the best player in the entire league shouldn’t a team be able to build a dynasty around you? If you are truly the GOAT, should you have to use (and abuse) the free agency system to get your rings? Just my opinion, but I miss the good old days when the season mattered more than the offseason and championships were won on the court, not in the GM’s office.