Robert Thurber’s terrible deeds and forced expulsion. DeAndre Aytons Cold War and himself head his coach. Suspicion of violation and suspension of Udoka Ime. Draymond Green’s pointless Jordan Poole punch.of brooklyn nets Well, it’s the Brooklyn Nets.
In the midst of an increasingly competitive NBA, most of the game’s favorites have another, more dangerous obstacle to overcome. it is yourself.
That’s one of the season’s throughlines starting tonight. Four of the six betting favorites to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June are nursing the type of controversy that championship-capable teams typically try to avoid.
phonics sands Chris Paul’s aging leader, who is dysfunctional in and out of the locker room and may not be the best fit to play a relationship counselor with Ayton’s head coach, Monty Williams.
of boston celtics It’s impossible to know exactly what Joe Mazura’s tenure as interim head coach will look like with Udoka suspended for at least a season. .
The Brooklyn Nets are a hodgepodge of drama-ridden question marks. How will Kevin Durant’s attempts to fire the GM and head coach play out during the season? What will Ben Simmons offer?
and the golden state warriorsOf course, he has to contend with the repercussions of Green clocking the face of the pool during practice a few weeks ago.
It’s exhausting to process this without considering how demanding each meeting is.
In the West, 10 teams could finish in the top 6 and avoid play-ins. Warriors, clippers, GrizzliesSans, nugget, Mavericks, timberwolves, pelican, trail blazers When lakers.
The east also looks brutal, especially at the summit. Over the drama-tainted Celtics and Nets, Bucks, heat, Sixers and Cavs seem to have enough to contend for the top four spots.and the raptors When hawks You can also make things interesting.
As one NBA general manager told CBS Sports: “The last thing I want to do is torment myself with internal problems that can affect my play.”
Several league sources (executives, scouts, former players) said some of the favorites that year were When Victims of their own controversy would implode. They couldn’t agree on which team they were.
Nets followers believe that if their talent stays healthy, they will overwhelm the opposition and internal dysfunction.
A devotee of the Celtics, and I am one of them, the young and promising head coach of Mazura, the young team that nearly won the NBA championship last June, has been aspiring all season long and the unity effect has made them as equal. I see you doing something dangerous. last season. Skeptics don’t think Udoka is too important to their success, too close to some players, and that Boston excels, given his absence and why.
Warriors followers see the best team in the NBA, Poole’s mature team-first response, and class action like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, and there’s no doubt that Golden State will do well. Skeptics say that what Greene did certainly broke the glue that held them together and made them fearsome, and they expect a rocky and disappointing campaign.
And Suns followers (there weren’t that many of them) think Thurber’s departure removes the burden that has been choking Phoenix’s culture. Doubters think Ayton’s bizarre split with Williams is prey to further disappointment for the Sands.
Either way, it’s an unprecedented amount of self-harm that competing teams have to bring into a long, brutal and competitive season. But there are many histories where this kind of controversy and toxicity proved to be just the background noise of success.
Yankees’ iconic home run hitter Reggie Jackson and manager Billy Martin nearly got hit in the dugout. The Yankees still won the 1977 World Series together.Bill Belichick and Tom Brady couldn’t stand each other, but still won the final Super Bowl as a tandem.Kobe Bryant forced out of the Lakers Tried to get out and feuded with Shaquille O’Neal for a while. But the ring was still coming year after year.
Ironically, Steve Kerr knows this story all too well. Michael Jordan punched him in the face at practice in the middle of his championship season. Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen won it all while completely loathing each other by all accounts. Dennis Rodman won his five NBA titles. There isn’t enough space on the internet to cover all the drama he throws at his teammates, but he made it happen.
Even Udoka’s situation is ugly, wrong, and punishable, but it’s not at all uncommon in the annals of professional sports, even for championship teams.
The Bucks and Clippers, who are currently drama-free contenders, represent the minority. It means that it is defined by what is returned.
One league source said:
And that, more than anything else, may determine the fate of the NBA this season.
