This article is locked behind a paywall. Can anyone give a rundown?
WillMarzz25
I think we are in the middle of a new age of parity. I can’t see a super team forming for a while now. The NBA has fully recovered from KD joining the warriors and helping them get to 4 titles.
I personally don’t see anyone on the trajectory of a Lebron or Kobe. We will still see very dominant players like Luka. But we are still trying to find out who the true best player in the world is. And they probably won’t be able to run it to the NBA Finals 3 times in a row like Lebron and Kobe have both done. And that’s a combination of the competition being spread out AND the fact that anyone in the league right now being at the level of peak Kobe or Lebron is a stretch.
4000kd
I don’t think we’re gonna exit one.
Despite what people say, the league was pretty even from 2010-16 with multiple great teams having a shot. The KD move is what changed things and it was a product of a very unique situation (Curry’s low contract and a historic cap spike). This likely won’t ever happen again (I hope), so I think the league will continue to have high parity.
TechnicalInternet1
Lebron 2010s Goat is gone. No one is taking the 2020s goat title. Halfway there no one doing anything.
Wemby take over 2030s plz
Princessk8--
We’ll have to wait and see. If Boston wins in 6 or less this year, you really can’t argue against the idea that they were head and shoulders above the rest of the league.
Murkywaters11
Out of the 4 available championships this decade so far. 50% were won by Lebron / Warriors. Out of the 9 available last decade %66 were won by Lebron/ Warriors.
downinCarolina
Theres too much money for dynasties these days. You spend 3-4 years cultivating a squad to go and win a championship and then lose a couple good role players to bigger contracts or one of the stars loses a step or worse, gets injured and no one can step in and the dynamic falls apart.
And then when all of those things happen they fire the head coach to appease whoever and they have to start the cultivation all over again. Its pretty ridiculous.
thepeachgod
Kinda just depends on what happens with Boston and OKC in my opinion. Both teams have the talent that’s either just entering or still not in their prime and they both have it locked up for the long run too. They’re also both blessed with arguably the two best FOs in basketball. If I had to make a guess I’d say they each win their conference the most times over the next 5 years but that could also only be 1-2 times
raylan_givens6
The influx of dominant European/foreign players who tend to be loyal and show no desire to join super teams will ensure an era of parity
Not to mention there doesn’t seem to be many American born dominant players on the horizon.
I don’t think we’re going to see another AD “That’s All Folks!” situation in New Orleans for a while – other than maybe Ja or Zion……..but let’s be honest, neither are on old AD’s level.
BillowingPillows
Wemby is coming…
LakeOverall7483
u/meno “But are you in earnest, Hollinger, in saying that you do not know what parity is? And am I to carry back this report of you to Reddit?”
Hollinger “Not only that, my dear boy, but you may say further that I have never known of any one else who did, in my judgment.”
WearyRound9084
Bruh the Cap is fucking over the teams. Like McDaniels is making 130 million and the Timberwolves are soon going to be in Luxury tax hell. That’s without taking into account the absolute outrageous amount of season ending injuries taking place among franchise players the last few couple of years
DerekMorganBAUxxi
No one seems to talk about injuries preventing teams more than anything else
zerocoolforschool
How is it parity? When is the last time a team won without a top 5 player? Parity is not a pool limited to one of five teams. Who are the five best players in the league this year?
Jokic Luka Tatum SGA Giannis
Two of the top 5 are in the finals this year.
zzolokov
We’re going to have less parity than ever when all the 2nd apron and no more free agency stuff prevents teams (Lakers) from competing with OKC after they acquire another star and use lottery picks on rookie contracts as role players.
cacti_zoom
Since 2019
We have had 9 teams make the finals. 3 of those teams have gone twice (Boston, Miami, GSW)
ricknad
just about to enter the era of the thunder dynasty
the_godfaubel
The league is and always will be superstar driven. The parity is dependent on what they do and how they develop. I also keep saying how the majority of superstars who win titles have to be in their prime (ages 25-32). Outside of that, it’s exponentially more difficult to win one as the lead guy. So while the league has had more parity, you can almost select the small pool of potential champions at the beginning of the year. The year WAS a bit a different because you had a few younger teams start to show their potential and Luka took another Mavs team in the first year of his prime window deep in the playoffs. But the contenders that I would’ve picked at the beginning of the year based only on hype and expectations would’ve been: Nuggets, Lakers, Suns, Clippers, Celtics, Bucks, Sixers, and maybe the Heat.
It will be no different next year with only a small pool of teams that could win.
18 Comments
This article is locked behind a paywall. Can anyone give a rundown?
I think we are in the middle of a new age of parity. I can’t see a super team forming for a while now. The NBA has fully recovered from KD joining the warriors and helping them get to 4 titles.
I personally don’t see anyone on the trajectory of a Lebron or Kobe. We will still see very dominant players like Luka. But we are still trying to find out who the true best player in the world is. And they probably won’t be able to run it to the NBA Finals 3 times in a row like Lebron and Kobe have both done. And that’s a combination of the competition being spread out AND the fact that anyone in the league right now being at the level of peak Kobe or Lebron is a stretch.
I don’t think we’re gonna exit one.
Despite what people say, the league was pretty even from 2010-16 with multiple great teams having a shot. The KD move is what changed things and it was a product of a very unique situation (Curry’s low contract and a historic cap spike). This likely won’t ever happen again (I hope), so I think the league will continue to have high parity.
Lebron 2010s Goat is gone. No one is taking the 2020s goat title. Halfway there no one doing anything.
Wemby take over 2030s plz
We’ll have to wait and see. If Boston wins in 6 or less this year, you really can’t argue against the idea that they were head and shoulders above the rest of the league.
Out of the 4 available championships this decade so far. 50% were won by Lebron / Warriors. Out of the 9 available last decade %66 were won by Lebron/ Warriors.
Theres too much money for dynasties these days. You spend 3-4 years cultivating a squad to go and win a championship and then lose a couple good role players to bigger contracts or one of the stars loses a step or worse, gets injured and no one can step in and the dynamic falls apart.
And then when all of those things happen they fire the head coach to appease whoever and they have to start the cultivation all over again. Its pretty ridiculous.
Kinda just depends on what happens with Boston and OKC in my opinion. Both teams have the talent that’s either just entering or still not in their prime and they both have it locked up for the long run too. They’re also both blessed with arguably the two best FOs in basketball. If I had to make a guess I’d say they each win their conference the most times over the next 5 years but that could also only be 1-2 times
The influx of dominant European/foreign players who tend to be loyal and show no desire to join super teams will ensure an era of parity
Not to mention there doesn’t seem to be many American born dominant players on the horizon.
I don’t think we’re going to see another AD “That’s All Folks!” situation in New Orleans for a while – other than maybe Ja or Zion……..but let’s be honest, neither are on old AD’s level.
Wemby is coming…
u/meno “But are you in earnest, Hollinger, in saying that you do not know what parity is? And am I to carry back this report of you to Reddit?”
Hollinger “Not only that, my dear boy, but you may say further that I have never known of any one else who did, in my judgment.”
Bruh the Cap is fucking over the teams. Like McDaniels is making 130 million and the Timberwolves are soon going to be in Luxury tax hell. That’s without taking into account the absolute outrageous amount of season ending injuries taking place among franchise players the last few couple of years
No one seems to talk about injuries preventing teams more than anything else
How is it parity? When is the last time a team won without a top 5 player? Parity is not a pool limited to one of five teams. Who are the five best players in the league this year?
Jokic
Luka
Tatum
SGA
Giannis
Two of the top 5 are in the finals this year.
We’re going to have less parity than ever when all the 2nd apron and no more free agency stuff prevents teams (Lakers) from competing with OKC after they acquire another star and use lottery picks on rookie contracts as role players.
Since 2019
We have had 9 teams make the finals. 3 of those teams have gone twice (Boston, Miami, GSW)
just about to enter the era of the thunder dynasty
The league is and always will be superstar driven. The parity is dependent on what they do and how they develop. I also keep saying how the majority of superstars who win titles have to be in their prime (ages 25-32). Outside of that, it’s exponentially more difficult to win one as the lead guy. So while the league has had more parity, you can almost select the small pool of potential champions at the beginning of the year. The year WAS a bit a different because you had a few younger teams start to show their potential and Luka took another Mavs team in the first year of his prime window deep in the playoffs. But the contenders that I would’ve picked at the beginning of the year based only on hype and expectations would’ve been: Nuggets, Lakers, Suns, Clippers, Celtics, Bucks, Sixers, and maybe the Heat.
It will be no different next year with only a small pool of teams that could win.