Something has to be done to shift the power in the NBA

[Matt Bonner]

Re: Something has to be done to shift the power in the NBA

I think people are blaming the usual suspects for the predictability of the post season because lets face it, that's what this is really about. The most unpredictable thing that happened last year was that Derrick Rose got hurt, but in his place the old Celtics went to the ECF, so it wasn't like some kind of shocking Philadelphia 76ers conference finalist 8 seed. We've seen golden state knock off Dallas, we've seen upsets before. But it is fairly predictable almost every year. But it's not a matter of "small markets" the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder blow that entire theory out of the water. Even Detroit's success in the mid part of last decade shows that to be untrue.

What it's really comes down to is the nature of the game. First of all, 7 game series throughout the playoffs in basketball particularly means that the best team (usually) wins. Hockey and Baseball are a little more haphazard by their nature, football is all about one game and upsets can be created using clever coaching (over even a 3 game series I don't think the Giants would have beaten the patriots either time, took a last second catch to win both times). Basketball has five guys on the court, but unlike hockey, scoring is assumed. So it's not necessarily about getting points, but about endurance, perseverance and getting top shots and defensive stops at the right times. As we've all seen with LeBron, one guy can take a team of chumps to the playoffs. There is no sport with more emphasis on the individual, I don't think, and the fact is that the teams that win championships (outside of Detroit, really) have two and often three of the best players in the league at their positions. Lakers had Shaq & Kobe back in the two star days, then they brought in Bynum, Gasol and Kobe. Celtics three was originally Garnett, Pierce, and Allen and then Rondo turned out to be spectacular (due in no small part to playing with that group of seasoned professionals). San Antonio has the best center of all time (yeah i said it) and two international guards that everybody slept on. OKC managed to draft Durant, Westbrook, Harden and I think Ibaka which is just ludicrous once in a lifetime draft brilliance. Thing is, Durant could stay there his whole career, he's not a glitz and glamor kinda guy, and as long as they have him - Westbrook could go to LA, Harden could go to NY - OKC will always be good. It only takes one guy, really.

It's just a matter of how teams are built and the levels of talent in the league. I think people get frustrated when the superstars like Howard or LeBron go from their small markets to bigger ones that have more appeal but that's just how things work. It's not a certainty that they will be successful (Knicks, Lakers the last few years). The only way to really edit the balance of the league would be to contract by probably four squads, that way more talent would be able to be distributed league wide, but they have 30 teams and a lot of them just get the short end of the talent stick in terms of on the court play and front office ability.

[Matt Bonner]

Re: Something has to be done to shift the power in the NBA

Also, as clarification. When talking about "market size", population is just part of the metric. Indeed, it's not even necessarily about the "city population" in most terms, has to do with the Metro Area. There's also per capita income, number of television sets, and a variety of economic factors that go into calculating it. That's why Miami is the largest market in Florida, even though technically speaking Jacksonville is the largest city. The miami metro area is one of the largest, and richest, Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the country. San Antonio is not, and SA has to compete with two other teams in the state so I say that puts them on a slight disadvantage market wise compared to places like Utah, Denver, or OKC that have entire regions to play with.

And seriously where does Toronto fit in all this? Easily the largest and richest MSA in Canada, and being the only Canadian team must surely take it out of "small market status." There was a problem in the 90s and early 00s when Canadian currency was dog**** compared to American but that gap has closed pretty significantly.

[JerzeyReign]

Re: Something has to be done to shift the power in the NBA

Let's break down each of these teams one by one:

Cleveland-When Lebron was there(and OSU can correct me on this)but money wasn't an issue when it came to Dan Gilbert trying to improve his team and do whatever it took to keep Lebron there. We all know the moves they made and attempted to make while he was there so money wasn't an issue there.

Phoenix-Everybody knew that Robert Sarver was a cheapskate, penny pinching owner for the most part even when he has Nash there. Even when they had PLENTY of cap space to afford any FA, he wasn't willing to spend.

Orlando: Did they not sign Rashard Lewis(who at the time of his FA was probably the biggest name in FA)to pair with future elite big man Dwight Howard? Money wasn't an issue there but if anything it almost became a detriment to them because they were wasting it on average-mediocre players which then almost became unmovable contracts. Same situation in Cleveland as well when Lebron was there.

Utah: Can't even argue that one because even Deron said it was hard to attract any kind of impact FA to come there.

So I'll give you Utah, but the other 3 teams, they either had the money but refused to spend it or they had the money and shown people that they were willing to spend so it wasn't a matter of those teams not being able to afford FA.

The cannot afford them. Yes, they could spend the money like the big market teams but they'll be in the red trying to keep up. The New York Knicks (I'll just keep running this example) could be $74 million over the cap and still turn a profit -- basketball is a business. Cleveland could never go $74 million over the cap and expect to turn a profit. Do the Cavs have their own TV network? Or do they have anything that would allow them to reach the masses to market themselves for 'extra money'? No, not really. You're from NY, according to your location under your avatar, you know the Knicks are on MSG whenever they play. MSG network covers everthing from upstate NY to VA/DC. That invades the former Nets area, 76ers, and the Wizards markets. On top of that, MSG is owned by the national network called FSN. I have to research a bit but I'm pretty sure the Knicks probably get a hefty profit for that. And that doesn't even get into the other revenue sharing such as jerseys... blah, blah, blah.

Does any small market team have the power to keep up with the big team's spending? I don't beleive they do. The big markets have other ventures that keep them with deeper pockets than others. So yes you're right, they could spend like the big boys but it wouldn't be a wise business move.

[Rewmac]

Re: Something has to be done to shift the power in the NBA

It can be said that they are favored yes from a point of view they have most of the big name players, but that doesn't mean that they are always favored.
I would like to think that Sacramento Kings have the talent, but missing the coaching aspect to make it to the playoff. I'd really like smaller, but more competitive teams like the Trail Blazers and the Kings make the playoff. As for bigger teams, but not that huge Atlanta would be nice to see advance to conference finals. Maybe it's just me...

[OSUFan_88]

Re: Something has to be done to shift the power in the NBA

The cannot afford them. Yes, they could spend the money like the big market teams but they'll be in the red trying to keep up. The New York Knicks (I'll just keep running this example) could be $74 million over the cap and still turn a profit -- basketball is a business. Cleveland could never go $74 million over the cap and expect to turn a profit. Do the Cavs have their own TV network? Or do they have anything that would allow them to reach the masses to market themselves for 'extra money'? No, not really. You're from NY, according to your location under your avatar, you know the Knicks are on MSG whenever they play. MSG network covers everthing from upstate NY to VA/DC. That invades the former Nets area, 76ers, and the Wizards markets. On top of that, MSG is owned by the national network called FSN. I have to research a bit but I'm pretty sure the Knicks probably get a hefty profit for that. And that doesn't even get into the other revenue sharing such as jerseys... blah, blah, blah.

Does any small market team have the power to keep up with the big team's spending? I don't beleive they do. The big markets have other ventures that keep them with deeper pockets than others. So yes you're right, they could spend like the big boys but it wouldn't be a wise business move.

Cleveland was making money hand over fist when LeBron was there. They could hqve kept it going for quite some time.

[JerzeyReign]

Re: Something has to be done to shift the power in the NBA

Cleveland was making money hand over fist when LeBron was there. They could hqve kept it going for quite some time.

Very true and thats when the location (or a player looking for spotlight) comes in to play.

Looking at a list of the most profitable teams in the league -- ehh, the 'expected' are there along with Detroit, who has thrown money at players in the past but are predicted to lose money this year.

Top 5 most profitable are:

Chicago
Houston
LA
NY

The Mavs lose 8.9 million dollars a year -- interesting...

Sidenote: Jordan should move the Bobcats to Seattle -- they lose $20 million a year!

[pw_1016]

Re: Something has to be done to shift the power in the NBA

When I started this thread, I thought market size (and "glamour", for that matter) and city size were the same thing but I guess people are saying that is not true. That's why this thread is so tricky

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: Something has to be done to shift the power in the NBA

When I started this thread, I thought market size (and "glamour", for that matter) and city size were the same thing but I guess people are saying that is not true. That's why this thread is so tricky

Market size goes beyond the city limits.

[JODYE]

Re: Something has to be done to shift the power in the NBA

Better of judging the "market size" by the metro area size. Will give you a better idea.

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: Something has to be done to shift the power in the NBA

The cannot afford them. Yes, they could spend the money like the big market teams but they'll be in the red trying to keep up. The New York Knicks (I'll just keep running this example) could be $74 million over the cap and still turn a profit -- basketball is a business. Cleveland could never go $74 million over the cap and expect to turn a profit. Do the Cavs have their own TV network? Or do they have anything that would allow them to reach the masses to market themselves for 'extra money'? No, not really. You're from NY, according to your location under your avatar, you know the Knicks are on MSG whenever they play. MSG network covers everthing from upstate NY to VA/DC. That invades the former Nets area, 76ers, and the Wizards markets. On top of that, MSG is owned by the national network called FSN. I have to research a bit but I'm pretty sure the Knicks probably get a hefty profit for that. And that doesn't even get into the other revenue sharing such as jerseys... blah, blah, blah.

Does any small market team have the power to keep up with the big team's spending? I don't beleive they do. The big markets have other ventures that keep them with deeper pockets than others. So yes you're right, they could spend like the big boys but it wouldn't be a wise business move.

Born and raised in DC, live in NY.

MSG doesn't cover anything south of Jersey and MAYBE Philly. They don't invade the Wizards territory at all nor do they affect what they do and make at all.

And Cleveland was making money like crazy while Lebron was there. Why do you think the CITY was even pissed when he left? LOL

[OSUFan_88]

Re: Something has to be done to shift the power in the NBA

When I started this thread, I thought market size (and "glamour", for that matter) and city size were the same thing but I guess people are saying that is not true. That's why this thread is so tricky

Of course it isn't.

The city of Cleveland is tiny with actual people in the city limits. But the market size is, and even this is hardly inaccurate because it spreads further than it's market, still carries 3 million people.