Why would Jordan or Bird have ever wanted to leave? Jordan's team won 55 games the next season without him, reaching the conference semis (losing in 7 games). He had one of the 50 greatest players ever (Pippen) on that team and one of the all time greatest coaches (Phil Jackson). The Bulls were very good before Jackson, and then they got Jackson and became epic. Why would he leave? Bird played virtually his entire career with three other Hall of Famers (four if you include Bill Walton's last stop for the '86 title team). Let's say it again; Boston's 80's starting five had four Hall of Famers. Why would he leave? I respect those guys. And I have mad respect for Kobe becoming the league's best player and winning these last few as 'the man'. But lets look at those situations objectively. And lets not forget that Kobe asked to be traded in 2007. That he got his rings with a prime Shaquille O'Neal (who was Finals MVP for all three) and needed Pau Gasol to help get the team out of mediocrity and back into contention. And he had Phil Jackson. That's not an indictment of Kobe. Everybody needs help. But lets not pretend that all of these greats are above this. Even Dan Marino wanted out in the late '80s when the team was floundering. Chicago, Boston, LA. Big cities. Big sports towns. Great place to be a pro athlete. And people want to knock LeBron and Bosh for not choosing Cleveland and Toronto over South Florida? Come on. Not only is South Florida vastly more attractive than those places for a young millionaire, but you've also got Godfather Pat Riley and his five rings recruiting and running the franchise. It's really convenient to bash these guys for teaming up and simply overlook that Boston essentially did the same thing in 2008. That these guys are not about winning when they essentially gave up $15 million each. That Wade took even less so they could re-sign Haslem. That pretty much everybody on the roster is playing for less. They're not taking less for their health. It's about championships. The fame and fortune is already there for them. South Florida gives them an enjoyable locale to go after it. EDIT: I missed Section's post. Could have saved me 5 minutes.
What bugs me about the Wade / Bron / Bosh thing is that it is like they put Madden '11 in their X-Box, turned it to easy mode and then picked themselves as the AFC Pro Bowl team and their opponents being the Lions. It isn't going to be all that difficult to win, or interesting to watch. It will be great for the NBA in terms of casual fans - but I think a lot of hardcore fans who always thought their teams had a chance are now going to find other avenues to spend their money. I live in Cleveland - these fans still think the Browns are going to be good - the NBA is drifting away from that and more towards MLB. It will be great for awhile and the numbers will look great - but you are going to lose a lot of the fans in smaller markets who don't have a chance to compete. I don't think it is good for the long-term health of the league.
I don't agree that it will be that easy. I think that Miami is justifiably the favorite, but L.A. will be a good match. I think it will go 6 or 7 games if they both make it to the finals and are both healthy. Those fans that thought their team had a chance before but not now really had no more of chance against L.A. than they do against Miami. What I find funny is that half of the people criticize LBJ for having too much ego, that the "decision" was all about his need to be the center of attention. And the other half, actually I think it's the same half, criticize him for not having enough ego, not wanting to be the man and being on center stage by himself and instead going to Miami and sharing the limelight.
In the immediate future LA will pose a threat, and is Orlando gets Paul or NYK manages to get another set of superstars to commit together they will be a threat. But with another offseason or two, Miami will be too stacked and Kobe too old to make it a challenge.
I think L.A. is a fair challenge right now and for the next two years. I expect that other superstars will come together over the next two years so it will never be the case that Miami will be without a challenger. And 20 years form now these will be seen as golden years for the NBA just like the years where LA/BOS dominated. It will be another era of growth for the NBA in fan numbers, ratings etc. I expect that 10 years from now the NBA will have surpassed the MLB as the unquestioned #2 sport in the U.S.
IIRC there may have been a slight edge, but I'm predicting that in 10 years it won't even be a question.
I didn't realize it was that large. But I still think that baseball fans will argue about the quality of the teams and what not. It will probably take larger numbers by the NBA over a few years for it to be the unquestioned #2 sport.
and the GIANT elephant in the room is this.... If it weren't so expensive....the game experience at the stadium is unmatched in the NBA. (NBA is twice as expensive to attend as the NFL) It is a Club experience at the AAA..now that the team is a contender and dominant presence...it will be even better.
Ohio has one of the consistently top-table MLS teams in the country. I know this sounds funny on an NFL board, but believe me the Crew are fun to watch. Last year they won the Supporters Shield (finishing with the most points), and the year before they won the MLS Cup. This year they're at the top of their division again and are playing in the semifinals for the US Open Cup later this month. It's a shame to see so few Ohioans (Ohio-ans?) appreciate how great of a team they have when there's obviously such a starvation for good success in professional sports up there.
