Networks in the NBA
The following article discusses all of the offseason moves that occurred in the NBA this summer. It shows all the players that moved to a new team and gives some reasoning as to why they decided to leave and what then can expect on their new team. The Cleveland Cavaliers were one team in particular that got a complete upgrade, in terms of talent. As many sports fan know, Lebron James returned back to his hometown of Akron to finish off his career. His move back home made the Cavaliers immediately more appealing but that didn’t mean that everyone wanted to go play there. One issue the Cavaliers had was that they were not as financially flexible as some other teams, as they had just signed James to a maximum contract. While some players would have liked to join the Cavaliers, the financial issue seemed to be a limiting factor. Even with these issues, the Cavaliers were able to bring in a strong supporting cast of players for the upcoming season. This was possible due to the principles of networking.
Throughout this class, we have discussed the value of networks and how important they are in social settings. One of the many reasons the Cavaliers were able to bring in such great free agents this offseason was because they had strong ties to several players on the team. While Lebron did bring up the overall talent of the team, it was his strong network that was able to bring three additional players to the team. Lebron had strong ties with all three players. These strong ties made all three players turn down larger contracts so that they could be on Lebron’s team. The principles of networks were able to overcome larger contracts and build a stronger roster. While this is only one example, the principles of networks can be found all throughout the NBA.
Reference:http://www.nba.com/2014/news/features/david_aldridge/08/04/morning-tip-2014-offseason-grades-top-10/