2012-12 NBA Season: What Did the Dwight Howard Trade Say About NBA Equality?

The trade of Dwight Howard to the Lakers was finalized on Friday afternoon, signaling the end of the so called “Dwightmare” in Orlando, but also the end of any semblance of equality in the NBA.

At least, that’s what fans of small-market teams would say. The new CBA (collective bargaining agreement) that was put into place at the end of the lockout last year would supposedly help with maintaining equality in the NBA by giving small-market teams a chance to keep their stars with harsher penalties for going into the luxury tax.

Yet within a year of the implantation of the new CBA, Chris Paul was traded to Los Angeles, as was Dwight Howard. Two of the five best players in the league were shipped to one of the largest markets in the NBA from two of the smaller markets in the league.

But that doesn’t mean that large-market teams have an unfair advantage.

As of now, the large-market teams should hold a significant amount of the power in the league. According to blazersedge.com , the large-market teams are the Knicks, Nets, Lakers, Clippers, Raptors, Bulls, 76ers, Mavericks, Warriors and Celtics. With the exception of the Raptors and Warriors, all of the teams above are easily playoff contenders.

Large-market teams make up about eight playoff spots, which means that only half the playoff spots are filled. Smaller-market teams still make up half of the playoffs, and last year's NBA Finals starred two smaller-market teams. The conference finals starred only one large-market team. In reality, while they usually have more money and fame, large-market teams do not always end up with more success.

Since 2000, only half of the NBA champions have been large-market teams.

Building a great team takes much more than just having more money and fame than the other team. Although that plays a part, smart management is much more important to create strong teams.

The Thunder were not created by luring stars with money or the promise of fame. Neither were the Grizzlies nor the Nuggets, yet both are legitimate threats in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Knicks were created by the allure of New York, and yet they have not won a championship in almost 40 years due to an incompetent front office. On the other hand, the Lakers have won nine championships in the same span. The reason that the Lakers found a way to win so much more than the Knicks was the same reason why they will compete for a championship this year.

They always have a good plan and a clear idea of how they will win games.

The same goes for San Antonio or Oklahoma City. San Antonio decided to rely on the formula of surrounding Tim Duncan with a team that goes 12 men deep. Oklahoma City decided to rely on the growth of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

The Lakers decided to trade for Chris Paul last year, but when that fell through, they decided to wait for Orlando to crack, panic and trade Dwight Howard. That was their plan, and they stuck to it. In the end, that yielded a reward.

On the other hand, Orlando had one foot out the door with Dwight Howard and was on the fence about whether they should trade him or convince him to stay. Had they committed to one side or the other, they likely would have gotten either Dwight Howard to stay or a better deal. Instead, they vacillated for a year, giving the Lakers time to wait for Orlando’s inevitable breakdown.

The same thing happened to the Knicks, who looked set to run an exciting new offense featuring Stoudemire and the young assets they had accumulated. Instead, they blew it up to acquire Carmelo Anthony, turning a young team with tremendous upside into a mediocre team that does not have much room to improve due to the large salaries that Carmelo and Stoudemire command.

The teams that succeed in the NBA are the teams that plan ahead and make the right moves, large or small market. Most teams do not succeed due to their poor decision-making, not a lack of resources. It is impossible to know what moves will work and which ones won’t, but the teams that have a clear plan are the only ones that will succeed; otherwise, they will be doomed to toil in mediocrity.

In the end, the Lakers simply had a good plan. It didn’t hurt that they had more money and a larger market than most teams, but they did not acquire Dwight Howard simply due to those two factors.

Again and again, owners complain about equality, but in reality, the only problem in the NBA is the inability for teams to make both fiscal and basketball decisions that will lead to future success.

The Lakers are the paragon of any team competing for a championship. They knew what it would take to acquire Dwight Howard and they planned accordingly. In the end, a large-market team got what it wanted, but not without being a a forward-thinking and patient team as well.