The Conundrum of Chemistry

From the moment LeBron James decided to take his immense talents to South Beach, the Miami Heat became a lightning rod all basketball related discussion. James and his posse spent the summer getting wooed by NBA executives, who were all salivating over the prospect of LeBron joining their teams. Countless franchises sacrificed their previous seasons by playing financial gymnastics, doing all they could to clear the necessary cap space to sign his services. There could only be one victor in the LeBron sweepstakes and the Miami Heat won the lottery.

LeBron and his new teammates now carried the burden of amplified expectations. The assumption, made by many observers, was that building a team around three great players would automatically lead to success. Predictions ensued of whether they could win 70 games in their first season and how many titles they would collect over the next five years. Discussions percolated about whether star players uniting on one team was good for the financial health of the NBA. The more interesting discussion, in my mind, is less about business and more about basketball.

Basketball, when played at its best, is a game of athletic brilliance and improvisation within the confines of orchestrated movement. An individual can creatively stray from the structure of the group, but they must remain loyal to the predetermined arrangements of an offense. That in essence, is the tightrope that all basketball players must navigate. Players must resolve the internal struggle of how to demonstrate individual excellence while not alienating the collective.

While the NBA and its television partners market games as a battle between individuals, the sport is more than just a competition amongst stars. Whether it’s being played under the summer sun on the hot pavement of playgrounds, or in an air conditioned gym with a sparse crowd in the stands, the result of a game is often determined by players who aren’t in the spotlight. Its big men who set bone rattling screens, diminutive point guards who collect rebounds in a crowd and unheralded players sacrificing their bodies by taking a charge with the game on the line. In reality, it’s about role players doing uncelebrated things that don’t show up on the evening highlight shows. The stars collect large paychecks and endorsement deals while the glue guys collect bruises from opponents and high fives from teammates.

The lesson is that one can’t build a championship team by simply assembling a few great players without concern for the rest of the roster. There is little doubt in my mind, that Miami will become a force to be reckoned with in the coming years. They will find guys who are willing to sacrifice their bodies and their pride for the success of the group. They will gradually learn the nuances of each other’s games. They will discover how to communicate with head nods and eye contact. For those who love to loathe LeBron, it will be heart wrenching and painstaking. For those who love the artistry and majesty of basketball, it will be beautiful.