A Consolidated "Raps-Cavs-Pistons" Franchise Wouldn't Be Competitive For Next 5 Years

[Buddahfan]

If half the league is losing money then that to me means the system is broken. For the top dogs to prosper like they are they need the little dogs. Feed the little dogs!

The whole thingy got messed up when the league ran after the TV money during the Jordan era. In the process the league went from a league of teams/franchises with star players to a league of star players and whatever team they play on. The league and players have prospered greatly over the last 15 years due to this change. However, truth be told this new arrangement has created a bubble in player's salaries and along with it has helped to encourage this bad attitude of some players. I think if this pay bubble burst it would be to the leagues and fans long term benefit.

[RecklessIndifference]

OK Here's my Cletronto Cavaraptons.

PG - Rodney Stuckey, Jarret Jack, Jose Calderon
SG - Demar Derozen, Ben Gordon, Leandro Barbosa
SF - Tayshaun Prince, Antawn Jamison, Linus Kleiza
PF - Andrea Bargnani, Ed Davis, Jason Maxiell
C - Anderson Varejao, Greg Monroe, Ben Wallace

On a funny side note.... You could also make this starting lineup...

PG - Jose Calderon
SG - Tracy MacGrady or Anthony Parker
SF - Jamario Moon or Joey Graham
PF - Antawn Jamison or Charlie Villanueva
C - Andrea Bargnani

... Hey waitaminute....

[GameBreaker]

@Letter N: By having all these guys on one team, makes viewer percentages go down for all the "other teams" that don't have "star players". Minus, OKC (who played a very exciting playoff series with the Lakers), Chi, MAYBE NY, other teams are not gonna get shine because everyone's jumped on the Miami bandwagon. In most viewers' minds there's only gonna be competition in the Miami/Lakers/Orlando/Boston games (maybe 2-3 more teams, if that) because that's where the "stars" are. It could damage the viewer ratings a little. Aside from Miami's "Bitch 3"..er, sorry I meant "Big 3" playing against those elite teams, it'll get shine when these players play against their former teams, but after awhile people will get bored, unless their former teams play them hard. But, right now, nobody cares for any other team but Miami, now. They already have them in the finals...like the Cavs, last year. And look what happened there, WITH Shaq that everyone loves...'cept me.

[vinnie_paz]

OK Here's my Cletronto Cavaraptons.

PG - Rodney Stuckey, Jarret Jack, Jose Calderon
SG - Demar Derozen, Ben Gordon, Leandro Barbosa
SF - Tayshaun Prince, Antawn Jamison, Linus Kleiza
PF - Andrea Bargnani, Ed Davis, Jason Maxiell
C - Anderson Varejao, Greg Monroe, Ben Wallace

On a funny side note.... You could also make this starting lineup...

PG - Jose Calderon
SG - Tracy MacGrady or Anthony Parker
SF - Jamario Moon or Joey Graham
PF - Antawn Jamison or Charlie Villanueva
C - Andrea Bargnani

... Hey waitaminute....

hahahahaha

[LBF]

OK Here's my Cletronto Cavaraptons.

PG - Rodney Stuckey, Jarret Jack, Jose Calderon
SG - Demar Derozen, Ben Gordon, Leandro Barbosa
SF - Tayshaun Prince, Antawn Jamison, Linus Kleiza
PF - Andrea Bargnani, Ed Davis, Jason Maxiell
C - Anderson Varejao, Greg Monroe, Ben Wallace

On a funny side note.... You could also make this starting lineup...

PG - Jose Calderon
SG - Tracy MacGrady or Anthony Parker
SF - Jamario Moon or Joey Graham
PF - Antawn Jamison or Charlie Villanueva
C - Andrea Bargnani

... Hey waitaminute....

that's the worst name i've ever heard.

[Apollo]

Cletronto Cavaraptons.

Sounds like an STD.

[JoePanini]

Sounds like an STD.

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA (Y)


This I think DOES kill the NBA. Because when I first started watching and supporting basketball, I was amazed with how each team had one star players, and a few good back-ups, some teams had better star players and better back-ups but all teams had good players and on a good day all teams could win against eachother. I grew up supporting football (soccer) and I've been very annoyed on how richer teams (Manchester City, Real Madrid etc...) can just buy all the players and cause an unbalance in the talent stakes. Instead the NBA WAS different, all teams had a couple of talented players. Most teams were pretty even if you ONLY consider the talent of individual players. But this is all going to change now, if players start all this crap of joining into a super team. We will have a league of Miami Heat, New York Knicks and a bunch of amateurs. I hope this doesn't happen, and we must hope that better players come out of the drafts...

[ezz_bee]

Sounds like an STD.

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha

ROTD!

[RecklessIndifference]

that's the worst name i've ever heard.

Success!

[LBF]

Sounds like an STD.

man or woman std? or is it unisex?

[Apollo]

I'm not a Doctor, I just play one on T.V.

[smushmush]

I completely disagree. The most successful league in North America is the NFL and they're set up so that things like this do not happen. They're set up to greatly reward players and teams for sticking together as opposed to trying to buy a team. You can't "buy" a good team in the NFL, it's impossible. Also, in the NFL this "top players only want to or NEED to play in a big market" b.s. does not exist. Players go to places they can win or get paid but the city itself has little to do with it. The reason they're so popular is because everyone has a chance to win. Fans want to see good football regardless if New Orleans(small market to NBA egomaniacs) is on top. Fans want to know their team has a legit chance at doing something and in the NBA that doesn't exist. The fact that the league is set up in such a way that the Heat can dump cap, go out and steal two franchise players and then have loop holes in place that allow them to build a solid bench is wrong. The NBA system is broken and pat Riley illustrated that by exploiting it on an higher level than anyone before.

If the NBA wants to fix their league they need to:
A.) Impose a hard cap. (ie: no MLE, no BAE, not vet minimum, etc)
B.) Get rid of guaranteed contracts and install player bonuses as the only guaranteed money. Players will suddenly appreciate their job much more and teams will be less trigger happy with trades.
C.) Get rid of S&T

+1. The NFL is probably the best managed league in sports and the NHL is not far behind. Both leagues come out with different winners each year(exceptions are the Detroit Red Wings and New England Patriots that were really good teams) and small market teams are enabled to win once they manage their financial transactions and enable a winning environment(see Pittsburgh Penguins winning the 2009 Stanley Cup, Pittsburgh Steelers winning the 2009 Superbowl and New Orleans Saints winning the 2010 Superbowl). The NBA is next and the MLB is last(see number of World Series won by Yankees and Red Sox) and the NBA is now becoming the NFL which is really pathetic. I hope the new CBA addresses these issue of superteams, few teams in the league winning multiple championships and the elimination of small market teams. .

[smushmush]

I totally agree with you!

However, the league would have to force a lock-out for 2 full-seasons to get the Player's Union to either agree or commence the creation of a new basketball league.

All things considered, I don't think the league and the owners will risk taking a hard line on establishing a new "hard cap" into the next CBA.

Actually, we should all be ok with a lockout of two seasons. Who does the lockout affect most? The players - they don't get paid during the lockout(I'm assuming) and the players will have no money for their baby mamas and entourages. The owners also lose money too but the owners pay the salaries of the players so such sunk costs will not be happening during the lockout. I can see the players coming on all fours to the owners after a year and accepting the owners' proposals. The NBA as a whole might lose some fans but if the new CBA as a result becomes similar to the NFL where everyone has a chance to win, I can see the NBA gaining those fans back in 3-4 years.