Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban on Wednesday said that he "is confident" Kevin Durant's decision to join the Warriors "will drive interest in the league," according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com. Cuban said of the Warriors, "They become the villain. Just like when LeBron James went to Miami, I loved that there was a villain. They become the villain. I'm fine with that. Everybody's going to root for them to lose" (ESPN.com, 7/13). ESPN's Dan Le Batard said, "A lot of people are going to be rooting against this team, and that’s good for the league" ("Highly Questionable," ESPN, 7/14). The L.A. Times' Bill Plaschke noted it is "good to have villains, but you need somebody who can challenge those villains." The NBA right now "doesn’t have that.” He noted NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is “exactly correct" in that super teams are "not good for the league” ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 7/14).
NOT IN LEAGUE'S BEST INTERESTS: ESPN’s Sarah Spain said she understands the "appeal of the best players playing together," but the creation of super teams leaves other organizations "not equipped with the best players in the league," meaning the overall product "isn’t as good.” Spain said the NBA is the top sports league for "knowing at the beginning of the season how the season’s going to end,” and if the “majority of the teams in the league are now so deluded of talent, that’s not a good product” ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 7/13). In Dallas, Tim Cowlishaw writes Durant's decision is "bad" for the NBA, as unlike other major pro sports leagues, the NBA "is the only sport where the team with the star players wins." The Warriors "might be a fun team to watch," but they "ALREADY were the most fun team to watch." The league's "terrible salary cap ... allows and maybe even encourages this to happen." NBA Commissioner Adam Silver "says he doesn't like" Durant's move within the current CBA, but he "needs to work hard to change it" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/15). SI's Andrew Sharp notes Durant's departure from the Thunder "represents a kind of doomsday scenario that the current CBA was supposed to prevent." The "angst among owners probably won't lead to another lockout, but it's something to watch as the two sides try to make a deal" (SI, 7/18 issue). In N.Y., Frank Isola wrote under the header, "Durant Joining Warriors Proves NBA's CBA Still Far From Perfect." All things being equal, Silver "would have preferred that Durant re-sign" with the Thunder, as the financial system Silver and the NBPA created "was supposed to ensure that teams keep their best players" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/14).
DOUBLE STANDARD? SI's Phil Taylor noted past super teams were built through the draft and trades, and what owners now “have a problem with is now you’re seeing super teams created by the players.” Taylor: “You work the system as well as you can, and that’s what players are doing. It’s a little bit disingenuous, hypocritical at worst for owners and the commissioner to say what the players are doing is bad for the league” ("Sports Talk Live," CSN Bay Area, 7/13). ESPN's Michael Smith mentioned a hypothetical scenario of Durant having re-signed with the Thunder and the team adding free-agent F Al Horford to a roster that includes Gs Russell Westbrook and Victor Oladipo. Smith: "You know what that is? A super team, and (Silver) ain’t saying jack. The system didn’t work the way they wanted because (the NBPA) didn’t smooth out the cap" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 7/13).
