Editor's note: Welcome to NBA Insider Daily! Devoted readers familiar with the "Per Diem" column can still look forward to both Kevin Pelton and Tom Haberstroh this season, and they are joined by fellow Insiders Bradford Doolittle and Amin Elhassan. Every day, one of them will tackle the big topics in the NBA from every perspective including advanced metrics, scouting and reporting.
Three years ago, during the NBA lockout, one of the main battle cries for owners was the need to revise the collective bargaining agreement to better foster parity. Many skeptics saw this as a smokescreen for the desire for more money, but regardless of whether it was sincere or subterfuge, the new CBA's harder cap measures have encouraged more movement among free agents. And while there is a clear divide between Western Conference and Eastern Conference teams, the talent is more evenly spread among the teams.
With most modern championship contenders built around "big threes," this spreading of talent has resulted in multiple big threes popping up around the NBA. During the offseason, I wrote about the best backcourts and best frontcourts, but the reality is that teams look to find the best combination of at least three cornerstone players who complement one another, regardless of traditional position.
With just five players on the floor, three represents the sweet spot: Anything less makes it harder to control the impact on the game, while anything greater is just unrealistic with the restrictive cap structure. Remember, the intended (or unintended, according to your level of skepticism) consequence of the new CBA makes it really hard to afford a wealth of elite talent, and even harder to continue acquiring it.
However, some big threes are better than others. Cleveland's trio of LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving is perhaps the most offensively potent threesome, with all three possessing deadly 3-point range while also being talented playmakers in their own right (Irving off dribble penetration, Love from post action and outlets and James from everywhere).
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder's big three of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka features more of a balance of offense and defense, with Ibaka's defensive excellence serving as the perfect counterpoint to Durant and Westbrook's offensive brilliance. The Clippers' Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan are a unique combo, with a point guard leading two bigs; of course, Griffin is hardly a traditional big, with his ability to attack off the dribble and make plays.
You can even see the beginnings of big threes being constructed on young teams: The Jazz's triumvirate of Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Dante Exum is nowhere near the caliber of the other teams mentioned above, but it gives Utah a nice balance of inside play and defense (Favors), offensive creativity from the wing (Hayward) and playmaking from the point (Exum). And with the two older players (Hayward and Favors) locked up contractually for the foreseeable future, they have a nice window to progress and grow.
And while the champion San Antonio Spurs are often lauded for their team-first style of play, even they are anchored by a big three, with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
Whether we like it or not, the big three era is here to stay or at least it's here as long as this CBA is in effect. However, whenever the money from the NBA's new television deals comes in the salary cap will rise and teams will become flush with new cash. Will there be even more big threes or perhaps big fours?
News and notes
● The deadline for extending rookie-scale contracts is Friday, and only Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, Markieff Morris, Marcus Morris, Nikola Vucevic and Kenneth Faried have re-upped. There's still time for some of the other notable names, like Spurs NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, Bulls defensive dynamo Jimmy Butler and Warriors shooting ace Klay Thompson, to also ink deals, and at least in Butler's case, signing him now might represent a savings later.
This is because of the cost certainty of a specific number versus the nebulous "max" deal, which, since it's expressed as a proportion of the cap number, has the potential to register as a much larger cap hit. That's why the only max deal consummated has been for Irving; every other extension has been for non-star-caliber talent. If you're a team with an unextended player, there is no rush to consummate a max deal now; you might as well let the season play out and revisit the topic in the summer, where restricted free agency ensures you still have the upper hand in retaining the player's services.
● Seven of the 24 teams in action on Wednesday night featured new coaches, and only the Warriors won. Talent gaps aside, it's important to exercise a good amount of patience when evaluating these new faces in new places, as the teams acclimate to the vision and demands of their new stewards in real game-speed environments. There is real value in continuity and familiarity, which is what makes teams like the Spurs so great: Everyone knows what the expectations are, everyone knows their role and those who don't fit the vision of coach Gregg Popovich quickly find themselves either on the bench or off the roster.
● Westbrook led the night in scoring with 38 points, including 16 trips to the free throw line. Earlier this month (prior to the news of Durant's injury), I talked about how a Westbrook-led offense would give him one of the most spectacular individual offensive seasons, and he didn't disappoint. Even though the Blazers prevailed over the shorthanded Thunder, Westbrook was relentless in his assault of the paint and gave Damian Lillard headaches before Terry Stotts wisely started putting bigger defenders, like Wesley Matthews and Nic Batum, on him. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if Westbrook can keep up this pace, and how teams adjust their defenses to make life more difficult for him.
● Tweet of the night goes to Bryan Gibberman (@Gibberman10), who cleverly responded to a Mark Medina tweet quoting Kobe Bryant saying that his ball dominance was an "urban legend" with a clip of Bryant dominating the ball in a game against the Suns.