This one's a blog post from my fellow blogmate, Mackie Hilborn. Mackie's going to be the other regular poster here at The Restricted Zone. Enjoy!
Every half decade or so a player enters the NBA draft with so much talent that he alone has the ability to not only change the fate of a single franchise, but the landscape of the entire NBA. Usually this player is sought after from a young age and labeled a superstar before the age of 20. When the young phenom finally becomes eligible for the NBA draft, one comment can trigger the collective drool of every General Manager with a chance to win the draft lottery “I’m going pro.” Maybe the drool comes from years of experience, and these veterans of the game understand the significance of a superstar. In 1992 the Orlando Magic arrived on draft day with the name O’Neal stitched onto the back of a blue and black XXXXL jersey (it was too small). Three years later, a 24 year old Shaq had The Magic competing for a championship in the NBA finals.
Other times, this superstar-in-the-making develops at a later age, and NBA fans are left with nightmares having passed on such a magnificent talent in the draft. Kobe Bryant was selected 13th overall in the 1997 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets, and was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Four years later Kobe was hoisting the first of three Larry O’Brien trophies with the Los Angeles Lakers. Looking back, I’m certain the Dallas Mavericks would have selected Bryant four picks earlier instead of Samaki Walker. Instead, they watched in awe as the Lakers marched through the Western Conference playoffs for nearly half a decade.
What’s important here is that NBA superstars do not come around very often, and when they do a team better not pass up the opportunity to grab one. Joe Dumars has done a good job at the helm of the Detroit Pistons, but a blunder in the 2003 draft tainted his legacy, when he selected career roll player Darko Milicic over current NBA All-Stars Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and most notably, Finals MVP Dwyane Wade. Hindsight will forever be 20 / 20, but if Dumars had selected Wade with the 2nd overall pick, you can be sure Detroit would still be amongst the elite teams in the NBA. Conversely, the Miami Heat would never have been blessed with such a talent, and would never have won the 2006 NBA championship. Shaq would be left with only three pieces of bling on his fingers, and Dirk Nowitzki would be held in much higher regard. Perception is a scary animal, and it is bizarre how quickly the history books will change with one simple draft pick.
The significance of an NBA superstar is simple. Unlike in Football, Baseball or Hockey, an NBA player can dominate for almost an entire game without having to sit off for rest. LeBron James is playing an outstanding 37.7 minutes per game this season (Feb 20, 2009), which equates to 78.5% of the game. Could you imagine the impact Albert Pujols would have in the Cards rotation if he was batting 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th? Or, if Jarome Iginla could play for two and a half periods of hockey straight without coming off the ice? Or what if Tom Brady could follow up a 300 yard, three touchdown performance with 12 tackles and two sacks on the other side of the ball? The outcomes would be summed up into one word: domination. There is no better word to describe the significance of an NBA superstar than pure domination.
What defines a superstar is not standard across all measuring sticks, but there are certainly three criteria that everyone can agree upon. For starters, an NBA superstar can have no glaring weaknesses in their game. Now before you get all fussy and announce Shaq’s free throw percentages, bare is minding that Shaq’s poor free throw shooting is offset but his ability to get to the line so frequently. Shaq is so powerful that it is nearly impossible to just foul him without risking a three point play and/or putting yourself into foul trouble. Shaq’s free throw percentage is abysmal (although he always hit the ones that counted), but by putting extreme pressure on opposing team’s front courts, his overall ability to impact a game from the free throw line is acceptable. You find me a superstar with a weakness, and I will deem him no superstar at all.
The second criterion shared amongst all superstars is their ability to utterly dominate more than one aspect of the game. Kobe Bryant, for example, is an unstoppable scorer and a tenacious defender. This makes him a nightmare for teams to game plan for because even during an off night he will have a large impact on the game. You don’t believe me, check for yourself, and start sifting through the superstars. Dwight Howard is an exceptional shot blocker and a governing rebounder. Chris Paul is a proficient scorer and a brilliant distributor. Tim Duncan is an incredible defender and an excellent scorer; and rebounder, shot blocker, passer and leader. Superstars have the ability to dominate at least two aspects of the game, which guarantees that their impact will be significant every time they step onto the court.
Lastly, a superstar must have the intangibles needed to overcome adversity. In game 6 of the 1980 NBA finals, rookie superstar Magic Johnson played center and scored 45 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, dished out 7 assists and snagged 3 steals in place of an injured Abdul-Jabbar, and lead his team to the first of many NBA championships. Stepping up in times of need, making clutch plays and acquiring an unrelenting work ethic are important intangibles. However, the most important aspect of all, the one that truly defines the greatness of a superstar, is one that cannot be determined by statistics but rather by watching him play; his ability to lead.
Looking back in history, only a handful of teams have won an NBA championship without a superstar player. In fact, in the past 30 years the only team to have accomplished this feat was the 2004 Detroit Pistons, when Larry Brown coached a perfectly balanced team to the title. To quote Russell Crowe from Gladiator “What you do in life, echoes in eternity.” The significant of an NBA superstar is not only defined by all-star appearances, MVP trophies, or championships parades. It is defined by their ability to lead and by the mark that they leave on the game of basketball.
