If you can't beat them join them (Kevin Durant signs with Golden State Warriors)

Everyone knows this saying and today it applies to Kevin Durant. In my opinion Kevin Durant is one of only a handful of players in the NBA that can carry a team. After watching the NBA Western Conference Finals where the Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Golden State Warriors I felt Durant and Russell Westbrook went to one on one mode instead of staying patient for good shots.

Now, the NBA has been turned upside down with Kevin Durant joining his rival. This is not a new tendency for sports players. For a little over a decade players have been banding together to create super teams. The first time I can remember it happening was with the Houston Rockets in the 90s. Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, and Scottie Pippen all joined the Rockets in hope to win a ring. It didn't work as that was about the time the Lakers with Shaquille Oneal and Kobe Bryant went on their 3peat! But now teams have found a way to do it with the salary cap. The Larry Bird rights have turned into a loop hole that allows teams to accumulate talent.

The Golden State Warriors now have 2 of the top three players in the NBA. For Kevin Durant it does probably mean multiple championships. Of course teams have to create chemistry and Durant is an isolation type player while the Warriors rely on ball movement and solid defense. Of course having two deadly shooters like Steph Curry and Klay Thompson does not hurt. The reason this super team is so deadly is because each of these players is still young. Now Golden State own the Bird rights for Curry, Thompson, Durant, and Draymond Green. With NBA rules they'll be able to add mid level exceptions and mini mid level exceptions. This will allow the Warriors to add a player here and there like they did the day after signing Durant.

The problem with these super teams is that it makes basketball more like baseball and futbol/soccer than it does American football. In American football and the reason why I believe there is so much competitive balance is because of the salary cap structure.

Most contracts in football are not fully guaranteed allowing a team to cut a player that is not performing without having to pay the entire balance of the contract. In baseball and basketball contracts are fully guaranteed. With not enough talent to go around in the leagues, teams are forced to spend the same amount of money for a player that is not worth the contract. In basketball Lebron James will receive a max contract and is one of a few players who deserves it. Yet, a player like Mike Conley will also receive the max. Although the disparity between Lebron and Conley is large Memphis was forced to pay Conley the max because of the lack of Lebron type players. Therefore, it's highly likely that Memphis will end up regretting the contract given to Conley while Lebron might be underpaid.

What it does to the competitive balance in basketball is completely remove it. Since the Warriors made the NBA Finals without Durant it's safe to say they'll make it there with the addition of Durant. Of course like I mentioned before there is chemistry. They also lost Harrison Barnes so there will be some adjustment. But with a lineup of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, and anyone else it's literally unfair to the rest of the league. For a few years we'll be stuck with the NBA Finals matchup of the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. With free agency the way it is in football and the salary cap, teams have a much tougher time building super teams. The only super teams in football are the ones that keep the same top level quarterback for long periods of time like the New England Patriots.

I'm not wanting to be a hater here but with the new salary cap it just made it that much easier for the Golden State Warriors to create a super team. Of course I can be completely wrong here but I suspect it will be the Warriors and the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals next year. If not I will be surprised. But when guys like Kevin Durant would rather join their rivals instead of trying to beat their rivals it's a new era of competition where players would rather accumulate championship rings instead of creating a legacy. Kevin Durant will never be in Golden State what he could have been in Oklahoma City with even one championship.