Thankfully It's over. More Parity in the NBA than I can remember in a long time.
Lakers, Clippers, And Nets all in danger of missing the playoffs. I hope this puts an end once and for all to the AAU crap that has infected the NBA.

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need to get back to hating your opponent

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

It might take a break for a year, but it's going to be tough to stop it going forward. The AAU system is still in place. The cliques are going to want to play together.

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Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

You might be right but if they see that it's not working it might give guys pause. It's flopping big time with both L.A teams and The Nets.

The Salary Cap is what's going to.lead to its demise more than anything. You sign 2 max guys and it takes up 70% -75% of your cap. That makes it tough to put a viable supporting cast around them.

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and they are now learning the action at the college level through the portal

There is value in the struggle

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

It's tough to say that it flopped in LA when they already won a title. The Nets have had some unique circumstances with Irving sitting out because of vaccine mandates. It's still pretty much a super team with 3 stars. Who knows what they will do in the playoffs if all three are playing well.

The NBA has deferred to star players for a long time. The Larry Bird rule. Jordan getting $30 million in the 90s. The league pushes stars. Teams and team cultures seem less important. There is no Patriot way or Cardinal way like in football or baseball. It's cater to the star.

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Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

That Lakers Title is tainted heavily because of the bubble and Covid. First Round Washout last year and probably will miss it this year. And the Nets are a perfect example of this because they cannot even compete when one the Superstars is out. They have lost 11 straight. If they were a more well rounded team that would never happen.

The Jordan Bulls never formed a Superteam either and neither did Larry Bird's Celtics. Neither went out of their way to team up with guys. And Parish and McHale were not star players prior to joining the Celtics.

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yeah don't people derisively say that lebron has 3.5 titles or something? the bubble season should have an asterisk next to it.

the first time i can think of this kind of "superteaming" was the 2004 Lakers that thankfully lost against the pistons. i know shaq was brought in years earlier and won titles but the 2004 team had added payton and malone.

Lakers do not win that title without the Covid break. Lebron was hurting and the team overall was limping in to the playoffs.

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Those late 90's Rockets teams were also a failed superteam.

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oof, yeah forgot about that.

And the part about pertains to guys and their egos. Durant Left the Warriors because it was still regarded as Steph's Team even though Durant was clearly the better player. Sorry FavreFan. If Durant would have remained with the Thunder he would have won at least one (IMO) by now. AD has a ring but his legacy as a player is being trashed because of the move he made to go to LA. Same thing happened to Bosh. Same thing happened to Kyrie. When you play with Lebron James he receives all of the credit when you win all of the blame once you lose.

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If Kyrie or Bosh feel LBJ gets all the credit then they can just point to the other rings they won without LBJ as a measure of their true worth.

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Successful calls:

Kyrie Irving will never win anything as a team's alpha: check
T.rubisky is a bust: check
Ben Simmons is a liability: check
The Fields Cult is dumb: double check

2013 CSFMB ROY

I definitely think it turns fans off. I really liked Durant and even James Harden on OKC....not so much now.

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I don't claim that Jordan Bulls were a superteam by the definition you are using. Just that the catering to stars has been the NBA's culture for a long time now. And if the stars grow up in AAU playing with their talented friends that's going to install that culture with NBA players later.

So while this is a reprieve from superteams for a year I don't see them going away. Superteams are good for TV and social sharing too. Not great for small markets, local revenue or overall attendance, but which way are the forces trending?

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Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

And it took them for Lebron to get a ring as well. He surely wasn't winning won with Mo Williams as his #2 and he knew it. That is why he bounced. And I'm certain that he is orchaestrating a "prodigal son returns" thing with Cleveland as his swan song from the league right now. He has looked at that roster and I am sure he is trying to find ways to get in over there. I hope they tell him to get the fuck on if he attempts to do that.

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ML, are the Bulls a better model then?

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Hawaii (fuck) You

But you claim that they catered to Jordan by paying him $30 million. At the time he was still considered underpaid for all he'd done for the league. And it was also considered back pay for all of the other years that he checked $3 million per year while there were probably a 100 guys that made more.

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Actually, I wouldn't mind that...but I don't think it can work with him not being The Man.

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star players still have all the leverage, super teams will be back

The Warriors without KD probably are imo.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

Currently yes. The Bulls have 3 All Star caliber guys and none of them are close to making Max Money. They will probably pay Lavine after this season but if AK had simply not signed Ball and spread that money out this year they'd be the favorites right now.

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The new collective bargaining agreement will blunt that. And the NBPA knows it. Kyrie, Durant, Harden, Anthony Davis and LBJ have irritated people on both sides with their selfishness and desire to play GM.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

2007-2008 Celtics were the first of the latest era superteams--KG, Ray Allen, Sam Cassell weren't on the team until that season

What makes you think Lebron wouldn't do the same thing he has done everywhere? Tell the GM to trade all the younger players for vets?

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Because with the Cavs you have 3 guys that are all All Star level guys currently. You'd have to move at least one and probably a Sexton and a draft pick or 2 to get Lebron but with what they have right now they are ready to compete. He surely knows that and the prospect of finishing his Career in Cleveland has to be attractive to him as well.

Even if they move 1 of the core 3 to get him they would still have enough to compete.

They are in much better shape than the Lakers are right now. And the Laker situation has no way of getting better with all of the bad money that they have on the books.

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The Warriors would tell you that they have an overarching organizational philosophy, but if they do, it doesn't matter; they almost always win when Steph Curry is in the lineup and almost always lose when he's not, and that's about all there is to it. Honestly, if they weren't up the road from Silicon Valley office parks, I don't think anyone would even try to make the case that they do.

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Didn't the Celtics draft McHale like #2 overall?

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I think #3 in a trade that also brought Parish as I remember. Still wasn't a star player however. In fact McHale was backing up Cornbread Maxwell for a number of years even after being drafted #3. Best 6th man in the league but still not a starter.

And even with that it is still a helluva different than guys orchaestrating trades and player personnel moves for the expressed purpose of playing together.

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