ESPN's Jalen Rose is fond of the new series of dynamic duos that have flooded the NBA to help create more parity, with Russell Westbrook and James Harden the latest to join the fray. Westbrook was just traded to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul, allowing the 2017 NBA MVP to reunite with his former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate after seven years apart:
“I like that we now actually have parity in the NBA,” said Rose. “When we're going into the season, you can have a remote controller in your hand and you can see multiple great teams throughout the league and none of us have a distinct favorite for who's gonna win it all next season.
"I like that we now actually have parity in the NBA …"
—@JalenRose reacts to the Chris Paul-Russell Westbrook trade pic.twitter.com/kzjoxQUJsb
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 12, 2019
Rose detailed how the NBA has transitioned from the era of Big Threes, one that started (in the modern era) with Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge bringing in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in 2007 to play along Paul Pierce and win it all that same season.
They were succeeded by the 2010 Miami Heat, a coalition of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and franchise star Dwyane Wade. Those teams were soon overcome by the dynasty of the Golden State Warriors, who grouped the homegrown talents of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, only to add Kevin Durant for the back end of their five-year reign in the league.
Now teams like the Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Utah Jazz and the Rockets have a one-two punch they will bring into this 2019-20 season — a format that will allow for stiff competition and a wide-open West up for the taking.
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