A championship or bust is an unfair standard. So many variables beyond the control of even the smartest NBA teams need to change the right path to win four playoff series. The most dangerous thing is health. The last remaining team is usually one of the healthiest. You may be able to overcome the trauma of one or two role players, but not the star.
Giant sports science manpower and trendy technology can prevent the effects of aging or reduce the likelihood of any particular injury due to wear and tear. They cannot make collisions less violent or prevent someone from landing on someone else’s foot at the wrong time. Many championship-level teams have never won a championship.
So yes, championship or bust is an unfair measure of success. It’s also the brutal reality of the trade, just like the Phoenix Suns did when the league landscape changed – the trade of three Very good support players (Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson and Jay Crowder, although Crowder certainly didn’t play for the Suns) and all available unprotected draft assets (four first-round picks, three trades) to the Brooklyn Nets for Kevin Durant and TJ Warren. .
Durant is one of the dozen greatest players of all time, at worst. He may have been the league’s best all-rounder this season when he was healthy. Such players rarely change.
Source: www.espn.com
