Can An NBA Superstar Win a Championship Alone?
Perhaps it’s a generational thing or maybe it’s something in the water because it seems like today’s young NBA superstars have developed the mindset that they can’t win a championship without significant help. Starting with Shaquille O’Neal’s departure from tinsel town in 2003, Kobe Bryant began moaning and pouting that he wanted out unless the Lakers brought in all-star level talent to play alongside him.
Bryant was so disgruntled after another early playoff exit in 2007 that when asked where he wanted to play, he responded, “At this point I’ll go play on Pluto.” Fast track to the present; LeBron James’ decision to abandon his hometown team for the chance to play with superstars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh has intensified the echo chamber chorus that today’s superstars are nothing like the stars of the past.
We couldn’t imagine Wilt Chamberlain teaming with Bill Russell for the sake of not being on the losing side of the championships. Think about it. For 10 years Chamberlain battled Russell for ultimate NBA supremacy and he came up short nine out of 10 times. Was Russell surrounded by a better cast of teammates or did Wilt lack the know-how of winning in the finals? Regardless of how these questions are answered the fact remains that Wilt did not align himself with his ultimate rival. As Michael Jordan so eloquently put it in his analysis of LeBron James’ decision to go to Miami, Jordan said, “There’s no way I would have called up Bird and Magic and said let’s play together. I was trying to beat those guys.”
Shortly after the airing of LeBron James’ “The Decision” came the revelation that arguably the best point guard in the league, Chris Paul was aligning himself with LBJ’s marketing firm LRMR. Within days news began to leak that CP3 was unhappy in New Orleans and wanted out. At the top of his wish list of potential future teams is the Orlando Magic where he would be teaming up with the best big man in the game today Dwight Howard.
The pattern is becoming increasing obvious. In an individual sport like wrestling the flamboyant Rick Flair said: “In order to be the man you have to beat the man.” In other words to be the best you’ve got to beat the best. In a team sport such as the NBA the new mindset appears to be: “In order to be the best you’ve got to team with the best."
Is there any young player in the league who believes in himself to the point that he is willing to be the modern day David to the NBA’s version of Goliath now situated in South Beach? Look no further than Oklahoma City’s lone all-star Kevin Durant. Without the fanfare and press, one day after “The Decision," Durant signed an extension with the Thunder that will keep him in the fold through 2016.
There wasn’t any collaboration with his fellow draft alumni Greg Oden, Al Horford, or Joakim Noah about signing for fewer years in order to give him the opportunity of teaming up with one of the aforementioned in their prime under the lime lights of a big market city like Chicago.
To the contrary Durant expressed his feelings about the small market team in OKC back in March. “I was watching the Larry Bird-Magic Johnson documentary the other day.” Durant said. "I’m similar to Bird. I like being at home; I like staying at my mom’s house and her cooking. That’s the kind of person I am. I’m not into the big city lights and the paparazzi-that type of stuff. I just love playing basketball and chillin out. That’s the kind of guy I am off the court. I’m good in Oklahoma City. I love it here. I like going outside and seeing the neighbors and they say, ‘Hello.’ They give me cookies and give me Skittles. There are cities you may not get that.”
Maybe there is hope for the NBA. Maybe there are young players who remember the rival matchups of yesterday between Magic’s Lakers and Bird’s Celtics or MJ’s Bulls taking on all comers for the Mailman’s Jazz to Zeke’s Bad Boys of Detroit. For the sake of the NBA’s future let’s hope that KD will be like Duncan and make a championship team out of Oklahoma City. While the “I need help pandemic” is dominating the headlines in the NBA there are pockets of resistance to be found throughout the league. Hopefully Lone superstars like Kevin Durant will fight back against the status-quo and against all odds and win a championship all by himself.
