The Year NBA Teams Quit Early
Why Revenue Concerns, Bloated Contracts and Dreams of LeBron Are Quashing Competition
By MATTHEW FUTTERMAN
Wall Street Journal
This season in the NBA, there are five teams who can still be considered legitimate title contenders. The other 25 are a mix of the unproven, the banged-up, the raw, the disappointing, the apathetic and the catastrophically bad.
More than 80% of the league's 30 teams have no realistic shot at winning the championship, even with more than a quarter of the season left to play. Beyond the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic -- all of whom have won at least 70% of their games -- only the San Antonio Spurs have better than a 10% chance to win the NBA title, according to lines offered by Las Vegas oddsmakers. Four teams are on track to lose at least 75% of their games, which hasn't happened in 11 years.
For the first time in NBA history, team owners, executives, and fans in numerous markets say they have resigned themselves to the idea that their teams are not going to be competitive this season and that, given the state of the economy, they could not make the sorts of expensive moves that would help them improve. "We all want to win, but we have to be aware of the uncertainty of our future revenue," said Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
(More here.)
By MATTHEW FUTTERMAN
Wall Street Journal
This season in the NBA, there are five teams who can still be considered legitimate title contenders. The other 25 are a mix of the unproven, the banged-up, the raw, the disappointing, the apathetic and the catastrophically bad.
More than 80% of the league's 30 teams have no realistic shot at winning the championship, even with more than a quarter of the season left to play. Beyond the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic -- all of whom have won at least 70% of their games -- only the San Antonio Spurs have better than a 10% chance to win the NBA title, according to lines offered by Las Vegas oddsmakers. Four teams are on track to lose at least 75% of their games, which hasn't happened in 11 years.
For the first time in NBA history, team owners, executives, and fans in numerous markets say they have resigned themselves to the idea that their teams are not going to be competitive this season and that, given the state of the economy, they could not make the sorts of expensive moves that would help them improve. "We all want to win, but we have to be aware of the uncertainty of our future revenue," said Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
(More here.)
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