We interrupt the Warriors' 2018-19 championship rally for this news flash: The NBA will survive. And, dare we say, thrive?
Lost amid the hand-wringing over DeMarcus Cousins' choice to take a bargain-basement deal to join the two-time-defending champions and the seeming forfeiture of the 2018-19 season is that the league long has featured dynasties.
If memory serves, the Bulls enjoyed a celebrated one during the 1990s.
Some of the current consternation centers on Cousins following Kevin Durant in choosing to join an already star-studded team. Never mind that the Warriors feature homegrown talent in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Never mind that players earn free agency.
The Bulls' "Big Three" in the two iterations of their three-peats featured homegrown talent in Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant in the first and a trade for Dennis Rodman to complement Jordan and Pippen in the second. But this sells short the critical roles free-agent signings John Paxson, Ron Harper and Steve Kerr played.
And why is it OK for owners and general managers to be celebrated for aggressive moves but not players?
The current shift toward players flexing power began when LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined forces with Dwyane Wade in Miami in 2010. That team, too, drew its fair share of critics.
Beyond the fact all three players took modest financial haircuts to make their terrific triumvirate work, those Heat teams proved must-see TV. They also merely went 2-2 in their four straight trips to the NBA Finals.
The Warriors aren't invincible. Just ask Chris Paul's hamstring. Cousins is rehabilitating both his image and his torn Achilles, making a free-agency decision that's both wise and within his rights.
Perhaps better than anyone, Warriors coach Steve Kerr understands the grind, both mental and physical, so many deep playoff runs can exact on a franchise. He showed concern during last season about the toll, and Paul's Rockets legitimized them in their epic seven-game Western Conference finals.
There are plenty of wonderful reasons to still celebrate the upcoming season.
The Celtics return Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward from injury to play with the youthful promise of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. James _ and another move? _ will try to restore the Lakers to greatness. The 76ers are on the rise with social-media king Joel Embiid and NBA Rookie of the Year Ben Simmons. It's a wonderfully deep rookie class.
The rise often seems more celebrated than the team that takes root at the top. Just four years ago, the Warriors were being celebrated for all that's right with the sport, playing a joyous, unselfish style of basketball that captivated even non-sports fans.
They still play that way, even after three titles in four seasons.
The Warriors' run will end someday. Another team, probably another dynasty, will take over at the top. And the NBA will survive.
