At this year’s ESPYs, four individuals opened up the award show with an extraordinary speech. The much-needed speech was focused on the rising racial tensions in America. They teamed up together to open dialogue and these four friends made a statement in front of their peers. As the Banana Boat Brothers, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwayne Wade, and LeBron James, came together to open dialogue about this serious matter. Could there also be a plan to come together on the court?
These four might have wanted to play together for a while, and now there is a greater motivation to join forces. There is a super team brewing on the West Coast, and their name is the Golden State Warriors. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant are now the top dogs in the NBA. The Cleveland Cavaliers may have just won the NBA Finals against those same Warriors, but the Warriors have put everyone on notice. By adding Durant, this team looks impossible to beat. To put that in perspective, this is the same Warriors team that just set a regular season record with 73 wins, and they just upped the ante.
The stars are aligning for these four to come together to form a super team for the ages. This super team would even surpass the amount of talent assembled by the Warriors. The proof of their combined talent was the Olympic Teams these four have played on. They are such a well-oiled machine. Each of these players has something that elevates the other to form a super team.
Chris Paul
Chris Paul will do what he does best: facilitate and set up his teammates for easy buckets. Paul is one of the top, if not the best, pure point guard in the NBA. His arrival in Los Angeles made the Clippers relevant. This franchise had been a laughingstock of the NBA for years. He turned the image and the direction of the franchise around. Along with facilitating, he can beat you from mid-range, possessing a lethal jumper that seems automatic.
Dwayne Wade
Dwayne Wade, known as Flash in his hay day, can penetrate the defense and finish at the basket with the best of them. Wade brings mental toughness and leadership. When he is on your sideline, the coach knows that he will execute and get his teammates to execute. Also, he is a “clutch” player. He brings championship pedigree and knows how to handle pressure situations.
Carmelo Anthony
Let’s move from the guards and analyze the frontcourt. Carmelo Anthony is a prolific scorer. He can score with the best of them. In the post, he is strong and a bully. On the perimeter, he can beat you with his quick pull-jumper, jab-step jumper, or his jumper from downtown. He has an array of offensive weapons and knows how to utilize them. He is the perfect spot-up shooter for this team. When playing with this level of talent in the Olympics, Anthony has had his best games in his career.
LeBron James
He is the big dog. He will be the sole reason why this all works. Currently, LeBron James is the best basketball player in the league. He reminded the world in this year’s Finals why he is the best. James can dominate a game on the offensive end. However, he is one of the rare players that can also dominate a game on the defensive en d. Sometimes you feel that James is a point guard stuck in a big man’s body. Not only can he pass to get his teammates involved, he makes everyone around him better. His teammates play off of him well. With Paul at the point, it can allow James to dominate the post and be a locomotive that no one can stop.
If these four come together, the dynamic would be fun to watch. The one mystery to solve: which team will put them together? There are two teams that make sense. First team is the Cleveland Cavaliers. James has yet to sign a contract. Nonetheless, all sources point to James returning to his hometown Cavs. Next offseason, the Cavs will have Kevin Love’s contract come off the books. This will free up cap space for Paul, Wade, and James to come together for less money to get a chance to play together. The tricky part would be getting Anthony to join the Cavs. Unlike the others, he is not a free agent and loves to play with his hometown Knicks.
The New York Knicks, the second possible destination for the Banana Boat Brothers to unite. The Knicks will have about 30 million to spend in next year’s free agency. Anthony is already there. Therefore, it would be easier for the other three to come to New York to team up with Anthony. Knicks fans are thirsty for a championship. This is a basketball city. New York would build their own version of Mt. Rushmore if these four can bring a title to New York. Playing in the “Mecca” of basketball and bringing the Knicks’s fans a championship would just add to these players’ legacies.
Although, some might say this is bad trend for the NBA. When Durant chose to play for the Warriors, Charles Barkley called this “cheating” for a championship. Some might say that it is weak to only play with superstar friends. But this is what today’s media and fans want. Championships are greater than statistics. Statistics are nice and can get you in the Hall of Fame, but its championships that make legends and what fans remember. If these four friends came together and won a championship, this will only add to their legacies.
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