Can we finally kill the narrative that small markets can't compete?

[clyde21]

Yeah but its not like guys were wanting to sign with playoff teams like Charlotte or Indiana either plus these transactions are still trades. And the public perception still seems like if you're not on the coast or in a big metropolitan area that its still hard to get the big FAs. Recently there's Aldridge and Lebron and Lebron probably doesnt go back(local ties or not) if Kyrie and that #1 pick(which led to Love) arent there.

Why did LMA choose San Antonio over Los Angeles a few years ago?

Because he was scared of Kobe and could hide behind Tim Duncan in San Antonio.

oh is that what happened

[karkinos]

OKC just landed two all star players to pair with their MVP while giving out very little in return. So why do we as fans buy into this narrative of the "woe is me small market" or that the only way to win is to tank. There are 3 ways to build a team, trades, drafting and free agency. Good management will find a way to be competitive when other avenues are closed to them.

no because that is not what small market team GMs are complaining about.

[LookToShoot]

Why did LMA choose San Antonio over Los Angeles a few years ago?

Because he was scared of Kobe and could hide behind Tim Duncan in San Antonio.

oh is that what happened

Facts are facts. LMA folded up like a chair last season and wants out of SA..

[BigLurch92]

OKC just landed two all star players to pair with their MVP while giving out very little in return. So why do we as fans buy into this narrative of the "woe is me small market" or that the only way to win is to tank. There are 3 ways to build a team, trades, drafting and free agency. Good management will find a way to be competitive when other avenues are closed to them.

They traded for George and Anthony. Let me know when a small-market team signs a superstar. They absolutely cannot compete in FA so no I don't think you can kill the narrative.

[jokeboy86]

How many star players signed with the LA Lakers or Brooklyn Nets lately?

Yeah but its not like guys were wanting to sign with playoff teams like Charlotte or Indiana either plus these transactions are still trades. And the public perception still seems like if you're not on the coast or in a big metropolitan area that its still hard to get the big FAs. Recently there's Aldridge and Lebron and Lebron probably doesnt go back(local ties or not) if Kyrie and that #1 pick(which led to Love) arent there.

Why did LMA choose San Antonio over Los Angeles a few years ago?

At the time and still now the Spurs are a winning basketball team. The Spurs at the moment seem to be the only small market team that can legitimately sign a big FA if available. The test for teams like Cleveland(if Lebron leaves) and OKC(if WB and PG leave) is in the future will FAs give them the benefit of the doubt and trust them to build winning teams. And as far as the Lakers I believe they will become a FA destination immediately come next off-season. I don't think people realize how much the Kobe show near the end of his career and the Buss drama made players hesitant to sign there. Now it appears much more stable with Magic and Jeanie running things and without Kobe's presence looming over the team.

[clyde21]

Yeah but its not like guys were wanting to sign with playoff teams like Charlotte or Indiana either plus these transactions are still trades. And the public perception still seems like if you're not on the coast or in a big metropolitan area that its still hard to get the big FAs. Recently there's Aldridge and Lebron and Lebron probably doesnt go back(local ties or not) if Kyrie and that #1 pick(which led to Love) arent there.

Why did LMA choose San Antonio over Los Angeles a few years ago?

At the time and still now the Spurs are a winning basketball team. The Spurs at the moment seem to be the only small market team that can legitimately sign a big FA if available. The test for teams like Cleveland(if Lebron leaves) and OKC(if WB and PG leave) is in the future will FAs give them the benefit of the doubt and trust them to build winning teams. And as far as the Lakers I believe they will become a FA destination immediately come next off-season. I don't think people realize how much the Kobe show near the end of his career and the Buss drama made players hesitant to sign there. Now it appears much more stable with Magic and Jeanie running things and without Kobe's presence looming over the team.

So you agree...players will consider winning teams and cultures regardless of the city.

[Pointgod]

OKC just landed two all star players to pair with their MVP while giving out very little in return. So why do we as fans buy into this narrative of the "woe is me small market" or that the only way to win is to tank. There are 3 ways to build a team, trades, drafting and free agency. Good management will find a way to be competitive when other avenues are closed to them.

They traded for George and Anthony. Let me know when a small-market team signs a superstar. They absolutely cannot compete in FA so no I don't think you can kill the narrative.

So they can compete in the NBA just not in the way that they think they should. It's not exclusive to small markets, Lakers and Knicks couldn't sign anyone decent in the last 5 years. All I hear are excuses for poor uncreative management.

[SmashMouthRod]

Both PG and Melo were traded for. We've seen that most often than not, that if Superstars had to choose where to go in FA, they will prefer bigger cities and markets over smaller ones. So your statement is skewed

Exactly my thoughts. Any team can luck up in a trade or two. But how often does the small market teams land the marquee free agents? San Antonio with their culture is the only consistent small market team that has had some level of success at landing high quality players on the back end of their career. The small markets that are continuously relevant draft well. As a Pacers fan I can attest to the fact that usually after guys come off their restricted max deal their usually ready to bolt to the larger markets or at least the more exciting cities to live in residentially despite their teams success. Orlando had to deal with deja vu with Dwight Howard and Shaquille O'Neal leaving for LA, Paul George recent, Melo with Denver, Even Lebron with Cleveland. Its been a continuum. Hell People are already speculating about Anthony Davis.

[clyde21]

Both PG and Melo were traded for. We've seen that most often than not, that if Superstars had to choose where to go in FA, they will prefer bigger cities and markets over smaller ones. So your statement is skewed

Exactly my thoughts. Any team can luck up in a trade or two. But how often does the small market teams land the marquee free agents? San Antonio with their culture is the only consistent small market team that has had some level of success at landing high quality players on the back end of their career. The small markets that are continuously relevant draft well. As a Pacers fan I can attest to the fact that usually after guys come off their restricted max deal their usually ready to bolt to the larger markets or at least the more exciting cities to live in residentially despite their teams success. Orlando had to deal with deja vu with Dwight Howard and Shaquille O'Neal leaving for LA, Paul George recent, Melo with Denver, Even Lebron with Cleveland. Its been a continuum. Hell People are already speculating about Anthony Davis.

People are acting like "marquee FAs" are constantly moving around in FA.

When was the last time the two biggest markets in the world--Los Angeles and New York--signed a "marquee FA"? Before Kevin Durant in 2016, when was the last time the Warriors signed a marquee FA? What about the Boston Celtics before Gordon Hayward? They had to trade for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

You're complaining about a problem that doesn't really exist. All teams rarely sign marquee FAs. Not just the small markets.

[clyde21]

And I think it's funny that people are complaining about this on the very same day that a star player signed off on a deal that sends him from New York to Oklahoma City.

[Jedi32]

Both PG and Melo were traded for. We've seen that most often than not, that if Superstars had to choose where to go in FA, they will prefer bigger cities and markets over smaller ones. So your statement is skewed

How many star players signed with the LA Lakers or Brooklyn Nets lately?

did either of those teams have a current mvp in his prime?

[SmashMouthRod]

Both PG and Melo were traded for. We've seen that most often than not, that if Superstars had to choose where to go in FA, they will prefer bigger cities and markets over smaller ones. So your statement is skewed

Exactly my thoughts. Any team can luck up in a trade or two. But how often does the small market teams land the marquee free agents? San Antonio with their culture is the only consistent small market team that has had some level of success at landing high quality players on the back end of their career. The small markets that are continuously relevant draft well. As a Pacers fan I can attest to the fact that usually after guys come off their restricted max deal their usually ready to bolt to the larger markets or at least the more exciting cities to live in residentially despite their teams success. Orlando had to deal with deja vu with Dwight Howard and Shaquille O'Neal leaving for LA, Paul George recent, Melo with Denver, Even Lebron with Cleveland. Its been a continuum. Hell People are already speculating about Anthony Davis.

People are acting like "marquee FAs" are constantly moving around in FA.

When was the last time the two biggest markets in the world--Los Angeles and New York--signed a "marquee FA"? Before Kevin Durant in 2016, when was the last time the Warriors signed a marquee FA? What about the Boston Celtics before Gordon Hayward? They had to trade for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

You're complaining about a problem that doesn't really exist. All teams rarely sign marquee FAs. Not just the small markets.

The same thing happens every off season. The difference now is organizations are trading guys early who don't sign an extension (damage control) or the player is forcing his way out hostage negotiations style before the end of the deal. I have no problem with players going to play where they want to play. But let's not act like marquee guys aren't leaving their teams every year. Teams are just trading them (without choice) to avoid losing them for nothing. OKC got lucky that Melo waived his trade clause (initially holding the team hostage) and that PG wasn't holding a hostage negotiation to dictate going to the Lakers. Or else Westbrook would've left them high and dry like Durant unless Presti trades him early.

[bargnanimvp]

Every team can compete but it's silly acting like large markets don't have an advantage. For a small market team that's had a down period it's harder to rebuild than it is for a large market team. A small market team that's struggled isn't going to be able to draw in a franchise changing free agent like a large market team is and needs to be excellent in the draft to get the kind of guy who can change peoples views on the team.

Any team with a good front office can compete but it's after a stretch with a band front office that big market teams have an advantage over little markets.

[zronv7]

Spurs won more rings than any other team last two decade and they're a small market, Cleveland is also not that big of a market..hell might even be smaller than SLC. It's all one big myth

Now let's take a look at some of the big markets

Knicks - Terrible for years
Nets - Awful
Lakers - Really bad
Sixers - Terrbile
Heat - Not good

[NBAFan93]

Best game of the season so far between two small markets last night!

[HoopsMalone]

Revenue sharing is a huge help obviously but the major increase in luxury tax has been HUGE for small markets. They arent getting outspent 2:1.

Global interest has also been huge. Global fans don't care if Giannis, Westbrook, Durant, Yao, etc are in small markets. They just wanna see those guys compete. Why would someone in China give a crap what laundry a guy is wearing... all of those cities are thousaands of miles away

Whereas people in LA tend to be Laker centric, NY are knick centric... regardless of where the talent is located..

The internet and tv expansion has also made it so much easier to follow non local markets

[Prokorov]

OKC just landed two all star players to pair with their MVP while giving out very little in return. So why do we as fans buy into this narrative of the "woe is me small market" or that the only way to win is to tank. There are 3 ways to build a team, trades, drafting and free agency. Good management will find a way to be competitive when other avenues are closed to them.

lets revisit this next year when lebron land paul george leave small markets for LA

[Stillwater]

in the days when big market teams had the best coaches and gm's or at least the highest paid one's with notable name pasts etc they were able to draw more interest from fa ,add the desirability at the time to live somewhere warm or somewhere with more upscale entertainment options. Now almost all NBA cities have the same things and may have better org's / coaches etc so the main draw to the bigger metro's is the $ they can make in endorsements from a larger fan base even if they are not stars in the league.
The other draws could still be weather and media attn, but for the most part the large markets don't offer anything of value in the win column or the coaching column that is better than smaller market orgs and the turn over is higher in larger markets as well as those teams are forced to continue the fa game to please their greedy fan bases even if they are in need of a rebuild,which is much easier to justify in smaller markets.

[Nocturne]

OKC just landed two all star players to pair with their MVP while giving out very little in return. So why do we as fans buy into this narrative of the "woe is me small market" or that the only way to win is to tank. There are 3 ways to build a team, trades, drafting and free agency. Good management will find a way to be competitive when other avenues are closed to them.

I agree in principle that small market teams can compete. However, the main way to do it is to tank, having good scouts for maximizing draft picks, and getting lucky that the year you get a good pick is a year with superstar prospects. Only after getting a legit superstar can the team actually have a good chance to compete. Even in your example, OKC got Westbrook with a top 5 draft pick. Without already having Westbrook, there is no way they would have signed Paul George and Carmelo.

[HeartBreakKid]

OKC just landed two all star players to pair with their MVP while giving out very little in return. So why do we as fans buy into this narrative of the "woe is me small market" or that the only way to win is to tank. There are 3 ways to build a team, trades, drafting and free agency. Good management will find a way to be competitive when other avenues are closed to them.

I agree in principle that small market teams can compete. However, the main way to do it is to tank, having good scouts for maximizing draft picks, and getting lucky that the year you get a good pick is a year with superstar prospects. Only after getting a legit superstar can the team actually have a good chance to compete. Even in your example, OKC got Westbrook with a top 5 draft pick. Without already having Westbrook, there is no way they would have signed Paul George and Carmelo.

I mean yes, but that goes for large market teams also. After a superstar has gotten some big pay days, they want to go to teams that can win. Kevin Durant didn't sign with Golden State because he thought it would be cool to live in a gentrified city, he joined because they were stacked.

Being a large market is an advantage, but it's not a significant advantage compared to winning or a large guaranteed contract.