Top 5 What Could Have Been Teams

Today and yesterday I was looking back at some old NBA game highlights and I started to realize how many teams had a bright future. Of course sometimes players leave there respected teams before the team is fully developed or sometimes players become injured. In this article I will pick the top 5 what-could-have-been NBA teams. Each team that is considered would have most likely had a shot at winning a championship had they not lost a key piece to the core of the team.

#5 Early 2000's Lakers

At number 5 I have the early 2000 Lakers. This team had arguably the two best player from the last decade. Kobe and Shaq had success winning 3 tittle all in back to back to back years. Not many teams have ever been able to win 3 or more titles in a row. Jordan and the Bulls did it twice, the 1959-1966 Boston Celtics and the 1952-1954 Minneapolis Lakers. That's it. What Shaq and Kobe had was special and nothing could ruin what they were able to do. After they won 3 titles in a row they would miss the NBA finals after losing to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in the conference semifinals. Then in 2003-04 the Lakers added Gary Payton and Karl Malone to the team in an effort to win another title. The Lakers would reach the NBA finals, but lose 4 games to 1 to the Detroit Pistons. For years Bryant and Shaq had problems with each other. In fact on multiple occasions Shaq requested a trade. They were able to work out there differences every time until the 2004 off-season rolled around. Phil Jackson didn't want to coach the Lakers if Bryant came back and Kobe was in serious talks with the Clippers. Not long after the Lakers made a trade sending Shaq to the Heat and resigning Bryant to a 7 year deal worth $136 million. There's a lot that went on behind the scenes with the Kobe-Shaq feud, but in the end it cost Shaq and Kobe. If they could have settled their differences and worked hard during the off-season they could have won 5 to 7 championships. I have this team at number 5 because they did succesed, but the crazy thing is that there was still plenty of potential and room to grow. To think this team may have not peeked is hard to fathom.

#4 1996 Orlando Magic

At number 4 I have the 96 Orlando Magic. Another Shaq team that had it's fair share of locker room problems. The problems going on in Orlando weren't as bad as the ones between Shaq and Kobe, but it might have affected the Magic's future. In the summer of 1996 Shaq became a free agent and there was speculation as to what would happen next. That year the Magic won 60 games and made it to the Eastern Conference finals where they would lose to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls. During the off-season it was reported that Shaq didn't agree with the coaches decisions. Also Penny Hardaway claimed himself to be the best on player on the team and that Shaq shouldn't be paid more than him. That summer Shaq joined the Los Angles Lakers on a 7 year deal worth $121 million. The Magic wouldn't be the same without Shaq. They would win a good amount of games and make the playoffs, but they weren't seen as a threat in the East anymore. Penny Hardaway also suffered multiple injuries over the next few seasons, playing less and less games. As his health depleted, so did his contributions to the team. He had a dip in his averages every year since the departure of Shaq. This isn't Shaq's fault in anyway. It is just bad luck. If Penny Hardaway could have stayed healthy and Shaq stayed with the team they could have taken over for the Bulls as the dominate force in the east.

#3 2010 Portland Trail Blazers

At number 3 are the 2010 Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers during this season were a team on the rise and ready to dominate the NBA. Brandon Roy had won the rookie of the year in 2007 and was selected to multiple All Star games. Greg Oden was supposed to return to the team with full health. And they still had a young LaMarcus Aldridge. They also had small forward Nicolas Batum who was emerging as a contributing small forward and they signed Wesley Matthews to a five year deal. Two other notable names on this team were Marcus Camby and Gerald Wallace. This team was on the rise and was still very young. Unfortunately injuries plagued this team, but despite the injuries they still made the playoffs. They did it without Brandon Roy and Greg Oden. In the end this team could have been great and there is still a possibility that they could have ended up with Damian Lillard and all of these guys healthy, but in the end injuries took over forcing Greg Oden and Brandon Roy into early retirement.

#2 2000 Toronto Raptors

At number 2 I have the 2000 Toronto Raptors. This one is the one that bothers me the most. This team had Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady on the same team! And even though McGrady played 6th man for most of the year he started to really prove he belonged in the starting line up next to Carter. By March in 2000 the duo of McGrady and Vince Carter seemed like they would be unstoppable. They were also cousins giving them a special bond no teammates have had before. It doesn't get any better than an athletic 6'6" and 6'8" scorer on both wings. Both of  them had the ability to dunk on anyone in there way and the ability to hit open and contested jumpers. They could both defend well too. This was a dream scenario and it seemed as if Toronto struck gold. Unfortunately in the summer of 2000 McGrady opted to leave Toronto to have his own spot light in Orlando, near his hometown. McGrady felt that Carter should have his own spot light in Toronto and he didn't want to be second fiddle to Carter. McGrady saw Orlando as an opportunity to create his own identity rather than Vince Carters cousin. Neither McGrady nor Carter would win a Championship in the NBA. Vince Carter made it to the fianls with the 2010 Magic while McGrady made it as a reserve bench player on the 2013 spurs. For the most part I think had McGrady stayed in Toronto he would have had no problems sharing the spot light. In fact I bet Carter would have minded McGrady wanting to have the ball more. The Raptors probably would have won a title within the next three years had they built a good supporting cast to compliment these two players.

#1 2012 Oklahoma City Thunder

 

At number 1 I will go with probably the most popular choice. The 2012 Oklahoma City Thunder. By now if you follow the NBA you know what happened in 2012. James Harden was set to become a free agent the following season and he was set to have a big pay day coming. Before the season even began the Thunder did the unthinkable and traded James Harden to the Houston Rockets for virtually nothing in return. I can't even thing of a player from that trade still with the Thunder. It blows my mind how little they traded him for. On top of that they did it right after a season in which they reached the NBA Finals. I know Harden had a forgettable performance in the finals, but this team was so young they had plenty of years to capture the title. What also irks me about this move is that Harden had been on the bench for the Thunder when the whole time he should have been starting. Or at least he should have played with the first unit more. Think about how hard it would be to stop Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Serge Ibaka all on the same team right now, of course considering they're all healthy. It would be impossible. Also it wouldn't matter if one player sat out a game because each and every one of them would have the ability to carry the offense on there own. The Thunder pulled the trigger to fast on this trade and I'm sure they regret it every day. I mean James Harden almost won MVP last season and put up 27.4 ppg, 7 apg and 5.7 rpg. Now if he played along side Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook his averages would be lower, but I'm sure that would have never bothered him. Those three had a special bond. They all came into the NBA very young only being 2 years apart age wise. They probably felt like the NBA was more like college. They knew they were there to help the team win an NBA championship and that meant they would all have to sacrifice something. To learn that at only 24 and 23 years old is mind blowing. All three of these guys are going to peek within the next 2 to 3 years and the fact the Harden won't be doing with the Thunder is annoying. I'm sure at some point one of them would have left, but I don't think that would have happened until 2016 or 2017. In the end Harden has blossomed into an NBA superstar and has had his own success, while the Thunder seem to be the favorites to win it all this year.