Are the days of lifers over? (drafted, draft, win, NBA)
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used to be more team loyalty to the end in the nba. with duncan retiring a lifer, kobe last year, dirk very soon, are the days of players sticking with their team for their entire career almost over?
i see leonard staying a spur
mark gasol likely a griz for life.
are there any players really left you just say "you know, that guy will never leave"
I'm sure there will be someone, but only if they win championships in that city and are compensated accordingly (unlike say, Wade & the Heat). Dirk will retire a Mav, but that's it.
Winning a championship does seem to be the key. Although Wade through a curve ball in there. Now that I think about it more, the obvious choice would be Curry. I don't see him leaving Golden State.
Seems like players want championships earlier in their careers and aren't willing to chance being the next Ewing, Malone, Barkley, Robinson (won past prime), Miller, etc. Maybe Dirk is one of the last lifers we'll see that stuck it out through a lot of good but not good enough years.
In today's NBA and going forward, I think we'll see more top 7-8 players joining forces to get it done. I think Lebron and now KD will prove that it works. It probably helps that players are more friendly to each other than ever before (AAU, national camps, only separated for ~1 year of college ball, social media, more jet setter lifestyles, etc).
Last edited by eddiehaskell; 07-12-2016 at 12:47 AM..
With big money to be had, and the teams with the money to spend on these stars don't draft as high to select and than keep these stars, really I don't see any big time stars in any sport staying with a single team nowadays. Only ones in basketball I can see are Curry & Leonard (think Lilliard ends up leaving Portland), in baseball almost no one is a lifer anymore with the gap between the halves (Cubs, Yankees, Dodgers) and the halve not's (A's, Rays, Twins) all the stars drafted by the Rays, Twins, Athletics, etc will get snatched up by a big market team as soon as they hit free agency, football probably has the most of the 4 major sports.
Rare indeed. I remember John Stockton shocking people by taking a salary decrease to help with Utah's salary cap at one point. In the me me world, people couldn't understand it. Not being selfish is unusual, oddly.
I can see him leaving. All depends on how much his team wins
hmm...isn't he from oakland?
maybe when curry is about 34 or 35 and ready play for less money Lillard will be ready to come home....or maybe a spot will open up if one of the big four blow a knee.
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