With the current redistribution of players as teams are being re-crafted for the next season, there have been some controversial moves and contracts signed that have shaken up some NBA fans.
Greats like Kobe Bryant and newly announced Tim Duncan are heading into retirement and it is becoming clear that this generation of basketball players are finished trying to get a footing in the NBA, and few are even concerned with being the star of the team; but are now more focused on winning, getting to the Finals, and are doing whatever it takes to position themselves to get that in the best way possible, no matter how drastic of move they have to make.
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Dwayne Wade, for example, can be seen making big changes. After spending his first 13 seasons in the NBA with the Miami Heat he is going to play for his hometown, the Chicago Bulls. Although the Heat finished third in the Eastern Conference with a 48-34 record this season, possibly seeing what former teammate and close friend LeBron James did by bringing his hometown a championship this past season could’ve showed Wade it was time for a change.
With big names coming together in the past to create storied “The Big Three” combinations, like the Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and of course LeBron James on the Heat or Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden on OKC, it should not come as anything new to fans when players decide to leave to play with other big name players.
With that, the controversy over possibly one of the biggest moves so far after this season from former OKC Thunder player Kevin Durant, who decided to sign a two year 54.3 million dollar contract to play for the team that beat him out of the last Finals, signed with the Golden State Warriors. Kevin Durant has received a lot of negative feedback from this move, with fans and even NBA Commissioner Adam Silver referring to the team as a “super-team” saying it “is not ideal for the league.”
No matter what side of the argument you are on, looking at just how “good” the Golden State Warriors roster was this year, they still fell short of the championship. So automatically presuming the success of a team is not always going to be completely accurate. The chemistry of the Golden State Warriors line-up this past season was phenomenal, and adding a big name like Kevin Durant will change that cohesion, whether it be positive or negative.
After watching Golden State all season, convinced that they were one of the best overall teams with the way they played basketball so connectedly, they ended up falling short with no championship to ice their record breaking regular season record of 73-9. Even after their leader Stephen Curry won, for the first time, a unanimous MVP award, at the end of it, what did it really mean? At last week Espy Awards, the Cleveland Cavaliers won the “Best Team” award and LeBron James won “Best Male Athlete”, all of that and a championship for a team that went 57-25 in the regular season. LeBron is still playing with big names like Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving- who was under appreciated for his effort in the finals.
So why is it being so frowned upon that Kevin Durant, after OKC hasn’t won a championship since 1979 when they were still the Seattle Supersonics, has left the team he has been with for so long? OKC has been a powerful team that contends every year for the finals, but hasn’t actually won the title in years. Kevin Durant has been in the NBA since after his first year of college, now at the age of 27, Durant is looking to finally win a ring. With the opportunity to play with amazing players like Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and more, how could one blame him for taking the chance?
As a basketball fan, a true Knick fan, it is understandable that for all the other teams and fans in the league this move could seem “unfair”, and it is not alluring to think that whatever team you support is going to be blown out by a “super-team”; but does that mean that the NBA should make more rules to regulate and confine players? Do all teams need to be “equal”? Once those rules start, where do you draw the line?
There are many factors the league needs to take into consideration, but for now, as basketball fans, lets enjoy the greatness that could be right in front of us.
