COLUMN: Contraction isn’t the answer
About a month ago, LeBron James said something that made sports headlines across the nation. You’re probably thinking, “Uh, yeah, that happens every time LeBron opens his mouth,” but this time was different. See, LeBron brought up a very interesting issue about “contraction.”
So, what does that even mean? Contraction, in LeBron’s eyes, would be shrinking, or contracting the NBA to fewer, more superstar-laden teams.
LeBron is quoted saying, “Hopefully the league can figure out one way where it can go back to the ‘80s where you had three or four all-stars, three or four superstars, three or four Hall of Famers on the same team. The league was great. It wasn’t as watered down as it is (now).”
Wow, that is some pretty intense stuff he’s tossing around. I mean, he’s saying that the bad teams and players in the NBA don’t even deserve to be there because they’re “watering down” the league. Kind of harsh, if you ask me. So we, the devoted fans, are left to ponder; is he onto something?
In my opinion … no. The first reason being; a league contraction wouldn’t change anything, because you can’t get rid of bad teams or players. Regardless of how many teams there are or how skilled the players on that team may be, there will always be a worst team and a best team, a worst player and a best player. The good teams would still be good and the bad teams would still be bad. Nothing would actually change, it would just move things to a potentially higher level. In competitive sports there are winners and losers, and just amping up the talent level on every team wouldn’t change that.
Fans of the NBA have the notion that good teams, like the Spurs and Lakers, are always good, and that bad teams, like the Knicks and Wolves, are always bad. That’s really not true. In fact I would dare say the success of the teams in the NBA is quite cyclical. Let’s examine a few facts.
This season, there has been a lot of talk about some really bad teams. The poor Cavaliers are still reeling after the loss of LeBron and have now lost 18 straight games, giving them the worst record in the league at 8-37. The Wizards are 13-31 with a 0-21 record on the road, and the T-wolves, who haven’t had a winning season since 2004-05, are 10-34.
But now take a minute and think back at how these bad teams have been in the past. The past two seasons, the Cavs had the best record in the league and made it to the finals in 2007. Look at the New Jersey Nets, who I didn’t even mention above. Last year they finished their season a horrific 12-70, but earlier this decade, from 2001-03, the Nets went to the Finals in back-to-back seasons. During that same time period, the Wolves had three straight 50-win seasons. Teams that are bad now have not always been.
On the flip side, teams that are good now have not always been good. The Chicago Bulls have been playing well of late, but 10 years ago after Jordan left, they were not a good team. Atlanta was bad for a while, as was Oklahoma City when they started, but now both are considered legitimate play-off contenders. And then there’s the ultimate example; the Celtics. Before they got Garnett and Allen, they were one of the worst teams in the East, and now they compete for the title every year.
In the past 10 years, every team in the league has made it to the play-offs at least once. Yep, even teams like the Wizards, Clippers, and Nets, who we think of as perennial bottom-dwellers. You see, we have very short memories. We really only remember what has happened in the last two or three years, which is not a good measurement of how good a team really is.
Lastly, by contracting the league and forming superstar teams, we would lose superstar individuals. The reason a player is a superstar is because he does it all for his team. Pass, shoot, score, rebound, play D, everything; that’s a superstar. So if you have three or four guys like that on the same team, they will not be able to play the same way. Just compare the stats of Miami’s big three from this season to last season and you will definitely see that.
Contraction is an interesting topic, but not a very plausible one, because really, I see nothing wrong with the talent level of the teams and players. There will always be winners and losers, good teams and bad teams, best players and worst players. But hey, that’s the reason we have the NBA.
–mark.israelsen@aggiemail.usu.edu