David Aldridge takes a moment to respond to this week’s batch of questions from his readers …
As of now, I am in control here. From Walt Coogan:
The main difference between recent years and the past is that previous powerhouse teams tended to form more organically?primarily through the draft and supplemented by shrewd trades and selective free agent signings. The Warriors had previously fit this model, having drafted a core of young players (Curry, Thompson, Green, Barnes) who grew together and having complemented it with the trade for Andrew Bogut (a former number-one overall draft pick, yet not a star) and the signing of Andre Iguodala (a terrific complementary player, but not a major star). The signings of David Lee (while pricey), Shaun Livingston, and Leandro Barbosa could be seen in the same light. What fans, some former players, and some media people are unaccustomed to is powerhouses being developed because stars from various teams decided that they would join forces as unrestricted free agents, as with Miami six summers ago, or a star like Durant opting though free agency to join the franchise that he had just come so close to beating a few weeks earlier. Imagine, for instance, if Michael Jordan had become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 1990 and decided to sign with Detroit rather than leading Chicago past Detroit. Or imagine if Gary Payton and/or Patrick Ewing had signed with the Bulls in the summer of 1996 after they had lost to Chicago in that year’s postseason. That said, without delving into all the details, Charles Barkley’s comments are hypocritical in certain ways (nothing new there).
Dennis Rodman, however, did not sign with the Bulls as a free agent or choose his destination. He wanted out of San Antonio, but that desire stemmed from his infamous clashes with head coach Bob Hill, not to chase a ring. After all, the Spurs had won a league-leading 62 games and reached Game Six of the Western Conference Finals the previous season, whereas the Bulls had lost in the second round to Orlando. Besides, Rodman was something of an offensive liability. He needed to play with elite teammates, because a team could not be constructed around him.
Perhaps the closest analogy to the current trend came when Moses Malone, as a restricted free agent, signed with Philadelphia in 1982 after Julius Erving and the 76ers had played in two of the previous three NBA Finals (and three of the previous six), while Malone had led the Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1981 (losing to Boston). But even then, Houston could have chosen to match the offer and prevent Malone from joining Philadelphia. Players certainly gained much greater power and autonomy with the advent of unrestricted free agency in 1988, but people have not been accustomed to seeing them use that power like James, Wade, and Bosh in 2010, James in Cleveland in recent years, or now Durant. Powerhouses are not new to the NBA; powerhouses formed in this manner, without the consent or control of owners, is new, and some people feel that the results are more inorganic.
Yes, Walt, you’re technically correct — Rodman was traded to Chicago for Will Perdue in 1995; he did not sign as a free agent. The point was that there have been instances in the recent past where players have gone to teams that they had recently competed against in the playoffs, as Rodman did when in Detroit against the Bulls in the late 80s and early 90s, and done well. There is certainly, as you point out, a difference in perception when it’s players that choose to form the latest iteration of superteam by signing as free agents together as opposed to when teams do it by acquiring talent via trade.
The Clippers’ J.J. Redick pointed this out in a series of Tweets last week in pushing back against the narrative that Kevin Durant’s decision to play for the Warriors and form the latest NBA superteam will be harmful and/or reduce the league’s competitive balance. (Redick, though, bought into the fiction that the fact there have been five different champions in the last six years proves there’s more parity in the league. LeBron James’ teams won two of those five titles, were the team that won two of the six total titles, and were the losing team in the other three.)
No one batted an eye when Danny Ainge traded for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to join Paul Pierce in Boston, at least not about the idea of such a team impacting competitive balance; there were grumbles about how chummy Ainge and Kevin McHale, then the Wolves’ GM, were, and how McHale seemed to be helping his old Celtics team by gift-wrapping the Big Ticket to them. There was some heat directed at the Grizzlies, most notably by Gregg Popovich, when they traded Pau Gasol to the Lakers in 2008. The Lakers went on to win back-to-back titles with Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom backing Kobe Bryant, but the criticism of the trade has died down as the star of Marc Gasol, acquired by Memphis in the deal, rose in recent years to All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year status.
Are people barking more about the autonomy today’s players have, or the amount of money they receive? Probably a little bit of both.
Take me to the Emerald City/Wizards will give us lemonade/It’s a land of pleasures pretty/Ruby roses never fade. From Kurt Triebenbach:
I haven’t read anything lately – nor have I looked very hard?but is there any chance that the huge influx of money from the NBA’s TV deal might help the possibility of a new team in Seattle?
I’ve also wondered if a return of the Sonics might also mean another expansion franchise to keep the number of teams in the league and the conferences even. If so what cities might be candidates for expansion? Looking at the lists of biggest markets and best places to live you linked to in your piece on Kevin Durant leaving OKC, I see these cities/locations as possibilities: Tampa, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, San Diego, Nashville, Kansas City, Cincinnati.
Several of these places have pro basketball history — some more significant than others. I’m sure there are other possibilities and I’m sure some of these aren’t realistic due to the proximity of other NBA teams, the economy and/or fan base of the area being able to support a new NBA franchise along with its existing major league teams in other sports, as well as other factors. Seattle being in the Western Conference might mean another Eastern location is needed. Or perhaps a Western team (Memphis or New Orleans seem the likeliest options based on geographic location) is reassigned to the East if one of the Midwest or Western locations were chosen for expansion.
Unfortunately, in my mind, if anything, the huge TV money will hurt Seattle’s chances of getting a team, expansion or otherwise. The league and its teams are splitting the estimated $2.66 billion per year 30 ways; it’s not likely those 30 teams would want to add a 31st or 32nd partner to split the pie further. With the TV cash cow in place for the next eight years, and with every NBA city either already having built or in the process of building new arenas, I don’t see the impetus for either a team moving to Seattle or there being much enthusiasm for expansion among owners. For the academic purposes of your exercise, if there were another city selected along with Seattle for conference balance, I’d imagine it would be another western city, with the league sending two teams currently in the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference. Minnesota would be a logical choice with its relative proximity to Chicago and Milwaukee, with either Memphis or New Orleans joining the Wolves. But, as I said, that’s purely academic for now.
She’s Not Falling for the Okey Doke. From Katheryne Dwyer:
I have spent the majority of my 12 year life watching and analyzing the NBA, so the following is my frantic response to what happened to my Wizards: !!!!!!!!!!!!!
This NBA team is falling apart, and I’d just like your professional opinion why, and where we go from here. I’ve never seen a team go from almost forcing a game seven in a conference semi with a clutch three, to going 41-41 and not even making the playoffs. So what happened? Paul Pierce went home to L.A.? And what happens next? Garrett Temple is gone, Bradley Beal agreed to terms…which leaves us with Marcin Gortat, John Wall, Kelly Oubre, and Otto Porter: hardly an elite crew. Throw Trey Burke into the mixture, and I see a lot of possible outcomes, success being lower down on the list.
Interested to see what you think!
It is indeed to spin the Wizards’ summer as anything but a loss so far, Katheryne, considering that they spent the better part of two seasons doing everything in their power to get Kevin Durant. To not even get a meeting with him before his decision to sign with the Warriors was a true black eye for the organization, even though Durant told Washington he was shutting them out to save them time and allow them to pursue other free agents, like Al Horford. Unfortunately, the Wizards lost Horford, too, to Boston. It was close. No one cares. It’s not that Washington’s acquisitions — Ian Mahinmi, Andrew Nicholson, Tomas Satoransky and Jason Smith via free agency; Burke via trade from Utah — are bad ones. And the Wizards’ starting five has a chance to be pretty good — if Wall comes back completely from offseason surgery on both knees. But considering what the Wizards put so much time and effort into, those are Pyrrhic victories. D.C.’s fan base was sold on a homecoming. To see Durant spurn the locals so quickly and completely will be tough to overcome.
Send your questions, comments, criticisms and mix tapes for when you’re taking a long, long drive with a friend to daldridgetnt@gmail.com. If your e-mail is sufficiently funny, thought-provoking, well-written or snarky, we just might publish it!
I’M FEELIN’…
1) Blessed to be in attendance with so many in the Turner Family to see Craig Sager receiving the Jimmy V Perseverance Award at the ESPY Awards Wednesday. Sages inspires so many people, and to see again the guts he displays in not letting his leukemia stop him from working showed all of us the best side of humanity. God bless him and his family as they continue the fight together.
2) I didn’t expect a total trashing of Hack-A by the NBA’s Board of Governors last week, so while this is just a little tweak, it’s better than nothing. Please don’t bother sending me e-mails with the brilliant suggestion that bad free throw shooters should practice more. If you want to watch a free throw shooting contest, here. And here. And here. Go nuts.
3) There is good in the world. There is. We just have to look a little harder sometimes to find it.
4) It’s that time of year! Time for you to tell my why you should be the one we pick to write the Guest Fan Tipper column while I’m on vacation in August. For the newbies, one of the four Guest Tipper columns that is written in the summer is written by a fan, someone who loves the NBA and basketball as much as I do. People submit entries from around the world, writing about their experiences playing, teaching, watching or learning the game, and how the game continues to impact their lives. (Here and here are a couple of winners from past years.) All you have to do is submit a piece to me at daldridgetnt@gmail.com about how and why you love basketball, and how it impacts you today. It can be as long or as short as you like. I’ll pick one entry, and if it’s yours, we’ll publish it in August. Good luck. Look forward to reading them all.
NOT FEELIN’…
1) Nate Thurmond and Walt Bellamy never got their public due as two of the best big men to play the game, because they were unlucky enough to come of age and excellence in the Russell-Chamberlain era — a 12- to 15-year stretch where the NBA’s most iconic individual matchup, combined with the greatest dynasty the league has ever produced, managed to suck much of the air and attention out of the room. And that time was followed by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s rapid ascension. But Thurmond, who passed away Saturday at the age of 74, was one of the best centers to ever play the game. A Hall of Famer, a seven-time All-Star and voted one of the 50 greatest players of all time, Thurmond was most identified with the Warriors, for whom he played 11 of his 15 seasons and for whom he averaged better than 20 points and 10 boards five times. He finished his career as part of the “Miracle of Richfield” Cavaliers in 1976, and had his jersey retired by both organizations. (Here is a solid Q&A Thurmond did with SLAM Magazine a few years ago.) He was a great, great basketball player. RIP.
2) Not looking to re-litigate this. But it will take some time to get used to.
3) Do not stop me, ask me, refer me or explain to me anything having to do with Pokemon Go. Do. Not.
BY THE NUMBERS
$20,000,000 — Maximum per year, according to ESPN.com business reporter Darren Rovell, that the Warriors want from companies to advertise on the team’s uniforms via the league-approved jersey patch on the upper left side. Teams can negotiate individual deals with companies for the patches, which were approved by league owners in April. The 76ers have a deal with the ticket broker StubHub beginning next season for $5 million per year. Players will receive a piece of the revenue from the jersey patches.
4 — NBA teams for 2013 overall number one pick Anthony Bennett, who signed a two-year deal (second year club option) last week with Brooklyn. Bennett has lasted one season with Cleveland, Minnesota and Toronto so far in his career as he continues to look for a permanent home.
150 — Reported applicants for jobs at the Kings’ soon-to-open Golden 1 Center in downtown Sacramento, according to the Sacramento Bee. The job seekers sat out in 100-degree heat for at least an hour before the job fair began, looking to fill the standard arena jobs including security, event services and hospitality that will be available when the 17,500-seat arena opens in the fall.
TWEET OF THE WEEK
— Blazers guard Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard), Wednesday, 3:56 p.m., responding to a fan’s inquiry about whether Lillard would return to his hometown of Oakland as Dwight Howard did by officially signing last week to return to his hometown of Atlanta.
THEY SAID IT
“That’s the beauty of it. There is no script. For the first time in 20-something years, I don’t have a script. I don’t have somewhere I have to be and something I have to do. So, I get to go out and enjoy my kids even more. Outside of that, I get to do a little living.”
— Tim Duncan, retired individual, in his only post-retirement interview, with journalist and his longtime friend Rashidi Clenance, on the online radio station ViVid Streaming last Wednesday.
“I didn’t make it happen. Dwyane left and so the buck really stops here. I’m not trying to fall on the sword for anybody. I have great regret that I didn’t put myself in the middle of it and immerse myself totally in the middle of it, get in a canoe and paddle to the Mediterranean if I had to.”
— Pat Riley, to Miami-area reporters on Saturday, taking the blame for the Heat’s inability to re-sign Dwyane Wade and keep him on South Beach for the remainder of his career. Riley said it was also his fault for not changing Wade’s mindset toward his own — “a big picture, a better picture, or one that I thought could help him,” Riley said.
“Oh, of course I get mad. But I’m just trying to control my emotions and keep an even keel through the course of my life. I don’t want to get too high or too low. I think I’ve had better times than others but keep a smile on your face and continue to work hard. I’m blessed to be able to do what I do and I go out there and hopefully an opportunity will arise.”
— Jimmer Fredette, the former Lottery pick of the Kings, to the London newspaper The Guardian, on the frustrations he feels five years into his pro career, which currently has him in Denver on the Nuggets’ Summer League team in Las Vegas.
MORE MORNING TIP: Reflecting on Duncan’s personality, impact and legacy | Mike Conley readies for new deal, new challenges in Memphis
Longtime NBA reporter and columnist David Aldridge is an analyst for TNT. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.
