The James Harden Dilemma Part 2
In case the title wasn't much of a giveaway to you, this part will be discussing the thing that makes people want to hop onto the big market bandwagon, and the thing that arguably makes the fans of small market teams cringe the most. (Pause for dramatic affect) Money. We wasted 16 regular season NBA games, delayed the start of the regular season, and watched an abnormal amount of injuries decimate our favorite players over the course of the condensed season. Why??? Because of a lockout which stemmed from a player vs owner issue that when it was all said and done, was supposed to improve the competitive balance between small market and big market teams. And what exactly happened?? The reigning western conference champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, had to ship off one third of their big 3 to Houston due to potential long term issues financially, while the Lakers went off and formed what feels like, the billionth super team. Only instead of forming a big 3, being the Los Angeles Lakers, they went ahead and formed a big 4 on us. Why you may ask? Because their the flipping Los Angeles Lakers and they have a certain little something called money!(that last sentence was a sarcastic impersonation of what a not so insightful post on an ESPN conversation board looks like btw)
One of the biggest takeaways we as NBA fans were supposed to have received from the lockout, was a more even battle between markets of different sizes, and instead, it looks like nothing has changed. If anything, with the Lakers now possessing 4 All Star caliber players on their roster, you could argue that the competitive balance somehow actually became worse.
Espn's Tom Haberstroh sums it up best in a ESPN 5 on 5 article that was releases earlier today in regards to the James Harden trade.
“This is about a small-market team seeking future flexibility. Remember, the Lakers earn $250 million a year off their TV deal, but the Thunder make only about $15 million from theirs. Presti has to play a different game, thanks to the harsher CBA that was supposed to help his cause.”
The NBA. Where a not so competitive balance between small and large market teams happens.
Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave any comments regarding this post. Part 3 will discuss the pros and cons of the trade for both teams.
Link to the ESPN 5 on 5 article http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/5-on-5-121028/nba-james-harden-trade-thoughts
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