One of the common complaints about the NBA is the lack of competitive balance. Part of that comes from the nature of the sport itself.
There are just five players on the floor at any time, and if you have a great player, that’s a tremendous advantage for sure. And those great players seem to gravitate toward large media markets and warm weather cities.
It has been said many times before, but it still bears repeating. Since Magic Johnson and Larry Bird entered the league in the 1979-80 season, every championship team, save for the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons, have had an all-time great on the roster.
That torch has been passed from Bird, Magic, and Julius Erving to Isiah Thomas to Michael Jordan to Hakeem Olajuwon, back to Jordan, and then to Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, and then to Stephan Curry and Kawhi Leonard.
If you have one of those players, you have a chance to win. If you don’t? You better get one.
Adam Silver and his office, in conjunction with the player’s association, came up with a great idea to resume the season, and finish it in Orlando, Florida.
When the season was stopped in March, many figured (including us), that when the game returned, it would certainly just start with the playoffs, which is what the NHL did.
However, the roundball league likes to do things that seem contrived, and they couldn’t help themselves this time. The resumed the regular season, playing eight games, but not everyone was invited. Eight teams were left at home.
Now, one might say since the eight teams who were not invited to the bubble also had the eight worst records in the league, they deserve to be left out. After all, they are bad teams.
It seems kind of arbitrary though. For example, the Cavaliers stayed home because they won just 19 games, but the Washington Wizards, who won 24 games, gets to play eight extra games.
Worse yet, the Charlotte Hornets, another young team trying to improve, have to sit home even though they won one less game than Washington.
Most of the teams who don’t get the extra games are younger teams who could most definitely use court time.
There was talk of a second bubble for these eight teams to play each other, thus getting the same advantage of some additional contests, and Cavs’ GM Koby Altman was a leading voice to create one, but there is growing belief it will not happen.
We are sure the Cavaliers would have loved to see more of rookies Darius Garland and Kevin Porter Jr. in new coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s system. Heck, they could have watched fellow rookie Dylan Windler actually take the floor in competitive games, something they didn’t get a chance to do all year because of his leg injury.
But they will not be getting this opportunity and quite frankly, in a sport where fairness can be questioned at times, it’s not fair to the teams who aren’t there.
When will we see the Cavaliers next? Quite possibly, it could be in November when training camps will start for the 2020-21 season.
It’s a lost opportunity for the league and the eight teams who aren’t in Orlando.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 