With DeMarcus Cousins signing a one-year deal with the Golden State Warriors, fans were shocked and upset. Arguably one of the best players in the game signs with the best team in the league. A team that has won the NBA finals three times out of the past four years. A lot has been said about the NBA and what a joke the league has become. Fans have talked about boycotting the season as there is no point to watching the season play out when the Warriors inevitably win another championship. Before we jump to conclusions and before we stop watching basketball, let’s look at all the reasons why we should watch the NBA this year.
To All Fans, Why the NBA Season Shouldn’t be Canceled
The Rookies
A new season brings a new class of rookies fighting for NBA relevance. This years draft class is full of exciting players that are sure to leave a mark in the league. People are comparing this years number one pick, Deandre Ayton, to Shaquille O’Neil. The number nine pick in the draft, Kevin Knox, is being nicknamed “Baby Durant”. The players drafted in this years class could turn into top five NBA players in a couple years. Luka Doncic was taken third overall and is said to be a franchise-changing talent. Now, these things are said about draft picks every year. However, it’s hard to not be excited to see these new rookies play.
Last year Donovan Mitchell was under everyone’s radar. Taken out of the top ten in the draft, Mitchell quickly climbed the ranks to battle number one overall pick of the 2016 draft, Ben Simmons, for rookie of the year honors. After Gordon Hayward left the Utah Jazz in free agency, much was unsure about the how the Jazz would fair in the Western Conference without their best player. Mitchell quickly showed he was the rightful heir to take over Utah and quickly kept the Jazz relevant last season, helping them win a playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He took down not one, but two NBA superstars. Many players in this year’s draft could have the same impact Donovan Mitchell did.
The Free Agent Signings and Trades
Every off-season is exciting because of all the different trades and free agent signings that go on. LeBron James being a Los Angles Laker is news enough to be excited for next year. How will the Lakers mesh next year now that they have the best player in the NBA? There are so many questions that go into each season. With Rajon Rondo and Lance Stephenson joining LeBron, it will be exciting and fun to see how these personalities go together on a basketball court. What moves will Magic Johnson make before this seasons trade deadline?
The NBA Drama
The NBA is the greatest sport in regards that the entire league is filled with drama almost on a daily basis. Whether that be within an organization or between players on different teams. One of the greatest storylines last year was perhaps when J.R. Smith was given a one-game suspension for throwing chicken soup at a Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach. Where in the NHL, NFL, or MLB has that happened? Not to mention all the side action that goes on when the players take to Twitter and end up talking about other players. It’s only a matter of time before Kevin Durant goes after another fan on social media, or another high up executive starts tweeting through a burner account. With all the clashing personalities that make up the league, this season is setting up to have some funny moments.
Not Guaranteed
Although the Warriors roster is definitely stacked over the rest of the teams in the NBA, there’s no guarantee all their players will stay healthy from start to finish. Their success is built on their starters and if one or two of their starters go down, this will open the door for other teams to have a better chance to beat them.
The Boston Celtics reached game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals without their two star players. If Hayward and Kyrie Irving come back and play to their full potential, one could argue the Celtics have just as good of a team as the Warriors do, especially since they’re coached by one of the best coaches in the league, Brad Stevens.
Don’t Blame DeMarcus Cousins
Don’t blame Cousins here. Blame every other team in the league. Cousins wanted to get paid and be on a team long term. No team wanted to give him a big contract coming off his injury. Why would he join a team for one year that will want to rush him back? Joining the Warriors, he can take all the time he needs to rehab and return to 100 percent. The Warriors were willing to take a chance on him when no other team would, so why should we fault them for that?
There are no guarantee Cousins will be the same player once he comes back, at least in the short term. Let’s stop jumping to conclusions that Cousins will average 15 and 30 when he comes back. That’s part of the beauty of watching the season all the way through
In Conclusion
Although the Warriors have created this reputation of buying all the good players, Kevin Durant and Cousins are the only good players they signed in free agency. The rest of their stars are homegrown talents. Can we really fault them for having good coaching and scouting? People seem to be playing the victim card and mailing in the season. The NBA was built on dynasties. The Chicago Bulls in the 90s and the Los Angeles Lakers in the early 2000s are just a few examples. In reality, anything can happen next season within 82 games. The fun part about all this is to see these teams get taken down. The Rockets had a good shot of making the NBA finals had Chris Paul not gotten injured. It’s possible another team can dethrone the defending champs this year.
Seeing who wins the championship is fun, so are the playoffs. However, if you’re only watching the NBA for just that, you’re missing a lot more than you think.
Main Photo
DENVER, CO – JANUARY 29: Kyrie Irving (11) of the Boston Celtics sizes up Will Barton (5) of the Denver Nuggets during the first half on Monday, January 29, 2018. The Denver Nuggets hosted the Boston Celtics at the Pepsi Center in Denver. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
