Free Agency In Sports

Kobe came into the league in the most ideal scenario; he was picked by a big market, star studded, rich organization, the Los Angeles Lakers. To add to that, Kobe had 0 pressure due to the other superstar in town, Shaquille O’Neal. Kobe would be the robin to Shaq’s Batman, and by doing so, Kobe would have 3 championships in a row. In historical context, on the NBA’s chess board, Kobe was a knight; he was important but they could do without him. Kobe did not become an important piece until in his ninth year, when he was stranded with NBA journeymen. Comparing them to his old teammates was like comparing minute maid orange juice to Dom Perignon champagne. So, Kobe was granted permission to do whatever he wanted with the basketball in his hands, which lead to his average points per game going up, and his shooting efficiency to go down. LeBron however, was not drafted into success with no pressure and a Batman like Kobe was; he was the most anticipated basketball player ever, expected to lift a team, rather a city, whom had not won a sports championship since 1964, out from the ashes and into the limelight,at the age of 18. Unlike Kobe, Lebron had all the pressure to live up to his prophecy from the moment he stepped on the NBA’s basketball court and he did not disappoint. In fact, LeBron put up stats never before seen from a player so young, changing NBA history in the process. At 19, he

Two star and favored basketball players these days are Stephen Curry and Lebron James. Lebron James won four MVP’s (most valuable player). Stephen Curry won one MVP for his first time in 2015 and in 2016 he is the most improved player. Their history is very interesting and also there are some cool facts about their lives.

Throughout basketball history, there have been many amazing players to be a part of the NBA. The NBA, also known as the National Basketball Association, is not only the foremost men’s professional basketball league in North America, but is also widely considered to be the top-ranking men’s professional basketball league in the world. One of the most controversial topics in the history of NBA today is whether Michael Jordan or LeBron James is the best player to ever be a part of this association. James began his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers and currently plays for the Miami Heat. Jordan played for the Chicago Bulls for most of his career; however, he played for the Washington Wizard’s from age 38 to 40. According to the New York Times, Jordan announced his retirement in Chicago on January 13th of 1999 (D8). Although LeBron James is one of the best players to be currently active in the league, Michael Jordan is known to be the best player in NBA history. Both player, without a doubt, have left a mark in the history of NBA, Michael Jordan, indisputably, is the best player to ever play in the NBA with his unstoppable defensive and offensive ability along with the determination and leadership he provided for his team.

Lebron James, the first pick taken in this year’s draft, may be the prototype for an athlete having immediate fame and wealth by jumping straight to the NBA. Almost undoubtedly, he has set the bar for years to come. Before he even played in an actual NBA game, he already had his own commercial and shoe deals. When he was a senior in high school, ESPN and ESPN2 were already publicizing his regular season games whenever they had the chance. Amazingly, as a junior in high school, he was already being considered the next Michael Jordan (Broussard).

Derrick Rose is at the center of the basketball universe. It's a few days before Christmas in 2011, and the shy, 23-year-old point guard finds himself in the middle of a suburban Chicago shopping mall as throngs of fans scream for his attention. A few hours earlier, the Chicago Bulls formally announced that they have signed the reigning MVP to a max extension worth close to $100 million. The future was bright for one of the NBA's most prominent

Many are even making the case he has become “the best player in the league.” One title KD should certainly be given is “being a massive replacement over Harrison Barnes on both sides of the court”. During the 2016 Finals, in seven games Barnes scored a combined 67 points. In two games alone, Durant has 71. “Durantula” is causing all sorts of matchup problems for the Cavaliers. On offense, he is virtually unguardable and only James comes remotely close to contesting him. On defense, KD is using his length to cause turnovers. In Game 2, he had three steals and five

For the Los Angeles Lakers, this off-season may have been a bit underwhelming, but they still brought in quality free agents. After "missing out," on LeMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love and DeAndre Jordan, the Lakers were forced to look into the second tier talents. According to some reports, the meetings the Lakers executives held with the big name free agents focused little on basketball, and instead focusing more on the "Hollywood Lifestyle."

The San Antonio Spurs, notorious for their identity and under the radar transactions, have strung together an offseason that has quietly revitalized the gaping holes in their roster. San Antonio was successful in snagging 2-time NBA champion Pau Gasol in free agency, more than making up for the impending retirement of future hall of famer Tim Duncan. Gasol, unsuccessful in making the playoffs this past season, tested the free agent market, looking to take his talents to a contender that could best assist him in chasing one more ring in this final window of his career.

The NBA Draft really affects the teams in the NBA. Some franchises can be turned around because of the draft. Other teams make poor selections who don’t pan out. Some teams play differently throughout the season because of the draft. Many General Managers are busy on draft day making trades and ultimately making their selection.

But one trade rumor that is circling around the league today caught the attention of basketball enthusiast. The trade involves two All-Star players and also teammates in the Men's US Basketball Team who just recently won gold in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

International players have been great individually, even legends in NBA fans’ minds. However, foreign players are just as capable of fitting into and improving a team. Most foreign players are vital to today’s brand of basketball because they play team ball and fill roles on teams. One extraordinary example of foreign players helping a team succeed is the San Antonio Spurs’ international talent. Over the past decade, the San Antonio Spurs have been one of the most prestigious franchises in the NBA, led by three international stars, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Tim Duncan (Ballard). The Spurs’ trio has ten championships among them and “with [last] year’s trip to the NBA Finals, more postseason wins (98) than all but one trio in NBA history: Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Cooper” (Ballard). The Spurs’ success with

If one player was prominent and didn't want anyone on the team, then they were gone. Even if that player should most definitely be on the team. Now this is what happened between Isaiah Thomas and Michael Jordan. Jordan was like I said considered the best in basketball and so people listened to him because they needed him on the team. So when he said he didn't want to be any part of the team if Isaiah was gonna be on it. Suddenly Isaiah was out of the question. Isaiah was not some nobody player, he just got done leading the Detroit Pistons to NBA titles back to back (1989-90). He was an All Star, Finals MVP in 1990, holds the Pistons all time leading scorer, he leads in assists, steals, and games played. So long story short, Isaiah should have been on that team. Even some team members agree that Isaiah should have been on it. “Had Isaiah not been so unpopular among other players and committee members, he would've made the dream team” (McCallum,

In the NBA they are a lot of little issues, however people like to look at the resting issue which indeed is a problem but not the biggest problem in today's NBA. The biggest problem is the conference unbalance (which means one conference is more elite than the other) which is true in many aspects. Let me explain why, the western conference is more powerful than the eastern conference and I believe the solution is too make the NBA more even is too make it where you can have more than 2 All-Stars per team unless you have developed the players to become All-Stars from the beginning of their career.

I think it is If you look at the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavalries, two of the best teams in the league, their best line up is when LeBron James, and Draymond Green are playing center, so the NBA is definitely trending that way.

The Cavs are in salary cap purgatory. Currently, Cleveland has the highest payroll of any NBA team at nearly $143 million. This puts them not only well above the NBA’s salary cap, which is projected to be about $99 million for 2017-2018, but also above the luxury tax limit, which is at $113 million. Should LeBron choose to opt-in with his player option next summer and stay with the Cavs, Cleveland will automatically have a payroll of $128 million because of all of their other remaining contracts. Here is where things get rather tricky: Isaiah Thomas is only set to make about $6 million this year, the final year in his contract. Next summer he will be seeking the max, and if Cleveland is the team to give him the max, their payroll will likely be north of $150 million. And this isn’t even