D10
The Saint Rose Chronicle
The NBA Mega-Teams
sports
March 2, 2011
Volume 79 Issue 19
finals. That would be the ultimate Cinderella story. One of the problems people have with the NBA is that there is no defense played in the league. I think that is the case because the “stars” want to stay out of foul trouble, and to conserve energy for offense. However, if there is more than one player on the team who can carry the offensive load, it will create for better defense being played by more people. Carmelo Anthony no longer has to worry about fouling out, because Amare Stoudemire can be the offensive scorer. Another knock on the NBA is that there is no parity. Every year you have basically the same teams competing for the championship. This is because there are already some “mega-teams” in the league today. The Boston Celtics have controlled the Eastern conference for the past three years. With the Miami Heat, and now the New York Knicks, there are two more teams that could give the Celtics
a run for their money. While the formation of “megateams” hurt the teams that do not have a legitimate star, they do not make them irrelevant altogether. The New Jersey Nets recently acquired all-star point guard Deron Williams from the Utah Jazz. If he can convince one of two other all-stars to play in New
Jersey, the Nets would automatically become a title contender. I think that is the best part of the “mega-teams.” A below average team can go from irrelevant, to champion with some smart salary cap management, and a couple acquisitions.
Clippers Fans Finally Have Something to Brag About
a glimmer of hope for those loyal Clippers fans. With his almost inhuman abilities, he has given something for these fans to be optimistic about for the coming years of the Clippers organization. Although the Clippers as a team are far off from competing with teams like the Lakers, they are well on their way if they can manage to hold onto their talent. They cannot fall into the trap of dealing out their top stars for unproven prospects. I’m sure all the Clippers fans are rooting for their team to surround Griffin with a good supporting cast of players. The new trend seems to be to form a “big three” as the Celtics and Heat have done, and as the Knicks are currently in the process of completing with their recent acquisition of Carmelo Anthony to compliment Amar’e Stoudemire. If Griffin keeps performing at the
level he has this season, there is not one player in the league who wouldn’t mind playing on the same team as him. Blake Griffin has consistently been providing highlights as he has made even the best of veterans look foolish. The ease with which he gains altitude above the rim seems nearly effortless. He even proved in this years dunk contest that not even a car can keep him from driving through the paint on his way to the basket. The amount of progress Griffin has made during his rookie year is astounding. According to the Clippers official website, he is currently averaging 22.9 points per game, and 12.5 rebounds per game. This is a rookie who is already averaging a double-double with ease. He also leads the entire Clippers team in points as well. This shows that he has embraced the star role that has been brought upon him. He has lived
By SAM MAXWELL With Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire joining forces in the “big apple,” and LeBron James and Chris Bosh taking their talents to South Beach to team up with Dwayne Wade, it poses a question that is on the mind of every NBA league official; are these “mega-teams” good for the league? I think the answer to that question has to be different depending on whom you ask. If you are a fan or an executive for the larger market teams (New York, Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago), I don’t think you would have a problem with it. However, people who are associated with the smaller market teams (Cleveland, Utah, Denver)are probably starting to worry.
I personally do not have any problems with all-stars wanting to play together. I think that it will cause the league’s popularity to rise, and will positively change how the game is played. If you have four or five teams at the top of each conference that are elite teams, in my opinion that is better than having every team on the same level. It makes for better games in the playoffs, and it will form rivalries that haven’t been in the league since the 90’s. It would cause better games not just in the playoffs, but the regular season too. When LeBron James made his return to Cleveland, it was the most hype surrounding a regular season game that I could remember. And, just think about if a non “mega team” made it to the conference finals, or even the NBA
Newest star in LA is not to be found in Laker gold
Blake Griffen in his final dunk of the 2011 Slam Dunk Contest
By THOMAS STAMAS The Los Angeles Clippers, yes the Clippers, finally have a proven playmaker of their own. He’s 6’10’’ 251 pounds and just 21 years old. Blake Griffin has stolen the LA spotlight thus far in the NBA season. No longer is he just another un-proven college star. Griffin has taken the NBA by storm as he is quickly becoming known for his ferocity at the rim. He has almost single handedly brought attention to a team that has for so long performed in the shadow of the Los Angeles Lakers, who share the Staples Center with the Clippers. It’s not very easy to gain fan support when you’re consistently out of the playoffs, and meanwhile your inter-city counterpart has won back-to-back championships. But Blake Griffin has brought
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