One of the main criticisms of the
NBA in recent years is that the league lacks competitive balance. The 2008
Boston Celtics won the NBA title with star players Paul Pierce, Ray Allen,
Kevin Garnett, and a fast-maturing Rajon Rondo. Ever since then, superstars
seem to want to pair up or triple up on a single team to have the best chance
to win the championship. For
instance, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade all joined the Miami Heat,
and they each took a $15 million pay cut so the finances would work out.
James and Bosh left their
respective cities Cleveland and Toronto because they wanted to win a
championship and they wanted the bigger Miami market. Recently, we’ve seen all
over ESPN that more and more star players aren’t happy with were they are, or
where they were before being traded. Multiple top fifteen players have been
traded to teams that already had another star player – Chris Paul to the L.A.
Clippers with Blake Griffin and Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks with
Amare Stoudemire. Before Chris Paul was traded to the Clippers, he mentioned a
possibility of teaming up with Stoudemire and Anthony in New York City and
forming their own “Big Three” to compete with the Miami Heat. Additionally,
before Dwight Howard decided to stay in Orlando for another year, he had a wish
list of teams that consisted of the New Jersey Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, and
the Dallas Mavericks, all of which already have at least one other star player
and play in big markets.
Of
course, there are teams that have drafted exceptionally well and can compete
with the big market teams such as the Thunder. However, it seems that these
types of teams are becoming exceedingly rare with the type of recognition that
NBA players are seeking. It seems the majority of players would prefer to play
in bigger markets to receive more recognition and fame, which could potentially
lead to more money from endorsement deals.
With so many star players trying to
leave their smaller market teams for the bigger markets that already have a star
player, the competitive balance in the NBA is seemingly declining. Most people
believe there are perhaps only 3-4 teams in each division (out of 15 each) that
actually have a chance to compete for the NBA title. Do you think that the NBA’s
competitive balance is out of order, and if so, what can be done to fix it?
Hey Thomas.
ReplyDeleteI agree that their is a lack of competitive balance in the NBA, but that is the way it has always been and that is how I like it. The NBA is different than the NFL in the fact that the NBA is star driven. People don't pay to see teams, they pay to see Superstars in action. We don't talk about team rivalries, we talk about player rivalries. LeBron vs. Durant, LeBron vs. Kobe, Magic vs. Bird. The NBA as a brand is simply different than other leagues and that is how they succeed. Obviously we would not want to see a day when the competitive balance leaves us with only a 20 or 15 team league, but let us not forget that last year was the most intriguing NBA season to date as a result of the Miami Heat's big three. So obviously the NBA is doing something right.
Hey Thomas.
ReplyDeleteI agree that their is a lack of competitive balance in the NBA, but that is the way it has always been and that is how I like it. The NBA is different than the NFL in the fact that the NBA is star driven. People don't pay to see teams, they pay to see Superstars in action. We don't talk about team rivalries, we talk about player rivalries. LeBron vs. Durant, LeBron vs. Kobe, Magic vs. Bird. The NBA as a brand is simply different than other leagues and that is how they succeed. Obviously we would not want to see a day when the competitive balance leaves us with only a 20 or 15 team league, but let us not forget that last year was the most intriguing NBA season to date as a result of the Miami Heat's big three. So obviously the NBA is doing something right.