SUPERSTARS WHO MAY GET SHUT OUT
July 14, 2009 by Andy Socrates
The ’90s were dominated by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. During Jordan’s reign of terror, countless future Hall of Famers had their chances to win a championship ring foiled. Only during Jordan’s brief retirement did Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets win two titles. Among the greats that had their hearts broken by Jordan were Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Reggie Miller and Karl Malone.
If the current Los Angeles Laker dominance holds, or if the Boston Celtics make a stirring comeback, a new crop of superstars may get denied that ultimate prize. The 2000s have mainly been dominated by the Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs. With LeBron James seen as the future king, that may leave little room for a number of the game’s greats retiring ringless.
These days the only way for aging superstars to win a ring is to join a championship-contending team as a lesser role player. Gary Payton and Alonzo Mourning were able to win rings as in the twilight of their careers by taking secondary roles behind Shaquille O’Neal and Dwayne Wade on the Miami Heat. Superstars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen were lucky enough to be traded to the Boston Celtics to be paired with Paul Pierce. These hungry veterans were able to win a ring last year, but most superstars have not been as fortunate enough to have the opportunity to win while they’re the “man” on the team.
With the NBA elite teams so stacked, it will be hard for the lesser teams to break through and win a championship. This spells doom for superstar players on sub-par teams. It’s one of the few reasons that players like Dwyane Wade are holding out on re-signing with his team until they can prove they can build a supporting cast to give him a better chance.
Jason Kidd: Arguably one of the greatest point guards to play the game, his court vision is unparalleled today even at the hardened age of 36. The Magic Johnson of our era has yet to win his elusive ring although he has reached two NBA Finals with the New Jersey Nets. The aging player still has the ability to rack up triple doubles on a nightly basis but his chances to win a championship ring are rare. Although Mark Cuban is doing what he can to build around Dirk Nowitzki and Kidd, there may not be enough talent on the Mavericks to dethrone the Los Angeles Lakers or even beat a team like the San Antonio Spurs.
Allen Iverson: Iverson is the smallest player on court with the biggest heart. He plays every single game like it’s his last. The whirling dervish can score buckets at will but his ego has gotten in the way of his path to championship success. “Practice, are we talking about practice?” Iverson is a free agent that is unwilling to relinquish his role as alpha dog on any team and that will hinder his ability to get signed by any championship contenders. Iverson has been to one NBA Finals by leading the Philadelphia 76ers there in 2001 only to be defeated by Shaq and the Lakers. Although he can still score at will, he needs to suck it up and play for a team where he can win a ring. He needs to understand that his reputation will not be tarnished even if he does end up being the sixth man on a championship team. Lamar Odom put his ego aside and now has a ring with the Lakers.
Steve Nash: The two-time NBA MVP is the focal point of former coach Mike D’Antoni’s famous seven-seconds-or-less Phoenix Suns offense but is now stuck on a team struggling to rebuild from a failed experiment with Shaquille O’Neal. Even during the run-and-gun days with Amare Stoudamire and Shawn Marion, Nash was never able to lead his team to the Finals. His teams could never play good enough defense to win games when it counted in the playoffs. Now, Nash is a superstar on a team without direction and may only have a few more years left in his career. He may have it end without ever advancing to an NBA Finals. What a shame for the future Hall of Famer.
Grant HIll: Hill was once hailed as the next coming of Michael Jordan. He was unstoppable early in his career with the Detroit Pistons. He was supposed to be the savior of the Orlando Magic along with Tracy McGrady but ankle injuries prevented him from being the superstar he was supposed to become. He struggled to recover from surgeries for five years but he has persevered through the whole process. He played two productive seasons with the Suns and looks to be in good health now. He can be a starting player on a sub-par team or a role player on a championship contender. He may choose the former so that he can maintain his status as a star but he may never win a ring.
Yao Ming: The Chinese giant had high hopes of eventually leading the Houston Rockets to the promised land when he first joined the team in 2002. Yao is one of the top centers playing in the league, having made the All-Star team year after year. However, he has recently been plagued by leg and foot injuries. In the past four seasons, he has missed more than 90 games. His most recent foot injury during the 2009 playoffs against the Lakers has not healed as expected and there are questions as to whether he will ever play in the NBA again. Hopefully Yao will once again suit up for the Rockets but his durability may prevent him from ever having the opportunity to win a ring.
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