Tuesday, February 22, 2011

NBA Trendsetters


Finally The MeloDrama is over. Everybody can stop wondering who's going where before the trade deadline and focus on the playoff race for the seasons 2nd half after the All-Star break. With Lebron James' "Decision" over the summer, Chris Bosh's relocation and now Carmelo Anthony's push out of Denver to New York I'm beginnig to see a trend build in the NBA. Carmelo and Lebron both chose rather ugly ways to let the teams they were drafted by, know that they didnt want to be there anymore. Causing distractions, embarrassing the organizations and putting themselves before the team. But can you blame them? They want to win. NOW!



Players that are getting too impatient in their small market venues and jumping ship for The Ship, aka the Championship. Sensing that they wont be able to win a ring with the teams they are drafted by because of their respective teams inability to build a supporting cast or to sign big name players, they would rather sign with a big market team that already has a superstar. We all knew over the past 4 years that the summer of 2010 would change the NBA in a small way because of Dwayne Wade, James and Bosh were becoming free agents. These three players were drafted together, as well as Carmelo, but Carmelo made the mistake of signing a contract extension causing him to have free agency in the summer of 2011. Little did sports fans know or imagine was that Wade would recruit James and Bosh to join him in Miami. Many saw James going to New York because its his favorite place or New Jersey because of his friendship with Jay-Z but when he chose Miami on Primetime TV, it shook the sports world like an earthquake. Fans in Cleveland cried and burned Lebron James jerseys in the streets as if they were middle eastern people burning the American Flag while Lebron and DWade fans jumped with excitement like kids on Christmas. To many fans Lebron takes the heat for forming this super-team because of the way he left Cleveland giving only a 10 minute notice, while Bosh and Wade get a pass. But to the rest of the NBA superstars, Lebron just became a genius.


At Carmelo Anthony's wedding in August, one month after the famous Decision, players gathered for a toast. Instead of Chris Paul proposing the toast to a good marriage for the Newly Wedded Carmelo and LaLa Vazquez, he jokingly made a toast to Carmelo and himself teaming up with Amare Stoudemire in New York Knicks uniforms to create their own Big 3. He told the media it was a joke but we all know he was really thinking out loud. He meant to say that because he knows that is the only way the three of them will ever get past the Lakers, Celtics, Heat and Spurs. No one superstar will get his team to a championship ring in this New NBA. This is why Carmelo pushed his way out of Denver and its the same reason why Deron Williams, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard will eventually leave their teams when their contract year comes, to team up guys that will help them compete. We saw that Kobe Bryant couldn't do it without Shaquille O'neal (or Pau Gasol for that matter), Michael Jordan couldn't win not even one of his 6 rings without Scottie Pippen and The Boston Big 3 of Pierce KG and Ray Allen couldn't win without each other. In fact, each of the past 30 championship teams in the NBA have had at least 2 all-star players so I dont get it when people say these players should try and win one on their own.


Now its not written in stone but whichever one of this years teams that are currently in the playoff chase, gets to the NBA finals none can say they only have one superstar. With Carlos Boozer joining Derrick Rose, The Big 3 in Boston and Miami, Agent Zero (Gilbert Arenas) having Dwight, Kobe teamed up with Pau, Melo and Chauncey Billups in NYC with Amare and even Kevin Durant has help with Russell Westbrook, there is no one superstar team in the playoff race anymore (sorry Cleveland). This is the new way of the NBA (pending the new Collective bargaining agreement doesnt ruin it) so the media and all the rest of the haters around the sports world better get used to it because the super-team thing is the trend of the new decade.


This is just something I thought I'd get off my mind for the people who think championships are won alone. Look at the facts and do your research before you just judge someones decision.