2018-19 NBA Off-Season

What is a bigger problem for the NBA - the Warriors stockpiling All-Stars or half the league tanking in hopes of landing a franchise player who probably won't be an impact player until he hits free agency (and signs with the Warriors).

 

How long did that Miami Heat dynasty last ?
Not 1. Not 2 Not 3 Not 4...

 

By the way, because this off-season isn't crazy enough, Dwight Howard to the Wizards, to solve their chemistry problems, per Deadspin and others: https://deadspin.com/yes-surely-dwight-howard-is-just-the-man-to-solve-the-1827329258

 

The Warriors look unbeatable right now, with five all-stars under 31, but how much longer can it last? Cousins may never be the same, and Klay and Dray will be looking for max deals next summer. Will the Warriors pay them? Loads of other teams will, and Dray has already indicated that he's taking the money after previously sacrificing money to help bring in KD.

Maybe KD leaves, too, finally realizing that the rings he wins with a star supporting cast aren't improving his legacy nearly as much as he currently thinks they are.

 

I would be amazed if anyone gives Green max money.

Right now Durant's legacy is he is on par with Bird and Magic (people might disagree with that, but the last Finals was his) in a third tier of NBA greatness. LeBron and Jordan are in tiers above him, and he is not going to reach LeBron status, ever. He's a first-ballot HOFer. How can he improve upon that?

And pay the fines if you are GS. This does not happen many times in a franchise's history. This is why you draft all those damn players. Enjoy the ride as long as you can.

What's an NBA Championship Worth? At least tens of millions of dollars, sports business experts say

 

The latter probably. Though neither is exactly a real problem. It's a reflection of the reality people demand titles or teams that can compete for titles. At some point, the idea of just being Utah, either in the 90s or now suddenly was deemed less appealing. It's interesting to see the pro/college gap, as half the point of a college program is to just maintain, unless you're one of 12 or so teams, and even they get by without national titles (see Stoops, Bob).

 

We give players shit if they simply care about money and now we give players shit when they sign with a team that gives them the best chance to win. This legacy shit is ridiculous.

The players of the past would have done the exact same thing given the opportunity.

 

In the short term, maybe not. In the long term, which is where legacy resides, the hot takes of the day get stripped out. Guys who won multiple titles with awesome teams always have plenty of help. It's highly rare anyone looks back and says "Wow, crazy how that one guy led a team to a title." We don't wax about who Rick Barry had around him, or cherish the 2002-03 Spurs that had not that much around Tim Duncan (a lot of names, but most too young or old).

If he goes to the Knicks and leads them to the finals twice, ECF a few more times, are we gonna say, "Man, he jump started that franchise, definitely helps his legacy more than a few more titles."? Probably not.

 

It's always fun hearing Charles Barkley split hairs when he rags on players for doing this. His argument is basically that it was totally different when he went to Houston to chase a ring because he was old and shitty by then.

 

The thing about the NBA that people don't get is that players today have been recruiting other players and their friends to join them on their AAU teams, their college teams etc. It's only natural that they bring it to the NBA.

 

There was also a huge jump in the cap which allowed this to happen.

 

In the context of the cap spike, its spoken as if that the Ws were the only team to fit Durant under the cap with the spike; the spike opened up that opportunity for just about every other team in the league. The short term thinking is so wrong; the steps to get Durant started when the Ws and Curry agreed to the 4yr/$44M contract, both sides took risks there, then the Ws developed a championship team.