The super-team model for winning an NBA championship is becoming less effective, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. The Nets and Sixers are two of the latest examples to fail with that strategy, both by acquiring James Harden. The Big Three in Brooklyn captured just one playoff series before Harden was shipped to Philadelphia, where his pairing with Joel Embiid resulted in a second-round exit.
In the Western Conference, injuries have prevented Kawhi Leonard and Paul George from reaching their full potential with the Clippers, Bondy notes, and the Lakers’ decision to team Russell Westbrook with LeBron James and Anthony Davis was a complete disaster. Bondy adds that the teams remaining in the playoffs were all built mainly through the draft, with later additions focusing mainly on defense.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- James tops the list of the world’s 100 highest-paid male athletes released this week by Sportico. James made $36.9MM in salary over the past year and $90MM in endorsements, putting him $4.6MM ahead of soccer star Lionel Messi. Three other NBA players finished in the top 10: Stephen Curry at No. 6 with total earnings of $86.2MM, Kevin Durant at No. 7 with $85.9MM and Harden at No. 9 with $76MM. It’s the most James has ever earned over a 12-month stretch, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico.
- Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated lists five unheralded players to keep an eye on in this year’s draft. On his list are North Carolina State freshman guard Terquavion Smith, Alabama senior guard Keon Ellis, Connecticut senior forward Tyrese Martin, Loyola Chicago senior guard Lucas Williamson and Texas Tech senior forward Bryson Williams. Woo doesn’t expect them all to be drafted, but he does believe they’ll exceed expectations and carve out a spot in the NBA.
- Marcus Foster, who played for the Rockets’ G League affiliate in Rio Grande Valley this season, has signed with Promitheas Patras for the Greek League playoffs, according to Sportando. The 26-year-old guard, who was in Houston’s training camp prior to the start of the season, has an option to sign with an NBA or EuroLeague team this summer.
Russell Westbrook with LeBron James and Anthony Davis are the super team?
lol
I’d say they “Paper Super Team”
On paper, they are super team.
What if Lakers add Doc Rivers?
Supermax team
I know it’s the NY Daily News, but Bondy deserves to be fired on the spot for such a comically bad piece.
I can’t believe there are actually folks out there who pay for that type of garbage. You’d have to pay ME to read it.
Are you saying the point raised is wrong?
I have seen fewer posters on this site this season— none that I recall— say that one team was better than another due to counting more stars on the roster. This was a regular claim only a couple years ago.
GSW fans were gunning for a fifth star at one point. Wiggins or Russell may have spoiled that.
Last offseason writers were often saying three was the magic number of stars for success.
IMO, only two have ever been necessary for a title. I even used CLE as an example, despite that leaving my avatar out, when most fans don’t.
Probably James or Pelinka got misled by that belief, and surrendered depth for Westbrook, when Caruso should have been recognized as what a two-star team needs.
Lately I’ve been saying there is increasing support for having an ace coverage specialist that can be assigned to the opponent’s top threat, any position… Instead of third star.
Absolutely. Super teams work but fit is still important, just as it always is and was. Smart teams realize this. It’s the boneheaded teams that try to force awkward fits that are the problem, but that’s nothing new.
One example was hardly a super team (Lakers). Another cited doesn’t count due to bad injury luck, which is irrelevant (Clippers). The final example features an aging Harden who is also out of shape and not nearly the player he once was.
To me, the whole notion of the superteam is irrelevant. Build the best possible squad however you can in terms of talent, cohesiveness, fit, work ethic, depth, etc. Whatever that looks like is whatever it looks like. But you should never prioritize talent in a vacuum without considering the impact on the other factors.
I don’t really care or pay attention to what anyone in the media says. They just want clicks and views and will say anything, no matter how stupid or wrong, to get them. 3 stars on a team is obviously better than 2 if you can make it work. But I am inclined to agree with you that it often isn’t necessary for sustained success.
You are making the exact point he was making – that is that the make up of the team matters.
Really don’t understand your criticism of the piece. He lists successful examples of adding stars to teams that were already good – but highlights recent failed efforts – which are indisputable and provides good insight into the impact of players driving these decisions…,
If Harden broke the superteam concept, that is the best thing he has done in his career.
I remember the day clearly when CP3 was drafted by th and Suns and Jrue by the Bucks.
The word “mainly” was used not the word “entirely”.
I don’t think anything has been dispelled. I think the notion that ANY 3 stars cast together without cohesiveness and commitment has been dispelled but that’s about it. James, Harden and Bosh played together in the Olympics and were genuine friends. I gather they knew they had the talent and could figure things out. James joined Kyrie and immediately chose to go after Love who the Cavs owner had already tried to trade for but was warned by Love not to trade for because he wasn’t going to resign with them. James convinced him to give it a shot. James already won with AD and a smattering of kids not included in the AD trade. The pressure to add more talent after not repeating was obvious. My guess is the meeting that took place between LBJ, AD and Westbrook PRIOR to the trade happening somehow didn’t play out as hoped. My guess is injuries to AD and perhaps Westbrook’s inability or unwillingness to change his style was the reason they are where are. But in the other cases you can tell that there was no cohesiveness and no willingness of guys like Kyrie, Harden, etc to sacrifice their game the way Bosh, Love and to an extent Wade did. But simply adding Durant, Kyrie and Harden together was doomed to fail because if their overlapping styles.
Lakers have drafted enough talent to win Championship. The Nets drafted well to and gave up picks to try and build a super team. You add the piece you need like Jru is to the bucks and Leonard was to the raptors.
When was there ever even a super team ‘model’? That article implies it was a huge trend when it never was. LeBron is still the only recent one to attempt it. It’s not like there was ever dozens of superstar teams throughout the league.
Also Russell Westbrook, Paul George, James Harden, and Ben Simmons are hardly “super”.
So 2 MVP’s are hardly super… you have some lofty standards, right? SMH!
Of all the players mentioned in the draft segment, the only one I like is Keon Ellis. He could be the Desmond Bane of the 2022 draft.
I liked LeBron with the Cavs and Heat but you wonder if the window is closed where championships are concerned not only because of age but because of the poor decisions he made with structuring this team in terms of personnel.
You can debate whether building the personnel was a combination of the Lakers’ FO and James, but clearly, this was Lebron’s idea
I’d have to wonder how many younger players around the league would even want to play for LA after this train wreck
@Tired
All of them. Let’s stop acting as if the Lakers aren’t the biggest brand in one of the most desirable markets. Does anyone remember the horrible older Kobe years? Does anyone remember the post Magic years? Let’s stop with the doom and gloom.
@tiredolddude… Any young star wants to play with LBJ & even more if that happens in LAL… seriously the golden & purple are the most successful ever franchise in the league, so how can you sell to yourself that no one wants to play for them, real curious ’bout that!
California taxes… Ask Jimmy Buckets why he wanted to be in Miami so badly (P.S it ain’t the weather!)
Is Sillivan really sarcasm? You new? I know you’re not new.
I assume this was directed to me, and touche lol.