more rings and cement himself as the best player of all time.
If you are a prominent player, even coming off a serious injury, how can joining a team who already won and is in one of the most dominant runs in league history be good for your reputation/legacy and for the health of a competitive sports league?
You can argue that he owes the fans nothing, but you can’t argue that this is good for the league. How much more compelling next year would be had he signed for MLE with the Rockets, Celtics, Spurs or even the Lakers?
It’s not his responsibility to do what’s best for the league. He wasn’t getting the money he wanted with a team he wanted in this market so he chose a one year deal with a contender. Why not get a ring while reestablishing your value and going back into free agency next year? It’s a one year deal, zero chance he’s back with them again next year unless he settles for another $5M which I highly doubt. And the Celtics were on his list FYI
Layout a plan for shitty NBA teams to get better. Just a heads up, loading up on draft picks rarely works out. And if you want to get better picks you basically have to throw the season away. Correction: throw multipls seasons away and tank. So, how would you turn around one of the many so-called shitty run teams?
(It isn't that teams are run shitty. It is bullshit rules.)
Layout a plan for shitty NBA teams to get better. Just a heads up, loading up on draft picks rarely works out. And if you want to get better picks you basically have to throw the season away. Correction: throw multipls seasons away and tank. So, how would you turn around one of the many so-called shitty run teams?
(It isn't that teams are run shitty. It is bullshit rules.)
How did Philly do it? How did Golden State? How did Cleveland?
Layout a plan for shitty NBA teams to get better. Just a heads up, loading up on draft picks rarely works out. And if you want to get better picks you basically have to throw the season away. Correction: throw multipls seasons away and tank. So, how would you turn around one of the many so-called shitty run teams?
(It isn't that teams are run shitty. It is bullshit rules.)
How did Philly do it? How did Golden State? How did Cleveland?
Philly did it by tanking for years. Golden State got lucky with Curry dropping to them in the draft. Cleveland did it by getting lucky with a generational talent in the draft. It isn't skill as much as it is luck or just pure tanking. Does that sound like a great league set up to you?
I don't care that Cousins is going to GS for cheap. Good for him and good for the Warriors. However, you cannot be so narrow minded and just say we shouldn't hurt the good teams. I agree with that but you have to look at the other side. The good teams, mediocre teams, and bad teams all get hurt unless they get a four leaf clover shoved up their ass when they take a shit.
I see that Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were picked 7th and 11th overall, respectively. So it's not like Golden State won a couple lotteries and got them each first overall. They later traded for Iguadola.
Now I am way out of my element here in NBA talk, but is the argument that Golden State shouldn't have been allowed to sign Durant and Cousins in free agency because they made two shrewd draft picks and a good trade?
Why is "ring chasing" a negative? I thought we respected athletes that want to win titles.
It is funny hearing people say it's a "problem" that players are willing to leave millions on the table to win. It's a free market. How do you stop people willing to take that much less to join a team aside from the NBA assigning teams every year. You can't and shouldn't.
Yeah I fail to see the problem as well. Is it really better to artificially spread resources out evenly and create market forces to try to push teams into the middle of the pack? That's what the NFL does now, and the result is a fairly shitty product where success is as predicated on injury luck as much as anything else. Why not just watch a roulette wheel?
Are you sure that's a result of salary cap limitations rather than practice restrictions?
I see that Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were picked 7th and 11th overall, respectively. So it's not like Golden State won a couple lotteries and got them each first overall. They later traded for Iguadola.
They also had the balls to trade Monta Ellis - a huge fan favorite - for an injured Andrew Bogut. And they resisted the urge to trade Thompson for Love. And they drafted Draymond Green in the 2nd.
It STILL feels weird to say this about the Warriors, but they're an exceptionally managed and led team now.
It's seems to me like the NFL is checkers to the NBA's chess. You can turn an NFL team around in a year; the system is set up to prop up the weak and hinder the strong. Seems like the NBA involves a longer vision.
A quick turnaround in the NFL can happen in a myriad of ways. Nail a draft or two. Hit on some key free agents. Key coaching staff changes. The NFL is more susceptible to injuries that impact seasons — maybe a team was unlucky with injuries and gets some positive regression the following year.
NBA is checkers because it’s all about accumulating superstars, period. Great coaching or scheme does not matter. The NBA coach of the year was fired after being named coach of the year. Bench play or depth is largely irrelevant. Solid team play is largely irrelevant evidenced by a trash Cleveland team being carried on Lebron’s back to the finals. The league is all about accumulating the most stars or the brightest shining star. So like I said, in order to get there teams take one of two approaches or worse they’re stuck in between with no sliver of hope.
I’m not a Celtics fan, but it just rubs me the wrong way that a team with a shrewd/excellent GM, the best coach in the game, and a bunch of young, home grown talent has zero shot at winning a title. Couldn’t even get past Lebron. The NFL twilight zone version of this would be like Redskins or Cowboys winning the Super Bowl every year in perpetuity.
Yeah there are 5 teams worth watching try and get to the finals:
LA, Houston, GS, Philly, and Boston.
But there are some other things to watch:
What happens in Minny? Will they take the next step?
Can Denver be the most fun team in the league?
How far does the Greek Greak/AD take their teams?
Speaking of AD, does he look at Boston and say thats my path?
Phoenix should be a ton of fun to watch this year.
All these “things to watch” are totally manufactured interest stories. No fan of the league is interested in what you posted above.
Yea! Let’s see how far Greek freak can take a no name roster. Maybe round 2 of the playoffs. I can’t wait!!!
The league is trash and thank god for fantasy sports or the nba would be totally unwatchable
That’s why this signing occurred . I hope he realizes he made a selfish decision that is antithetical to his family’s best interests . Other than that, why trash the Warriors? They seek to get better within the framework of the rules the league employs . And had Paul not been injured , they might have not been in the Finals.
I don’t like the way the game has evolved . I’d rather see the 3-point line removed . Bird said that once he retired . You get six points in football whether you have a 1-yard TD or a 99-yard TD. You get 1 Run in baseball whether you hit a 370 foot homer or a 470 one . But that’s just me . They had great ratings for the Finals . The NBA’s fan base is the youngest of the four, major US professional sports leagues .
It only takes a moron, I guess . He better hope he doesn’t sustain a career-ending injury even with the insurance policy .
you are making good points, but there is a huge point your missing. Tanking. It is a HUGE problem with the NBA & it has spilled into MLB as well.
Tanking isn’t a problem. It’s a strategy to get better. And isn’t that good?
If the fans don’t like it, they shouldn’t watch the game on TV or go to the game. Let the market speak. If the fans get the strategy, like the Sixers fans did because of the transparency of the Sixers front office, then it can actually work for all involved parties.
Look at last year for the Giants. The best thing they did was basically not win after OBJ went down (and of course others). They should have had the #1 pick, but sort of blew it with a late season win. Nevertheless, they got a #2 pick and a chance to begin a quicker rebuild process. Whether they took the right player/position remains to be seen, but aren’t you glad they had that pick versus, say, the #16 pick - a no man’s land pick - due to a mediocre season?
has said tanking is a huge problem in the nba. Just because the league is making money doesn’t mean it’s a good thing. Philly is such a shitty example considering how fucking long they’ve been tanking and STILL aren’t the best team in the east even after LeBron leaves. And teams tank all the time in the nba and it almost never works out.
Don’t really know how anyone can applaud it as a strategy. It’s gutless.
That’s why this signing occurred . I hope he realizes he made a selfish decision that is antithetical to his family’s best interests . Other than that, why trash the Warriors? They seek to get better within the framework of the rules the league employs . And had Paul not been injured , they might have not been in the Finals.
I don’t like the way the game has evolved . I’d rather see the 3-point line removed . Bird said that once he retired . You get six points in football whether you have a 1-yard TD or a 99-yard TD. You get 1 Run in baseball whether you hit a 370 foot homer or a 470 one . But that’s just me . They had great ratings for the Finals . The NBA’s fan base is the youngest of the four, major US professional sports leagues .
It only takes a moron, I guess . He better hope he doesn’t sustain a career-ending injury even with the insurance policy .
Yeah, he better hope he doesn't rupture his Achilles or something like similar. Because if he did that and had to miss most of the year, he might have to sign for the MLE somewhere.
Its funny how people forget that the NBA has rarely had Â
I see that Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were picked 7th and 11th overall, respectively. So it's not like Golden State won a couple lotteries and got them each first overall. They later traded for Iguadola.
They also had the balls to trade Monta Ellis - a huge fan favorite - for an injured Andrew Bogut. And they resisted the urge to trade Thompson for Love. And they drafted Draymond Green in the 2nd.
It STILL feels weird to say this about the Warriors, but they're an exceptionally managed and led team now.
I don't think anyone can argue they aren't ridiculously well run, drafted great and deserve to be competing for the title every year. I think the point is its a joke to have Durant and Cousins go there and make a mockery out of any competition. There's nothing you can do about changing the rules to stop that, The league already has tried to do that through the Bird exception and extra financial incentive for FA's to stay with teams. As a Warrior fan you should be loving it. Just don't expect us fans of other teams to give a shit and be impressed at this point.
RE: Its funny how people forget that the NBA has rarely had Â
And now folks seem most mad that the players are choosing to play for a championship instead of dudes in front offices choosing them.
I hate this argument. Because it historically didn’t have much parity means we should all just accept it forever? The way the league is set up, allowing for stacking teams creates a severe and artificial lack of parity. If you are fine with it that’s great, but I don’t see how you anyone can’t atleast understand the other side of this. It shouldn’t be a shock that people are turned off by the nba because of it.
They are either too greedy or they are cherry picking championships. Maybe Cousins made the best decision for himself. God forbid.
Cousins made a really good move, good for him. My problem isn’t with him since if he was 100% healthy and killing it he wouldn’t forego a max deal for $5 million, rather, my issue is with the top players in the game and what they do, often times hanging their previous franchise out to dry in the process.
I think the vast majority of posters on this thread need to set aside the name and understand Cousins suffered a really substantial injury, one there isn't a great track record for returning, and at best will miss a lot of the season
Go ahead and show me the max contract Cousins left on the table. Offering a player with demonstrable personality concerns and a ruptured Achilles massive money would indicate more wrong with the league than him signing the MLE.
really a debate on whether or not it is easier to build a winning team in the NFL vs. the NBA??
The NFL has a lot of safeguards in place to ensure parity. It is very difficult to have a strategy that ensures long-term success. You have to pretty much hit on having an excellent coach, a franchise QB and avoid dehabilitating injuries, and even then, success may be fleeting
The formula in the NBA is pretty well known. Get 2-3 stars to come to your team. You can get the stars either through the draft or FA, but you just need to get them and you'll be competitive.
The trick is getting them, but the formula is pretty much fool-proof. There is no magic formula in the NFL that ensures success, especially long-term.
now every fan in the NBA outside of Boston and GS knows what the regular season has been like for Knicks fans for the better of 20 years....a long waste of time and a race to the offseason.
The Knicks aren't close to winning anything so I really don't care much about this stuff, but I laugh at some of the reactions. People have overrotated to the players a bit here. So now players just want to win so they should be applauded and now we should clap for the players because they control their own destiny, not some old stiff white guy in the front office. It's not about the owners vs players, once again it's the fans of teams that get screwed.
In regards to moves like Cousins. I'm not gonna applaud the guy for trying to win. I love guys that try to win, everyone should do whatever it takes to win, but I hate guys that need to take the easy road to do it. Lebron left Cle twice because they weren't the favorites anymore. He left Miami when they no longer had an easy road to the finals. Durant joined the 73 win Warriors after taking them to the brink the year before. I respect a guy like Westbrook more. He doesn't want to join those guys, he wants to beat them. So no, I won't applaud these spoiled brats for wanting to win, how about you show some competitive fire and try to beat those guys.
of the lack of parity. It's the exact opposite of the NFL. The CBA is setup for the rich to get much richer. It will change the next time there's a negotiation.
RE: RE: Its funny how people forget that the NBA has rarely had Â
And now folks seem most mad that the players are choosing to play for a championship instead of dudes in front offices choosing them.
I hate this argument. Because it historically didn’t have much parity means we should all just accept it forever? The way the league is set up, allowing for stacking teams creates a severe and artificial lack of parity. If you are fine with it that’s great, but I don’t see how you anyone can’t atleast understand the other side of this. It shouldn’t be a shock that people are turned off by the nba because of it.
I get the other side. But the system is what the system is. The owners have set up a salary cap that restricts the salaries that they can give out and the players choose what is best for them. Some pull a Melo and get the biggest checks they can get. Some take less to win. KD took less. LBJ, Bosh, Wade took less. Boogie is taking less. All these "super teams" start with at least one player taking less in order to win. I can see why it makes the league less fun for some folks but I just think the outrage over it is a bit nuts.
with players taking less money to go to a winning team or to play in a better situation.
I thought this was an interesting tweet, though:
Quote:
@AnthonyIrwinLA
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LeBron and Chris Paul are put in lose-lose situations. Being the heads of the union, they have to accept full contracts at their peak rate. Taking less is basically a disservice to their titles.
Doing so while the Warriors keep taking less means they have no chance at competing.
as a Curry and Kerr fan, signing Boogie sucks for me, personally, as a fan.
When the Warriors signed Durant, it killed all the excitement I had watching Curry play and watching Kerr as a coach. The only way I can describe it is that there was no longer any "juice" in watching Curry play.
I was no longer on the edge of my seat seeing if Curry could lead his team on an explosion and carry the offense and pull runs out of his ass. Now, with Steph, Klay, and Durant all on the same time, the spacing is so insane that these guys are always open and someone is bound to go off. Curry's shots were no longer as consequential when Durant, maybe the best iso scorer ever, was on the court with him.
Now, with Boogie on the team, it's even more ridiculous. There's no longer any "juice" in watching Curry or the Warriors.
Ah well.
As a NYK fan this matters little to me. I haven’t tuned into Â
a non-Knick game in years though. I can’t imagine real fans of the non-chosen, have-nots teams bothering to show up to watch the Warriors run circles around their team.
The days of two or three stars on each team and you could tune in to watch interesting matchups are long gone I guess. I mean, how fun is it to watch the Warriors take turn shooting 3’s and beating teams by 40 every night?
And I don’t care how many rings KD wins, to me he will just be part of this Warriors ensemble.
It it really a bad thing as a fan to want to see players embrace competition and want to beat one another rather than everyone just jumping on the express train to a title?
I still haven't seen a good argument as to how this is good for the league or makes it at all enjoyable.
What's the point of being invested in it. The Warriors are going to win again next summer unless half their players get hurt.
As a Knicks fan who already knows my team has no hope, I'd want to actually watch the NBA if it was competitive elsewhere but it's not. That's why it sucks.
I'm not blaming the players. I think the salary cap structure sucks with all of these stupid exceptions and loopholes. The league has literally become all about tanking because it's the only option teams have if they don't have one of these superteams.
Team building isn't even a thing. There's no strategy. 2-3 of these guys get together somewhere, decide they want to play together and then teams do all sorts of contract dumping to accommodate the bullshit.
I just fail to see where there's any excitement in the NBA right now or what reason anyone other than fans of maybe 4 teams have any reason whatsoever to be invested or give any sort of a shit.
I bring him up because look at what he did. He knew without the NFL there was no Giants. He fought hard to have a way for the small market teams to compete.
Now, the NBA is different bht in principal it is the same. It isn't the "small market" team that cannot compete. Now it is just many not fortunate teams. There are only so many stars to go around and they are all going to just a handful of teams. You better believe this is a problem. Tbis isnt dynasty talk anymore. Dynasties back then were built totally differently. The dynasties today are built by destroying the majority of teams. This is absolutely a problem and the commissioner has admitted so.
There are never, ever upsets in the NBA. There are never upstart teams like the 2011 Giants.
There needs to be a balance. I don't have a problem with dynasties but this is absurd. There needs to be some kind of competitive balance.
The 2011 Giants probably don't win the Super Bowl if they have to win four best-out-of-seven playoff series. That's why single elimination playoffs will always be more exciting. Anything can happen. But it will never happen in the NBA.
Every playoff game is game 7 in the NFL. Which makes it more exciting. Obviously if football wasn't so physically taxing I'm sure the league would kill for a 7 game series.
The 2011 Giants probably don't win the Super Bowl if they have to win four best-out-of-seven playoff series. That's why single elimination playoffs will always be more exciting. Anything can happen. But it will never happen in the NBA.
There are massive upsets in baseball and hockey, and those have best of seven series as well. In 2014 an 88 win Royals beat the 89 win Giants. 2006, the 83 win Cardinals had the worst record ever by a World Series champ. In the NHL there aren't too many jaw-dropping Cup winners, but there ARE a ton of favorites who get knocked off in the first two rounds, something that almost never happens in basketball.
One thing the NBA needs to adopt is a 1-16 playoff seeding. The 16 best teams, regardless of conference, get in. The West is stacked compared to the East.
As many have said, the league is broken right now. The players have all of the power, and that has been a big factor in why we are at the point now where there are realistically, 2, maybe 3 teams that have a shot at a title heading in to next season.
The current system of having a soft cap has to go. It is ridiculous that due to the timing of contracts and multiple exceptions, that a team like Golden State can have a payroll of $140 million dollars while the team that they just played in the first round of the playoffs, the Pelicans, is "capped out" at $111,000. Or to take it even further, our Knicks have no money left to spend and have a payroll of $105 million. How is a team supposed to compete when they are only able to spend 75% of what some of the competition is spending?
They need to put a hard cap in place, no bird rights, no exceptions. Put in a $150 million hard cap and let everyone be on a level playing field.
On top of that, teams need to have some type of protection that prevents players like Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Kyrie Irving, etc. from holding them hostage. You know how you prevent Kevin Durant from teaming up with the Warriors? Give each team the equivalent of a franchise tag that they can designate to one player. The NBA more than any other league is star dependent, so teams should have some type of protection in place to prevent their stars from holding them hostage and forcing a trade the way they do now. Where are the New Orleans Pelicans going to be in 2 years if they lose Anthony Davis? How about the Knicks if they are unable to retain Kristaps Porzingis? Take the leverage away from the players in these situations and let the teams have more control over the guys they draft.
The fact that so many here reference that team as being mediocre is pathetic. The 2011 Giants perfectly represent what the team was from 2005-2012 & had some fantastic wins which include sweeping the Patriots.
Just amazing some fans will always find something to bitch about.
I try to keep telling myself that this signing could backfire on them. He could fracture the lockeroom, hurt their switching defense and just cause problems. How a talented offensive player who turns it over and doesn't try hard on D is the last type of center the Warriors need.
But it doesn't matter. They are replacing Zaza with an all nba talent. Even if he comes back at 70%, he will still help that team dominate. And they don't even need him to close out games. Their best lineup is still with Iguodola. But it sucks becuase it an ideal world, Boogie is the type of player that could hurt the warriors and now they just signed him for 5 mill.
What the hell were the Lakers thinking? Why not throw 10-15 mill at him instead of the scrubs they just signed? I don't get what they are doing.
But for the larger part on the state of the NBA, check out the linked article. It makes some great points about how important narratives are in sports and how they need to deliver entertainment. The NBA is failing at that on the some levels right now. Good Article - ( New Window )
RE: Getting so tired of the 2011 Giants narrative.. Â
I try to keep telling myself that this signing could backfire on them. He could fracture the lockeroom, hurt their switching defense and just cause problems. How a talented offensive player who turns it over and doesn't try hard on D is the last type of center the Warriors need.
- ( New Window )
It definitely could - but the Warriors don't need Boogie. He's a luxury. If he starts giving half-assed efforts, he won't play
RE: RE: Its funny how people forget that the NBA has rarely had Â
Yeah there are 5 teams worth watching try and get to the finals:
LA, Houston, GS, Philly, and Boston.
But there are some other things to watch:
What happens in Minny? Will they take the next step?
Can Denver be the most fun team in the league?
How far does the Greek Greak/AD take their teams?
Speaking of AD, does he look at Boston and say thats my path?
Phoenix should be a ton of fun to watch this year.
All these “things to watch” are totally manufactured interest stories. No fan of the league is interested in what you posted above.
Yea! Let’s see how far Greek freak can take a no name roster. Maybe round 2 of the playoffs. I can’t wait!!!
The league is trash and thank god for fantasy sports or the nba would be totally unwatchable
For real. That list is extremely uninteresting. Those are not compelling storylines at all.
parity = good, no parity = bad. It’s how said parity is achieved that I have issues with.
I have no problem with the Pats dynasty, for example. I had no problem with GS originally when they hit HRs with Curry, Thompson, and Green. I had no problem with the Spurs success over the past 15/20 years.
how long should a team be able to have control over a player it drafted? When should a player get to decide where he wants to work/live?
Teams can pick up the 3rd and 4th year of a rookie player's contract. They can then make a qualifying offer to make the player a restricted free agent and could then potentially match a deal for another 4 years (if I'm not mistaken). Essentially, team could keep a player it likes for the first 8 years of his career.
My other issue with franchise tags (more so in the NFL) is that it prevents players from signing multi-year deals when injuries could completely derail them. The franchise tag should require that the team takes out an insurance policy against the player's injury and loss of future earnings.
If you are a prominent player, even coming off a serious injury, how can joining a team who already won and is in one of the most dominant runs in league history be good for your reputation/legacy and for the health of a competitive sports league?
You can argue that he owes the fans nothing, but you can’t argue that this is good for the league. How much more compelling next year would be had he signed for MLE with the Rockets, Celtics, Spurs or even the Lakers?
It’s not his responsibility to do what’s best for the league. He wasn’t getting the money he wanted with a team he wanted in this market so he chose a one year deal with a contender. Why not get a ring while reestablishing your value and going back into free agency next year? It’s a one year deal, zero chance he’s back with them again next year unless he settles for another $5M which I highly doubt. And the Celtics were on his list FYI
(It isn't that teams are run shitty. It is bullshit rules.)
(It isn't that teams are run shitty. It is bullshit rules.)
How did Philly do it? How did Golden State? How did Cleveland?
Quote:
Layout a plan for shitty NBA teams to get better. Just a heads up, loading up on draft picks rarely works out. And if you want to get better picks you basically have to throw the season away. Correction: throw multipls seasons away and tank. So, how would you turn around one of the many so-called shitty run teams?
(It isn't that teams are run shitty. It is bullshit rules.)
How did Philly do it? How did Golden State? How did Cleveland?
Philly did it by tanking for years. Golden State got lucky with Curry dropping to them in the draft. Cleveland did it by getting lucky with a generational talent in the draft. It isn't skill as much as it is luck or just pure tanking. Does that sound like a great league set up to you?
I don't care that Cousins is going to GS for cheap. Good for him and good for the Warriors. However, you cannot be so narrow minded and just say we shouldn't hurt the good teams. I agree with that but you have to look at the other side. The good teams, mediocre teams, and bad teams all get hurt unless they get a four leaf clover shoved up their ass when they take a shit.
In the NFL you can have a plan. You can execute that plan.
Now I am way out of my element here in NBA talk, but is the argument that Golden State shouldn't have been allowed to sign Durant and Cousins in free agency because they made two shrewd draft picks and a good trade?
Yeah, Durant is a real path-forger.
Quote:
In comment 14005070 Go Terps said:
Quote:
Why is "ring chasing" a negative? I thought we respected athletes that want to win titles.
It is funny hearing people say it's a "problem" that players are willing to leave millions on the table to win. It's a free market. How do you stop people willing to take that much less to join a team aside from the NBA assigning teams every year. You can't and shouldn't.
Yeah I fail to see the problem as well. Is it really better to artificially spread resources out evenly and create market forces to try to push teams into the middle of the pack? That's what the NFL does now, and the result is a fairly shitty product where success is as predicated on injury luck as much as anything else. Why not just watch a roulette wheel?
Are you sure that's a result of salary cap limitations rather than practice restrictions?
They also had the balls to trade Monta Ellis - a huge fan favorite - for an injured Andrew Bogut. And they resisted the urge to trade Thompson for Love. And they drafted Draymond Green in the 2nd.
It STILL feels weird to say this about the Warriors, but they're an exceptionally managed and led team now.
A quick turnaround in the NFL can happen in a myriad of ways. Nail a draft or two. Hit on some key free agents. Key coaching staff changes. The NFL is more susceptible to injuries that impact seasons — maybe a team was unlucky with injuries and gets some positive regression the following year.
NBA is checkers because it’s all about accumulating superstars, period. Great coaching or scheme does not matter. The NBA coach of the year was fired after being named coach of the year. Bench play or depth is largely irrelevant. Solid team play is largely irrelevant evidenced by a trash Cleveland team being carried on Lebron’s back to the finals. The league is all about accumulating the most stars or the brightest shining star. So like I said, in order to get there teams take one of two approaches or worse they’re stuck in between with no sliver of hope.
I’m not a Celtics fan, but it just rubs me the wrong way that a team with a shrewd/excellent GM, the best coach in the game, and a bunch of young, home grown talent has zero shot at winning a title. Couldn’t even get past Lebron. The NFL twilight zone version of this would be like Redskins or Cowboys winning the Super Bowl every year in perpetuity.
LA, Houston, GS, Philly, and Boston.
But there are some other things to watch:
What happens in Minny? Will they take the next step?
Can Denver be the most fun team in the league?
How far does the Greek Greak/AD take their teams?
Speaking of AD, does he look at Boston and say thats my path?
Phoenix should be a ton of fun to watch this year.
All these “things to watch” are totally manufactured interest stories. No fan of the league is interested in what you posted above.
Yea! Let’s see how far Greek freak can take a no name roster. Maybe round 2 of the playoffs. I can’t wait!!!
The league is trash and thank god for fantasy sports or the nba would be totally unwatchable
I don’t like the way the game has evolved . I’d rather see the 3-point line removed . Bird said that once he retired . You get six points in football whether you have a 1-yard TD or a 99-yard TD. You get 1 Run in baseball whether you hit a 370 foot homer or a 470 one . But that’s just me . They had great ratings for the Finals . The NBA’s fan base is the youngest of the four, major US professional sports leagues .
It only takes a moron, I guess . He better hope he doesn’t sustain a career-ending injury even with the insurance policy .
Tanking isn’t a problem. It’s a strategy to get better. And isn’t that good?
If the fans don’t like it, they shouldn’t watch the game on TV or go to the game. Let the market speak. If the fans get the strategy, like the Sixers fans did because of the transparency of the Sixers front office, then it can actually work for all involved parties.
Look at last year for the Giants. The best thing they did was basically not win after OBJ went down (and of course others). They should have had the #1 pick, but sort of blew it with a late season win. Nevertheless, they got a #2 pick and a chance to begin a quicker rebuild process. Whether they took the right player/position remains to be seen, but aren’t you glad they had that pick versus, say, the #16 pick - a no man’s land pick - due to a mediocre season?
Of course...
Don’t really know how anyone can applaud it as a strategy. It’s gutless.
When he wins a ring, then gets a max contract next year, be sure to remind all of us what a moron Cousins is.
I don’t like the way the game has evolved . I’d rather see the 3-point line removed . Bird said that once he retired . You get six points in football whether you have a 1-yard TD or a 99-yard TD. You get 1 Run in baseball whether you hit a 370 foot homer or a 470 one . But that’s just me . They had great ratings for the Finals . The NBA’s fan base is the youngest of the four, major US professional sports leagues .
It only takes a moron, I guess . He better hope he doesn’t sustain a career-ending injury even with the insurance policy .
Yeah, he better hope he doesn't rupture his Achilles or something like similar. Because if he did that and had to miss most of the year, he might have to sign for the MLE somewhere.
And now folks seem most mad that the players are choosing to play for a championship instead of dudes in front offices choosing them.
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I see that Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were picked 7th and 11th overall, respectively. So it's not like Golden State won a couple lotteries and got them each first overall. They later traded for Iguadola.
They also had the balls to trade Monta Ellis - a huge fan favorite - for an injured Andrew Bogut. And they resisted the urge to trade Thompson for Love. And they drafted Draymond Green in the 2nd.
It STILL feels weird to say this about the Warriors, but they're an exceptionally managed and led team now.
I don't think anyone can argue they aren't ridiculously well run, drafted great and deserve to be competing for the title every year. I think the point is its a joke to have Durant and Cousins go there and make a mockery out of any competition. There's nothing you can do about changing the rules to stop that, The league already has tried to do that through the Bird exception and extra financial incentive for FA's to stay with teams. As a Warrior fan you should be loving it. Just don't expect us fans of other teams to give a shit and be impressed at this point.
And now folks seem most mad that the players are choosing to play for a championship instead of dudes in front offices choosing them.
I hate this argument. Because it historically didn’t have much parity means we should all just accept it forever? The way the league is set up, allowing for stacking teams creates a severe and artificial lack of parity. If you are fine with it that’s great, but I don’t see how you anyone can’t atleast understand the other side of this. It shouldn’t be a shock that people are turned off by the nba because of it.
Cousins made a really good move, good for him. My problem isn’t with him since if he was 100% healthy and killing it he wouldn’t forego a max deal for $5 million, rather, my issue is with the top players in the game and what they do, often times hanging their previous franchise out to dry in the process.
Go ahead and show me the max contract Cousins left on the table. Offering a player with demonstrable personality concerns and a ruptured Achilles massive money would indicate more wrong with the league than him signing the MLE.
The NFL has a lot of safeguards in place to ensure parity. It is very difficult to have a strategy that ensures long-term success. You have to pretty much hit on having an excellent coach, a franchise QB and avoid dehabilitating injuries, and even then, success may be fleeting
The formula in the NBA is pretty well known. Get 2-3 stars to come to your team. You can get the stars either through the draft or FA, but you just need to get them and you'll be competitive.
The trick is getting them, but the formula is pretty much fool-proof. There is no magic formula in the NFL that ensures success, especially long-term.
The Knicks aren't close to winning anything so I really don't care much about this stuff, but I laugh at some of the reactions. People have overrotated to the players a bit here. So now players just want to win so they should be applauded and now we should clap for the players because they control their own destiny, not some old stiff white guy in the front office. It's not about the owners vs players, once again it's the fans of teams that get screwed.
In regards to moves like Cousins. I'm not gonna applaud the guy for trying to win. I love guys that try to win, everyone should do whatever it takes to win, but I hate guys that need to take the easy road to do it. Lebron left Cle twice because they weren't the favorites anymore. He left Miami when they no longer had an easy road to the finals. Durant joined the 73 win Warriors after taking them to the brink the year before. I respect a guy like Westbrook more. He doesn't want to join those guys, he wants to beat them. So no, I won't applaud these spoiled brats for wanting to win, how about you show some competitive fire and try to beat those guys.
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parity.
And now folks seem most mad that the players are choosing to play for a championship instead of dudes in front offices choosing them.
I hate this argument. Because it historically didn’t have much parity means we should all just accept it forever? The way the league is set up, allowing for stacking teams creates a severe and artificial lack of parity. If you are fine with it that’s great, but I don’t see how you anyone can’t atleast understand the other side of this. It shouldn’t be a shock that people are turned off by the nba because of it.
I get the other side. But the system is what the system is. The owners have set up a salary cap that restricts the salaries that they can give out and the players choose what is best for them. Some pull a Melo and get the biggest checks they can get. Some take less to win. KD took less. LBJ, Bosh, Wade took less. Boogie is taking less. All these "super teams" start with at least one player taking less in order to win. I can see why it makes the league less fun for some folks but I just think the outrage over it is a bit nuts.
I thought this was an interesting tweet, though:
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LeBron and Chris Paul are put in lose-lose situations. Being the heads of the union, they have to accept full contracts at their peak rate. Taking less is basically a disservice to their titles.
Doing so while the Warriors keep taking less means they have no chance at competing.
When the Warriors signed Durant, it killed all the excitement I had watching Curry play and watching Kerr as a coach. The only way I can describe it is that there was no longer any "juice" in watching Curry play.
I was no longer on the edge of my seat seeing if Curry could lead his team on an explosion and carry the offense and pull runs out of his ass. Now, with Steph, Klay, and Durant all on the same time, the spacing is so insane that these guys are always open and someone is bound to go off. Curry's shots were no longer as consequential when Durant, maybe the best iso scorer ever, was on the court with him.
Now, with Boogie on the team, it's even more ridiculous. There's no longer any "juice" in watching Curry or the Warriors.
Ah well.
The days of two or three stars on each team and you could tune in to watch interesting matchups are long gone I guess. I mean, how fun is it to watch the Warriors take turn shooting 3’s and beating teams by 40 every night?
And I don’t care how many rings KD wins, to me he will just be part of this Warriors ensemble.
I still haven't seen a good argument as to how this is good for the league or makes it at all enjoyable.
What's the point of being invested in it. The Warriors are going to win again next summer unless half their players get hurt.
As a Knicks fan who already knows my team has no hope, I'd want to actually watch the NBA if it was competitive elsewhere but it's not. That's why it sucks.
I'm not blaming the players. I think the salary cap structure sucks with all of these stupid exceptions and loopholes. The league has literally become all about tanking because it's the only option teams have if they don't have one of these superteams.
Team building isn't even a thing. There's no strategy. 2-3 of these guys get together somewhere, decide they want to play together and then teams do all sorts of contract dumping to accommodate the bullshit.
I just fail to see where there's any excitement in the NBA right now or what reason anyone other than fans of maybe 4 teams have any reason whatsoever to be invested or give any sort of a shit.
Now, the NBA is different bht in principal it is the same. It isn't the "small market" team that cannot compete. Now it is just many not fortunate teams. There are only so many stars to go around and they are all going to just a handful of teams. You better believe this is a problem. Tbis isnt dynasty talk anymore. Dynasties back then were built totally differently. The dynasties today are built by destroying the majority of teams. This is absolutely a problem and the commissioner has admitted so.
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There are never, ever upsets in the NBA. There are never upstart teams like the 2011 Giants.
There needs to be a balance. I don't have a problem with dynasties but this is absurd. There needs to be some kind of competitive balance.
The 2011 Giants probably don't win the Super Bowl if they have to win four best-out-of-seven playoff series. That's why single elimination playoffs will always be more exciting. Anything can happen. But it will never happen in the NBA.
Every playoff game is game 7 in the NFL. Which makes it more exciting. Obviously if football wasn't so physically taxing I'm sure the league would kill for a 7 game series.
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There are massive upsets in baseball and hockey, and those have best of seven series as well. In 2014 an 88 win Royals beat the 89 win Giants. 2006, the 83 win Cardinals had the worst record ever by a World Series champ. In the NHL there aren't too many jaw-dropping Cup winners, but there ARE a ton of favorites who get knocked off in the first two rounds, something that almost never happens in basketball.
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The current system of having a soft cap has to go. It is ridiculous that due to the timing of contracts and multiple exceptions, that a team like Golden State can have a payroll of $140 million dollars while the team that they just played in the first round of the playoffs, the Pelicans, is "capped out" at $111,000. Or to take it even further, our Knicks have no money left to spend and have a payroll of $105 million. How is a team supposed to compete when they are only able to spend 75% of what some of the competition is spending?
They need to put a hard cap in place, no bird rights, no exceptions. Put in a $150 million hard cap and let everyone be on a level playing field.
On top of that, teams need to have some type of protection that prevents players like Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Kyrie Irving, etc. from holding them hostage. You know how you prevent Kevin Durant from teaming up with the Warriors? Give each team the equivalent of a franchise tag that they can designate to one player. The NBA more than any other league is star dependent, so teams should have some type of protection in place to prevent their stars from holding them hostage and forcing a trade the way they do now. Where are the New Orleans Pelicans going to be in 2 years if they lose Anthony Davis? How about the Knicks if they are unable to retain Kristaps Porzingis? Take the leverage away from the players in these situations and let the teams have more control over the guys they draft.
Just amazing some fans will always find something to bitch about.
But it doesn't matter. They are replacing Zaza with an all nba talent. Even if he comes back at 70%, he will still help that team dominate. And they don't even need him to close out games. Their best lineup is still with Iguodola. But it sucks becuase it an ideal world, Boogie is the type of player that could hurt the warriors and now they just signed him for 5 mill.
What the hell were the Lakers thinking? Why not throw 10-15 mill at him instead of the scrubs they just signed? I don't get what they are doing.
But for the larger part on the state of the NBA, check out the linked article. It makes some great points about how important narratives are in sports and how they need to deliver entertainment. The NBA is failing at that on the some levels right now.
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As compared to other NFL champions? Yes, within that subset they were absolutely mediocre by every measure.
And isn't the NFL criticized for its parity?
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It definitely could - but the Warriors don't need Boogie. He's a luxury. If he starts giving half-assed efforts, he won't play
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parity.
And isn't the NFL criticized for its parity?
On the contrary. I think people really like the fact that lots of teams can win it all in a given year.
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Yeah there are 5 teams worth watching try and get to the finals:
LA, Houston, GS, Philly, and Boston.
But there are some other things to watch:
What happens in Minny? Will they take the next step?
Can Denver be the most fun team in the league?
How far does the Greek Greak/AD take their teams?
Speaking of AD, does he look at Boston and say thats my path?
Phoenix should be a ton of fun to watch this year.
All these “things to watch” are totally manufactured interest stories. No fan of the league is interested in what you posted above.
Yea! Let’s see how far Greek freak can take a no name roster. Maybe round 2 of the playoffs. I can’t wait!!!
The league is trash and thank god for fantasy sports or the nba would be totally unwatchable
I have no problem with the Pats dynasty, for example. I had no problem with GS originally when they hit HRs with Curry, Thompson, and Green. I had no problem with the Spurs success over the past 15/20 years.
Teams can pick up the 3rd and 4th year of a rookie player's contract. They can then make a qualifying offer to make the player a restricted free agent and could then potentially match a deal for another 4 years (if I'm not mistaken). Essentially, team could keep a player it likes for the first 8 years of his career.
My other issue with franchise tags (more so in the NFL) is that it prevents players from signing multi-year deals when injuries could completely derail them. The franchise tag should require that the team takes out an insurance policy against the player's injury and loss of future earnings.