Not the Agreement We Collectively Bargained For

When the new CBA was introduced, we were all advised that it would take several years to really take effect. It is now officially really taking effect.

Is this a good thing?

I was under the impression that the higher luxury tax was supposed to break up the "super teams". This would give small market teams a chance to finally compete with the big dogs. Everything was going to change for the better. Nobody would have to burn Kyrie Irving's jersey in effigy; the blue chip players a team drafted would stay put. Teams with 3 Superstars would be a thing of the past and fans everywhere would rejoice at the parity. The Cleveland Cavaliers would play the Sacramento Kings in the 2015 NBA Finals!

The way I see it, here's what actually happened:

1. The Heat got even better with the addition of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis
2. The Lakers are loaded with talent and were able to sign Antawn Jamison for about 75% less than what the Cavs were paying him.
3. The Memphis Grizzlies had to get rid of Rudy Gay, whom they drafted.
4. The Oklahoma City Thunder had to get rid of James Harden, whom they drafted.

That's not quite what they bargained for, is it? Two big market teams with deep pockets were able to stockpile Superstars while improving their bench. Two competitive, well-run teams in small markets were forced to trade away essential pieces of their roster.

James Harden was the reigning Sixth Man of the Year. He was an elite talent that wanted to stay in Oklahoma City but because of the luxury tax, the Thunder could not afford to re-sign him. We all know that there is no way James Harden would have been traded for Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb if money was not an issue. OKC's current success should not take away from how crummy this situation was for them. Let's face it, any team with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook is going to be competitive. One could make the case that the team is playing better without Harden but that doesn't change the fact that the move was made to save money, not win basketball games.

The Memphis Grizzlies were one of the best teams in the league. They have a good coach and the best tandem of big men in the league. They had chemistry and in Rudy Gay they had a very good swing man playing with a chip on his shoulder. Unfortunately, Rudy Gay also had a lot of money owed to him. Memphis is a team that has trouble scoring points and they traded their leading scorer halfway through the season. Two weeks prior, they traded one of their best three-point shooters. These moves were made while the Grizzlies were off to their best start in franchise history.

Memphis GM Chris Wallace said (in so many words) that the trades were made to improve the team. I think he also mentioned something about having a lightly used bridge to sell. We all know that this was about dollars and cents, not wins and losses. In fairness, there is still a lot of basketball left to be played. Tayshaun Prince is a solid player with championship experience and a change of scenery could jump start Austin Daye's underwhelming career. Who knows? The Grizzlies may flourish without Gay like the Thunder have without Harden.

It won't make me like seeing him in a Raptors uniform any more.

You're Welcome, Oklahoma City

My dad used to regale us with Dodgers anecdotes.  He had a lot of them as he was a diehard fan who went to their games quite regularly.  Bleacher seats cost fifty cents back in those days and the game of baseball was much different than it is today.  Of course, Pops was a fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers, whom have resided in the greater Los Angeles area since I've been alive.  Many teams have moved over the years but not too many have done so recently.  In the last 26 years only three NBA teams have defected to a new city.  Since '02, only two; the Charlotte Hornets and the Seattle Supersonics.  While I enjoyed watching the Hornets battle the Spurs in the '08 Semifinals as much as the next guy, let's not kid ourselves.  The Hornets aren't any better off in New Orleans than they were in Charlotte.  The team is still owned by the NBA as they can't find anyone willing to buy them.  They were forced to trade Chris Paul to a bigger market team and attendance is spotty at best.

The franchise formerly known as the Sonics are an entirely different story.

To say that Oklahomans have embraced their new team does not do their loyalty justice.  I can say without hesitation that these are the best fans in the NBA.  For the last few years, attendance has been down, even for some of the storied franchises residing in big cities.  This is not the case with the Thunder.  They are currently tied with the Celtics and Knicks for attendance percentage.  These fans are something else at home.  They do not sit until the Thunder score.  I remember watching a game where it took almost 3 minutes for them to make that first bucket.  Not one person sat until the ball went through the net.  No arena get louder than the Ford Center and during the Playoffs, everybody in that building wears their blue OKC T-shirts.  This kind of intensity is rarely seen in today's NBA.

As a sports fan, I have witnessed my share of dramatic moments.  One that I will never forget was Game 6 of the 2010 Western Conference Semi Finals.  The Lakers were looking to close out the upstart Thunder on the road.  After a late OKC rally, the Lakers were trailing by one with 6 seconds left.  Kobe had the ball at the top of the key, drove right, and shot a heavily contested fadeaway that rattled in and out.  Pau Gasol was right under the basket and tipped the ball back in with a half a second remaining.  After a timeout, the Thunder inbounded the ball and Westbrook missed the potentially game winning 3-Pointer.  A devastated Kevin Durant and Jeff Green hit the floor in agony.  There was a lot of drama in that crazy finish but what stays with me was what happened after the buzzer sounded.  Every fan at the Ford Center got up and gave their team a 3 minute long standing ovation.  It was as if the entire city was telling them,

"It's alright.  You played your hearts out and there is no shame in losing tonight.  You had an amazing season that exceeded all of our expectations.  Thank you."

Thinking about that moment still gets this cynical New Yorker a bit misty eyed.  I have never seen fans react that way after a loss.  Let's face it.  These days, most fans are spoiled.  They expect their teams to win every game and their star players to stay forever, even if it means getting paid less money or forfeiting any real chance of winning a championship.  Seeing fans boo their team or underperforming player has become commonplace.  The Thunder fans are an entirely different breed.  I would be willing to bet that we will never see Kevin Durant booed at home, no matter how poorly he is playing.  Perhaps some of these big city fans could learn a thing or two from these humble Midwesterners.

Alas, sometimes bad things happen to good fans.  The unfortunate reality is that owners occasionally move their team, regardless of how much the community loves and supports them.  It is a shame that the good fans of Seattle lost their beloved Supersonics.  The fact that the team has blossomed in their new home is probably little consolation to them but I have enjoyed watching this development.  During the latest CBA negotiations, journalists and bitter owners told us that small market teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder will never have the resources to compete with big market teams like the Knicks, the Bulls, the Lakers, or the Mavericks.

This postseason, the Thunder beat the Mavs and Lakers and have gone deeper in the Playoffs than the Knicks or Bulls.

Just sayin'.

GM Sam Presti has taught us that with a little luck and a lot of shrewd personnel moves, a team in any market can become competitive.  Wilt Chamberlain said, "Nobody roots for Goliath."  He may be right.  Seeing the Thunder get their revenge on the Lakers last week had me out of my seat cheering.  Just like everybody at the Ford Center.

And my wolf pack.......it grew by four.

Saturday night, the Lakers were facing elimination.  They were in this situation largely due to the fact that in Game 6, the twin towers Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol ironically came up small against an undersized Nuggets front line whom they were supposed to dominate.  Guards Razor Ramon and Steve Blake were handily outplayed by New York castaway Ty Lawson and a 36 year old Andre Miller.  Kobe, on the other hand, played with all of the guts he didn't puke up that morning while his teammates appeared lackadaisical and indifferent.  Things looked bleak for the Lakers and many wondered how Kobe would respond.

In Game 7, Kobe responded by passing the ball.  He regularly threw it to Bynum and Gasol in the post.  When they got doubled and threw it back to him, he would let them re-post and passed it right back.  Steve Blake and Metta Woldpeace missed numerous wide open shots that night but in the 4th quarter of a tightly contested elimination game, Bryant didn't hesitate to give them the ball when they were open.  Bryant trusted his teammates.  Bryant trusted that new guy in the suit who has 5 less championship rings than he does.  It worked.  Worldpeace and Blake combined to hit nine 3-Pointers.  Gasol and Bynum combined to score 39 points.

Make no mistake, Kobe still has the ability to take over a game.  The 16 year veteran missed the scoring title by a tenth of a point this season.  In Game 5, he almost single-handedly put the Nuggets away with his 4 minute 12 point barrage.  Far be it for me to claim to know what was going through the gifted basketball mind of Kobe Bryant, but the Lakers won the game and it was truly a team effort.  Whether or not it was by design, one would assume that the role players on this team will have much more confidence going into the next round and possibly beyond.

This is a different approach than Kobe has taken in the past.   When facing the Pistons in '04, Kobe kept shooting the ball ineffectively even though Shaq was having great success in the low block.  The Lakers lost that series.  In '06 Kobe petulantly took only one shot in the 2nd half of Game 7 versus the Suns, even though he was scoring at will against their perimeter defenders.  They lost that series as well.  On Saturday we saw a mature, determined, intelligent basketball player letting the game come to him.  He commanded double teams and made the right pass.  When the double teams didn't come quickly enough, he took the shot.

Now this squad will face a very talented, very hungry, well rested Thunder team who has already beaten them two out of three times in the regular season.  The Lakers' only chance of pulling off an upset lies in their ability to play as a team.  When the Lakers are moving the ball and shooting with confidence, they are dangerous.  When they let the ball stagnate and their role players become scared to shoot, they are predictable and easy to defend.  Which Lakers team will show up in this series?  When the Thunder make runs (and they will) can the Lakers stick with their game plan?  When guys miss a few consecutive shots (which will happen), will Kobe keep giving them the ball?  Nobody with any sense has ever questioned Kobe's individual greatness.  Many have questioned his ability to raise his teammates' level of play.  Some of that comes from effectively distributing the ball on the court.  Some of that comes from being a motivational presence in the locker room and in the huddle.  Kobe and the Lakers will face quite a test in this series.  Let's see how they respond.

Houston, we have a problem.

A recent series of unfortunate events is threatening to rob me of a first round matchup that I very much want to see. This is disappointing. Several years ago, in its zeal to milk the post-season for maximum revenue, the NBA eliminated the 5 game format. As a result, witnessing improbable upsets are much less likely. Conversely, witnessing lame T Mobile and All State commercials are much more likely. Let's face it. The 1st round of the playoffs can be boring even for the most diehard fans. The possibility of a first round upset make these initial games interesting or, at the very least, watchable. Despite Houston's current struggles, seeing them take on the Spurs or Thunder in the first round would be very entertaining.

I don't mean to take anything away from the Nuggets or Suns. Both teams have good stories- they have little star power and have fought tooth and nail to be competitive in the brutal Western Conference. The Nuggets had their franchise player defect to a bigger market and became a better team as a result. How often does that happen? Since Melo moved to midtown, the Nuggets play the game unselfishly. They play the game with passion. They have guys known as "the Manimal" and "the Birdman" who are as ferocious as their ThunderCats-like nicknames would suggest. Salt Lake City is the new Gilligan's Island for NBA castaways. Danilo Galinari, Al Harrington, and Ty Lawson have all shined in their new environment. Javale McGee and Rudy Fernandez may follow suit.

It's hard not to root for this Phoenix Suns team. Steve Nash and Grant Hill are still great players when most athletes their age have moved on to commentating or Dancing with the Stars. Some athletes talk about loyalty in press conferences. Two time MVP Steve Nash has never requested a trade despite being constantly lured to play for more competitive teams. Guys like Marcin Gortat, Channing Frye, Josh Childress, and Michael Redd have found a home in Phoenix and the team has chemistry.

Alas, I don't watch professional basketball for the sappy back stories. In fact, when the obligatory feel good segments come on at halftime, I tell the bartender to turn off the sound. I watch professional basketball to see the game I love played at the highest level. Phoenix and Denver have no chance of beating the Spurs or Thunder. Basketball is all about matchups and they don't match up well with either team.

Houston split the season series with both teams because they match up well with them. For several weeks, Goran "Dragon" Dragic was playing as well as any point guard in the league. The kid is no game manager. He is a game changer. Will he outplay Tony Parker or Russell Westbrook in a 7 game series? Maybe not. He will make them play defense every possession and bait them into making the games a 1 on 1 matchup. A scary thought if you're the Oklahoma City Thunder.



The Rockets have quality big men. Luis Scola is a great player. He can score in the post. He can knock down the 10 foot jumper. He passes the ball well. The power forwards on either team would have a hard time defending him. The two headed monster of Marcus Camby and Samuel Dalembert can anchor that defense, block shots, and control the paint. Collectively, they are a better center tandem than what San Antonio or OKC have.

The Rockets have solid role players. Chase Budinger, Chandler Parsons, and Courtney Lee are all athletic young players who can knock down shots when left open. The Rockets have a dangerous bench. The one-two punch of Kyle Lowry and Earl Boykins could be a problem for the Spurs or Thunder. Sharpshooter Kevin Martin may be healthy enough to come off the bench once the post-season starts.

The Rockets will need to win their final 3 games to have a shot at making the Playoffs. Let's hope that they do. I would much rather see a competitive series than a compelling storyline.