Then something changed. This upcoming season, we will have four teams (Lakers, Celtics, Orlando, San Antonio) each with at least 4 players with all-star talent and a few others with 3 (Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, etc). How did this sudden metamorphosis take place? I can think of three reasons.

1) Questionable trades – Two key trades were drivers for our last 2 champions and are the most compelling reason for this dramatic shift in the NBA landscape.
– McHale giving the Celtics the ultimate hometown discount on Kevin Garnett
– And even worse, Chris Wallace inexplicably trading Pau Gasol, one of the top 3 skilled big men in the league, for essentially an expiring contract (because there is no other way to look at Kwame Brown) and a young point guard, despite having taken a point guard in the lottery the year before.

2) Influx of talent – This decade, due to the vaunted draft class of 2003 as well as more foreign born players entering the draft than ever before, the NBA has experienced one of the greatest influxes of talent in its history. As Orlando and Cleveland would attest to, adding franchise players through the draft is the best (and cheapest) way towards becoming an elite team.

3) Veterans accepting less than market value to play on winning teams – Even though many of these players (i.e. Rasheed Wallace, Shawn Marion, Ron Artest) are either starting to approach or are clearly on the downside trajectory of their career, adding them as your 4th, 5th, or 6th best player makes your team that much more stacked.

Why am I mentioning all of this? I think this is the biggest single theme of this season and why I’m so excited about not only this season, but the next several. Unlike the NFL, the NBA functions much better when you have a small group of teams at the top stockpiling talent and battling it out for supremacy. Parity doesn’t work nearly as well when there are only 5 players on the court and the play both offense and defense. One star player can impact the game in a much bigger way than he/she can in almost any other sport. That’s why basketball in the 80s was so memorable and why people look back on it with such nostalgia. It’s how playoff rivalries are born and legends are made.

With that in mind, let’s start with my thoughts about the Western Conference first:

15. Sacramento Kings

Will they win a lot of games? No. Will they be fun to watch? Absolutely! Tyreke Evans (who will be Rookie of the Year) is a star in the making (think Jerry Stackhouse with a better handle). Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson are two young, talented bigs that will only get better. And Kevin Martin somehow will still remains under the radar despite averaging close to 25 ppg. With Paul Westphal leading this bunch, they will score a ton of points, but will, unfortunately, let up even more. Promising future, and will be better than you think, but a couple years away from any realistic playoff contention.

Record: 23-59

14. Golden State Warriors

In 2 simple words: a mess. Incredibly talented, but this is a franchise with no, and maybe even backwards direction if that’s possible. To Warriors fans, I hope that the Nelson experiment ends quickly and that they hire a coach who returns some sense of normalcy to this team and its lineups. Most importantly, someone who actually plays his young players. Anthony Randolph is an unbelievable athlete with KG-type potential. Why he’s not getting 35+ minutes a game is beyond me. Monta and Anthony Morrow can score from just about anywhere, Biedrins is a quality center who will give you a double-double, and they have a promising rookie in Curry. With this team going nowhere this season anyways, they would be wise to unload Stephen Jackson and Maggette and see what they have with their young talent. Then again, it is the Warriors – Don Nelson released his starting lineup today. Guess who is starting power forward is? Corey Maggette. A mess, indeed.

Record: 24-58

13. Minnesota Timberwolves

Lots of promising pieces, if only they could stay healthy! Al Jefferson is a top 10 big man in the league who is good for 20 and 10. However, coming off an ACL injury, he probably won’t return to top form until the following season. Kevin Love is great complement to Jefferson who will also average a double-double, although he is out for a couple months with a broken hand. Brewer, who himself is coming off an ACL injury two years ago, should have a solid year at the forward spot, while Johnny Flynn will have a promising rookie campaign. And they own the rights to Rubio, which likely won’t mean anything for at least another couple years. If Jefferson can stay healthy, the pieces around him continue to improve, and David Kahn can stop writing letters to the local newspaper explaining his inexplicable decisions, this could be a 40 win team next year. The sad thing, however, is that I could copy the gist of this preview for the TWovles – promising, but won’t be good this year – and use it for the next several years.

Record: 30-52

12. Oklahoma City Thunder

The popular sleeper time. Oklahoma City fans are excited. And they should be. The Thunder has incredible potential, but I think they are one more year away from realistic playoff contention. Durant will be an absolute monster this season statistically. Westbrook and Green will continue to develop and Harden will be a nice glue guy to complement them. They just need more time to gel, gain experience together, improve on defense, and need some more help inside before they make the jump into the playoffs.

I couldn’t leave this section without talking more about Durant. People forget that he’s just 20 years old and he averaged 25 points per game last year! He’s got the potential to be one of the best scorers not just in the league, but in league history. With him in the fold, added to Lebron, Carmelo, Wade, and Dwight Howard, the NBA is in great hands.

Record: 34-48

11. Memphis Grizzlies

I’m confused. Didn’t they trade Pau Gasol because they wanted to save money? And now they obtain Zach Randolph who makes similar money and is a worse player. I understand the Iverson signing in that it’s meant to increase attendance (I definitely think he is not done by any stretch of the imagination. GMs, especially ones on contending teams, will regret not signing him), but at what expense? This team has some young talent in Conley (who has shown signs of life finally this pre-season) and Mayo, as well as some good draft picks this year in Sam Young and Demarcus Carroll. But they need playing time! Thabeet has shown only signs of being a bust, but at this point, if he can just be someone who challenges shots at the rim, the Grizz should be ecstatic.

I hate it when teams are wish-washy in the direction of their franchise. Either you play to win a championship or you play your young talent and build towards the former goal. If you’re somewhere in the middle, you end up being a team that wins 35 games every year, which is exactly what this team will do.

Record: 35-47

10. LA Clippers

This team has the potential to have a sizable win differential from last year, when they were, in a word, putrid. Actually, putrid doesn’t even do them justice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A13PKLR-HyY. Getting Blake Griffin obviously helps, although his nagging injuries this pre-season have to be a concern. IF Baron Davis can stay healthy and play like he did a couple years ago on the Warriors, IF Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman can stay healthy and be a force in the paint, and IF Al Thornton learned how to pass in the off-season, this team could be a sleeper to sneak in the playoffs. And I haven’t even talked about Eric Gordon who was one of the more promising rookies last year. But the reality is a) it’s the Clippers (Blake Griffin is already out for the first 6 weeks due to his broken kneecap), b) they still employ Mike Dunleavy as their coach and c) there are a lot of “IFs”. I see an improved team, but not playoff worthy until next year.

P.S. I know this has been mentioned elsewhere already, but can’t you see the Clippers being the best location for LeBron outside of Cleveland? Veteran point guard, young shooting guard, Blake Griffin, head-to-head competition with Kobe and the Lakers for LA supremacy, and trips to the Playboy Mansion with Andrew Bynum. Sounds tempting to me!

Record: 40-42

9. Phoenix Suns

Another team that is seemingly doing just enough to remain respectable so fans don’t jump ship, but has no clear direction. They trade Marion away, who excels in the D’Antoni system, to play a more traditional lineup with Shaq. They fire D’Antoni and hire a new coach who is more defensive-oriented. Then they give up on that approach within a few months to come back to the old approach (which never won them a title) and fire the coach you just hired. To top things off, they get rid of Shaq for expiring contracts but inexplicably re-sign a 36 year old Grant Hill and a 34 year old Steve Nash to a 3 yr extension. The nucleus of that team isn’t going to contend, but ownership pretends that they can. If I’m Sarver and Kerr, I keep Stoudemire, unless you get a “I’d be stupid not to do this trade” offer with a collection of young players and picks, and rebuild around him.

Actually I’m much more excited about how Amare will look wearing goggles this season and whether or not it will spark a NBA fashion renaissance than this team’s prospects. They will be battling for a playoff spot all year, but will ultimately fall short.

Record: 44-38

8. Houston Rockets

Nothing sexy or glamorous about this team, but they play together well, hustle, and know how to win despite not having the talent to compete with many of the teams above them. If you don’t think this edition of the Rockets will make the playoffs, please see games 4-7 in last year’s Western semis against the Lakers again. On a side note, McGrady could be a very interesting trade piece this year to a contender, providing he comes back healthy.

Record: 46-36

7. New Orleans Hornets

Chris Paul and David West are undersized at their positions, respectively, and ultimately, that just makes scoring harder for them. How many times do see Chris Paul dribble the ball for 20 seconds through traffic and then either make a tough shot or have David West take an off-balance 20 ft jumper. Okafor will help them offensively a little, but he’s not exactly known for his post moves. And Peja is far too erratic and injury-prone at this point to be counted on for anything except his amusing haircut. If Julian Wright takes a leap this year, this team has an outside shot of being in the 2nd round, but that’s a stretch. So, same as last year – memorable stats from Chris Paul, lots of love for him from sportswriters, but an early first round exit.

Record: 50-32

6. Utah Jazz

The good news:
Deron Williams will be back healthy, unlike just about all of last season. Chris Paul might get the accolades and have the statistics, but I’ll take Deron any day of the week in a playoff series over him. Boozer will be back this year too, and they’ve added a nice rookie in Maynor.

The bad news:
They still don’t have enough talent on the perimeter to compete with the elite teams. They have no one on the perimeter to guard the Bryant’s, Roy’s or Anthony’s of the conference.
They have no consistent presence inside.

This year will again be a 1 and done year for the Jazz. To be a true contender, they need to trade Boozer for some young pieces, start Millsap, and have Deron attend the Kobe “my 20 ft shot over 3 defenders is a better shot than my power forward shooting a 6 foot hook” Bryant’s summer camp) so he becomes more aggressive on offense (he is their best offensive player). Oh and praying that LeBron has the sudden realization that being a Mormon and living in Salt Lake City is his dream might help too.

Record: 52-30

5. Portland TrailBlazers

The Blazers are 1 year from being a serious contender in the West, serious as in having the chance to dethrone the Lakers in 2011. They have all the pieces in place: a superstar on the perimeter in Roy, a solid frontcourt presence in Aldridge, a veteran point guard in Miller, and tons of young talent all over the roster. What are they missing? One more year of experience (we saw how important that was when they played the Rockets last year). Greg Oden learning that this is not summer league and you actually foul out after 6 fouls. And Kobe getting one year older. But next year, especially with that home court advantage they have up there in Portland, this team will give the Lakers everything they want and more. Count on it.

Record: 54-28

4. Denver Nuggets

Everything came together last year for the Nuggets perfectly and as a result, had a very successful season. This year, the questions revolve around if everything will go as well. Can Kenyon and Nene remain injury-free for the entire year? Can Chris Anderson be the defensive presence he was last year? And can Billups, who is a deceptive 33 years, hold up through the season? How much will they miss Kleiza and Dahntay Jones? Is JR Smith sane and dependable enough to start? What the Nuggets don’t have to worry about is Carmelo Anthony. He will make the leap this year and become a top 5 player in the league. He will even win the scoring title. However, I think the Nuggets take a small step back and lose a close series to the Lakers in the semi-finals.

Record: 56-26

3. Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks are flying under the radar with all the hubbub about the moves the Spurs and Lakers have made, but don’t underestimate them. Nowitzki is still in his prime and outside of Kobe, LeBron, Wade and Anthony, is the biggest offensive nightmare in the league. Marion and Kidd will play beautifully together on the court and wonder why they couldn’t have played together 5 years ago. And Dampier’s expiring contract could be a HUGE trading chip this year for them, as we know, Mark Cuban isn’t exactly averse to spending money if he thinks it’ll help his team win. I think the stars are aligned for the Mavs to go all the way to the Conference Finals this year, taking out the Spurs in the semis. The Mavericks are the only team besides the Lakers in the Duncan era which has beaten the Spurs in a playoff series (twice) – they just match up well against them. In the end, I see them being a tough out, but ultimately losing to the defending champs in 6 in the Conference Finals.

Record 57-25

2. San Antonio Spurs

I know they added RJ, a very promising rookie in Blair, and a wily old vet in McDyess. What Spurs fans don’t realize when they pick the Spurs to win it all or even advance to the Finals is that all of their past success was predicated on Tim Duncan being TIM DUNCAN. Everything else, the Tony Parker / Ginobili presentations, and the open 3 pointer shots, and most importantly the success were almost solely because of his presence. But now, because of all the miles and wear & tear he has accumulated over the years on those legs of his, he just isn’t the same player. Of course, he will still be great and can turn it on from time to time, but that consistent, silent killer-esque excellence won’t be there every night. Add to that that there’s now virtually a guarantee that Ginobili won’t be fully healthy come playoff time, and I have a hard time imagining them advancing to the Conference Finals. If they do somehow make it to the Conference Finals to play the Lakers, the Lakers simply have way too much near the rim (Gasol, Bynum, and Odom) for Duncan to handle. I applaud the Spurs for trading for Jefferson and giving this one more go, because that’s what you have to do if you think the Tim Duncan window is closing. I just think that the window has already closed.

Record: 59-23

1. LA Lakers

I love the Artest move. I think it keeps Phil Jackson and Kobe more in-tuned into the regular season than they would be otherwise. It provides them a different challenge than last year, which is something that those guys, especially Kobe, thrives on. And Artest is far more equipped physically to handle the stars on the teams that could challenge them, notably Carmelo Anthony, Paul Pierce, and LeBron. Keep in mind, that they won 65 games and a championship with Bynum and Farmar not giving them much, especially in the 2nd half and playoffs of last year. If Bynum can stay healthy during the year, watch out. I don’t think the Bulls’ 72 wins record will be in any danger just because the league top to bottom has more talent than it did back in 1996, but this team has all the pieces you need and could want to repeat and win the West, which is what they will do.

Record: 67-15

Eastern Conference

15. Milwaukee

Michael Redd is back. Just about every other worthwhile contributor isn’t. With Villanueva, Jefferson, and Sessions gone, this team just might be the worst team in the league. On the bright side, Brandon Jennings is rocking the 90s high-top fade, which has to being Milwaukee some much-needed street cred, right?

Record: 22-60

14. New York
Oh the Knicks. D’Antoni helped them return to some notion of respectability last year, improving 9 wins from the year before. However, the most important date of this Knicks season is July 1st, 2010 – the first day of NBA free agency. Sure, they’ll be fun to watch again, we’ll have more humorous Eddy Curry weight rumors to listen to, and Gallinari will show some signs of life that justified him being a lottery pick in last year’s draft, but it’ll be another ho-hum season for the Knicks. Which, after the Isiah/Larry Brown era – most Knicks fans would probably settle for.

Record: 35-47

13. Charlotte

A talented, but ultimately flawed team. I love DJ Augustin’s upside and think he will be an all-star caliber player in a couple years. And Gerald Wallace is a great complementary piece. But they have no offensive inside presence or legit star scorer to help them beat the better teams. Which is why they will just miss the playoffs (again) this year.

Record: 38-44

13. Toronto

Judging solely by the roster, one could be excited about the Raptors’ prospects. However, Bosh, while he can put up some nice statistics, has pretty much proven by now that he can’t be the best player on a title-contending team. Which puts Toronto in a quandary. They signed Turkoglu (who’s 30!) to a big deal this summer in the hopes of convincing Bosh to stay (which I didn’t understand). Even if he does, the nucleus of him, Turkoglu, and Bargnani (the next decade’s version of Mehmet Okur), isn’t going to win anything of note.

Record: 38-44

13. New Jersey

The Nets, or should I say Nyets, are a team that I’m excited about:

1) They are moving from New Jersey! That should be cause for celebration by itself.
1) A billionaire Russian owner – that has to only mean good things
2) Devon Harris and Courtney Lee are both talented two-way players and set their backcourt up nicely for the next few years.
3) Brook Lopez was better than I ever thought he could be in the NBA and could be an All-Star someday.
4) Terrence Williams and CDR will give this team such needed pop off the bench
5) They have an outside, albeit scant, chance of getting LeBron next year

Record 38-44

10. Indiana

Danny Granger is a star. Other than that, lots of solid players but no one special. And what did the Pacers do with their lottery pick this year? They picked another player who is solid but nothing special. I suppose you can never have enough of those players, but this roster just doesn’t have the talent to make the playoffs. At some point, Larry Bird, despite the brawl fiasco and everything circling around Jamaal Tinsley, will have to take a risk to flush this roster with more talent. Until then, a high character, but low success team.

Record 39-43

9. Miami

The Heat have all the makings of a team that will take a step backwards this season. While Chalmers and Beasley will continue to improve and are a promising set of young players, the Heat got realistically, the maximum they can ever hope to get from Dwayne Wade ever again, last season. He’ll turn 28 this year and has shown signs that he just won’t be able to maintain his style, and as a result, his effectiveness of his play for much longer because of the physical strain he puts on his body. Wade won’t be suiting up for 79 games this year (like he did last year), and the Heat need more help, especially inside, to contend in the near future.

Record: 41-41

8. Atlanta

I liked this team last year, but I think the teams below have surpassed them. Outside of Joe Johnson, they simply don’t have the talent to compete with the elite teams in the East. Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, and Al Horford are nice players, but none of them really inspire you to think that bigger and better things are on the horizon for this team. I think the Hawks take a small step back this season.

Record: 42-40

7. Detroit

I’m torn about the moves Dumars has made this summer. On one hand, he had to blow up that Pistons squad because their window had clearly closed. And he didn’t take on any outright terrible contracts in doing so, in fact most of them were expiring ones. Plus, he was able to put together a bunch of good, but not great, players earlier this decade and build them into a championship team so I want to give him the benefit of the doubt.

On the other hand, as much as I love Ben Gordon, he needs to shoot the ball a lot to be effective and isn’t helping on defense. $50 million for this decade’s version of Vinnie Johnson is a little much. And he signed an aging Hamilton to an extension the year before. I liked the Villenueva move, and Stuckey, who is a poor man’s D-Wade, should have a great year. But these moves seem to put the Pistons in above-average but not good enough to contend mode for the next few years. Maybe picking Darko in the 2003 draft wasn’t such a great idea after all?

Record 43-39

6. Chicago

Bulls fans, be excited! The playoff series they had last year with the Celtics left an indelible print on everyone’s mind that Derrick Rose is for real (well except apparently when he “took” the SATs). By 2011, he will join the Deron Williams / Chris Paul conversation for the title of best point guard in the league. Their young frontcourt, especially Noah, showed flashes and Deng will be back this year. They’ll be an improved team this year, and a must-see on TV because of Mr. Rose, but the East is too talented this year for them to make a splash into the 2nd round

Record: 44-38

5. Philadelphia

If Elton Brand can stay healthy (and that’s a big if), this roster has the makings of a team that will make a nice jump in the standings. Iguodala and Thaddeus Young are and will be stars in the league, respectively, and they have a promising young rookie in Jrue Holliday (let’s disregard the fact that he did next to nothing in college and believe the NBA draft experts). You will be seeing this team, along with the Bulls, be playing in late May by the time 2012 rolls around.

Record: 48-34

4. Washington

The Wizards are going to surprise fans and teams next year. Gilbert Arenas (who worked out with Tim Grover over the summer, which always seems to do wonders for NBA players) will come back with a renewed sense of focus and I think look to get his teammates more involved. And offensively, they have a loaded roster with Butler, Jamison, Foye, Miller, Nick Young, and Blatche. Yes, there is only one ball to go around, but Flip Saunders’ teams seem to always excel in offensive efficiency. I see the Wizards making the 2nd round of the playoffs and being a very tough out for the Magic.

Record: 50-32

3. Boston

Allright, so now we get to the interesting part: the elite teams in the Eastern Conference. Yes, Garnett is back healthy, they signed Rasheed Wallace, and Pierce and Allen should come back rested and have great years, but this season is all about Rajon Rondo. If he plays like he did in last year’s playoffs, where he nearly averaged a triple double, this team will win the East. And I think they will. This team will once again excel on the defensive end, especially with the addition of Rasheed, and Kendrick Perkins is one of the few people in the league with the size and quickness to semi-neutralize Dwight Howard. They have the weapons and the determination to make one last run this year for another NBA Title. They overcome the Cavs in the 2nd round (Marquis Daniel will help defend Lebron a la James Posey and spell Pierce), and squeak by the Magic in 7 in the Conference Finals.

What could slow down this team?
- There seems to be tension between Rondo and management. Ainge strangely called him out after last year’s playoffs despite his unbelievable play and Rondo’s contract situation will be hanging over everyone’s head for the rest of the year
- Health. Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett are all in their early 30s and any sort of injury to any of these players would be devastating to this team’s title hopes
- If Brian Scalabrine or Tony Allen play any meaningful minutes for this team

Record: 61-21

2. Cleveland

It’s been interesting to me how the Cavaliers have gone about constructing their roster since LeBron has entered the league back in 2003. Unlike the 80s Bulls (where Krause surrounded Michael Jordan with young talent to grow around him in Pippen and Horace Grant) or even the Thunder now, the Cavs have always put veteran talent around LeBron in the hopes of winning a title as soon as possible. Actually, hopes of winning is not the right phrase – to me, it’s the fear of not winning. There is a tangible fear that can be sensed from management that if they can’t win a title or at least show LeBron that they are committed towards winning a title, he’s going to bolt next summer. And those fears have caused the Cavs to, in essence, mortgage future success for instant gratification. Imagine if they had instead groomed two or three talented young players over the last couple years instead. How scary would that team be? The Cavs actually implemented this approach when they acquired Mo Williams and Delonte West, and what were the results? 67 wins! (which, if you think about, is truly astounding and speaks volumes about how good LeBron is if you look at that roster compared to the roster of some of the other teams that have won that many games).

This year, they’ve added Shaq which, to me, is reverting back to their old philosophy of adding what it takes to win now. When Shaq was younger, all the antics and his larger-than-life persona on and off the court was an acceptable part of the package. However, the last 2 teams Shaq has gone to have found out the hard way that it’s just not worth it anymore. So why will Cleveland be any different? On top of that, Mike Brown lost his offensive coordinator (seriously, what NBA coach has an offensive coordinator, this is basketball, not football…there are like 5 plays that every team runs), so Cavs fans can only hope that the offense doesn’t once again devolve into LeBron running the popular 1 on 5 from the top of the key. They will have a great regular season, mostly due to LeBron’s greatness, but Shaq’s too old and they simply wont have enough to beat Boston in the 2nd round. Contrary to popular belief, LeBron will stay in Cleveland next summer, and if they can somehow add someone like Chris Bosh in free agency, my NBA preview article next year will just say “Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA champs”.

Record: 63-19

1. Orlando

The Magic were under-rated last year, under-looked in the playoffs, and then under-performed in the Finals. The Jameer Nelson comeback attempt screwed them up much more than Stan Van Gundy or anyone on the Magic would care to admit. This year, however, they come back with an even more formidable lineup. Jameer Nelson was unbelievable before he hurt his shoulder and Vince Carter (regardless of what people say), is a top 20 player in the NBA and is certainly an upgrade over Turkoglu. I realize they won’t be able to play as unorthodox as a lineup or style as last year, but Carter gives them an upgrade in shooting, passing, and even defense over Turkoglu. And remember when Phil Jackson was posed the question if he could choose Dwight Howard or LeBron to start a team with, who would it be? He chose Dwight Howard, and there was a huge uproar, but it proved to be true in the ECF. Dwight Howard is by far the most dominant big man in the league and if he added a post move or two instead of just working out and looking at his body (don’t get me wrong, if I were him, I’d probably do the same thing), this team would be virtually unstoppable.

With the other additions they made (Brandon Bass), and keeping Gortat, this team will breeze through the regular season and challenge the Lakers for the top record in the NBA. However, just as the ball bounced their way at times during the Boston and Cleveland series, I think Boston finds a way to win Game 7 on the road in the conference finals. Kendrick Perkins does a great job in bodying up Howard, and the Celtics have a little bit too much elsewhere for the Magic.

On a corollary, I’m positive that the Magic and Cavaliers will each win a NBA championship, I think, within the next 3 years. Boston is on its last legs, and while Kobe will be very effective, he’s not going to have the legs to really compete at the highest level for much longer. Father Time, after all, is undefeated.

Record 66-16

Finals

If you got all the way down here, you are either a devout NBA fan, had nothing more interesting to do for the last 45 minutes, or felt coerced to read this entire thing on the basis of knowing me. Either way, let’s enjoy the season and save this discussion for June!

He’s going to be making millions of dollars. Just shut up and play.
Well, he’s only making that much money because he provides his boss (the owner) at least that much, and probably much more in return revenue. When’s the last time a corporation (which is what NFL teams are) ever overpaid someone for what they thought their worth was. These aren’t charity organizations.

He’s just a rookie. Earn your money
In the NFL, there are no guaranteed or rookie contracts. Hence, the one time (potentially in your career) that you have the most leverage is when you get drafted, especially if you are a high draft pick. Every player should try to get every dollar they can because NFL careers are short and the owner is just going to pocket it anyways. Any employee of any other profession would do the exact same thing. It shouldn’t be different for professional athletes.

“When you go to play ‘em (Denver), you better be rocking a bulletproof vest, because Carmelo is going to straight shoot your chest up. Dude is so (expletive) strong. He’ll get his.”

- Stephen Jackson