Will we ever see an organic champion again?

[Effigy]

Were the Lakers not organic last year? I thought they were a middle-of-the-pact team with aging role players/left-overs like Rondo, Howard, Green and Cousins.

Funny how the goal posts change so often.

Those players aren't the reason they aren't organic.

But to answer your question, no, the Lakers aren't organic and they haven't won an organic title since Magic. Not that that matters in the slightest. I'd take the Lakers' 6 titles since then over the Blazers 0 or the Warriors' 1 or whatever.

Define "organic".

Is signing free agents organic? Is trading for players organic? Is changing coaches organic? Are there degrees to everything?

In reality, nobody has the right to define this concept universally. We all have opinions about it and everybody is right and wrong at the same time.

Basically your best players need to have been drafted by your team (Without forcing their way to your team like John Elway to Denver or Eli Manning to the Giants) So the Warriors were organic for their first title only, the Spurs were organic also. The Mavs I guess were organic, though I think the only impact guy they drafted was Dirk but he was by far their best player, none of their other guys were highly coveted at that point.

[Egg Nog]

Lebron started this BS. It's really all his fault. Can't wait for this fraud to retire.

LeBron didn't start it. He got the idea after losing to Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen on their way to a title in their first season together.

...not that the 2008 Celtics were the first ones to do it...it's happened many times in NBA history.

[Raps in 4]

Kobe Bryant was the very last one.

The Warriors won a championship organically in 2015.

The Lakers traded for Gasol.

[GrandTheftRondo]

Were the Lakers not organic last year? I thought they were a middle-of-the-pact team with aging role players/left-overs like Rondo, Howard, Green and Cousins.

Funny how the goal posts change so often.

Two of the best players in the league teaming up to win a title in LA.

How is that organic?

[GrandTheftRondo]

Who cares. James harden going to the nets is super exciting.

Oh please.

Exciting for who? Casual fans who watch five minutes?

Yeah having a team sleepwalk through the West and East just like the Warriors and Cavs did the last 5 years is super exciting!

Can’t wait!

[Dupp]

15 warriors wasn’t that long ago.



The bigger issue is a player can now basically pick any team they want even if that teams assets are very average.

[Benedict_Boozer]

I agree. Nba is just **** awful at this point and I don't think that that will change any time soon.

People clown giannis for staying with the bucks. He will probably won't win a ring there but at least he would rather player for them than creating another superteam somewhere.

Yes but that's the thing - see Harden acting like an idiot got him what he wanted. Just like AD.

The precedent is set, you tank your trade value and act so horrible that you get what you want.

Then at the end of the day, since people only remember the winner - all the details get lost in time.

No one brings up how AD clowned the Pelicans, now all they say is he won a chip.

The winner controls the narrative at the end of the day, take the short term hit to get the glory later.

[theonlyclutch]

Note to NBA FO/Ownership: If you draft a franchise talent, have a 7-8Y timelime to build a ring-winning team with him, do not expect him to stick around for your **** ups and execute well.

[Statlanta]

Were the Lakers not organic last year? I thought they were a middle-of-the-pact team with aging role players/left-overs like Rondo, Howard, Green and Cousins.

Funny how the goal posts change so often.

All of those players at their peak were core players playing on rivals of the Lakers so no.

Heck acquiring AD alone in such a grey area manner is just another reason why the collective 'WE" hate the Lakers.

[HoopsterJones]

Kobe Bryant was the very last one.

Negative.

Pre Kevin Durant GSW was the last one. Before that, the Spurs with Duncan, Manu, Parker, and Kawhi.

[Stan]

When fans for decades have placed a players entire worth on the number of rings they have, this is the result you end up with

[BlackNoir]

Kobe Bryant was the very last one.

Wrong again, Warriors were before KD.

[shi-woo]

Organic = white guys in suits making decisions for the team because I don’t want players having any power ...........except for guys like Luka and Jokic.

Right, because this topic has everything to do with race, and not parity in a league with 28 other teams who's fans also want their team to have a shot...

[dans1230]

Ya pre Durant in Golden State was organic and i do believe we will see it again.

[jdzimme3]

If the Nets were to win the title this year it would be three consecutive titles built off superstar players demanding trades. I don’t see how that is anything but bad for competitive balance.

[chrisab123]

If you're referring to a majority of the roster being home grown talent winning a title then you're looking at Boston Milwaukee and Denver as your best chances.

[The_Ghost_of_JB]

Wait until the next CBA. I expect the owners to take extraordinary steps to reverse what has been going on.

Like what? Non guaranteed contracts? The players will never agree to that and even if by some miracle they did after the contract was terminated they just jump on and play with their friends.

The NBA has been trying to control player movement and the supermax really hasn't worked out too well. Players will just sign a supermax, be a complete head case, dictate where they want to be traded and they'll go there.

The NBA owners are completely powerless The players 100% run the NBA.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Wait until the next CBA. I expect the owners to take extraordinary steps to reverse what has been going on.

But it's been good for business for them so far, right?

I'm not sure we've reached the tipping point where it affects the bottom line yet.

A lot of people love all the movement. And the more routine it becomes... the tendency to just accept it grows.

[jokeboy86]

Didn't we just see the Warriors do it before KD? Or how about every Spurs title? But other than that you're right in that we probably won't see another NBA champion where the top two players were both drafted by the team. I mean it was already rare other than MJ's Bulls, Bird's Celtics, and the Spurs. Even the Lakers and 76ers of the 80s or some of the other contenders like Mavs, Suns, Heat and 00s Pistons did things by trade. Before GS the last team that came really close was OKC.

[zimpy27]

When was the last truly organic one? 30 years ago?

2015 Warriors traded Monta for Bogut.