What Could have been teams Part 2

AP

After doing the top five what-could-have-been teams I found people telling me more teams that could have been added to the list. In this article I will add five more teams to the list I already made. These teams could be arguably in different orders, but this list is meant to show the potential that many teams had.

Before I jump into the new list let's recap the last list. The last top five list included the early 2000's Lakers, 1996 Orlando Magic, 2010 Portland Trailblazers, 2000 Toronto Raptors, and 2012 Oklahoma City Thunder. To read the reasoning behind these choices take a look at Top 5 What Could Have Been Teams.

Now for the continuation of this list. As mentioned earlier all the teams mentioned in the last article and this one could be in any order. For this article I will pull another five teams from the NBA's past that had potential to be great. The teams included had the chance to achieve so much more. For whatever the case may be they fell short of expectations. Without further ado, here are the next five teams.

2003 Dallas Mavericks

AP Photo/Donna McWilliam

This was the most obvious choice left off of the last list. The 2003 Dallas Mavericks had a loaded roster and finished tied for the best record of 60-22. The most notable players from the team were Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley, and Nick Van Exel. Although the team was stacked and had a very good record they lost to the San Antonio Spurs, who were also 60-22, in the Western Conference Finals. The following season the Mavericks lost Van Exel, but managed to add Antawn Jamison and Antoine Walker. The team finished with a 52-30 record. It earned the Mavericks a 5th seed in the Western Conference. Ultimately they would lose in the first round of the playoffs to the Sacramento Kings 4 games to 1. 

During the 2004 off season Steve Nash demanded a bigger contract than he was offered and the Mavericks felt Nash was not worth his asking price. The Suns decided to come in and pay Nash. The next two season Nash would win back to back MVP awards. By the Mavericks not keeping Nash they created another obstacle for themselves. Nash lead the Suns to the top record in the NBA and would beat the Mavericks in the second round of the 2005 NBA playoffs. 

No one knows if he would have had the same success with the Mavericks as he did with the Suns. But the speculation will always be there. Nash fit very well in Mike D'Antoni's system which is what helped him win two MVP's. The flip side is if Nash had stayed with Nowitzki he may have a championship ring. There is also the possibility that both of them would have won multiple championships.

1999 Minnesota Timberwolves

David Sherman/NBAE/Getty Images

This Timberwolves team was so young and had plenty of potential for the future. Having Kevin Garnett and Stephon Marbury on the same team sounds amazing on paper. Unfortunately it did not last very long. In the 1999 season Garnett was 22 years old and Marbury was 21. Both showed their potential and were a few years away from being deadly. Many even predicted them to be the team to beat down the road. It was easy to see as Garnett had 20.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. And Marbury had 17.7 points, 9.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. 

In the 1999 off season Marbury's agent demanded Marbury be traded. It is all speculation as to why Marbury wanted to be traded. According to Marbury he wanted to be closer to family and friends. Either way Marbury ended something that could have been really special in Minnesota. While Garnett continued to lead the Timberwolves to relevance, Marbury struggled with each team he went to. After leaving Minnesota Marbury would only make the playoffs three more times in his career winning only one playoff series. 

Marbury really hurt himself because he was never in the same position he was in at the beginning of his career. Had he stayed put there is a possibility the Timberwolves could have won a championship. Having a player like Marbury and Garnett on the same team in their prime would have been deadly. Now it is just something to fantasize about. 

1993 New Jersey Nets

Google Images

In the early 90's the Nets started to form a respectable team. The Nets drafted Derrick Coleman in 1990, traded for Drazen Petrovic in January of 1991, and drafted Kenny Anderson in the summer of 1991.

It was clear that the 1993 season was a sign of good things to come. Chuck Daly was the coach. The Nets star player, Petrovic, averaged 22.3 points and shot 45% from three. Not to mention many players considered Petrovic a very good defender. Kenny Anderson averaged 16.9 points, 8.2 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. And the Nets big man Derrick Coleman averaged 20.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. Although the Nets finished 43-39 they were poised for future success. 

bklyn-nets

Tragically in the summer of 1993 Drazen Petrovic died in an automobile accident. This put a real damper on an improving team. And even though the Nets improved their record to 45-37 in 1993-94 it was clear the team would not reach the elite status that was possible with Petrovic. Anderson and Coleman continued to improve and played well in the 1993-94 season. But the seasons following 1994 were injury riddled for both players. In the end both players would be traded and by 1996-97 the Nets no longer had anyone from the trio.

Had Petrovic been able to continue his career, and had Anderson and Coleman remained healthy; there is a good chance the Nets would have made it past the first round of the playoffs. It seems to be a trend of misfortune for Nets fans. Luckily Jason Kidd saved fans in the 2000's.

2004 Detroit Pistons

Slammag.net

I know what you may be thinking. How could a team that won the NBA finals and advanced to the finals the following season make this list? Well it all has to do with the 2003 NBA draft. The Pistons had the number two pick in the 2003 draft. They had the choice to take Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and many more. But at number two they selected Darko Milicic. By selecting Milicic the Pistons altered their future drastically.

Had the Pistons selected Anthony, Wade, or Bosh they would have had a young player to take over the reigns as all the starters began to decline. It would have made the transition from the early 2000's to the late 2000's much better. They would have stayed much more competitive. The Pistons would have even been able to trade one of their starting guys for more role players and make room for Anthony, Wade, or Bosh. In the end the Pistons stayed with the team they had and Milicic never turned into the star they had hoped for. The Pistons would win the 2004 NBA finals and lose the 2005 NBA finals. The team still saw success, but the question of "what if?" will carry on forever.

2013 Los Angeles Lakers

nowthatsthunderbasketball

In the 2012 off season the Lakers tried to assemble their own super team to compete with the Miami Heat. The Lakers retained Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant. They also made a huge trade for Dwight Howard. And to top it all off the Lakers traded for Steve Nash. A team of Nash, Bryant, Metta World Peace, Gasol, and Howard was considered one of the best before the start of the season. The team ended the season with a 45-37 record. It was good enough for the seventh seed in the west.

The reason the 2013 Lakers made the list is because this team was injury plagued. Pau Gasol played 49 games. Nash played 50 games. Howard dealt with back issues all season long. And Kobe had his season end in April when he tore his achilles tendon. The truth is had this team stayed healthy and had time to play together they could have been a threat. There were also rumors that Howard did not get along with Kobe Bryant. Whatever the reason, Howard bolted for Huston after one season in Los Angeles. It was a good choice for Howard as he was surrounded by aging superstars.

This team came together at the wrong time. If all these moves were made one season earlier they would have been deadly. In the end father time won the battle with this team and no one got to see what the starting five could do together.

Michael Jordan and LeBron James

LeBron James and Michael Jordan will continue to be compared well after James retires. The question that will always be asked is who is better?

In an interview with Lee Jenkins earlier in the month LeBron James talks about the NBA finals and his experience. But at one point LeBron says, "My motivation, is this ghost I'm chasing. The ghost played in Chicago." That's right James is talking about the greatest to ever play the game, Michael Jordan. James goes on to say, "My career is totally different than Michael Jordan's. What I've gone through is totally different that what he went through. What he did was unbelievable, and I watched it unfold. I looked up to him so much. I think it's cool to put myself in position to be one of those great players, but if I can ever put myself in position to be the greatest player, that would be something extraordinary."

"If I can ever put myself in position to be the greatest player, that would be something extraordinary."- LeBron James

LeBron James is finally acknowledging the elite company he is in. The problem is LeBron only has so much time left in the NBA to achieve more. To get a better understanding of where LeBron is in comparison to Michael Jordan here is a table below showing their career achievements. Of course LeBron will be adding to these categories, but the purpose of this chart is see how far behind James is. I will include the age at which Jordan retired.

Michael Jordan and LeBron James' Achievements

Achievement	Michael Jordan	LeBron James
Age	40	31
Seasons	15	13
Championships	6	3
MVP's	5	4
Finals MVP	6	3
Finals Record	6-0	3-4
All Star	14	12
Points	32292	26833
Rookie of the Year	Yes	Yes

Looking at these categories LeBron James is not very far behind Micheal Jordan. Both have had very successful careers. The thing that really hangs over James head is his finals record. James has had more opportunities to win yet has less rings than Jordan. Even if LeBron were to tie Jordan in championships, it would take him more seasons than it took Jordan to win six championships. To be honest this is just a minor detail due to the fact that people do not really remember players losing. What they will remember is how much they accomplish and right now James still has the opportunity to tie or pass Jordan. It comes down to how serious he is about chasing Jordan's ghost.

Jordan's Finals vs James' Finals

youtube

Just how good was Jordan? First here is Jordan's 1993 NBA finals averages. 41 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. This is is arguably Jordan's best statistical NBA finals. Now if that wasn't convincing enough here are his averages from the 1991 NBA finals. 31.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 11.4 assists, 2.8 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game. Jordan was a scoring machine and was just about unstoppable in every finals appearance he made. His performances earned him Finals MVP during both of these seasons and every other finals he played. Also Jordan never played a game 7 in the NBA finals. That shows just how dominant he and his team was in the 90's.

Beck Diefenbach/AFP/Getty Images

There is no doubt that LeBron is the best player in the NBA today. To compare him to Jordan is not as far fetched as critics make it out to be. Critics are constantly questioning LeBron James and his ability to take over games. James had his best finals performances in his last two finals apperances. In the 2015 NBA finals James averaged 35.5 points, 13.3 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. LeBron really had to carry the team in the 2015 NBA finals being that he was without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. In 2016 he had a fully healthy team yet the Cavaliers found themselves in 3-1 hole. James made sure he did everything possible to turn his teams fortune around. He did so and went on to win the NBA championship and Finals MVP. During last years NBA finals LeBron averaged 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.6 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game. Those are incredible numbers. Those numbers are very similar to Jordan's, if not better.

Different Era's

Getty Images

Really comparing both players is very hard. Stats do not tell the whole story. LeBron James is a much different player than Michael Jordan. He even stated this in his quote. LeBron James also plays in a different era of basketball that is less physical. No one knows for sure whether or not James would succeed playing in a different era. And the same goes for Michael Jordan. All these hall of fame players continue to say that players today wouldn't succeed during their era. Would Stephen Curry be as effective playing during the 90's or 80's? Maybe or maybe not. Now put Gary Payton in today's NBA and tell him to stop Stephen Curry. Would he be able to stop him? Maybe or maybe not. The reality of the situation is no one will ever know. What everyone should do is just enjoy what is happening in the NBA right now. Golden State and Cleveland is slowly becoming rivalry. Both teams are on a collision course for another NBA finals show down. And if this season holds as much excitement as last season, basketball fans are in for a treat.

The Verdict

No one knows for sure if LeBron James will ever be as good as Michael Jordan. James has a body of work that if he retired tomorrow he could be considered a top 10 player of all time. By the time LeBron James is done in the NBA he will most likely be considered a top three player all time. For now James has made it clear that his mission is to be the best player he can be. By doing this James will be put in the same category as Jordan one day.

Westbrook Agrees to Contract Extension

Picture Westbrook posted on Twitter after agreeing to extension

Russell Westbrook decided to sign an extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder worth $85 million over three years. This changes everything for the Thunder. Essentially Westbrook just saved the Thunder from going into the lottery for years to come. The Thunder can now target big name free agents next summer and ultimately know their top player is locked in. Recruiting free agents will be easier if the recruits know Westbrook is not going anywhere. But as excited as Thunder fans may be of this news, why would Westbrook stay after they just lost Kevin Durant and traded Serge Ibaka this summer?

Mark D. Smith USA Today

For starters Westbrook will be making much more than he was set to make this coming season. Westbrook's salary going into next season was set at $17.8 million dollars, but after reconstructing next season in his extension he will make $26.5 million. Along with an instant salary increase this season he is also set to make $27.8 million in 2017-18. In his third year he will have a player option worth $30.6 million. Westbrook now has a salary that resembles his worth.

The second reason Westbrook would sign an extension through 2019 with a player option is because by 2018 he will a 10 year veteran. As a 10 year veteran players are allowed to take up 35% of the salary cap as opposed to 30% of the cap. Over the span of a five year max contract that can equal more than $40 million extra dollars to be made. With the cap increasing as well Westbrook will be in for a huge pay day once the summer of 2018 rolls around.

This extension also makes Westbrook look like a hero. Westbrook would never have been hated as much for leaving as Durant, but Oklahoma City fans would not have been happy with him. Now that he is staying he gives fans hope and paints a positive picture of himself. What better way to get fans to root for you than saying you hope you beat the guy who left you and say you are not going anywhere? Westbrook is setting out to make a statement and he means every word of it. The real question becomes will management help him? The Thunder still have a huge hole to fill with Durant gone. Westbrook signing this extension allows them to focus on putting talent around him. That's great, but Sam Presti cannot just be on idle for a year because he has Westbrook locked in. In order to keep Westbrook he has form a plan now to make the team better. If Presti fails to provide Westbrook with another high level running mate he will leave. And when he leaves he will get no flack. Everyone will be saying Sam Presti was given one last opportunity and failed to deliver. So all the pressure is on the Thunder to keep Westbrook happy these next two seasons.

Nate Billings. The Oklahoman

This extension puts Westbrook in a win-win situation. When players hit that decade mark with one team they are usually praised for their time with the team. If Westbrook goes through all the ups and downs in OKC he will be remembered for sticking it out for as long as he could, but if the situation never improves he has the right to leave. And fans, as heart broken as they may be, will cheer him when he returns because they will know he gave it his all. A great example would be when Kevin Garnett landed in Boston after playing 11 seasons with the Timberwolves. Minnesota fans still showed him love when he returned. Hopefully in Westbrook's situation the Thunder can quickly build another win now team. As the roster stands today the Thunder could be a 4-6 seed in the west. They also have a good chance at advancing to the second round of the playoffs. It is a good starting point, but they need to add another piece that will help them challenge the Spurs and Warriors. And that's where Presti will have to work his magic.