Fans expect a superstar to win multiple titles. However, fans also expect a superstar to carry a team to a championship. Superstars feel pressure to put themselves in position to win multiple championships. However, fans also want super stars to prove that they can do it without other great players.
Superstars like Lebron James and Kevin Durant are in an impossible position. They are expected to chase titles, but be the alpha players on their team. It is difficult for James, Durant and other super stars to fulfill both expectations simultaneously.
Judging superstars by how many titles they win started with Michael Jordan's career. After Jordan lead the Chicago Bulls to 6 NBA championships in his final 6 complete years with the Bulls, his championship pedigree became the barometer by which other superstars are measured.
Kobe Bryant won 5 championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, but he hoped to win one more so that he could equal Jordan's 6 titles. However, Bryant's 5 championships with the Lakers became the silver standard for modern players, while Jordan's 6 championships remains the gold standard.
Of course, Bill Russell won 11 championships with the Boston Celtics in 13 years. His championships are the true gold standard, but most modern fans refer to Jordan's 6 titles when they evaluate James, Durant and other superstars. However, sometimes Wilt Chamberlain's career is compared to Russell's with fans often saying that Russell was better because he won more championships.
Some fans are quick to point out that Oscar Robertson won one title in 1971 after the Milwaukee Bucks drafted and developed Kareem Abdul Jabaar. Fans are also quick to point out that Jerry West's Lakers finally beat the Boston Celtics after former Celtic Bill Sharman guided the Lakers to West's only title. Others remember that Elgin Baylor, despite an excellent career with the Lakers, never won a title.
At the end of their careers, Karl Malone and Gary Payton joined the Lakers in an unsuccessful attempt to win a championship. Malone lead the Utah Jazz to a Western Conference Championship. Likewise, Payton lead the Seattle Sonics to an NBA finals appearance. Both teams lost to the Bulls.
Much is made of Charles Barkley's inability to win an NBA championship with the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and the Houston Rockets. However, Barkley lead the Phoenix Suns to an NBA title appearance against the Chicago Bulls in 1993. The Bulls won in 6 games.
Most fans give Barkley, Malone, Payton and Baylor their due. Most fans understand that they had excellent careers despite their inability to win a NBA championship.
Through collective bargaining, NBA players have the right to free agency. It makes sense that athletes have the right to decide where and for whom they want to work. Otherwise, the owners would have all of the power. Free agency gives the players negotiating options and bargaining rights. Free agency makes sense from the standpoint of labor.
However, there is a downside to free agency. There is a downside to players changing teams. NBA players draft and develop players only to lose them to another team. Players lack loyalty to one team or one city. Players are willing to go from one team to another. Sometimes players leave a team for a rival. Many have pointed out that free agency puts a strain on fan loyalty.
While playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Durant lead the team to the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors. The Thunder lead the Warriors 3-2 before the Golden State came back and won the series. The Warriors lost the NBA championship to the Cleveland Cavaliers that year. Following the Championship, Durant signed with the Warriors, the team that he tried to beat only a couple of months earlier.
Durant's decision shows that some players are willing to forgo loyalties to put themselves in a better position to win. Others dispense with loyalty to make more money. Either way, free agency puts a strain on fan loyalty. Some fans may ask "why remain loyal when the players leave for another team?" It's a fair question.
Durant's decision to join Golden State reflects the quandary that superstars face. Should they stay with one team and be patient? Or should they go to a team in a better position to win? Obviously, the greater challenge is to stay with one team and be patient as the team continually improves and moves towards a championship. However, super stars may feel that they need to win a championship for their legacy.
Durant is a free agent again. Should he leave Golden State now that he won two championships with them? Should he go to a team where he can be the unquestioned leader? He will never be the unquestioned leader with the Warriors. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Greene will always have one more championship with Golden State than Durant will. Curry, Thompson and Greene were drafted and developed by the Warriors. By contrast, Durant was drafted and developed by Oklahoma City. Durant was signed as a free agent by Golden State. He will probably never be as popular in Golden State as Curry, Thompson and Greene.
If Durant goes to a team that he can call his own, it may be better for his career. If he goes to a team that he can lead to the finals, it would add to his legacy as a player. It would also be a greater challenge than it would be to re sign with Golden State. Obviously, where Durant goes is up to him. He has the right to decide.
Durant could consider going home to Washington to play for the Wizards. Durant grew up rooting for the Wizards. However, the Wizards do not have the cap space to sign Durant and he showed no interest in signing there two years ago. Washington would have to trade Otto Porter Jr. to create cap space. However, it would be a good story if Durant went to Washington to lead his home town team to a potential Eastern Conference Championship. It would parallel James' success in Cleveland.
Of course, the analogy between Durant and James is not perfect. James was drafted by Cleveland and went back there after four years with Miami, whereas Durant was drafted by Oklahoma City. In any event, the Wizards would have to make a couple of trades to create enough cap space.
Durant could consider going to the New York Knicks. They could consider trading Tim Hardaway, Jr. to create cap space. However, it's unlikely that another team would trade for his contract which has 54 million dollars left over the next three years. Durant could partner with Krystal Prozingas to form a tough front line. It would be a challenge for Durant to bring success back to the big apple. In any event, Durant has shown no interest in going there. So, it's unlikely to happen.
James lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to the 2007 NBA finals where they were promptly swept by the superior San Antonio Spurs. James sighed with the Miami Heat before the 2010-11 season in order give himself a better chance at a championship. The Heat won the Eastern Conference Championship for four straight years. They won the 2012 and 2013 NBA championships.
After proving he could lead a team to an NBA championship, James decided to return to Cleveland after the 2014 season. Since then, James has lead the Cavaliers to four straight Eastern Conference Championships and an NBA title in 2016. It was the first professional championship in Cleveland since 1964 when the Cleveland Browns won the NFL championship.
Now, James is a free agent again. Will he stay in Cleveland or will he go somewhere else? Will he go to the team that has the best chance of winning a championship? Or will other factors help him decide where to go?
There is no ideal fit for James. If he goes to Philadelphia, Joel Embid and Ben Simmons, two young and developing players, may resent playing in James' shadow. The 76ers belong to Simmons and Embid. They will never truly be James' team. However, the Cavaliers are James' team. He is the on court leader of the team.
If James goes to Houston, he will have the share the basketball with James Harden and Chris Paul, two players who like the have the basketball in their hands. James is a facilitator, which is similar to the role that Paul plays. Also, James can create his own shot just like Harden can. How will James fit with Houston? James knows that he fits well in Cleveland, but it is uncertain how well he will blend with Harden and Paul.
Some have suggested that James may go to Los Angeles to play with the Lakers. This could happen if Paul George and Carmelo Anthony go there. However, even if James, George and Anthony sign with the Lakers, they may not be good enough to compete with Golden State.
James could consider going to San Antonio. He could play alongside La Marcus Aldridge and Kawai Leonard if Leonard re signs with San Antonio. Aldridge could play center, with James and the power forward and Leonard at the small forward. James could serve as a point forward because of his ability as a facilitator and passer. If James does leave Cleveland, San Antonio could be the logical destination.
As always, players will have interesting decisions to make this offseason. Championships are won during the season. However, championship teams are put together during the offseason.
No comments:
Post a Comment