I think the superteam thing is cyclical. Some young team (Rockets? ) have a core that maxes out its potential, and other teams start acquiring players and building superteams to keep up. The Warriors pulled this off with Curry/Clay/Draymond, and so everyone else leveled up to put the pressure on. The only team that has successfully super-teamed and *won* on a consistent basis through acquisitions is the Lakers, right?
meh…Kyrie’s idiocy and injuries put an end to the BK superteam they were clear championship favorites last year for the 1st time in their franchise’s history 2 stars and a bunch of role players is a more sustainable model tho 3 stars and a bunch of vet mins and washed vets looking for 1 last ride needs so much to go right because there’s no reliable depth
You're 1 million percent correct. Kyrie is an idiot, Durant is getting injured more & more these days, and James's game fell off a cliff. Nash sucks as an in-game coach. The Nets didn't have the right mix. But, At the end of the day, once an organization identifies its star, they have to continue to build around them by any means necessary. Sitting on your hands and depending on one guy will get you beat. Throwing a bunch of guys together who are past their prime will get you beat. It's having the right mix of role players around your stars who are in their prime that allows you to contend. It's a delicate dance not every organization can do.
For all the talk about superteams being dead, if the nets don't get injured last season they would've had a chance to go 16-0 in the playoffs (considering how horrid the hawks were and mediocre the suns were). I would happily take my chances with that. Even the clippers if kawhi isn't injured almost certainly would've beat the bucks in the finals
Fully healthy Nets team with KD, Harden and Kyrie-with-a-brain would have won the title last year and would be sitting at home right now awaiting the winner of the 4-5 matchup, since they just swept whatever 8-seed they just played.
Good points, and the primary issue in mercenaries / free-agent super-teams is simply age. Quitten, Charles, and Hakeem were too old, it pains me to say. Karla Malone and Gary Payton were too old when they went to LA. KD and Harden look to be just past their prime. And so on. You can still build a great super team if you catch people in their prime (like Lerbon going to South Beach). I don't see why "that era" would be dead.
The Nets have had some really bad luck. James Harden last year was playing at an MVP level for the NETS before getting injured in the playoffs. Had Harden and Kyrie both not been hurt, the Bucks lose that series and the NETS likely are the champions. This year the COVID bullshit played a huge part with the Nets failure.... Harden was coming off a pretty bad injury and not in shape and Kyrie was Kyrie. So I am not going to write off the "super team" era.... it will still happen.
These kinds of pronouncements are kind of stupid. There's generally only 1-3 super teams at any given time so the likelihood of them winning the title in a given year is not super high. But you know what? They generally get a lot closer than the median non-super team. Last year's Nets super-team, when healthy, which was essentially for 5 playoff games - was probalby the best team in basketball. If you're a GM and you have the best team in basketball entering the playoffs fully healthy - that's kind of all you can do.
The Super Team Era is DEAD.......until the next superstar demands out, and wants to team up with his friends in LA or Miami or Brooklyn. Then, I guess it's ALIVE again.
It isn't dead. The top teams in the league that are true contenders still have multiple stars on it. that's just the reality of the kind of talent you need to win in the modern era
They tried their best. Watch the replay of Jason Tatum's 6th foul. then watch all the calls after that. They are hugely pro-Nets.
I would love for this to be true. I don't think super teams are good for the average fan base. They tend to only benefit a few markets. But this was just a weird year. Why Lebron chose to roll with Westbrook is beyond me and nobody saw Kyrie + vaccines coming (although we all knew he was capable of this kind of thing). But if Ja, Luka and Giannis decided to team up you better believe they'd do just fine with league minimums and buyout players. Especially if they managed to hit on a late pick or two and an overseas guy who fought his way into the NBA ala Tucker, Beverley or Tate.
This was always the issue with superteams and superstars The Warriors get home cooking in every arena I think the HEatles did too Rocket River
People think that they won't Giannis may not .. he has his championship but let Dallas and Memphis make some stupid moves and 5 yrs from now Ja and Luka looking at their prime being near over They may make a move Right now my eye is on Donovan Mitchell. I think he will leave and he will be eyeing a team up Why leave Utah for NY . . .. . When he can team with Lillard in Portland or better Embiid and Harden or LeBron and AD He will be able to pick his landing spot Rocket River
Yeah. I think even if Mitchell doesn't demand a trade Utah could look to blow it up. They clearly can't get it done with these guys. That said I don't want Mitchell. He's abysmal on defense.
Maybe but he is a getable star I think paired with the right guy .. . . he is good He is not IMO a #1 but a solid #2 I am proposing that Green, Mitchell, Segun, Wood and Chet can get it done in 4 yrs Rocket River
