Well for one, All the other players who have won championship by not leaving to the team who have a 2 time mvp and the best set of players when you're supposed to be mvp
The fans... you know, people that actually make the league, players, and basketball in general relevant.
Pretty much like when Lebron joined Heat. We all know how that turned out. First year ring could be in doubt due to chemistry. But i expect them to win a few.
Lebron joined a lousy team where he was the undisputed alpha dog, KD went to the best regular season team ever.....not sure where the comp is coming from
And that's what makes this great. The stakes are high. They still have to PLAY the games, and WIN them. Much easier said than done. I was stunned to see the Warriors lose in the Finals, and for OKC to choke away the series. And for the Clippers to lose to the Blazers(obviously injuries). Nothing is a given in the NBA--nothing. I'm not convinced this four horsemen group will be able to beat a revitalized Spurs(kawhi, lamarcus, Pau, etc.). The addition by subtraction knocked off OKC for certain, but I really want to see how the rest of the conference shakes out. I think this move will force OKC to trade Westbrook, and will get us thinking about moving Harden in the near future.
6 years of no title is what happened. If he's a guy who cares about legacy,and where he ranks among the all-time greats then of course it's a bad move. If he doesnt care about any of that, or how his titles may be viewed and just wants to have fun,live in a nice city and win rings then this is the way to go.
Well Heat weren't exactly lously. 500ish playoff team. LeBron went there to start something new since Bosh was coming in as well. Then they filled out with some role players. KD pretty much joining the core of a 70+ win team with a title under their belt.
They may be the best team ever, but none of their players will be considered legendary. Curry will never be up there with Magic now. KD will never be up there with a Bird. Klay will never be up there with a Reggie Miller. Lebron is legendary. Not for what he did in Miami so much as coming back to Cle and winning sealed his place. The Warriors - if they win, they will be considered they won because they were just overstacked with the best team in NBA history and it wasn't because of any individual greatness. Imagine if in 1996 instead of trading for Barkley the rockets just signed Barkley AND Payton as free agents to give you Hakeem, Clyde, Payton, and Barkley on the same team. That's would be the equivalent to just what happened. They will forever be remembered as the team created by a weird twist in the salary cap - nothing more.
It's like stacking the deck. Sure, the cards still have to be dealt, and you may not get your pocket Aces. In fact, you may not even win the hand with your pocket Aces, but you still stacked the deck.
The 5th year current teams can offer players is the only move the league has made to keep players where they are.
