There have definitely been superstar players who have paired up (Shaquille O’Neil and Kobe Bryant . . . Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar) but never has it been the players to set it up. Shaq was already one of the top three players in the league and Kobe ascended to that rank in their time together. Wade and James are already two of the best three players in the game, and have discussed joining forces since playing together on the 2008 Olympic team (including Bosh). They got to play with each other again on the 2010 Eastern Conference All-Star team; which may have cleared up all of that “pie in the sky” Bosh was talking about (For).
So it happened. Wade, James, and Bosh are playing for the same team. What is next? Well first and foremost, they most certainly need a nickname. Some have dubbed them the “Big Three,” but that nickname has already been taken by Boston’s Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. Others have said “The Three Kings” because Bron Bron is known as King James and now possesses two great talents around him.
My personal favorite though: “The Nazgul.” The Nazgul were former kings in “The Lord of the Rings” series who were obsessed by the power of the ring. Eventually they were consumed by its power and became very evil dudes bent on dishing out evil (Please just bear with me, only a few more “Lord of the Rings” analogies left. Oh, and I'm out of Star Wars similarities).
Makes me think about creating a movie based on “The Decision.” Think about it, this could work.
Here is the plot: Things in the land of the NBA have been pretty good in the past few years. Two of the most storied kingdoms have risen back to power and stand for all that is good and right [played by the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics]. While all seemed well, three of the most powerful kings [played by LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh] have been secretly plotting to steal the one ring to rule them all [the championship ring] and take over the world. Word gets out that the three kings might join forces, but many remain skeptical. The three kings deny these plans and Bosh tells the people of the land that he “doesn’t see how it would work. Seems like pie in the sky” (For).
The lands of New Jersey [played by the Nets], New York [played by the Knicks], Los Angeles [played by the Clippers], Chicago [played by the Bulls] and James’ homeland in Cleveland [played by the Cavaliers] try to capture King James and do their best to fight and prevent James from joining forces with the other two kings where they would ultimately be too powerful to stop. King James then betrays his homeland and flees to the land of Mordor [shot in Miami] where him, King Wade, and King Bosh begin their quest for world domination.
Fortunately, there still remains a little hope. A group of heroes is assembled that includes Kobe Bryant, who once looked poor in the eyes of the people but they have started to renew hope in him. Then there are the four Celtics [played by Rajon Rondo, Garnett, Pierce, and Allen] who have proven themselves in the past but might not have enough to do so again. Finally, there is the Rockets from the land of Houston. These people are small and a very unlikely source of heroism but could prove that with enough heart and effort, anybody can be a hero.
People have hope in this newly assembled fellowship, but while the fellowship was being formed, the three evil kings had already begun to assemble their army in the “Heat” of Mordor and look to be way too powerful.
The good guys have a last-stand insurance plan to combat the evil kings, in case their fellowship fails. They discuss the possibility of bringing together three kings in the land of New York that could defeat the evil kings of Mordor. Kings Chris Paul of New Orleans and Carmelo Anthony of Denver would join King Amare Stoudemire in New York to create a power to combat the three evil kings.
These kings could save the land, but would be risky because they too could easily be consumed by the power of the ring. This would leave few kings in the land of the NBA, which would mean people would flee the land.
Could this work? You bet it would work! This has everything needed to become a successful hollywood blockbuster hit. It has loads of drama, the battle of good versus evil, and is all based on a true story; even the part about New York.
I am going to get to work on this ASAP. You laugh now, but just wait.
It seems that ever since the Celtics picked up Garnett and Allen to play alongside Paul Pierce, a trend of bringing stars to your team in three’s has begun. Of course there is the Celtics, the Lakers traded for Pau Gasol midseason to play alongside Kobe and Lamar Odom, now we have the Heat, and Chris Paul mentioned the possibility of a big three in New York in the future. At Carmelo Anthony’s wedding, Chris Paul apparently made a toast alluding to the combination of him, Anthony, and Amare Stoudemire in New York saying, “We’ll form our own big three” (Berman).
So that is the direction the NBA is headed towards. Stack your team with stars and win championships that way. Certainly this would sell a surplus of tickets for those teams (the Miami Heat fired their ticket sales staff because they had sold all of their season tickets already and had nothing left for them to do) (Douglas). But what happens to other teams around the league left without a star player to provide to fans. There are already teams out there facing financial problems and the possibility of moving. Downtown businesses in Cleveland are expected to be out $48 million next year just because LeBron James is no longer playing for their team.
Every fan in the world is gonna find a way to watch whenever the Heat play the Lakers, but who is going to care about the Memphis Grizzlies, or the Charlotte Bobcats? Maybe these teams end up shutting down because nobody gives a hoot about them. If I had the opportunity to watch either Gerald Wallace or LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh you bet I’m going to choose he latter.
It could very well turn out to be the best thing that could happen to the NBA. This could create the hollywood type of excitement that the NBA needs in order to bring in more fans and have existing fans more interested than ever. Only time will tell.
I can only hope the good guys will come out on top.
(Oh and if any of you Cleveland fans stuck through this; I apologize. It could definitely be worse though. You lost a player, I lost a team).
Works Cited
Berman, Marc. "Paul Toasts Knicks' Future Dream Team with Stoudemire, Anthony." Nypost.com. New York Post, 12 July 2010. Web. 1 Aug. 2010.
Marc Berman writes from the New York Post about Carmelo Anthony's wedding in which Chris Paul is quoted saying, “We'll form our own Big Three,” referring to Amare Stoudemire, Anthony, and himself possibly playing in New York next season. This was following the news of LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade joining forces for the Miami Heat. The article discusses the options the Knicks have in the coming years and how they might build their roster by either trading for Paul or Tony Parker. It also mentions the pieces the Knicks have already put into place around Stoudemire, including four players received from Golden State in a deal for David Lee, and the top free agent point guard Raymond Felton. Anthony's current contract negotiations with Denver were mentioned at the end and how he could opt out of his contract and become a free agent next summer.
Folsom, Jim. "The Ultimate Sports Curse: The City of Cleveland." Bleacherreport.com. Bleacher Report, 15 May 2010. Web. 1 Aug. 2010.
Bleacher Report columnist Jim Folsom describes curses in sports and how Cleveland tops the list of cursed sports towns. The cities of Chicago and Boston are most associated with curses for their baseball teams, but each have excelled in other sports. Chicago won seven championships while getting to watch the greatest player of all-time Michael Jordan play, and while the Boston Red Sox had the curse of the Bambino, the Celtics have won 17 championships. He says that Cleveland has had to endure the most overall turmoil and goes on to list the 20 most disappointing moments in Cleveland sports history.
"For Bosh, the Sole Priority Is Wins." ESPN.com. ESPN, 30 June 2010. Web. 1 Aug. 2010.
This article from ESPN news services talks about the upcoming free agency period for Chris Bosh. Bosh has played for the Toronto Raptors the past seven seasons, but clearly wanted to be in a situation that would give him a better opportunity to win a championship. The author interviewed his former college coach Paul Hewit who said Bosh has never been a guy about the numbers and personal stats. He said that the only times Bosh got upset was when he lost. The only time Bosh has been a part of a championship team was his senior year in high school where his team went undefeated and won a state championship. When asked about the possibility of him going to the Miami Heat to play alongside Dwayne Wade and LeBron James, he said that he didn't think it could work saying that it's “pie in the sky.”
Hanks, Douglas. "Miami Heat Fires Sales Team after Season Tickets Sell out." MiamiHerald.com - Miami & Ft. Lauderdale News, Weather, Miami Dolphins & More. 31 July 2010. Web. 1 Aug. 2010.
This story from the Miami Herald written by Douglas Hanks informs the reader on the firing of the Miami Heat's ticket sales staff. Apparently, the entire sales staff was fired after all of the season tickets had been sold. This article explains why the staff was dismissed and the work the employees put in before the firing. Phones were being answered around the clock as season tickets quickly sold out. The Miami Heat's signing of Forwards Chris Bosh and LeBron James to play alongside Guard Dwayne Wade started the flurry of calls for season tickets. The main reason for the firing of the 30 employees was mostly because there was nothing left for them to do.
"Jordan Wouldn't Have Called Magic, Bird." ESPN.com. ESPN, 19 July 2010. Web. 1 Aug. 2010.
This news story from ESPN.com news services features quotes from NBA all-time great Michael Jordan and former NBA player Charles Barkley talking about LeBron James and his decision to leave Cleveland for Miami. Jordan says that there is no way we would have called up Larry Bird and Magic Johnson when he was playing and said they should play on the same team. He mentions later that it is a different game today than it was when he played. Jordan says this because James will be joining superstars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, forming a title contender in the process. Many have compared James to Jordan throughout his career, but Barkley says that James will never be like Jordan because of his decision to leave Cleveland. He also says that the more honorable choice would have been Cleveland and one championship there would have meant more than any championships won with Miami.
Simmons, William J. "Welcome to the All-LeBron Sound-off." ESPN.com. ESPN, 9 July 2010. Web. 10 July 2010.
ESPN.com columnist Bill Simmons gives his take on LeBron James' announcement that he is leaving Cleveland to play for Miami. At first he compared the moment to a horrible sports memory of his where Roger Clemons says he is going to play for the New York Yankees. He even refers to Clemons as the antichrist and later says the decision by James is much worse. The second half of the column is dedicated to fan emails and what they had to say about “The LeBacle.” One of the fans even goes as far as to say that “my wife could sleep with my father and I wouldn't feel this betrayed.” Most of the emails seemed to come from Cleveland fans, but some supporters of James were mixed in as well.
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