Keith Strudler: Winning In The NBA

It’s said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. One could argue that’s also the definition of being a sports fan. Or perhaps more specifically, being a New York Knicks fan. Up until about two days ago, Knicks fans expected two of the NBA’s biggest stars to come to the Garden to push the dormant franchise into some form of relevance, if not prominence. Those stars were Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, neither of whom will join the Knicks, despite what a remarkable percentage of its fans seemed to believe. Just like they believed that about LeBron James, or Anthony Davis, or really any A-list superstar that’s changing uniforms. So while Golden State and Houston and LA and Boston and Toronto and pretty much everyone with a zip code and an arena finds a way to bring stars to town, and playoff success along with them, the New York Knicks, the self-proclaimed mecca of professional basketball, will now talk about how Julius Randle and Taj Gibson will transform the franchise. And I understand if you don’t even know who those players are.

The worst part for the Knicks isn’t that they didn’t get Durant and Irving. The worst part is that the Brooklyn Nets did. The team in an outer borough that came from New Jersey has managed to steal both their player prospects and the spotlight, which like basketball talent also stands in limited supply. The Knicks did find a way to get the camera turned back on them, with a report that they weren’t willing to pay Durant a max contract, an assumption for any team hoping to land the megastar. But other than that, and the ongoing scathing commentary about Knicks owner James Dolan, the eyes are largely upon Brooklyn for more than simply its preponderance of grossly overpriced farm to table restaurants.

Lest anyone assume Brooklyn has won the war, I’d advise a bit of caution. As great as Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant are, just remember that the later ended last season with the Golden State Warriors curled up on court with a torn Achilles. Which means the 30-year-old forward won’t touch a basketball in the Barclay’s Center until he’s 32, with over a decade of professional sports on his reconstructed legs. Remember, in 2013 they bet the farm on Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, a move that yielded no titles and set the team back pretty much until today. Still, simply adding Irving next year to a team that made the playoffs last year should give fans enough to cheer about, especially in the Eastern Conference. But before we assume the Brooklyn Nets just won the NBA Championship, know that for the time being, all they’ve really won is the press conference.

And yet, perhaps that’s the crux of the issue. The NBA isn’t simply a group of professional sports teams all competing to win basketball games. It’s a massive, global business where individual franchises try get as much success – broadly defined – as they can in something of a zero-sum landscape. Of course, every team would like to do that by winning a title, which I suppose is the ultimate goal in professional team sports. But as Knicks fans would be first to tell you, that’s a lot easier said than done. And with 30 teams and one trophy, it could take a long time before your turn comes around. I’m a Houston Rockets fan, and they, or should I say we last won in title in 1995. And likely won’t again for some time. And that’s a good franchise.

So maybe, in the modern NBA, winning isn’t simply about winning titles. It’s about winning attention, about selling jerseys, about being talked about. It’s about having talent and promise, the most intoxicating word in sport. Even if the Nets can’t guarantee a Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, which they can’t, they just won big in the boardroom. They beat 29 other teams that also wanted these two superstars, including one across the bridge. And they are instantly considered of the League’s elite. And that, in the modern NBA, is nearly as important as any title.

For now, Nets fans can savor that, which is way more than Knicks fans can do. Of course, expecting anything different would simply be insane.

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