Oops, he did it again! LeBron James is now a Los Angeles Laker!
I have been predicting for some time now that he would not
return to Cleveland. Even though recruiting another All-Star caliber player to
join him with the Cavaliers was still possible, I never believed he had any
intention of staying. Just my opinion, but once again, he is taking the easy
way out. (Some would argue that moving to the West is not the easy road to the Finals,
but that’s a different issue altogether.)
Once again, he has
made the DECISION and taken it upon himself to choose where, and with whom, he
wants to play. With two homes in LA, it makes sense that he would choose the
Lakers, and in terms of his family, it’s probably a wise choice, but Lord love
the poor Cleveland fans. Not once, but now twice, they have been abandoned by
their “hometown” hero. Sure, there are those who are just happy he came back
and delivered the one championship, but many are no doubt deeply disappointed
that he has rejected them again for a more glamorous destination.
So, now what? As my brother put it, with no further additions to the team, he’s
basically in the same position as before. How long and how far can he carry his
new teammates? I suspect more moves are already in the works. Can you say Kawhi
Leonard?
On the other hand, maybe he has gotten beyond his obsession with
rings. Maybe he just plans on playing four more years and retiring in LA. Not
buying that? Me neither. I’m just waiting to see what else the Lakers have
planned. Most likely, there are still some trades and signings to come.
Previously posted on 6-11-2018
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, but the
ability to draft and develop talent has always been what separates the
successful franchises from the rest of the league. 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 the 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, the players and Heat president Pat Riley, 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.
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