Be honest now, you thought with a title like that that this was going to be a really spiritual post. Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, but in fact I'm talking about...basketball!The Miami Heat showed off their new superstar-laden line up in it's first meaningful match up last night, and I have to confess to a certain grim satisfaction at their defeat, even if it was to another team I do not like, the Celtics.
During the off season, the Heat got out the check book big time to bolster their line-up so they can now join the Celtics in boasting a "Big Three" of their own - Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and, of course, LeBron.
I'll be honest, I'm no fan of buying up all the talent to make up one big "super team". I've seen it happen over the years in soccer in the UK, starting with Manchester United in the late 80s and early 90s, shopping around with check book flapping in the breeze to grab all of Europe's top players at exorbitant prices. 
Both Chelsea and Manchester United struggled initially to make any impact with their new superstar squads, but in recent times Chelsea have emerged as a team who not only have the cream of European soccer talent, but who also have spent time getting them to function as a team.
All this to say that while I have no doubt that the Heat will in time get it together, and probably spectacularly so, it is bound to take time. Despite this however, I personally cannot help feeling that buying in ALL the talent as a principle is not something I can get behind -- which is why I equally do not like the Celtics!Now I'm sure you'll tell me that if my Washington Wizards, or my Liverpool FC in the UK EPL were to buy up a ton of the world's top players, and then be wildly successful, I'd be singing a different tune, and while that may be partially true, I still maintain that there is a certain hollowness in victories that are achieved by buying up all the talent, opposed to developing talent from younger players or even a youth program.
I realize that some of this might sound "holier than thou" but these are my honest feelings. Buying victory to me rings hollow, and nurturing it is more honorable. Trouble with that course of action is that it takes time, and these days we don't have the time or the money to wait.
To quote the Queen song. "I want it all, and I want it now."
4 comments:
Remember, this is their job, and the ultimate goal in this job is a championship...that's the reason you play for a good team. That's why trades are made and line-ups adjusted. That's the whole goal, of the entire NBA.
And Wade was already on the team.
I'm not denying any of this. I was careful not to suggest that Wade was brought in for this season by the Heat. The point I am making is maybe a philosophical one that I personally find the approach of teams like the Heat and the Celtics to be less satisfying.
As I acknowledged in the blog, my feelings are Utopian of course, and will never be popular, because as you say, it's all about winning, and winning now.
Even so, I find such victories to be a little hollow. Just my take on it.
Would you suggest they play, "just for the fun of it"?
This is the PROS...not recreational. Their job is to win. Whether we agree that is the right goal or not, in this profession it is. In life no...but that is the sole purpose of this job. So, you go to where that will happen. And as a team owner you do what you can to make it happen.
High School and College is for "having fun" and doing your "best" the NBA is for champions. Same with NFL or any other pro sport.
I'm not suggesting they do anything, since I'm not naive enough to think that my philosophical approach is realistic in this day and age.
I am merely pointing out that there is more satisfaction in developing talent, but that that approach hardly matters.
Obviously professional owners are going to do everything they can to get success, and that's not going to change, which is why I described my approach as Utopian!
Post a Comment