Steph Curry said yesterday that he doesn’t think what the Warriors accomplished will be done again, citing how hard it is to keep a core together in today’s NBA. On its surface, it was a good point. The NBA’s salary cap is more real than it used to be, and we were seeing fewer repeat Finals appearances even before the new CBA’s effects fully kicked in. Competition is highly efficient right now in the National Basketball Association. It’s hard to keep winning.
Below its surface, it was an even better point. Maybe I got the wrong impression from Curry, but I think what he was really referencing was such a force arising from a purely drafted and developed core, rather than being assembled like a team of superheroes. Obviously, the addition of Kevin Durant was a superhero-assembly move. It was the NBA equivalent of a Mario Kart star. But the Warriors were already leading the race when Durant hopped on board, and they managed one last title even after he left. The Curry/Thompson/Green core was a rare thing. It was special. And while it is hard to keep a group like that from splintering, it’s harder to build it in the first place.
Whatever Curry meant, though, he’s probably wrong. And this is why:
1. What the Warriors did is the epitome of what sports fans want their teams to do.
2. NBA owners are more willing to give fans a compelling product than those of any of the rest of the Big Four leagues.
I’m not suggesting collusion or conspiracy. I don’t think Adam Silver’s illuminati is going to get together in some lair and draft plans to build a dynasty out of the Wizards. What I mean is that if championships become too one-and-done, getting into the problem the post-Yankees MLB and post-Canadiens NHL have faced, the NBA is likelier to adapt than either of those leagues, and likelier than the NFL as well. They’ll adjust the CBA, even if it changes how much short-term money they, as owners, get to bring home. They’ll work with the Players Association to figure out a way to keep young cores together for longer.
NBA owners’ great gift over the last few decades has been how close their fingers sit to the pulses of their consumers. While NFL owners broke antitrust rules and MLB owners became obsessed with getting free real estate attached to their stadiums, NBA owners kept their eye on the long term. They sacrificed short-term profit for long-term asset appreciation. They focused on making their product work for their fans. They did plenty of shady things, some even shadier than the one-step greedy grabs of guys like Jerry Jones and John Fisher. But at their core, they worked on creating and then marketing a strong product. This, among other things, briefly put basketball in a position to become the biggest sport in America, until flag football started reversing youth participation trends.
I’m not trying to push back against Steph Curry, specifically. I want him to believe that what he was a part of was historically special. It was! But the NBA, more than even the NFL, will always have dynasties so long as its fundamental business approach stays the same. As long as its owners stay savvy, they’ll find a way to foster the things fans love.
Miscellany
- Clearly, I misunderstood all the bluster around Rich Paul trying to keep Bronny James out of the G-League. That, or Adrian Wojnarowski’s report last week that Bronny should be expected to spend most of the season on the South Bay Lakers is incorrect. I guess when Paul was looking for a guaranteed contract, it was more about the contract than keeping Bronny out of the G-League, which does make more sense. Unfortunately, this makes the contract (and not just the draft pick) seem dumber from the Lakers’ perspective, but the whole thing has been dumb from the Lakers’ perspective.
- Kawhi Leonard’s knee is healthy enough for him to play for Team USA, at least for now. He’s at training camp in Las Vegas, where Kevin Durant is the only present injury concern, day to day with a sore calf. The twelve-team Olympic field is set, with the U.S. joined by Serbia, South Sudan, and Puerto Rico in Group C.
- College football media days kick off this week, with the Big 12 gathering in Las Vegas tomorrow and Wednesday. I would imagine the occasion is more a celebration of completed Big 12 expansion than a look into any future expansion, but it’ll be interesting to see what Brett Yormark says. Specifically, I’m curious if he’ll talk at all about Gonzaga and UConn, whom Yormark clearly wants but whom Big 12 schools clearly don’t want.
