I 100% agree with this. This is exactly why the owners should not have settled until there was a hard cap. The NHL and NFL have one and it has done wonders for both leagues.

A luxury tax just makes the rich teams better because not only are they the only ones that can afford players they are also the only ones that can afford to pay the tax.

I have zero interest in watching Kobe versus Lebron both because there is no drama if the final is a foregone conclusion and because I really don't care for either of those players.

I would way rather see 8 or so real contenders with all 16 playoff teams having at least an outside chance to win. Next year we have LA, Miami, OKC, maybe the Spurs if age doesn't finally catch up, and maybe the Clippers with some big luck, and the rest of the league is playing for a top 10 finish and that is it.

I disagree with your assertion that only 3-4 have a chance at winning. Health of player's is a big factor and I think that certainly effected a few teams this past year.

No one expected the Mav's to win it 2 years ago.

I think there will always be a rotation of 10-12 elite teams in Basketball. That's just how it is.

Okay, riddle me this. Outside of OKC, Chicago, Miami, and the Lakers... who has a legitimate chance to win the title?

In other words, what team can beat 3 of the abovementioned 4 teams in 7-game series to win the championship?

I think there are several teams that would have a shot given the right circumstances. I think the Spurs, Mav's, Clippers are the other three that come to mind for most people but every year there is a sleeper team that comes in and does well. Nuggets, Sixers etc..

The season is usually a good indication of what the best 12-16 teams are going to be.

There will always be front-runners.

The best 12-16 teams don't have a chance to win the Finals though.

The Championship team, barring catastrophic injury, will be one of four teams. Period. That's ridiculous, and more to the point, rather boring.

Sure, the Spurs, Mavs, Clips, Celtics, etc. will be good. But they aren't going to win the title unless something very strange happens.

And we shouldn't have to rely on dumb luck to make the playoffs interesting. Because right now? They aren't, at least to me.

I have to disagree here for the fact that the NBA has always been about the players not the teams. The NBA is far closer to baseball (dominant pitching/players wins championships) in that regard than it is the NFL (mainly because the shelf life of a player is so much shorter). The hard cap just won't work unless they try to market it as a team and sorry, the NBA's talent pool has very few elite players. Those elite players are who determine the finals and championships. There's a reason most people thought Lebron would be a champion in his lifetime. He's the best player alive. His main problem has always been mental (dealing with pressure).

The last team that won a championship that didn't have a top 10 player was Detroit and they had 5 top 50 at the time. The last team before that? I'm not even sure.

If you're looking for 8 or 9 team in the championship hunt every year, you're really looking at contraction. Instead of diluting the talent pool, make it stronger. The league just won't do that.

A hard cap will basically cause players to go where they can get more money and perks outside of playing for a team. LA and Miami still leads that category.

THEY DO NOW with Paol Gasaol & Dwight Howard on the floor at the same time