We're going to take a step back today from the Cleveland Cavaliers and talk about some current trends going on in the world of basketball and the NBA post All-Star break. We'll dive into some current issues in the league like super teams and the evolution of the buyout market. We'll go in depth on some on what the issue is over in LA with LeBron and the Lakers. I'll show how injuries are impacting the second half of the season for our hometown Cavs. Finally, I'll send us off with a short story involving Kobe before his passing that NBA fans are dying to hear.
RIP Kobe Bryant, we just had the 2 year anniversary of his passing, on January 26, 2020.
“I can’t relate to lazy people. We don’t speak the same language. I don’t understand you. I don’t want to understand you. - Kobe Bryant.” One of my favorite quotes from Kobe, found on feedingtrends.com.
Super Teams
A current trend around the NBA is the idea that super teams are a new thing to the game of basketball. Everyone likes to blame LeBron in 2010 for really igniting the start of super teams. For those unaware, a super team is basically a team with a roster that consists of 3 or more Hall of Fame (best of the best) type players. Since James left Cleveland the first time for Miami, super teams are more relevant but that doesn't mean they haven't always been there. As of today in the NBA, franchises are striving toward the more super team based roster to gain success and ultimately win a championship. This is no new tactic and we actually saw this happen throughout the 80s and make its way to the modern day super team. First we have The Bulls who without a doubt ran the NBA in the 90s. MJ was drafted in '84 so he obviously needed some kind of help not being able to win his first ring until 1991. It wasn't until Scottie Pippen joined forces with Jordan to bring them their first championship. With the addition of Dennis Rodman you saw the Bulls go on to win three more championships in a row. There are so many more examples like the Lakers twice with Kareem, Magic, and James Worthy in the 70s/80s; and then later with the Kobe and Shaq era in the 2000s. The Celtics with Bird and McHale; and then the epitome of super teams in the 2010s with Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and others. 76ers. LeBron and the modern day NBA gets a bad wrap for being the one to "start super teams" or "its ruining the NBA and making it less competitive". This has been happening for years and just not as talked about!
The Evolution of the Buyout
One relatively new thing in the modern NBA is the concept of a contract buyout. Essentially the team and the player come to an agreement that the team will no longer use this player's services. This is usually after some tries at trading the player, but their contract is too high and teams are unable to match the salaries in the trade. It is very common in small market teams making it hard for them to sustain successful and winning seasons. When players get disgruntled with losses or the small town scene they often demand a trade, which can lead to a contract buyout when that is not reached. Basically the player and the team come to an agreement to breach the contract currently held, and the player will forfeit a portion of their overall salary, and that contract will then be terminated for the players remaining future years. This makes that player a free agent, and able to sign with the team of their choosing. This is making the game increasingly less competitive with players wanting to void and leave their current team and contract for a chance to win a championship with a contending team. We have seen a steep increase of these contract buyouts over the past five years in the league. One of the more recent examples happened to the Cavaliers, in 2021. Andre Drummond and the team agreed mutually to seek out a trade for the big man. This ended up with a contract buyout happening, and the Cavaliers ended up paying over $20 million on a salary for a guy who did not even play for the team. Drummond went on to sign with the LA Lakers for the veteran minimum of around $800,000. A huge difference in salary and teams with the Lakers making the playoffs and the Cavs being one of the worst teams in the league that season. It is taking the competitive edge away from the game, and making it less common for super stars and big time names to play in small town market teams. Luckily our Cavs have adopted the way of team basketball and are looking at making the playoffs this season!
Cavaliers Injury Updates
Of course it wouldn't be a blog about the Cavs without a little update on our favorite teams! The injury bug has made its way around once again after the conclusion of the All-Star weekend. Darius Garland missed two games with a back strain but made his way back for the Charlotte game (pictured below) posting a season high 33. Despite the heroic effort the Cavs lost bringing them to 36-26. That's not the end of the injury woes for the Cavs with newly acquired Caris LeVert missing about two weeks with a sprained foot (Withers,2022). As if that wasn't bad enough luck, our back-up point guard Rajon Rondo has a toe sprain and is out for two weeks as well (Withers,2022). That is all three of our top guards out, making it nearly impossible for the Cavs to generate consistent offense. We have been without the duties of Colin Sexton all year as well, but I am hoping this will be the last of our injuries heading into the playoffs.
This is from last night's loss to the Charlotte Hornets on March 2, 2022, at Rocket Mortgage Field House, in Cleveland, Ohio. The atmosphere was electric, the seats were great and inexpensive (on a discount!), and a gallant effort made by the Cavs late in the 4th quarter made for a fantastic night. This was the eighth game I attended this season and I am planning to make it to 10 by the end of April.
Kobe Bryant
One last tidbit of current NBA info to leave for you guys to think about until next time! Charles Barkley of Inside the NBA on TNT went on the Draymond Green Podcast and " revealed that Turner Sports at one point reached an agreement with Bryant to join the Thursday night crew, but he backed out because he didn't want to "do all the other bulls—" associated with the job" (Greer, 2022). This would have been an epic team of Barkley, Ernie Johnson, Kenny "The Jet" Smith, Shaq, and Bryant. Adding the Hall of Famer in Kobe to that mix of NBA expertise and atmosphere would have been a show for the books. Not to mention the Kobe and Shaq (fake) beef would have made for some killer on scene drama. RIP to one of the league's best!
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