First it was LeBron James signing as a free agent to the Miami Heat; then it was Carmelo Anthony asked to be traded from the Denver Nuggets to the New York Knicks (which took place February 2011) and recently Chris Paul, who did not want to play for the New Orleans Hornets anymore, was sent to Los Angeles to play for the Clippers on December 12, 2011. What is going on around the National Basketball Association? Now you have a number of basketball players who want to pick and choose where they want to play, specifically in a big market (New York, Los Angeles, Miami, etc.), rather than stay with the team they are currently playing for. Yes, players have the right to play where they want to….but only once their contract has expired. You don’t bail out on your team and say publicly “I want to play in… because you will alienate the fans, management and everyone who like you.
Where did it this concept begin?
The idea of a team having the “Big 3″ on its roster began with the Boston Celtics in 2007. However there was a reason why Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge made those moves: 1) To help Paul Pierce. Pierce, the team captain, had to carry the team on his back the last few years especially in the 2006-2007 where the Celtics went 24-58, 5th place in the Atlantic Division. It wasn’t like that before. In the 2001-2002 season, Boston, with Pierce and former teammate Antoine Walker, made it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1988 ( a team with the original Big 3 of Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale) but lost to the New Jersey Nets. After reaching the playoffs a few more times, the Celtics reached its low point in the 2006-07 season with the death of NBA legend and the Coach/General Manager/President?Vice President of the Boston Celtics, Red Auerbach. It seemed like nothing went right that season, where at one point during the season, they lost 18 games in a row and missed out on the No.1 pick of the 2007 NBA Draft. During the offseason, Ainge decided to gamble the future of the Celtics and traded away his young talent (Al Jefferson was one of the players)to both Minnesota and Seattle (now Oklahoma City) for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, respectively. The trade was very effective because Boston ended the season with the best record in the league (66-16) and won the NBA Title by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in 6 games. This brought the Celtics back to prominence where today (despite their slow start at 5-8 and rumors circulating that Ainge is willing to trade Pierce, Garnett and Allen–and at one point Rajon Rondo) Boston is one of the elite teams in the league. 2) To help boost attendance at the Fleet Center (now TD Gardens.)
The Blueprint
With the Celtics achieving success with the Big 3, other NBA teams decided to use them as the blueprint on how to win a championship. These teams figured that if they acquire their own Big 3-via trade and free agency, they can win a NBA title, too. What teams didn’t realize is that Boston made the moves so that Minnesota can get rid of the expiring contract of Kevin Garnett ( the Timberwolves wanted to keep Garnett, but his contact was a huge albatross for the team. Seattle did the same thing when it came to Ray Allen, they wanted to keep him but they wanted to free up some money and the contact was too expensive.)Since 2008, the teams that won the NBA Championship (Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 & 2010 and the Dallas Mavericks in 2011) acquired their players through the draft and free agency (their contracts were not that expensive to begin with.) In order to win the NBA title, you must draft the right players to fit your system and sign role players who can made a key contribution to the team. It is not about having the” best team that money can buy” with signing players to huge contracts. A team that is using the philosophy of drafting well and signing quality talent is the Chicago Bulls. It’s no surprise that at the time of this writing, the Bulls have a 13-3 record, the best mark in this shorten season so far.
Superman wants to play on a super team
During the recent NBA Lockout, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard bad mouthed the city and expressed his demand to be traded from the team.The teams he’s interested in playing for include: New Jersey Nets , the Lakers, Chicago, and now recently the Los Angeles Clippers (whose fortune has turned around from a horrible team to a playoff contender.) Hearing Howard rip the city of Orlando and want to leave the team reminded me of what Shaquille O’Neal did in 1996. O’Neal, despite playing on a NBA Title contending team, started bashing the city, had run-in with head coach Brian Hill; and alleged problems with teammates. All of this took place a year after the Magic made it to the NBA Finals before getting swept in 4 straight by the defending champion Houston Rockets. The Lakers did win 3 titles in a row (in 2000, 2001 and 2002) but it took a while to reach that point, and Shaq’s time in L.A. did not end on a happy note, specifically his feud with teammate Kobe Bryant. Their soap opera was played out in the national media (in the newspapers, television, radio talk shows, online.)
No way this concept would have taken place years ago
Growing up as a basketball fan in the 1980s, I remember when the Celtics and Lakers were winning championship almost every year of the decade (there were two other teams who took home the NBA title – Philadelphia in 1983 and Detroit in 1989.) There were a number of really good teams in the NBA that just couldn’t beat Boston or Los Angeles in their respective conference. One example that I want about to talk about is the Philadelphia 76ers. In 1976, the 76ers were able to get ABA (and soon be NBA) legend Julius Erving aka “Dr. J.” From 1977 to 1982, the 76ers made to the NBA playoff every year, but lost twice in the postseason to the Washington Bullets (now Wizards) in 1978 and 1979 and the NBA Finals in 1977 (Portland) 1980 and 1982 (Los Angeles.) Did Dr. J say to the media, “I want out of Philadelphia?” No! In the fall of 1982, the 76ers pull off a trade where they acquired 2-time MVP and future member of the Basketball Hall-of-Fame Moses Malone from the Houston Rockets. Philly went on go 65-17 in the 1982-83, steamrolled through the NBA Playoffs, going 15-1 and gained revenge by sweeping the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in 4 games.
Another example is the Detroit Pistons. Led by Isiah Thomas, the Pistons made it to the playoffs from 1984-87, but failed to win a championship because Boston was in the way. In 1988, Detroit was finally able to beat Boston to make it to the NBA Finals, but they lost out to the Los Angeles Lakers in 6 games. Did Isiah say to the media ” I want to join my friend (they were friends back then, no…not so much) Magic Johnson and play for the Lakers so that I can win a championship?” No! He stuck it out with the Pistons, who traded All-Star scorer Adrian Dantley to Dallas for Mark Aguirre (another of Isiah’s friends) in February 1989. Detroit went on have a 63-19 record and brought home a NBA title to the city after getting revenge on Lakers by sweeping them in 4 straight games.
Last example is the Chicago Bulls. Led by Michael Jordan, the Bulls made the playoffs four times between 1986-1990. However, for three consecutive years, they were beat up (literally) and defeated by the Detroit Pistons (aka the Bad Boys.) In 1991, the Bulls with the core players they drafted and a strong bench were able to defeat the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals (remember the final moments of the game where a majority of the Pistons players walked past the Bulls bench without shaking hands. That was something else!) Chicago, after losing the first game of the NBA Finals vs Los Angeles, won their first championship by reeling off 4 straight victories. Chicago went on to two consecutive titles but MJ retired in the fall of 1993. Jordan came back in the spring of 1995, but the Bulls lost to the young and upstart Orlando Magic. In 1996, Chicago went on to win three straight NBA Championships.
There are some cases where players with a long distinguished career was traded to a NBA playoff contender as a last-ditch effort to win a championship and the team actually won the title that season (ex. Bob McAdoo with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1982 and 1985; Clyde Drexler with the Houston Rockets in 1995) However, that strategy has backfired recently as well (Ex. Charles Barkley with Houston 1997-2000; Karl Malone with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2004.)
Final Word
If you are the leader or captain of your team, do not run to the media and demand to be traded. It’s not a good look for you, your teammates, the media and must important of all your fans. You will alienate everyone in your path, to the point where no wants to be around you. Use the San Antonio Spurs as the blueprint. The Spurs, with their own big three ( Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili) could have easily left San Antonio years ago to play in a bigger market. But they didn’t and have won 4 NBA Championships since 1999. This proves that a player can make money and win a championship in a small market without cashing the big dollars and living that “Bright Lights Big City” type of lifestyle. Hopefully, Dwight Howard would listen to that advice!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Get on the Good Foot- Start The New Year Off Right
With 2012 underway, you are probably about to start working on your New Year’s Resolutions. People want to make some serious changes to their lives, such as losing weight, stop smoking or drinking; get out of debt, learn a skill; stop procrastinating, etc. These bad habits can and will be removed from our daily lives by taking the right steps. If you want to take action right now, read this article and follow these tips:
1. Don’t call it a resolution
That’s right–remove the word “resolution” and instead call it a “goal.” You see, people always say this statement on New Year’s Eve “My resolution is…” and once the new year starts, they are all hyped up and can’t wait to get started. However, towards the middle or by the end of the month, that interest starts to decline rapidly and before you know, they are back to their old ways, doing the same thing all over again. Do this: Say the statement ”My goal for this year is…” and say the term over and over to yourself. You see, saying the word “goal” gives you the motivation to do something and see it through completion without the chance losing interest and giving up all together.
2. Write down you want to accomplish this year
Take some time to think about what you want to do this year. Once you have an idea, grab a pen or pencil, a piece of paper and write it down. Once you are done writing it down, put it somewhere you can see it (Ex. on the wall; on your desk; on a bulletin board.) By looking at the list every single day, you can say to yourself ” This is what I want to do right now!”Once your reach a goal, you check that one off the list. Believe me, there’s nothing than going out, reach that goal and checking it off the list. You will feel really good after that!
3. Take small steps to achieve your goal(s)
It’s like that old saying go “Rome wasn’t built in one day.” You are not going to be rich (well, unless you win the lottery); or lose 50-100 pounds; or become the best athlete, singer, dancer, musician, comedian actress; actor; rapper; writer; artist; cook; business owner, etc. overnight. If that was the case, all of us would be rich and famous within 24 hours. It takes the combination of hard work, preparation, skill, talent, passion, determination and desire to become successful. Take one small baby step at a time. It’s okay to take it slow. The only person you are competing against is yourself. Patience is the key.
4. When the going gets tough, don’t quit
There is going to be a time where the goal that you want to accomplish is not going as well as planned. On the road to success, there will be bump in the road. That is all right because nothing runs smoothly. If something doesn’t go right, do this: 1) Stop immediately 2) Take a step back and figure out what went wrong; 3) Come with a new game plan and 4) Get up, collect yourself, take a deep breath and get after it! Never let the word “quit” enter your mind.
5. Visualize the life that you want
Ah yes. You watch television and see how entertainers and athletes live their lives, with the big house, money, cars and endless fame. Or you dream about being a CEO of an organization, being an Hollywood mogul; having a home in the Carribean, Hawaii or other ideal places; being a published author; having excellent health; or basically having the life that you always wanted. Turn your dreams into reality right now! Remember this: Nothing is impossible. You can do it. Don’t let anyone let anyone take away your dreams! It’s your destiny to improve your life–you have all planned out, now it’s take to take action!
6. Share your goals with your family and friends
It is important that once you figure out what you want to do this year, share that information with your family and friends. A strong support system is essential for being successful. Your family and friends can give you some advice about what to do and not to do. Remember this: listen to what they have to say, but the final decision must come from you, this is your life, not theirs. Now, there are going some family members and a few friends will say that you are wasting your time and/or money with your goal(s.) If that happens, take mental notes on what they said you and use their own words for motiviation. Once you reached your goal(s), you can tell them where they can go.
Final Word
New Year’s Day gives us the opportunity to think about how we can break ourselves from bad habits and finding ways to improve our lives. Now is the time to change your life and live the life that you want. It’s now or never–Do it now!
1. Don’t call it a resolution
That’s right–remove the word “resolution” and instead call it a “goal.” You see, people always say this statement on New Year’s Eve “My resolution is…” and once the new year starts, they are all hyped up and can’t wait to get started. However, towards the middle or by the end of the month, that interest starts to decline rapidly and before you know, they are back to their old ways, doing the same thing all over again. Do this: Say the statement ”My goal for this year is…” and say the term over and over to yourself. You see, saying the word “goal” gives you the motivation to do something and see it through completion without the chance losing interest and giving up all together.
2. Write down you want to accomplish this year
Take some time to think about what you want to do this year. Once you have an idea, grab a pen or pencil, a piece of paper and write it down. Once you are done writing it down, put it somewhere you can see it (Ex. on the wall; on your desk; on a bulletin board.) By looking at the list every single day, you can say to yourself ” This is what I want to do right now!”Once your reach a goal, you check that one off the list. Believe me, there’s nothing than going out, reach that goal and checking it off the list. You will feel really good after that!
3. Take small steps to achieve your goal(s)
It’s like that old saying go “Rome wasn’t built in one day.” You are not going to be rich (well, unless you win the lottery); or lose 50-100 pounds; or become the best athlete, singer, dancer, musician, comedian actress; actor; rapper; writer; artist; cook; business owner, etc. overnight. If that was the case, all of us would be rich and famous within 24 hours. It takes the combination of hard work, preparation, skill, talent, passion, determination and desire to become successful. Take one small baby step at a time. It’s okay to take it slow. The only person you are competing against is yourself. Patience is the key.
4. When the going gets tough, don’t quit
There is going to be a time where the goal that you want to accomplish is not going as well as planned. On the road to success, there will be bump in the road. That is all right because nothing runs smoothly. If something doesn’t go right, do this: 1) Stop immediately 2) Take a step back and figure out what went wrong; 3) Come with a new game plan and 4) Get up, collect yourself, take a deep breath and get after it! Never let the word “quit” enter your mind.
5. Visualize the life that you want
Ah yes. You watch television and see how entertainers and athletes live their lives, with the big house, money, cars and endless fame. Or you dream about being a CEO of an organization, being an Hollywood mogul; having a home in the Carribean, Hawaii or other ideal places; being a published author; having excellent health; or basically having the life that you always wanted. Turn your dreams into reality right now! Remember this: Nothing is impossible. You can do it. Don’t let anyone let anyone take away your dreams! It’s your destiny to improve your life–you have all planned out, now it’s take to take action!
6. Share your goals with your family and friends
It is important that once you figure out what you want to do this year, share that information with your family and friends. A strong support system is essential for being successful. Your family and friends can give you some advice about what to do and not to do. Remember this: listen to what they have to say, but the final decision must come from you, this is your life, not theirs. Now, there are going some family members and a few friends will say that you are wasting your time and/or money with your goal(s.) If that happens, take mental notes on what they said you and use their own words for motiviation. Once you reached your goal(s), you can tell them where they can go.
Final Word
New Year’s Day gives us the opportunity to think about how we can break ourselves from bad habits and finding ways to improve our lives. Now is the time to change your life and live the life that you want. It’s now or never–Do it now!
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