And please everyone rise for your Washington Wizards. The commentator presented this with such excitement that there was no choice but to feel that energy and devotion seep through you. This Monday, I went to the opening game for the Washington Wizards. This was the first opening NBA game I had ever attended and while I feel a draw to the Wizards, they are losers. I can’t ever foresee them not being losers unless they add 1 or two keys players who can keep a defense from engulfing Wall.
The Wizards, like most small teams, have their share of diehards, but do not have much support emotional or financially. While there is a salary cap in the NBA and NFL, compared to that of the MLB, why would a player want to go to a team that lacks the funds or interest to keep players happy besides a salary? There are a lot of reasons why a team is terrible. The most overarching reason is that one team has better players, but there are other factors that go into what makes a team a losing, the most prominent being, of course, its coach.
The players:
The NBA, like the NFL, adopted a salary cap in order to create parity in the league. There are certain small market teams that have looked decent over the last couple of years such as the Kansas City Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies and while the Thunder are young and feisty, how long can they sustain before someone like Durant or Harding leaves to NYC, LA, or Boston? While these teams consist of 1 star and several invaluable role players, there is a current trend in the NBA has led to what might inevitably be the destruction of parity in the NBA. Dallas Mavericks might be the last team to when a championship without the help of at least two superstars. The Knicks made a trade for Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony last year and the Celtics have their big three in Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett. Then, last year, the Heat proved that this trend was not a fluke by teaming three all-stars in Wade, Bosh, and James in what is better known as “The Decision”. The reason why these players have decided to flock is because they believe that these organizations' top priority is to win a championship and they are willing to do what it takes to make it happen.
These large markets (NYC, Boston, and Miami) have the owners and the funds to woo top tier players into playing for their organization. By wining and dining them and showing these players what a true fan base is, they have been able to lasso these players into submission. These teams also know that in order to maintain their high financial prowess, they need to get all-stars on their roster. The NBA is the only game where 1 player has the ability to dynamically change the outcome of a game. Financially, owning a team is not a profit-generating investment. In fact, of the 30 teams in the NBA, only 8 teams actually made a profit. That leaves 22 wary owners afraid of losing too much money. Why worry financially if your team usually makes a profit or at least does not lose too much? Also, look at the locations of these teams. Miami and LA look more enticing than, say, Portland or Atlanta.
The MLB is a different situation. The small market teams need amazing farm systems to compete every year. The one team that defies all logic is the Tampa Bay Rays, whose star player called out the fans for being such ungrateful shitheads. They consistently compete in the strongest division in all of sports. The majority of the small market teams have their 10 minutes of fame then fade away to the deep dark recesses of failure. The reason for this simply is the lack of salary cap. How can a small market team in a city of a couple hundred thousand compete with cities of 9-12 million people, or even a team who represents an entire region (Boston)? A decent coach can only do so much in this league, but what has been proven is that the larger market teams will buy any all-star from the small market teams, leaving the MLB similar to a 99%/1% situation. Where are the occupiers when you need them?
The NFL has the most parity of all sports and this is because of the rules implemented. With a strictly regulated salary cap, a team can’t create a Dream Team, even if Vince Young disagrees. Getting these players is a little more complex than money. The NFL gets great players by understanding what makes a player great early on and having an organization that has the fan base to truly show appreciation, investing in the organization, not just players, and a great staff. I'm talking about GM’s, player personnel, and scouts. By paying extra, teams will be able to hire staff who can find great players who play well within their system. There is also the feeling amongst players that their team truly cares about them by investing in the proper facilities. Look at the Bengals or the Jaguars. Mediocre facilities at best and crap for staff.
Coaches:
While a Coach can be extremely important, a coach cannot when a championship without the players to do so, while the players can win without a decent coach. The Heat or the Yankees need a good coach, but really, they could win with a Psychologist who can keep their all-stars in line. The few exceptions currently in sports are Bill Belichick and Mike Krzyzewski. They are truly more important than their players. Coach K’s Duke Blue Devils always compete for a national championship with a team that consists of players who are not good enough for the NBA. With Bill Belichick, there are always teams that contain more pro bowlers, but few of these teams stay consistently on top of their division or conference. Why these teams win is their coaches utilize the players to the best of their abilities and alter their schemes in order to accommodate the players’ skill sets. A bad coach tries to make their players fit their team while a good coach does the opposite. This also keeps players happy, going back to my first point.
So while I enjoyed my Wizards game, I could only do so since I in no way cared if they won or lost. I am therefore not the kind of person their franchise wants to attract but there I was, observing the game like a wedding crasher during the nuptials. And until they address the above points the Wizards, like most other small-market teams, will have to settle for being a firehall wedding attended mostly by crashers looking for a quick meal and some fired-up dance music.
- Kyle
No comments:
Post a Comment