This isn’t about the NBA Finals. Even if they won, the Warriors didn’t ruin the NBA. Even immediately after KD signed there, the Warriors didn’t ruin the NBA. Someone did ruin the NBA, but it wasn’t the Warriors.
What Did Ruin the NBA Then?
The NBA was ruined on July 8th, 2010. How did I know the exact date? I didn’t, the event happens to have a Wikipedia page. If you don’t feel like clicking the link, I am talking about Lebron’s “The Decision”. Giving no notice to the Cavs and announcing on national television where he was playing the following season changed the NBA forever.
Why Lebron Left
Lebron left because he felt the Cavs were not doing enough to help him win. I’m sorry, but what? The Cavs did what they could to surround Lebron with talent. It’s very hard to convince free agents to come to a city where a river literally caught on fire. When they could dupe a player to being in Cleveland, they did. They brought in Shaq a year after averaging 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds on the Suns. Clearly on the downturn of his career, this was still a player with championship experience who could contribute and get your team over the hump. In addition to Shaq, they even traded for Lebron’s dad. A father-son tandem has only occurred a few times in the MLB, and never in the NBA. Because of this trade, the media managed to capture this great moment between a father and son.
Even with these moves to appease King James, he still left. Is this a defendable action?
Those Who Defend Lebron
“They couldn’t win him a ring,” “his talents were being wasted,” and “he didn’t want to waste his career,” are things Lebron-Stans constantly spout in defense of “The King.” These are all ridiculous arguments. Lebron was in Cleveland for seven years before he left. You know who also didn’t win a ring early on in his career? Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan was constantly knocked out in the early rounds, mainly by the Pistons. Was MJ happy getting knocked out early? No. Could he sign elsewhere in free agency? Also no, as free agency wasn’t a thing before 1988 and only applied to players with seven years experience. With this, MJ had two options: demand a trade, or suck it up and play. As we all know, Jordan sucked it up, and won six rings in Chicago. Why couldn’t Lebron do this?
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How Did This Ruin the NBA?
As I previously said, Lebron’s Decision changed the NBA forever. It gave a blueprint to great players who could not win a ring with their team. Yes, before you point it out, the Cavs did not blow a 3-1 lead to the Heat the season before. Objectively, this makes what KD did much worse. Without the Decision, though, there is no path for KD to follow. This is why the Warriors didn’t ruin the NBA, but rather Lebron James and the Miami Heat did.
