To Franchise or Not to Franchise

In today’s NBA, what constitutes a franchise/cornerstone player?

Star power. Elite or versatile skill set. Youth and/or superb health record. Superior athleticism. Leadership/dependability. Obviously, in an ideal world, you want your franchise cornerstone to have all five of those qualities (and really, I listed eight qualities)—but there’s only one Lebron James and only one Kevin Durant.

That said, if you have a player that checks off four of those five boxes, you’re definitely thinking about offering him a max contract and feeling confident that he can be a vital piece if not the foundation for a championship-caliber franchise.

So, the question the Los Angeles Lakers should be asking themselves is—is Dwight Howard a franchise player?

Let’s go down the list after the jump.

Still Not a Believer: Knickerbocker Edition

It’s New York, so of course there’s going to be lots and lots of love for the Knickerbockers in a year in which they currently own the best record in the Eastern Conference. There’s talk of Carmelo Anthony for MVP. There’s talk of best team in the Association. There’s talk of dethroning the Heat.

But, talk is cheap. Analyzing the situation, trends, and historical precedents, reveal what should be more realistic expectations for this Knicks team.

$80 Million for James Harden

James Harden officially signed a five-year $80 million deal with his new team the Houston Rockets today. Whether this deal ends up being more trick or treat remains to be seen, but I am of the opinion that he is not worth that type of money.