Nets Are Scorching

Obviously, this is a New Jersey Nets blog, however, the NAS crew absolutely love the NBA in general. So, every week, Sebastian, Mark, Devin, and myself will answer questions regarding the L.

1) The NBA has a “super team” in Miami and Chris Paul is angling to be traded to join forces with an NBA superstar to form another power team.  Are these sort of teams good for the league?

Sebastian: I think with all of the talent in the league, seeing it happen to one team isn’t really a big deal.  I think there are enough good teams and individuals to prevent teams like the Heat from going for 65-70 wins.  With that being said, I am probably going to be sick of seeing the Heat on national television after like the first week of the season.

Mark: I’ve already been on the record as saying “no.” I’m a big fan of parity in sports and while I appreciate a team going out building a dynasty through the draft and smart trades, the idea that the NBA’s top players are colluding to play with each other is something I don’t think the league will ultimately be better for.

Devin: No. No, no, no. Before I launch into my anti-superpower tirade, I have to say that they probably make the league a lot of money, and in this instance we’re going to be privy to a lot of amazing basketball next year in Florida. They’ve got perhaps the best 1-2-3 punch in NBA history, and if CP3 goes to Orlando, we’ll have four of the top five players in the NBA (Paul, Howard, Wade, and LeBron) on two teams in the same state. Throw in Bosh, Rashard, and VC (if they don’t move him for Paul) and these battles are going to be akin to basketball warfare. They’ll be very, very fun to watch. That being said, I hate what this does for the league. As I mentioned in last week’s NORT, parity is dwindling and friendships are dominating. I don’t want NBA players to want to kill each other, or scream “F*** YOU, MAJERLE!” for no reason like Jordan did, but I would like some competitive pride. I just don’t see any when you’re conspiring to play with other superstars instead of pushing yourself to be better than them. I hope Oklahoma City wins the next four championships (the fifth, of course, to be won by New Jersey).

DV:I honestly don’t mind there being one super team in the league like the one Miami has.  I think how it all went down is sketchy, but if David Stern doesn’t have a problem with it (and he usually has a problem with everything), then I guess we need to move on.  I view the Heat like the New York Yankees in baseball at this point.  Love them or hate them, you’re going to watch and pay attention to them.  Ask yourself this question if you’re not a Miami Heat and/or LeBron James fan – do you want them to lose?  I mean, not just against your team, but lose as much as possible.  Or maybe in the first round of the playoffs when as the top seed in the east after they play the eighth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers?  Maybe you want them to lose in the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.  Well, the thing is, if you’re anticipating them losing in whatever manner, and the trio of LeBron, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh haven’t even played an NBA game together yet, you’re paying attention… and the NBA loves it.  There’s nothing wrong with having a team that other teams’ fans hate and want to lose.

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I know a lot of Nets fans were grumbling after it was announced that former Sixers GM Billy King was coming in to run the team, but Al Iannazzone has an article up this morning that focuses on some King’s good traits. The bottom line, some players liked how he made teams that worked well together, while Larry Brown, who coached the Sixers throughout most of King’s tenure, liked how the GM worked with the head coach:

“His effect of what he gets done was always felt afterward,” said (Eric) Snow, the former Sixers point guard and now an analyst on NBA TV. “You may have looked at something and maybe questioned it, but it was typically right most of the times. He’s got a great feel for the unseen.

“We jelled and meshed. Some of it had to do with Larry Brown’s coaching but Billy King was the guy making those deals work.”

and

“The neatest thing is he’ll work with Avery,” Brown said. “That was the best part for me. If you’re going to be successful as a coach you’ve got to have a general manager that believes in you, is loyal to you and an owner that seriously wants to win. They got that.”

Personally, I’m still not bowled over by the choice, but articles like these let me give the guy a little more benefit of the doubt.