While NBA fans have – at best – mixed feelings on so-called “super-teams” that feature multiple stars, many players around the league view them as the only realistic way to compete for a championship, as Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post details.
“If you don’t have a super-team, or three superstars, or three All-Stars on your team, it’s very hard to win,” Wizards point guard John Wall told Bontemps at last month’s Team USA mini-camp.
Former NBA stars, particularly those who won championships in the past, have been critical of the idea of current All-Stars teaming up in free agency or via trade requests in an effort to compete for a title. However, Paul George doesn’t believe those criticisms take into account the challenges of the modern-day NBA.
“No team has won [a title] where one single guy was the lone star and it was their team. It’s not that era. I’m not sure how the veterans, the legends, don’t understand that part,” George said. “It’s a different game now. For those guys to chime in and say we’re not built the same . . . I never understood that, because who would we be fooling if we went out alone and tried to go up against the Warriors? The best guy in our league right now couldn’t do it. [LeBron James] got swept [in the 2018 Finals]. So that just goes to show you at this point what it takes to win. Because you need guys that are alike talent-wise and skill set-wise to win championships.”
Of course, with star players assuming more agency and more control when it comes to building super-teams around the NBA, some clubs are bound to be left out. Given the limits of the talent pool, the league can only realistically support a handful of super-teams at a time, and stars aren’t necessarily clamoring to leave their own situations for certain cities or franchises.
“Being in Memphis, being part of a smaller market, you have a tough time in free agency, and you have to build through the draft,” Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley told Bontemps. “With all the things teams have been able to accomplish through free agency, and through all the player movement, you kind of miss out on that.”
Even in a small market though, the idea of constructing a super-team isn’t impossible — if a club can acquire a superstar player that other stars around the league want to play with, such as Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City, it’s a stepping stone toward acquiring other impact players. As Eric Gordon tells Bontemps, players want to go to “winning situations,” so if a team establishes a “winning culture,” it presents a clearer path to attracting top talent. And the Rockets guard views that as good thing for the NBA.
“It’s good to see all these super-teams, because [it means] guys are willing to win,” Gordon said.
I mean that’s how GSW built their super team. Curry, Thompson, Green, Barnes, Ezeli, Bell, etc. They’ve been really good at drafting and developing players, and then pairing them with good veterans (e.g. Iguodala, West). Of course high tier free agents will want to go there because a) they want to win, and b) endorsements and investments from Silicon Valley can equal or surpass their salary. It’s why Iguodala hasn’t left. So I mean it’s not impossible, but your FO has to be really good, and the team culture you develop has to be exceptional.
Sssshhhhh…the built through the draft fact doesn’t fit the evil super team narrative.
If the best player on your team wasn’t drafted then you didn’t build through the draft. That’s like saying Miami built through the drafts cause everyone other than Bosh and LeBron was internal.
1. GSW built through the draft, won title.
2. THEN Barnes left & Durant arrived, won 2 more.
And no one is criticizing the first title they won. Only the ones post-Durant.
The league has only itself to blame, because salary and payroll caps are what caused this to happen. Players wouldn’t be so happy to squeeze into a team if they were leaving 50 or 100 mil on the table to do it.
Old heads aren’t talking about having multiple all stars. They’re talking about weak moves like LeBron going to Miami and KD going to GS. Back in the day guys didn’t just move to another city to play with their friends. They wanted to beat the best! That’s the difference today. These pups want the easy way and not work as hard. That’s carried over in this generation. Everybody gets a trophy! Weak ass generation!
Congrats! You win today’s participation award c/w certificate with a simulated stamped Seal of Approval. It feels good to scream “Get off my lawn, MF” I do it every so often.
Sports suck badddd these days.
:,/
I really want to know if Cousins proves to be himself this season how Golden State can keep that team together. Got Klay, Cousins and KD coming up on free agency and I think Green the year after that. Can they really keep this team together? Really curious about how they’ll make that happen. I just don’t see it but maybe I’m wrong. I see Kyrie and Butler going to the Knicks, I see Klay going to the Clippers and I see Leonard going to the Lakers. If this all happens it’ll really help spread things out a little better in the NBA.
Guys are willing to win?????? That’s the most ludicrous statement I’ve ever heard!
No team ever won with one lone star? Pretty sure Dirk beating the Heat would have a case against that statement. Not saying it is easy (Dirk was superhuman that run) but it’s been done before.
Good point, though I’ll never forget Jason Terry sparking the comeback with attitude.
Why have a draft? Just let the guys out of high school and college go where they want. Throw out the salary cap too. Let’s see how long the owners keep their teams. Do away with the trade deadline too. When LeBron gets a hare, he can get one of his buddies any time he wants them.
Don’t much like the idea of superteams, specially as players do give up great careers to just win a title. Look for example Bosh in Miami, he came from being one of the best players in the league, to be the 3rd guy that hardly ever anyone spoke of, to me that is not worth winning for, only if you are the one that makes the team win, like Dirk, LBJ. Not a fan of superteams, like to see players playing all their career with the same team, that to me is the beauty of the game, worth much more than a few titles.