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Message to Adam Silver: If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

By Matthew Medley

June 2, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks to media before the Golden State Warriors play against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game one of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
June 2, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks to media before the Golden State Warriors play against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game one of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 14, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) and guard Andrew Wiggins (22) react in the closing seconds of the game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the Timberwolves 107-104. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 14, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) and guard Andrew Wiggins (22) react in the closing seconds of the game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the Timberwolves 107-104. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

What’s Next?

What Silver is indicating is that in the future, the league should construct a policy so that players are steered away from going to the teams who have a more proven model of success and should be confined to trying to bring a 50-win team a title, while super teams like the Cavs and Warriors are still at the top of the league.

More from Hoops Habit

Hypothetically, it would be fun to see a league where

Russell Westbrook

and

Carmelo Anthony

are squaring off against LeBron and Irving in the East. Perhaps we see

Paul George

team up out west with

Chris Paul

down the road.

There are countless possibilities of mixing and matching stars, but the point is that as long as there is at least one super team in the league, players should have the right to try and counter that with their own moves.

The days of Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant and other superstars spending their entire careers in one city are gone, for better or for worse. It’s hard to blame a guy for wanting to win when their legacies are tarnished if they don’t end up with at least one ring. It’s almost a lose-lose situation.

One of the characteristics that makes the NBA so great is the star power and the marquee matchups. There are numerous teams with home-grown talent on their roster that are perhaps a star away from contending for a championship.

These teams that are building the right way, like the Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics, who are using their resources to build a solid foundation should not be told by the NBA. “If Player X comes to your town, your team will be too good.”

More hoops habit: Each State's All-Time NBA Starting Five

Let the process play out. It may not be long before a superstar free-agent wants to come aboard those teams that have been building a franchise in a way that breeds long-term success. Let’s not reward the teams whose front office personnel have dug their franchise into a hole.