NBA non-parity & Raptors future

A lot of NBA fans must feel like those in OKC who burned their Durant sweaters. Is all hope gone, or do Raptors fans have a reason to believe?

The signing of Kevin Durant by the Golden State Warriors might be the most extreme example of the rich getting richer in the history of professional sports. Think of it – how can a team coming off a record-setting 73-win regular season, and losing their chance to repeat as champions in Game 7, be in a position to sign a player of Durant’s calibre? This is supposed to be the era of the salary cap, where everyone’s got a shot at building a great team.

Yet Golden State sits atop a tiny group of super-squads which are likely to swap the Larry O’Brien trophy for years to come. With free agency all but over, the Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, and San Antonio Spurs would be the only teams mentioned if you asked a hundred, or a thousand, NBA commentators who will win it all next season.

Apr 2, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; Toronto Raptors guard Norman Powell (24) and forward Terrence Ross (31) and center Jonas Valanciunas (17) defend against San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during the second half at the AT&T Center. The Spurs defeat the Raptors 102-95. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

Here we are as steadfast Toronto Raptors fans; we’ve endured the lean years (yes, Philadelphia, we know in our soul how you’ve suffered), enjoyed the best regular season and playoff run in our team’s history, and we’re left wondering: is that all there is? Can our team reasonably hope to get to the Championship Finals with a shot to win within two years?

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The NBA is notorious (not that it seems to bother their big mucky-mucks) as being a dynasty league. Cleveland’s victory a few weeks ago was its first ever. By contrast, the Boston Celtics have 17 titles, one ahead of the Lakers (four of which were won when they were still in Minneapolis, hence the team name). Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls owned the ’90s, with six titles.

The situation is bleak. The Warriors and Cavaliers have faced each other in the last two Finals, and you’d be very brave to bet against it happening once again. Regardless, let’s take a run at it.

Consider the Miami Heat. LeBron James left them to return to his native state, and the Big 3 was further reduced by Chris Bosh’s ongoing medical problems. Dwyane Wade is miffed at their offer to him, and may bolt. Thus collapses a team which went to 4 straight finals, winning two.

And we’ll spare some sympathy for the Oklahoma City Thunder. They traded James Harden to Houston a few years ago for not much, and now Durant has bolted. There’s talk of Russell Westbrook being traded. Serge Ibaka is already gone. What just happened, says the mystified Thunder fan?

Teams can come undone in surprising ways. Meanwhile, the Raptors have been remarkably stable. While the loss of Bismack Biyombo stings, I don’t view it as any sort of a body blow. Nor am I bothered by the “loss” of Pau Gasol (not really a loss – we never had him) or others. DeMar DeRozan is with us for the foreseeable future, as are the other core pieces, and we have some interesting kids on the ascendancy. Coach Dwane Casey can put 10 legitimate NBAers on the floor, a luxury few other teams can boast.

The Raptors are in the next group of hopefuls, with Boston, the L.A. Clippers, and perhaps Portland, OKC, Atlanta, and Charlotte. Anyone else who emerges as a contender next season will be a huge surprise. The problem for all the second-tier squads was once memorably described decades ago by the late great tennis player Arthur Ashe, who said the difference between the number three and number ten seed on the men’s tour is like the difference between apples and trucks.

Next: A creative off-season for Raptors?

Stability and depth (and maybe an untimely injury)….that’s going to be how the Raptors can contend – or perhaps more than that – against the NBA’s super-teams.

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