The NBA has seen a number of incredible teams over the years, including dynasties like the Showtime Lakers and the recent incarnations of the Golden State Warriors (present season excluded).
However, not all teams are built the same, and some haven’t approved of the way that players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant have made their way onto championship teams in the past.
The argument that frequently comes up is that players in the past didn’t use free agency as a tool to create super teams, and that doing so takes away some of the credit deserved for winning a championship.
On this episode of the Lakers Nation Podcast, we are joined by ESPN’s Jorge Sedano to discuss this dynamic and whether NBA stars should be faulted for leaving their franchises in order to win.
Star players, at the conclusion of their careers, are often judged by the number of championships they won. Case in point, all-time greats like Karl Malone and Charles Barkley don’t get the credit that they deserve often because they never won the final game of the season.
But does that justify making a move that changes the competitive balance of the NBA by forming a super team? Or is winning a championship so inherently difficult that, super team or not, anyone hoisting the trophy deserves a place in history?
From there, we discuss the NBA’s attempts to keep the 2019-2020 season alive. Things are starting to look a bit more positive but are we really on the comeback trail? And what would it mean for the Lakers to bring this season back, especially now that LeBron James has voiced his opinion that shutting down the season shouldn’t be on anyone’s mind?