Supergroups
I'm reading Michael Finley's impending move to join the Spurs, a.k.a., Duncan and the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and can't help but ponder the revival of the supergroup. The act of pooling together singularly famous/infamous, incredibly talented individuals for a collective goal has seen its heyday with the Superfriends, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, The Dream Team, USA For Africa and most recently, the 2004 Lakers.
Results of such endeavours are often mixed, much like the temperaments of its members. Amongst them you find a loose a cannon (The Flash, Barkley, Kobe), a de-facto leader (Batman, Mr. Fantastic), a wise, elderly, sage (Larry Bird, Stevie Wonder)and the truly indispensable freak/prodigy (Superman, Shaq, Michael Jackson). Of course group dynamics---and as to who gets first billing---is debatable, even negotiable. What it all comes down to is whether they win it all in the end---Lex Luthor and the Legion of Doom be damned.
In the NBA, the Age of Dynamic Duos appear to be over. No longer does the Shaq-Kobes, Jordan-Pippens, reign in the postseason. Not even the Powerpuff Trio of Carter-Kidd-Jefferson went far in last year's playoffs. That's why Miami, after falling one-win short of the Finals, enlisted the services of a ball-handling wiz (Jason Williams) and a do-it-all forward (Antoine Walker). As to why the Heat is stacking up on loose cannons is beyond me, what's evident is that they believe this is their best chance of winning it all.
With the rebirth of the Superfriends into the Justice League---now selling more shirts and mugs than ever---other franchises with big dreams could follow suit. Locally, Alaska Aces acquired Tony Dela Cruz and Rich Alvarez, making them the team to beat this season. Success comes to those who dream big. But as it is with fairly recent curious collaborations such as The Fab Five of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and Real Madrid, it remains to be seen if these supergroups come to realize their super dreams.
posted by LK @ 7:35 PM
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