Howard to Lakers

**ben9753** · 08-10-2012, 09:41 AM

The Lakers now have Kobe, Nash, and Howard. Not to mention Gasol. Enjoy your one ring LeBron!

**John_Brian_K** · 08-10-2012, 10:21 AM

Yeah these 'trades' are souring me on the NAB bigtime. A bunch of elite teams with a couple alright teams...meanwhile 90% of the league is below average at best.

**DrWho17** · 08-10-2012, 10:48 AM

Well, me too it is really a turn off. The NBA is evolving into a tiered system. ESPN was saying 9 of the 12 Olympians were in LA/NY/Miami, 5 teams have 9 of the players. I am also worried that this could happen to the Pistons at some point, lose Monroe for example in a couple of years and destroy the team. Orlando is destroyed.

Second observation on this is that Orlando didn't get much for him at all. Philadelphia got Bynum for Iguodala, they made out great, Denver got Iguodala for not much, LA got howard for not much, Orlando got stroked.

**John_Brian_K** · 08-10-2012, 10:52 AM

They got 3 protected first rounders out of it also, but yeah I hear ya.

**T&P_Fan** · 08-10-2012, 11:11 AM

Originally Posted by John_Brian_K

They got 3 protected first rounders out of it also, but yeah I hear ya.

They will all be late first round picks most likely, hard to build that way. I understand the Magic wanting to go the OKC route, but late first round picks don't net you Durant, Westbrook and Harden.

**PuNk42AE** · 08-10-2012, 01:22 PM

But they will most likely have a top 5 pick of their own for 2-3 seasons also. Still it looks like a bad trade for Orlando.

**drownwithyou** · 08-10-2012, 01:38 PM

The NBA is close to being dead to me.

**Nastradamus** · 08-11-2012, 01:26 AM

Originally Posted by John_Brian_K

Yeah these 'trades' are souring me on the NAB bigtime. A bunch of elite teams with a couple alright teams...meanwhile 90% of the league is below average at best.

I don't see why it'd sour. The NBA has always been a league where only a small handful of teams had a chance of winning in a given year, going back to the 80s, at least.

**Nastradamus** · 08-11-2012, 01:31 AM

As for the trade, I don't love it for the Magic, but I get it. It seems like Houston could have offered more, but maybe Lin and Asik both not being matched hurt their ability to take on bad deals before the deadline. Or maybe they backed off realizing Howard would leave them high and dry. Not sure. The Magic got the kind of deal they wanted though. They cleared a lot of cap space out by dumping Duhon and Richardson while taking little salary back for Howard either(much of Harrington's money is non guaranteed, so he can be released or used in trade). They got a good starting SG locked up through his prime, who can either contribute or be a trade asset. They got 2 young recent 1st round picks in Harkless and Vucevic and they got a handful of future picks, though they certainly aren't great picks. They'll have top 5 picks of their own for the next 2-4 years and a ton of cap space to work with. I think it was also important to them to get Howard out of town now and not wait for the deadline. Its a huge distraction and embarassment to the franchise. Not to mention if his back acts up again before the deadline, they would have gotten exactly zero.

**Mr. Bigglesworth** · 08-13-2012, 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by Nastradamus

I don't see why it'd sour. The NBA has always been a league where only a small handful of teams had a chance of winning in a given year, going back to the 80s, at least.

Including 1980, the following teams have won championships:

Lakers (10)
Bulls (6)
Celtics (4)
Spurs (4)
Pistons (3)
Rockets (2)
Heat (2)
Mavericks (1)
Sixers (1)

Roughly a third of the championships have been won by 1 team, half by 2 teams, 3/4 by 4 teams, and 9/10 by 7 teams.

I haven't done it, but I doubt any other major sport has that sort of concentration of champions.

**John_Brian_K** · 08-13-2012, 01:04 PM

Originally Posted by Nastradamus

I don't see why it'd sour. The NBA has always been a league where only a small handful of teams had a chance of winning in a given year, going back to the 80s, at least.

IMO, you now have 'super teams' and a few other ok teams and the rest are left in the dust. I have been watching basketball since I was about 11 or so. I had a little hiatus during the teal years, but came back when Joe D was named president. He was my favorite player all time. Anyone I do not recall it like that back then. You had Boston and the Lakers for a good amount of time. During the Pistons run the Pacers were good, the Nets, 76ers.

And I know history will show you are correct (I think the Lakers have been involved in like 80% of the NBA finals the last 20 years or something similar), but there were always other teams who had a shot. Who are those teams now? There are about 4-5 teams that could conceiveably win the whole thing the rest might as well not even show up to the games.

**Mr. Bigglesworth** · 08-13-2012, 01:19 PM

NFL Champions since 1980

49ers (5)
Giants (4)
Patriots (3)
Cowboys (3)
Redskins (3)
Steelers (2)
Packers (2)
Broncos (2)
Raiders (2)
Saints (1)
Ravens (1)
Colts (1)
Bears (1)
Rams (1)
Buccaneers (1)

**Mr. Bigglesworth** · 08-13-2012, 01:24 PM

NHL Champions since 1980

Oilers (5)
Islanders (4)
Red Wings (4)
Penguins (3)
Devils (3)
Canadiens (2)
Avalanche (2)
Flames (1)
Rangers (1)
Stars (1)
Lightning (1)
Hurricanes (1)
Ducks (1)
Blackhawks (1)
Bruins (1)
Kings (1)

Several of the one-time winners won their championship in the 2000s, and the 80's basically belonged to the Oilers and Islanders.

**Mr. Bigglesworth** · 08-13-2012, 01:30 PM

MLB World Series Winners since 1980

Yankees (6)
Cardinals (3)
Phillies (2)
Dodgers (2)
Twins (2)
Blue Jays (2)
Marlins (2)
Red Sox (2)
Orioles (1)
Tigers (1)
Royals (1)
Mets (1)
Athletics (1)
Reds (1)
Braves (1) (Despite having the best rotation over a long period of time in the history of the game)
Diamond Backs (1)
Angels (1)
White Sox (1)
Giants (1)

Clearly MLB appears to be the hardest of the major sports to establish and maintain a championship winning dynasty since 1980.

**DetroitCity313** · 08-14-2012, 05:25 PM

Originally Posted by drownwithyou

The NBA is close to being dead to me.

Some of the greatest players to ever play basketball are in the league right now. Many making their final pushes before retirement, others in their prime. The NBA has never been a league where teams quickly turn themselves around and everyone is in it to win a title. The best team always wins in the end. And through the 80s and 90s the NBA was in the same boat- you had 3 or 4 teams you thought could win the title before the year started. This year you can expect it to come down to the Lakers, Thunder and Heat. The NBA is perfectly fine, the people who bash it confuse me.

**Nastradamus** · 08-14-2012, 07:06 PM

Originally Posted by John_Brian_K

IMO, you now have 'super teams' and a few other ok teams and the rest are left in the dust. I have been watching basketball since I was about 11 or so. I had a little hiatus during the teal years, but came back when Joe D was named president. He was my favorite player all time. Anyone I do not recall it like that back then. You had Boston and the Lakers for a good amount of time. During the Pistons run the Pacers were good, the Nets, 76ers.

And I know history will show you are correct (I think the Lakers have been involved in like 80% of the NBA finals the last 20 years or something similar), but there were always other teams who had a shot. Who are those teams now? There are about 4-5 teams that could conceiveably win the whole thing the rest might as well not even show up to the games.

I don't think the Pacers, Nets and 6ers teams you speak of were any better than the Celtics, Spurs, Bulls and whoever you consider secondary out of the Lakers and Thunder. Not that those 76ers,Nets or Pacers teams ever had a shot of beating the Lakers teams they went up against.