Big Threes and the Wannabes: The Future of the NBA

Whatever happened to loyalty?

There was a time when the names of the NBA’s biggest stars could automatically be associated with a particular team, and only one team (Larry Bird and Magic Johnson are two players that come to mind). Guys like Magic and Bird didn’t hop from one team to the next in search of a ring. They stayed with their teams and let their GMs build around them.

General managers didn’t “buy” titles by loading their teams with as many superstars as possible; they surrounded their stars with solid players who fit their team’s system. Games did not consist of a series of isolation plays where one guy tried to score on his own while the other four stood around and watched. Games were played and won through five-on-five play.

As I sit here writing this just moments after watching the Heat lose Game 1 to Chicago, I can’t help but wonder which way to go is better: having three stars all capable of taking over a game singlehandedly, or a solid team focused around one great player. One game is hardly enough to make a definitive assessment on which team is better, but I’m hoping the Bulls will prove superior.

I don’t have anything against the Heat; I actually quite enjoy watching them play. My fear is that if they succeed this year in their quest for a championship, it will only add more momentum to the “Big Three” movement.

First Boston did it, then Miami, and New York is looking poised to form its own “Big Three” within the next year or two. So where does that leave all the other teams? If young stars continue to leave the teams that draft them in order to join forces with other marquee players, how is a struggling team ever going to become competitive?

That is why I hope the Heat do not win this year. I would much rather see a team like Dallas finally get a championship. If anyone has earned one, it’s Dirk. He has been one of the best and most consistent players in the league for the majority of the last decade. His team has gotten close to winning a championship a few times but have yet to win it all. However, Dirk has remained with Dallas and it looks like his patience might finally pay off.

I hope that Dallas or one of the other remaining teams can knock off Miami and that more players follow Kevin Durant’s example instead of the “Decision Maker”. Durant quietly signed a five-year extension last summer like a professional should. He kept his business out of the media for the most part, and signed a contract for less money than he could have gotten had he shopped around like many other free agents did.

The NBA needs more players like Durant, especially if other small-market teams are going to have any chance of becoming competitive. But if Miami’s title predictions made last summer come true, and more star players follow in their footsteps, the league may be reduced to a select few teams who fight for championships while the rest struggle just to sell tickets.