New York Basketball: A Knicks-Nets Superteam
The relocation of the New Jersey Nets to Brooklyn meant New York, often considered the basketball capital of the world, now had two NBA teams. The title of “New York’s basketball team” was put up for grabs between the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets, an award that has not yet been bestowed upon either team. Both squads are near the top of the standings in the Eastern Conference and having solid seasons; but imagine if the best players from each team could be combined to make a New York Superteam. The players and talent would be enough to make even LeBron James and the Miami Heat tremble.
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Los Angeles Lakers: Where Is the Problem with the “Superteam?”
The Los Angeles Lakers are not at the top of the Pacific Division. Yes, you heard that right.
Acquired a point guard that we have desperately needed for the past few seasons. Check. That point guard just happens to be Steve Nash, who has led division competitor the Phoenix Suns for years. He is simply one of the best in the league.
Andrew Bynum was a bit of a problem. Consistency is key. We shipped him off. Now, to replace him, we get the best center in the NBA. Double check. A rebounding king. An enforcer in the blocking game. An incredible defender.
We still miss the sixth man of Lamar Odom. Can we get a sixth man? Oh wait, we can add a veteran in Antawn Jamison, who had been leading the fleeting Cleveland Cavaliers still fuming at the loss of LeBron James. Check.
Re-sign a stud in Jonah Hill. Check. Bring in a three-point machine in Jodie Meeks. Check. Rookie Darius Morris can step up. Check.
So that should be a championship contending team right? Where have the Lakers gone wrong? They’ve assembled the ultimate arsenal of weapons, but do not seem to be able to win any major battles with them, despite the fact that they’re fighting weaker enemies. They lost to the Sacramento Kings, who bring not knives, but sticks to this gun fight!
The Lakers thought Mike Brown was the problem and he may well have been, but this is something else.
The classic argument from a fan’s perspective is the struggles of the Miami Heat at the beginning of their first year as a stacked competitor.
But there is something about this that seems off. The Lakers were always good out of the gate with Kobe Bryant leading the way. They got better. And now seem to only be able to barely squeak by their opponents day in and day out.
As a Lakers fan, I am used to wins. I am used to thrilling games. I expected this season to be so exciting, but it has not panned out.
Ultimately, I know things are going to change. The Lakers have to figure it out. But they need to do it fast!
We’re ready for the NBA Championship to return to Los Angeles. Let’s make that happen and put this losing behind us.
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How Long Will It Take for Lakers to Figure out How to Be a Superteam?
Ask LeBron James. Ask Dwyane Wade. Hell, ask Kevin Durant. They’ll all tell the Los Angeles Lakers the same thing—it takes time.
What takes time, exactly?
Developing team chemistry, more specifically, star-studded team chemistry.
It takes time to go from a mere force on paper to a dominant entity on the court. It takes time for a 10-plus year veterans to step outside their comfort zones and thrive.
It takes times for these assemblies to work.
But how much time? How long must Los Angeles attempt to bask in the glory on paper because the on-court attack is chaotic and underwhelming at best? How long until this “works?”
Well, if you ask the New York Knicks, they’ll tell you nearly two years and counting.
Don’t fret, though, because the Lakers didn’t mortgage their financial future on a set of degenerative knees or their tangible future on a superstar who has become nothing less than a captive of his own potential.
Simply put, the Lakers—even with Dwight Howard‘s back and Kobe Bryant‘s foot injuries—are not the Knicks. They’re something more, something better.
Something that resembles the Miami Heat.
One could argue that Los Angeles is, in fact, attempting to integrate a heavier dose of star-caliber egos into one system, and one would be correct.
But that’s not what’s important here.
What’s important is the Lakers convocation of superstars is of the same magnitude and potential of the Heat’s. And congregations of such extensive talent take time to mesh, they take time to iron out the kinks and become a semblance of a coherent and synchronized unit.
Like Los Angeles, Miami lost its first game of stars gone wild era. And like the Lakers, the Heat struggled to put points on the board, to execute efficiently, scoring just 80 points on 36.5 percent shooting—in that first game.
And you know what, the struggles continued, well into the season, in fact.
The Heat—Big Three and all—began their inaugural campaign by losing eight of their first 17 games. That’s correct, the star-studded trio that convened in Miami to render all other opponents inferior struggled to keep its head above .500 through the first 17 games.
By that point, South Beach’s prolific formation was a failure. They staged the biggest free-agency coup in league history for nothing.
But then, the tides began to shift. Things started to change.
After opening up the season 9-8, the Heat went on to win 21 of their next 22, including a 12-game winning streak.
What changed? What allowed Miami to go from a star-laden team in turmoil that routinely gave up 100 points a game to one that allowed such a feat just three times in 22 games?
To put it simply, the Heat changed.
Sure, they had time to become accustomed to one another’s talent–which helped a great deal—but their attitude changed as well. They ditched the sense of entitlement that prompted LeBron to make his infamous “not one, not two, not three…” proclamation and replaced it with a monstrous chip on their shoulder like they had something to prove.
Because they did have something to prove.
And so do the Lakers. In fact, judging by Kobe Bryant’s pre-opening-night-game sentiments (via Greg Beacham of NBA.com), the Lakers have more to prove than any of us ever imagined:
“As you know, we have a lot of expectations this season,” Bryant said. “We’re trying to live up to the expectations. We’re trying to bring another championship back to where it belongs, back to Los Angeles.”
That’s the Lakers problem right there.
More so than Howard’s sorry free-throw shooting and more so than their attempt to eradicate Steve Nash’s creativity within the confines of a structured offense, their greatest potential downfall is assuming the expectations of a championship favorite.
Can title attainment be the team’s ultimate goal?
Of course, but to assume before opening tip, before this group proved much of anything that they were indisputable title contenders was premature.
And as we saw with the Heat, and have already seen with the Lakers this year, such a mindset was also detrimental.
What failed the Heat two years ago, more than their lack of chemistry, was their attitude, their refusal to acknowledge they had a target on their back before anything else.
With the Lakers, it’s the same story different binding.
Until they realize that they proved nothing, they’ll achieve nothing.
I’d like to tell you it will take Los Angeles just 17 games to start winning. I’d like to tell you it may even take less time.
But I’d be lying.
Because the Lakers aren’t going to be a superteam until they stop playing like one, until they assume that “us against the world” attitude that won the Heat 58 games in their first season together, that won them an NBA championship only last year.
That same attitude Los Angeles currently lacks.
That same one standing between them and building the reputation they already expect to uphold.
And, yeah, that same attitude the Lakers must embrace and subsequently personify if they wish to become a superteam.
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Why LeBron James Should Start Thinking About His Next “Superteam”
The age of the “superteam” in the NBA turned the corner in 2007 when the Boston Celtics acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to pair with Paul Pierce. That team won a title in 2008, and it set the benchmark for teams to actively try to pair superstars in large-market cities.
Kobe Bryant got Pau Gasol with Andrew Bynum en route to two titles. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh took the plunge in 2010 to the Miami Heat, followed by Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire to the New York Knicks and Chris Paul and Blake Griffin in “Lob City.”
The model is certainly working to an extent, as all the teams mentioned found themselves in the playoffs in 2012. Miami finds themselves 48 minutes away from their second NBA title, and first in the superteam mold.
Teams like Dallas and Indiana are on the verge of trying to keep up with the Jones’, so to speak, aiming to make a big splash in free agency this summer.
But as great as the Heat have been in besting the rest of these super squads during their two-year run, it makes sense to start looking at LeBron’s escape from Miami, before he can win those eight titles he promised the city in his welcome party in July 2010.
Here’s a look at a few aspects of why LeBron should start plotting an escape route, and doing it sooner rather than later.
Wade will be 31 next season. That certainly isn’t over the hill by NBA standards, but it isn’t going to make it any easier for him to play a full season next year when the league goes back to 82 games.
While he’s a warrior in both attacking the basket and in playing aggressive defense, Wade has always been praised for having no regard for his body when he’s on the court. That showed in Game 4 of the Finals, when he fell flat on his back going up for a shot in the paint against Serge Ibaka.
There’s no guarantee LeBron stays healthy either, of course. NBA minutes are precious, but Wade has some nagging issues that are more likely to be highlighted again than they are go away.
If the injury bug hits the No. 2 guy in Miami, then this next issue might be the more pressing one of the two.
Is Chris Bosh a No. 2 Option Anymore?
His numbers are down across the board, but that’s not fair considering his role in Toronto vs. in Miami. He’s the clear-cut No. 3 guy, and while that surely hurts his confidence sometimes, it’s a role that often makes him the most important player for the Heat in winning games.
Being the X-factor is fine when you’re not “the guy.” Should Wade bow out year after year, he won’t have the luxury of not seeing double teams or not having to score 20 points for the team to win.
That’s a big “what if?” question that isn’t fair to answer right now, but without the threat of Wade to go off at any time, what more are the Heat than the old James-led Cleveland Cavaliers?
In year four, when all three players have the option to opt-out of their six-year deals with the Heat, will Wade even be at an elite level anymore? Will Bosh? That brings us to the most interesting issue of the decision.
After “The Decision,” everyone was enamored with the idea that these men left money on the table, or took a pay cut, to play together.
That may be true over the entirety of a contract, but when each is scheduled to make $56 million of the current $58 million salary cap in 2013-2014, what will happen when the Heat have to find new players to replace their current ones?
Better yet, what happens in 2015-2016, the sixth and final year of their contract? Each is slated to earn more than $21 million, costing the Heat $12 million in luxury tax before they sign any of the other 12 players to fill out the roster.
Note: Here’s a great look at some of the provisions of the new salary cap post-lockout, which enforces some still penalties on the luxury tax front.
Conclusion
The current elation that will be had should Miami hold on and win the NBA Finals this season is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. No one will ever question James’ decision to leave his home state and pursue basketball excellence again.
But it would be wise for LeBron to start taking a look at his options sooner rather than later. Whether it’s breaking up the Big Three by trade, injury or contract departure, James could be playing ball in a new city sooner than you think.
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NCAA Tournament 2012: Kentucky/North Carolina Superteam Could Beat an NBA Team
The buildup to the Final Four this week has mainly been about the Bluegrass State matchup between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Louisville Cardinals. It’s the first matchup ever between these in-state rivals in the Final Four.
Little attention, if any for that matter, has been given to the other semifinal game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Kansas Jayhawks.
There seems to be more discussion and debate right now about whether or not Kentucky could beat the Charlotte Bobcats or Washington Wizards, rather than which team John Calipari’s squad is more likely to face on Monday night if they are able to get past Louisville.
The 2012 Wildcats are undoubtedly one of the most talented teams in recent memory (at least from the perspective of an NBA scout) and are heavy favorites to cut down the nets in New Orleans.
Every member of their starting five is an underclassmen and is projected to be a first-round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Anthony Davis, the Naismith College Player of the Year, is expected to be taken first overall and his frontcourt teammate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist could be drafted right after him.
As talented as they are, however, it’s hard to imagine Kentucky being competitive with an NBA team for an entire game. Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy made a good point that even though Kentucky has some NBA talent, even a bad NBA team has 13 NBA players on its roster.
The Wildcats have nowhere near the depth to keep up with an NBA team, even if it is the Bobcats. There were many games this year when Kentucky only played seven players, with Darius Miller and Kyle Wiltjer the sole reserves coming off the bench.
While their lineup consists of potential first-round picks, including arguably this year’s top two prospects, it would still be the 31st best starting five in the NBA. Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist, as great as they are, would not be enough to carry the Wildcats to victory over an NBA team.
Similar arguments were made this past college football season that the defenses of LSU and Alabama were NFL-caliber. While both had many future NFL players and first-round draft picks, those units would have been the 33rd and 34th best defenses in the league by a wide margin, even with the weak defensive play in the NFL this past season.
Calipari’s recruiting method has allowed him to bring in a new batch of one-and-done NBA-ready players every season. There’s no way he could have maintained that same level of talent each season without those players leaving early, but if he could that, Kentucky might have enough talent to field a competitive NBA team.
C: DeMarcus Cousins / Daniel Orton
PF: Anthony Davis / Kyle Wiltjer
SF: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist / Terrence Jones / Darius Miller
SG: Brandon Knight / Doron Lamb / DeAndre Liggins
PG: John Wall / Eric Bledsoe / Marquis Teague
If any college basketball team was ever going to seriously challenge a cellar-dweller from the NBA, that squad would need a pro prospect everywhere on their depth chart (like the one above).
The 2012 Wildcats wouldn’t be able to take down the Bobcats or Toronto Raptors, but a combination of their best players and those from this year’s North Carolina team (if healthy) might be able to. The Tar Heels had as much depth as Syracuse going in to this season before all those injuries started occurring.
C: Tyler Zeller / John Henson
PF: Anthony Davis / James Michael McAdoo / Kyle Wiltjer
SF: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist / Harrison Barnes / Terrence Jones
SG: Doron Lamb / P.J. Hairston / Darius Miller
PG: Kendall Marshall / Marquis Teague
This conglomerate above has at least 10 players that could go in the first round of this year’s NBA Draft, and everyone on the roster will likely be drafted and/or make an NBA roster at some point. It would be hard to imagine this team not being able to be competitive with some NBA teams, although there would be some people that even make the argument that this team would make the NBA Playoffs.
Even adding Thomas Robinson and Bradley Beal to the mix, however, might not make that happen.
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NBA Trade Rumors: Clippers Could Have Formed Superteam If Not for Baron Trade
I could start by saying that hindsight is 20/20, but you know that already. Plus, the cliche police would probably have me arrested.
The guys in the Clippers front office have to be shaking their heads though when they look back to their 2011 trade deadline deal that sent their 2011 No. 1 pick and most importantly, Baron Davis‘ terrible contract to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon.
At the time, a lottery pick seemed like a reasonable price to pay to shed Davis’ bloated deal and save $11 million over the next two years. And they even got a competent point guard in return.
Fast forward nine months. The trade looks so much different now.
For starters, the Clippers’ first round selection turned out to be the No.1 overall pick in the draft.
Then, the new NBA collective bargaining agreement was negotiated to include an amnesty provision, allowing a team to waive one player and not have their contract count towards their salary cap or luxury tax number.
That one-two punch must have GM Neil Olshey reeling when he considers the potential roster moves he could have made had he waited just a few more months before pulling the trigger on banishing Davis.
Baron’s contract could have simply been amnestied off the books, and while they would still have to pay his remaining salary, the Clips would have cleared major cap space without the cost of giving up the top pick in the 2011 draft.
L.A. could have used that pick to draft and stash another prized young prospect. That means they could have grabbed either Kyrie Irving or Derrick Williams at No. 1 to use as trade bait in the future.
That would have given them the assets required to land not just one, but two superduperstars this offseason.
The Clippers would have had the possibility of pulling off trades to acquire both Dwight Howard AND Chris Paul to add to Blake Griffin and form the NBA’s next superteam. All the components required to land D12 and CP3 would have been in their possession.
Looking for quality young assets? Pick from Eric Gordon, DeAndre Jordan, Al-Farouq Aminu, Eric Bledsoe and Irving/Williams.
Need draft picks? The Clippers could not only give up their own, but also the rights to Minnesota‘s unprotected 2012 first rounder. That’s likely a top five pick in a loaded draft. Whichever team receives that pick has to feel good about their chances to attain their next franchise player with it.
Want cap relief? The Clips have you covered there too. Not only do they have expiring contracts to deal in Chris Kaman and Randy Foye, they have enough cap room themselves to take back any bad contracts the Hornets or Magic want to unload.
For instance, the Clippers could take on Hedo Turkoglu’s contract, which would allow the Magic to use their amnesty on Gilbert Arenas and clear a boatload of cap space. The bottom line is that the Clippers could facilitate the Hornets and/or Magic in becoming major free-agent players next summer.
With that stockpile of assets on the table, the Clippers would have the pieces needed to revamp their forlorn franchise. I’m not saying they would have definitely pulled off the heist for both Howard and Paul, but just the possibility would give us all something exciting to speculate about.
HoopsHype would blow up with all the rumors surrounding a potential mega-deal. Bill Simmons, the self-proclaimed “Picasso of the Trade Machine,” would have posted a 10,000 word column breaking down 17 different trade scenarios. It could have involved four or five teams, snowballed into other superstars being moved and morphed into the biggest, most earth-shattering transaction in NBA history (Okay, I might be exaggerating a tiny bit, but hey, it’s my fake dream scenario. You can get your own.).
Alas, the Baron Davis trade put a premature end to the pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. Davis made the Clippers rue the contact they gave him every day for the almost three years he spent with the team. Now, even though Davis is gone, he’s still coming back to haunt them.
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The NBA’s Power Balance Shift: Why the “Super-Team” Doesn’t Really Exist
Lately, there has been a trend by NBA teams to acquire multiple All-Star-caliber players in order to compete for championships. This trend first came about with the acquisitions of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to compliment Paul Pierce in Boston. They subsequently won the NBA Finals that year.
This past offseason, the Miami Heat added the likes of LeBron James—the NBA’s self-proclaimed king, and arguably the best player in the game—and Chris Bosh. Just a week ago, the Knicks added the stellar Carmelo Anthony and his Denver teammate and former NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups. Another possible “super-team” is being born with the Nets’ acquisition of one Deron Williams.
These moves have shifted the balance of power firmly in the Eastern Conference’s favor. But I personally don’t think that these “super-teams” exist; I believe that every great team in history has multiple all-star caliber players.
If you look back at every championship-winning team, they always had at least two stars in their lineup. The Spurs and Lakers, more recently, had three. The Spurs have Duncan, Ginobli, and Parker, while the Lakers have Bryant, Gasol, and Fisher. Of course, not all of those guys go out and drop 30 points every game. But they have the capability to do so, and they contribute to their teams’ success on a consistent basis. They are central to their team, and if they don’t play well, the team loses.
People try to attribute the success of the all-time greats to their amazing ability to win and their competitiveness, but these players never rode into battle alone.
Jordan played with at least one, and possibly two (depending on this year’s Hall of Fame vote), Hall of Famers when he was winning championships—Pippen and, possibly, Rodman. He also played with guys who averaged double figures in scoring (Armstrong and Grant). In order for Jordan to be great, he needed teammates he could rely on. You can’t just build a team centered around one player, you need a nucleus of two or more.
Great players today are usually ranked by how many points they score. Yet, if that’s the case, why are guys like John Stockton, Dennis Johnson, and Joe Dumars in the Basketball Hall of Fame? The answer is that points aren’t the only meaningful statistic in basketball.
Steve Nash averaged 15.5 and 18.8 PPG during his two MVP seasons. The most important statistic, though, was his 11.5 and 10.5 APG during those two years. Although his team didn’t win anything either year, he was still honored as the best player because he didn’t just score points—he piloted his team to the best record in the NBA with his leadership skills.
Derek Fisher also falls into this category. He’s never been an elite scorer. His best season PPG average was 13.3 in his 2005-06 campaign with the Warriors. He’s also never averaged more than 4.4 assists per game.
The reason why he’s considered a star is because he’s a leader on the court. He knows how to command the troops to defeat top opponents. He’s a great defender as well, and can hit the clutch shot whenever needed to. Of course, he hardly needs to because he has the most clutch player in the NBA playing the two on his side.
When you look at teams like the Heat and Knicks, you see the formation of those stars and assume that they’ll dominate for years to come. But these teams hardly dominate now.
The biggest reason for this is that, when you get a lot of top guys who are used to being the best player on their team to play together, they expect to be the best on any team they join. It’s tough on their ego to accept that they aren’t. So, they try to best their teammate in performance in order to win the title as the “Batman” of the organization. This kind of competition between teammates doesn’t translate to wins on the court.
Of course, when you’ve got longtime veterans like Garnett and Allen one a team, they understand that their egos aren’t going to win them championships. They can set that aside and play as a TEAM, rather than a group of top stars. They also realize that they aren’t going to be able to do everything that needs done in order to win, so they assume their roles, and don’t try to be something they’re not.
The Celtics haven’t won a championship since the 2007-08 season because other teams have played better than them. This shows just how mortal they are. The Heat can’t seem to beat teams with records above .500. The Knicks can’t defend a high school basketball team from scoring 100 pts.
They’re all just as mortal as any other team in the NBA. When these teams were formed, people expected domination for years to come. But all the star power does is increase their chances of winning, not guarantee it.
Every good team needs at least two stars to win championships. This is something that has been proven time and time again by the dynasties that be. Building a team around one player is just a quick way to win games, but not an effective way to bring trophies to your display case.
So, before people talk about how these three star teams are going to ruin the game, look at the champions throughout history. They all contained a multitude of top players who contributed to their team’s success. That’s why they call it a team sport.
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The Superteam Is Starting to Make A Comeback
When the Miami Heat went out and got two of the premier free agents on the market, Chris Bosh and LeBron James, it ushered in an era that is making a comeback. The superteam. Right now I call it buddyball because players want to call their shot on where to get traded or waiting on signing an extension for a team which their being traded to.
In the 80′s there were a lot of stacked teams. There were a lot of capable teams that could ring up 50 plus wins every year. You had the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, and Detroit Pistons in the East. In the West you had the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trailblazers, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs. Not all of them were championship level teams but were capable of winning division titles and a playoff series or two. I’m not going to run down every roster of the teams listed, but if you went and looked there were some teams that had at least four all star caliber players on their roster.
L.A. Lakers- Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, James Worthy, Byron Scott, A.C. Green, Bob McAdoo
Boston Celtics- Dennis Johnson, Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale, Bill Walton, Danny Ainge
Philadelphia 76ers- Julius Erving, Charles Barkley, Andrew Toney, Moses Malone, Maurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones
Look at those teams and tell me they weren’t stacked. No wonder Magic Johnson says he couldn’t go play anywhere else. Granted there were a lot of NBA Finals that featured either the Lakers, Celtics or Sixers. Even the Rockets rose up and made a few Finals appearances.
Now we have the Celtics and Heat battling it out in the East. The Orlando Magic had a good team but made some moves to net Jason Richardson and Gilbert Arenas. The Chicago Bulls are only a two guard away from being in the upper echelon of the East. And the New York Knicks are trying to get their own superteam started. The New Jersey Nets are desperately trying to land a superstar to attract others in anticipation for their move to Brooklyn. If you notice all this movement is in the East. There are some solid teams in the West, but they won’t get anywhere until King Kobe decides to call it quits. Every team is trying to get themselves in position to win multiple championships. It’s almost like it’s an arms race nowdays.
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The Superteam vs. The Defending Champs: Breaking Down Heat/ Lakers
The most anticipated game of this NBA season, and perhaps the last 10, is finally upon us as Lebron James and his superstar teammates, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, are bringing their talents to Staples Center for a Christmas Day clash of titans with the not-nearly-as-hyped Los Angeles Lakers. Given the Lakers’ status as defending [...]
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Los Angeles Lakers or Miami Heat: Which NBA Superteam Gets To 20 Wins First?
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat were the most talked-about teams leading up to this 2010-11 NBA season. Most people predicted these squads would eventually meet for a seven-game series in June for the title.
While both teams look good on the surface, the Lakers seem to be outperforming the Heat.
Los Angeles is 7-0 and is averaging 13.6 more points than their opponents. Miami is 5-2 and is averaging 13.2 more points per game than their opponents.
The Lakers have the better record, and after last night, the better point differential.
I’m inclined to say that actual wins and losses are a much more telling statistic than point differential, but the Lakers have both categories right now.
Can the Lakers keep up this pace? Will the Heat catch them? Which team will get to 20 wins first? Let’s look at each and every upcoming game in the next few weeks for both teams and see…
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