Published: October 28, 2008
The ultimate goal in professional sports is to win.
It is the way athletes have been brought up in this day and age — to be winners. And with that, the fans that follow these particular teams are sucked up into these same ideals.
We want to root for winners and support winners. It makes it easier on our psyche and makes the game more enjoyable.
Which makes it tougher when teams in the NBA are counting down the days until 2010.
It is like Y2K, but only 10 years later.
Instead of the world coming to an end, the year 2010 may be the year that your team’s losing streak ends. Or might be when your team is now considered a title favorite.
The summer of 2010 is the time when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh could hit the market if they choose to exercise their player options.
Even if they don’t, there are unrestricted free agents including Joe Johnson, Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton, Al Harrington, Tracy McGrady, Marcus Camby, Mike Miller, Hedo Turkoglu, Raja Bell, Steve Nash, Manu Ginobli, Jermaine O’Neal and Carlos Boozer.
Kobe Bryant has a player option in his contract that could make him available in 2010 (if he doesn’t opt out sooner).
Not to mention guys like Paul Pierce, Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki, Richard Jefferson, Michael Redd, Tyson Chandler and Amare Stoudemire have early termination options in their contract.
Some marquee restricted free agents will also put their current teams’ on the hot seat. Rudy Gay, LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Jordan Farmar and Rajon Rondo will make some teams think about things as well.
In the meantime, these guys are under contract and certain fan bases around the league are being forced to suffer through these next two years. All they can do is wait. And wait.
But, is it fair?
The quick answer would be a negative one. We, as competitors, like to see positive results. We don’t like to go to a game or watch our favorite team get blown out.
But, then again, most fans have been brain washed into thinking that they are guaranteed to land a top-tier player.
This then begs the question of not if it is fair, but is it even going to happen?
Teams are ultimately looking at the triumvirate of James, Bosh and Wade as the three players that they want. Those guys signed their current contracts with the idea in mind that they’d opt out and test the free agent market.
They rationalized that they would make more money that way.
So, now teams are doing everything they can to dump bad contracts and salaries. And in doing so, they are putting a product on the court that may be hard to root for at certain times in the coming months.
With most teams having the year 2010 in mind, there is no guarantee that your team will land that marquee free agent.
Wade is in Miami and James is in his home state of Ohio. Bryant lives in Los Angeles. Pierce will most certainly want to finish his career in Boston. And in the case of the other players, they will all two years older and possibly slower.
So, who is to say that most of these guys even leave?
No one is guaranteeing anything since they have the options that they will in fact use them. James, Bosh and Wade could in fact exercise those options and become free agents in 2011.
And let me remind you that considering these players contracts are coming off of the books if they were to exercise these options, that means that their current teams will have the cap room as well.
So, fans of the Nets, Knicks, Timberwolves, Grizzlies, Pacers and others are forced to watch their teams construct trades that will put them in position to be under the cap to make a run at these players.
The only problem with that is the fact that with so many players coming off of the books, almost every single team will have some sort of flexibility that summer.
That is if teams sit on their hands, and checkbooks, in order to have space by then.
Even before 2010, players like Marvin Williams, Kyle Korver, Raymond Felton, Sean May, David Lee, Mike Bibby, Ben Gordon, Jason Kidd, Allen Iverson, Rasheed Wallace, Ron Artest, Andrew Bynum, Rashad McCants, Shawn Marion, Charlie Villanueva and Paul Millsap will force some teams to spend before the summer of ‘10.
How did you feel as a Nets fan when Richard Jefferson was traded for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmon’s expiring contract? Most fans here were upset at the fact that now they were left with only one piece from the trio that brought them to the NBA Finals in 2003 in Vince Carter.
Now, the feeling is that Carter will most certainly be traded by the trading deadline for some expiring contracts that will leave the Nets with hopes and dreams that James or Wade will come play for them in Brooklyn (assuming the arena is even built, which is a whole other story in New Jersey’s future).
And while the New York Knicks are currently locked down with some of the worst contracts in the league, do you like the fact that they are currently unwilling to give David Lee a contract extension for fear that it will handcuff them in 2010? Although, it is hard for me to argue with the genius of Donnie Walsh.
What about a team like Cleveland who has one of the prized possessions? At some point this season, the Cavaliers will certainly wrestle with the possibility of trading Wally Szczerbiak’s $13 million contract for cap relief or trade it away to give LeBron James another option.
Wouldn’t you rather see them bring in a quality player for this year instead of worrying about next year?
And, I hate to break it to the fans of some of these teams, but maybe the most exciting opportunity for some of these free agents will be in Portland. The contracts of Steve Blake, Raef LaFrentz, Steve Francis and Darius Miles all come off of their books in the next two years.
Ultimately, though, it is a catch-22.
Franchises want to see their teams win and you want to root for winners. But, the nature of the business reveals the fact that teams like New Jersey, New York, Minnesota, Memphis, Indiana, Charlotte, Oklahoma City and other franchise aren’t going to compete at the level of Boston, Houston, the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio, Dallas, Detroit and other of the top tier franchises.
Some franchises have no choice to but to look ahead.
In order for them to win, they have to set themselves up in the best way possible. And unfortunately for the fans and some franchises, that means looking to see who will take this $10 million contract off your teams’ hands.
And once again, I ask is it fair?
Photo Credit: ICON Sports Media
