Hero wanted. Dead or alive.

By:
Published: August 18, 2010

Right now, the Nuggets and Hornets are in great fear of the New York Knicks. The Knicks were one of the worst teams of the last decade, so nobody fears really them on the basketball court, but they pursue the goal of snapping away superstars of the smaller market teams. A superstar huh? What is a superstar and why do you need one? A superstar is popular, so many people are buying his jersey. The stats of a superstar are amazing and he makes teams win and provides the possibility to even win it all. Teams that were successful in the finals lately had one. Teams without one are hitting the lottery every year in June and their arenas aren’t filled. That’s the way things work in the NBA: Better get yourself a superstar to build around! If you got one, the pressure to lose him is immense. You will lose your identity and your odds to compete.

Fact is, people outside of Miami don’t really like the Bron-Bosh-DWade redeem team collaboration this years’ free agency was about (especially not the ridiculous dance introduction stuff). The fear of the pure dominance and meaninglessness of their favourite team on the big stage of the NBA is apparent among competitors. The people in Cleveland and Toronto are angry, because the Cavs and Raptors organization did a lot to satisfy their stars over the last seven years. People feel sorry for the Cleveland community. I’m sure even David Sterns camp doesn’t like this current development and especially the signs of CP and Melo probably being eager to join the Knicks in the years to come are a big concern for many people.

Maybe it’s time to think new. Maybe the superstar influence to this league should be reduced. The power those guys possessing has just reached a limit, that officials and fans mustn’t accept. And I don’t mean, that someone should take away the players’ right to play for a team of his choice. No. I’m talking about the way this game is played, the way this league works, the way passionate spectators think. Basketball was supposed to be a team sport. But the NBA has become a casting show for yet another hero and his fantastic adventures. The individual superlative is much more important than the team play. People and front offices have to realize that single players are employed to play for their team. Remember guys, the Pistons beat the Lakers in 2004. That result should be the role model for a franchise and not the fact, that Malone and Payton teamed up with Shaq and Kobe in LA! Fans and media should respect the efforts of such a approach and should be patient with the outcome. The refs should stop preferring Kobe and co with their calls. The basketball in college and in most of the other countries is already/still like that, too. Smart tactic, good sharing, passion and effort should be the main characteristics of a good basketball team. There is no way I want the hornets to give up on Paul, but it’s somehow obvious that patching the roster together like the desperate front office in Cleveland did is not the right path to success! Is the current NBA-circus really what fans want to see? Then, there shouldn’t be any bad feeling for the Cleveland people out there!!

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