Over roughly the last decade, player empowerment has been in vogue in the NBA. What started with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen in Boston in 2008 eventually morphed into everyone and their loved ones finding ways to maneuver themselves into a “Big 3” of sorts. In a league (and the sport of basketball, really) defined by individual talent and star power, the prevailing idea has been that the more stars can gather in one place together, the more success they’ll, in turn, enjoy.
But for every LeBron, Wade, and Bosh, there’s a dud, a random flailing of the arms, a tantalizing pie with scent marks in a windowsil turning out to be a cheap and mean trick.
That’s exactly what happened with the Nets and Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden.
