Too Much Hype in Philly

By Calvin McGrath

I've been a basketball fan for a long time, and I love playing it. It's by far my favorite sport. One thing that frustrates me about the NBA, though, is the hype some teams get. This past offseason, we saw one of the biggest free agency moves in a long time. LeBron James, a first-ballot Hall of Famer regarded by some as the best player to ever touch a basketball court, took a major pay cut and left the Lakers to join Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe in Philadelphia as the veteran leader of that team.

I've always been a LeBron fan. I wish him the best, and I think he's an incredible player, but I can't help thinking this Philly team is getting way too much hype. They have incredible players, but I don't think they have the youth or, frankly, the depth to go far in the NBA.

I look at a team like Oklahoma City, which not only has young players but also gets real production off the bench from guys who are straight-up ballers. They play hard, they play good defense, and they bring life to a second unit that other teams simply don't have.

I look back at Golden State with Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and the other All-Stars, and I feel like teams are trying to recreate that. Frankly, I think we've seen more failures than successes. Look at the Brooklyn Nets a few years ago. They had Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden, and they couldn't make it work.

I think what wins in the NBA is defense, efficient shooting, and one or two superstars who can get you a bucket when you really need it.

Anyway, I just had to get that out there.