After reading about the many trades that occurred during the past month, a lot of thoughts were running through my head as I reminisced about what used to be. There was a time when players had the pride and loyalty to their teams in times of good or bad. Star players wouldn’t just move around to different teams in hopes of getting a championship ring. Players wouldn’t move around to teams to play with other star players to increase their chances of winning. Michael Jordan, Gary Payton, and Hakeem Olajuwon are just some of the star players, back in the day, which stuck around their teams and led their teams to terrific seasons even if some did not end up being championship finishes. Comparing these guys to NBA players of the present era, players today do not have the same fervor and zeal for the game of basketball. All they look for is better chances of winning and leaving a mark in the game of basketball.
We can take Lebron James as an example that started the chaotic sequences of trades. For seven seasons, Lebron James has carried the Cleveland Cavaliers to terrific seasons even if they weren’t championship victories. He was the Star player and the face of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The unfortunate thing about Lebron is that he chose to move teams and not only did he move teams, but he also communicated ahead of time so he can play with other super stars to up his chances of a championship. As a star player, Lebron is now a player in Dwayne Wade’s team. If he was to stay in Cleveland, eventually players would have flocked in that direction because he is a star player. Yet he did not have enough patience and literally damaged his legacy by doing so. This trade set a precedent for other players to follow and now the eastern conference is “loaded” with star players only on a certain amount of teams, leaving “weak” teams such as the Cleveland Cavaliers without a star player and decreasing their chance of ever getting another player that will take that place.
I also think it's sad that many players care more about the materialistic side of basketball now. Instead of working for the team and teammates, they care more about their own personal gain. I hope this trend changes and that in the future we will see many players who have dedication and loyalty to their team.
ReplyDeleteI wish James stayed in Cleveland. It's sad to see that money and championships mean more to players now than just playing the game. There's many reasons why everyone idolizes Michael Jordon and it's because of his loyalty to the Bulls and the people of Chicago. You just have to admire players with that sort of commitment.
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