According to a report by ESPN this morning, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard, this summer's most prized possessions in free agency, have been exchanging text messages to one another and have talked about the idea of joining forces through free agency this summer, and playing on the same team this fall. Sound familiar? That's because just three years ago LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh did this same exact thing, by banning together and forming a mega-team in Miami. As of 2013, the three have combined for a total of 26 all-star selections. It's been no secret that I was not pleased with "The Decision", as well as the player's antics (mainly on the court), most specifically from James. The big question was going to be, how are teams going to try to beat what the Heat have? Teams have tried different formulas. And very little has actually worked against Miami over a 7 game series. The Heat have become a near-unstoppable force, and there is no doubt that when LeBron left Cleveland for Miami, that this move could be very influential in coming years.
And now are we starting to see that. While teams have traded for superstars (they at least got pieces for dealing their premier players), that was something that had happened before. I'd also like to add that this didn't mark the first time that stars had left their teams. Who could forget when Shaq left Orlando for the Lakers? While Shaq did in fact leave the Magic for the Lakers, he, as well as pretty much every other fan, executive or expert, had no idea that Kobe Bryant would blossom in to the player that he is today: the closest thing you will ever see to Jordan on a basketball court, and one of the top three players I have seen in my lifetime (Tim Duncan and Shaq being the other two). Other than Eddie Jones (a good shooter and scorer), there was hardly any flash on this Lakers team. Why was Shaq attracted to the option? Well, who doesn't want to play on the Lakers? They are one of the two most storied franchises in NBA history, they have one of the biggest media markets, and not to mention, warm weather and the Pacific Ocean is also a plus. Guys like Derek Fisher and Robert Horry would eventually develop in to proven warriors in the playoffs, but Shaq had no idea then. So anyone that tries to compare Shaq's leaving Orlando to LeBron's leaving Cleveland can't do that. They were two entirely different things.
But as I said, we are starting to see players teaming together and play together where they can. And that disgusts me. One thing I have talked about in past articles is how the league is getting weaker today and with the "big three" joining together in South Beach, they could have effectively broken the league. The talent is still there, but it's spread across less teams, which leaves many terrible teams, mediocre playoff teams, and very few that can contend for a championship. If it is going to be this way, you might as well contract the league. This is something I am strongly against, no one should have to lose their sports franchise (sorry, Seattle), but that is what it is like. I started to have a ray of hope that teams could one day again be more equally distributed (if that makes me an NBA Democrat, so be it) and that was when James Harden was traded to the Rockets, blossomed in to a star this year and took his team to the playoffs. But now that hope is pretty much gone as NBA players are back at it again.
According to the report, D12 and CP3 had been planning to both play for the Mavericks for quite a while now, nearly two years. But due to the financial situation, the Mavs are unlikely to be able to take on two max contracts. Also according to the report, Atlanta could have the cap space required to sign both players. I don't think they will be able to sign both and resign Josh Smith, so they would probably have to let him go if they brought in both. I had actually recently thought that I could picture Howard in a Hawks uniform next year, as it is where he's from, and they will have cap space. But the report says that they both want to play together on the Clippers. And that is where things get tricky.
The Clips don't have enough cap space to make that happen, so in order for them to bring in Howard, they would have to do a sign-and-trade. A trade would likely look something like Blake Griffin and Eric Bledsoe for Howard. The Lakers would LOVE this. But I don't think this trade is in the Clips best interest.
One of my favorite writers, Bill Simmons, recently wrote an article on Grantland about the summer of Dwight Howard. He talked about how somebody is going to overpay for Dwight Howard. He said why Howard is regressing, and his recent attitude has been unacceptable. He's become a 7-foot baby. After his most recent stinker of a season with the Lakers, I simply would not want him on my team. He hurts team chemistry, doesn't play 100% at all times, and has health problems. Check out the article here for more on that. Kobe's competitive nature was something that Howard wasn't able to play with. He couldn't take Kobe's criticism and desire to push him harder. What I'm wondering is, how is that going to be any better playing with CP3, who also has been known to push his teammates harder, and may be even less forgiving when his teammates make mistakes. We heard about some drama towards the end of the Clippers' season. How could that be any better with Howard on the team?
If I am the general manager of the Clippers, no way in the world am I trading my 24 year-old three-time all-star big man and former first overall pick in Blake Griffin for a whiny and regressing Howard. Griffin has so much upside. He plays so hard. And even if you bring in Howard, what do you do with the young and improving talent DeAndre Jordan, who is also a center? I don't like that as a move. Maybe the Clippers have another year or two to go to be a contender, and Chris Paul at age 28 is realizing he only has so many years in his prime to win a championship. So what do you do if Paul says he's only staying if Howard can join too?
As difficult as it may sound, I let Paul go. Paul could go down as a top ten point guard in league history, and it isn't easy to give him up. Paul is someone I gave MVP consideration to in the 2011-2012 season, and still think maybe he should have won the award. At that point, the Clips wouldn't have made as big an improvement as they did without him. They probably wouldn't have been a playoff team without him, and he made his teammates better. But at this point I let him go, and build around a young core of Blake Griffin (24), DeAndre Jordan (24) and current back-up point guard Eric Bledsoe (23). Bledsoe is as good a backup one guard as you can find, and he himself could also blossom in to a star. I'd rather build for the future than gamble on Howard, and be locked in to a bad contract for many years to come. I focus on the team's young talent. Wherever Paul does go, I do a sign-and-trade, and acquire a couple of other good young pieces moving forward. I think the young talent is the one to build around, and it would make sense for them to bring in other players around the same age that will be playing together for many years to come.
So will the two play together? I have no idea. We will find out this summer. But now I want to hear what you guys think. Would you want D12 and CP3 playing together on your NBA team? Would you rather have Blake Griffin or Dwight Howard? Whatever your opinion is, let me know. Comment below, on my Facebook fan page or let me know on Twitter @vellvita7. As always, thank you for reading and have a great day!
No comments:
Post a Comment