Buddy Ball

To me, one of the most exciting things about basketball and any major league sport are the trades, as they leave much to the imagination and create havoc for those who participate in fantasy sports and follow the league with great regard and dedication - it creates excitement, anxiety, anxiousness and curiosity all at once! One of the biggest events and  created one of the NBA's most discussed, cussed, free agent bounties in some time and biggest coming out parties was the free agent signings of Chris Bosh and LeBron James to the Miami Heat, joining already team member, Dwayne Wade. This signing not only created a 'dynasty' (as some thought), but it was an introduction to a new 'Big Three' or so they were labeled. But, were they really what people were hoping them to be? Were they everything that the name 'Big Three' encapsulated?

I personally don't believe that Miami created a dynasty - I felt that the signing was just overrated in a sense that everyone expected them to be great... more than great, to create a dynasty of 'three kings.' Yes, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade are amazing players, but they're amazing players individually, and that in itself is even arguable. The amount of hype that was created globally was incredible and the amount of attention it received was phenomenal, but was it all intentional?

This brings me to the main focus of my post, "buddy ball." Are these signings controlled by the players themselves, for the sole purpose of allowing star players to play with their "buddies?" This may have not been the case of Miami Heat's Big Three, but with recent trades that have occurred within the league, specifically within this season alone, you can't help but question what exactly is going on within the league? Some say, the glory days are officially over. 

As much as I dislike Miami Heat, I believe their off-season acquisitions weren't made just so their top three players could play together on the same team, unlike recent trades that have taken place this season, Putting together the Big Three in Miami took years of planning that involved salary-dumping, and a long process of recruitment to even make the trade possible. So at the very least, I give Miami credit for that. Another team that has done incredibly well for themselves considering the players on the team and their development of the years is the Chicago Bulls (one of my favourite teams of all time). Derrick Rose (my favourite player) has been an incredible player from the very beginning, and one of the main reasons why their team is so successful without having to acquire star players is because he's one of the few players in the league who has a team building around him. Talking about basketball and their players is like talking about any sport team in general, whether you have star quality players with God-given talent, a team isn't going to be successful if all they have are star-quality players and nothing else, but again, that's arguable. In the case of Miami, they one have 3 players, and not much of anything else, but is that what's going to bring them a championship ring? It didn't work last season, but who knows. 

In the case of other teams and the trades that have happened this season, its almost hard not to think that in 3 years or so, the league will be boasting about 6-7 super-teams and nothing else. But that's my thought. Has the league lost all its glory because of their star players' trade preferences and what has been happening? And is it because of "buddy ball?" Does "buddy ball" even exist?