For every decade that passes there is ultimately a team that dominates it…The Bulls of the 90’s, the showtime Lakers of the 80’s, the Spurs of this past decade. These teams had several things in common that resulted in their success. All contained one transcendent player…the alpha dog, the type of player that will be remembered forever in which stories will be passed down from generation to generation. Along with the alpha dog were one or two other dominant players who performed crucial roles on the team yet ultimately bowed down to the alpha player. That forms the basis of a dynastic team and seems to be the blueprint by which all great teams follow. Look at the Lakers that just won the title. Superstar Kobe Bryant is undoubtedly the leader of the team…the man that carries it on his back when a game turns sour. Supporting Bryant is Pao Gasol, a true second fiddle to Bryant’s stardom who has been able to thrive on a super talented team. Around that core are a handful of solid role players who perform their roles admirably. Although they don’t own the glory like Bryant or Gasol they provide crucial skills such as rebounding/shot blocking (Bynum), lock-down defense (Artest), veteran savvy/3-point shooting (Fischer), and a bench that is capable of providing bursts of energy when the starters need rest. Why am I telling you this? Because a new dynasty may be forming, but not the one you think.
Within the next 36 hours a new NBA hierarchy will be created, a new team coronated as the 2010-2011 season favorites. As the NBA free agency period threatens to quiet down once the main stars are signed we will be able to witness the possible commencement of a dynasty. What happens in the next 2,160 minutes will shape how the following 10 years of professional basketball play out. One might wonder why this free agency period is so different from ones past; after all it happens every summer like in all pro sports. Yet this summer two supernaturally gifted players are up for grabs in LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. These two peerless players have a real chance to go down as some of the best to ever touch a basketball. LeBron James has already accumulated over 15,000 points, and 3,800 boards and assists in a mere seven NBA seasons. With those staggering numbers he seems the heir apparent to Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson as an exceptionally diverse and skilled player.
Another marquee free agent on the market is Dwyane Wade, who although has been overshadowed by the “The LeBron Sweepstakes” is a highly coveted player. Like LeBron he possesses stunning numbers such as averaging an unsightly 30 points, 7.5 boards, 5 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 2.5 steals while carrying an abysmal 08’-09’ Heat team to a fifth seed in the playoffs-no small feat when your best big man is Michael “Bust” Beasley and the man running point is Mario “Super Nintendo” Chalmers. Wade has shown the capability to carry awful teams to excellent results in the past, so who knows what will happen if he finally lands on a team with some solid building blocks in place. That dream may become a reality as Wade and fellow star Chris Bosh have already teamed up in Miami with Lebron James a possibility to follow.
But is this a good thing? Are three of the best players in the game today playing on the same team good or bad for the NBA? And will it work? Here are four thoughts on the summer of LeBron and the ensuing pandemonium:
1. Never before have two alpha dog type players played on the same team. NEVER. And Dwayne Wade plus LeBron James certainly fit that bill. What happens in crunch time, down by four when the team absolutely, unequivocally needs a bucket? The ball goes in the hands of the team’s best player of course and you let him go to work. But what happens between Wade and James? Wouldn’t they both want the ball, doesn’t it seem like there is a possibility of quite a rift opening up? Look at the U.S vs. Spain game in the 08’ summer Olympics. Spain was red hot and the U.S was in trouble. There were a couple of minutes of everyone looking around wondering what to do…not wanting to step on each other’s toes, until Kobe Bryant decided he had enough and went to work dismantling the Spaniards. The big question is will either James or Wade defer to the other? Because one of them will have to…only one emperor ruled Rome, only one alpha male leads a pack of wolves, only one player leads a basketball team to a championship.
2. Miami certainly has the cap room to sign James, Bosh, and Wade…but signing all three means that the Heat will have next to no room to sign complementary players. This takes us to the next big question: Can three of the best players in the game today win a title(s) all by themselves? At first glance it seems to be a silly question. Those three are veritable gods of the court…with those three playing basketball together a better question might be what couldn’t they accomplish? But there will be a heavy burden on them…like having to play 43-44 minutes per night, and having to play at an exceptional level every night….ALL 3 to win. It is a staggering proposition for three young players and it might not have a storybook ending like some people predict if they do indeed form this triumvirate. Furthermore what team has even found success without relying on a stable of skilled role players that perform the crucial specialized tasks championship-caliber teams need? It just doesn’t happen, so James, Wade, and Bosh would need to buck some long proven trends.
3. I’ve talked a lot about the possible creation of a dynasty if Bosh, Wade, and James join forces. Bosh and Wade have already committed to Miami, but there is still a real possibility that James stays in Cleveland or even goes elsewhere (How’s that for the shelf-life of a story?). For instance, going to Chicago would be in James’s best interest if he wants titles. Although it sounds great to team up with 2 all-stars, Chicago already has a star point guard in Derrick Rose, an elite rebounding/defensive center in Noah, and a proven big man in Carlos Boozer. If James is truly thinking dynasty than Chicago is where it will happen. If all he cares about is winning like previous greats did in Jordan, Bird, Magic (etc.) than Chicago is the only logical destination. Plus, don’t you think joining forces with Wade and Bosh is almost a cop-out? Here are two of James’s biggest rivals, yet he considers joining forces with them? Whatever happened to the days of such heated competition in which players could barely speak to each other before games? Think of the great rivalries between Bird and Magic, Russell and Wilt, Laimbeer and Kareem. Would those greats ever join forces with their biggest competition? Of course not! They wanted to grind their rivals into the dust, to show the world they were better than them, to sniff out and eliminate any and all competition so there was no doubt that they were the best player of their era. Thus far I’m not really sure if James is wired that way, if he really wants to be the greatest ever, if he REALLY wants it. If he does, then he will not sign with the Miami Heat. With Chicago, Cleveland, hell even the Knicks he has the opportunity to carve his own path to the pantheon of greats and to strike down any rivals. Only time will tell whether he has the nasty streak to carve his way, or whether he will settle for playing with his biggest rivals in the hope that they will carry him towards a title.
4. As is common knowledge by now, LeBron James has decided he will announce his free agency decision to the world on ESPN on a nationally televised program. If he announces that he will be leaving Cleveland does that qualify as the cruelest fate a city has ever received pertaining to sports? Name something worse….anything yet?....now?......nope. It’s a despicable thing to do and my heart yearns for the good basketball fans of Cleveland. Of course James could decide to stay put and all will be well and good, but the possibility looms large that he will leave. And if he does the city of Cleveland will never forgive him. Never. And they shouldn’t, it is one thing to leave a team in free agency for greener pastures, and a whole other thing to make it into a nationally televised event. It’s hard to put into perspective what a LeBron departure would mean for Cleveland, but in no way is it good. LeBron IS the Cleveland Cavaliers…if he leaves, say hello to the lottery Cleveland.
If you’re an NBA fan this is a big freaken summer…not just big, monstrously titanic. Epic. Commodious. Voluminous. Gargantuan. Just pick an adjective…I’m sure it will work. Two super-duper stars are free agents…there is only a handful of super-duper stars in the whole league and two are up for grabs. This is unprecedented; some teams will be set for the next decade…others screwed for the next two. As a Celtics fan I’m scared, as an NBA fan I’m absolutely giddy.
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