Last season, teams around the NBA were put on notice. The star-studded Golden State Warriors team waltzed its way to a 16-1 postseason record and a NBA championship. Teams around the league were left with two options. They could sit on the sidelines and cede the dancefloor to the Bay Area’s ‘Big Four’ or fight to stack their own squads with selfless superstars.
Just one year after Kevin Durant chucked the deuces to Oklahoma City, leaving teammate Russell Westbrook to ball out by himself, the Thunder has restocked the cupboard. In July, the Thunder acquired four-time All-Star Paul George for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. Now, the Thunder has also acquired 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony from the New York Knicks for a stale box of Cheerios and an open pack of blank DVDs Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a second-round draft pick.
In the blink of an eye, the Thunder went from one All-Star to three. The move puts OKC in contention with the San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets as the West’s best team, outside of Oakland, of course.
Whether the Thunder can compete for a championship will come down to team chemistry. Westbrook, George and Anthony are all accustomed to being ball-dominant players. Westbrook co-existed with Durant and James Harden, so he should be able to adjust to playing with star players, despite coming off an MVP season in which he averaged a triple-double.
Make no doubt about it, the Thunder is Westbrook’s team. George and Anthony will need to check their egos at the door in order to make it work. That is especially a concern for Anthony, who laughed at the idea of coming off the bench at his introductory press conference.
“Who me?” Anthony asked. “ I don’t know where that started where that came from.”
He was so amused that he took a brief break from his chuckles to tell George, his new teammate, about the absurd proposition made by a reporter.
“Hey P, they said I gotta come off the bench!”
The idea of a player as accomplished as Anthony coming off the bench might seem absurd. He is still an extremely talented basketball player. Many players though would take the diplomatic route when joining a new team. They would say something like, “I’m willing to do anything to help this team win a championship.”
Not Melo. Anthony is about getting buckets.
In his defense, Anthony has shown a willingness to be a team player as he agreed to switch positions. He will start a power forward for the Thunder this season, a position he scoffed at while in New York.
Early in the season, chemistry will be a big issue for the Thunder. However, if the team’s stars start to gel, they will make the race out West extremely interesting.
Wade headed to Cleveland
After dealing Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics, in the most talked-about trade this offseason, the Cleveland Cavaliers decided to make another splash. After coming to a buyout agreement with the Chicago Bulls, LeBron James’ BFF Dwyane Wade signed with the Cavs in a one-year, $2.3 million deal.
Wade joins Isaiah Thomas, Derrick Rose, Jae Crowder and a few other newbies in Cleveland. The move gives the Cavaliers increased depth as they prepare to make another run at capturing a NBA title. However, the move also gives the Cavaliers another serious injury concern.
Thomas’ well-chronicled hip injury means the diminutive guard may not suit up until January. Wade and Rose seem to spend as much time in street clothes as they do in uniform. James has been amazingly durable throughout his career but is approaching the age where injury concerns are move prevalent.
The East is still essentially a two-team race between the Celtics and the Cavs. Chemistry isn’t as big a concern in Cleveland as it is in OKC (after all, James has proven he can win with almost anyone) but health will be a major factor in determining if Cleveland can once again reign in the East.
The NBA scheduled less back-to-back games this season and is set to approve new rules against resting healthy players. Fortunately for the Cavs, the team could rest half its aging roster and nobody would become suspicious unless King James’ name was involved.
It should go without saying though, if the Cavs remain healthy, the Cavs are serious contenders.
Quick shouts
It’s been a long and eventful sports week. Here are a few quick sports shout outs dealing with topics I don’t have space to cover at length.
Shout out to LeBron James for continuing to resist the ridiculous statements coming out of the mouth of the POTUS. Unlike some star athletes, who are afraid to speak out and put their endorsement dollars at risk, James has repeatedly spoken out against injustice, racism, bigotry and just plain ol’ ignorance.
Shout out to Andre Ward, who announced his retirement from boxing at just 33-years-old. Ward retired as the best pound for pound fighter on the planet, after dispatching of Sergey Kovalev twice. Due to injuries and long bouts of inaction, Ward never received his due recognition as a truly great fighter. Some believe he’ll come back, but once Ward makes a decision, he usually sticks with it. I think he’s gone for good. Sad day for boxing, but I’m glad S.O.G. went out on top.
Shout out to the NFL players who took a knee. I’mall for any resistance to the POTUS, but forgive me if I give a side eye to the teams who locked arms or stayed in the locker room for the anthem. Apparently it’s OK to protest the anthem when the POTUS calls football players SOBs, but not OK to do when people of color die. For those bold enough to kneel, thank you. For those attempting to appropriate the protests, but only when it’s safe, kick rocks.
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