Feb 25, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay (8) and center DeMarcus Cousins (15) argue a call with the referee during the second quarter of the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
It’s one of the longest-standing myths in professional basketball: the proverbial “big three.” It’s often the talk of the NBA, and every team’s got one.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. The Los Angeles Clippers have Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. The Dallas Mavericks have Dirk Nowitzki, Chandler Parsons and DeAndre Jordan Wesley Matthews (sort of).
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The Sacramento Kings have one too, supposedly. This season, Cousins and Gay will once again comprise two-thirds of the Sacramento Kings’ three best players, but one spot remains mostly at large. And historically speaking, apart from DeMarcus, the only constant among the Sacramento Kings’ “big three” has been their part on a losing team.
Which brings us to an important note: Debating who rounds out the Kings’ big three, while a fun conversation-starter, is really for the sake of argument and little else. In truth, having just three great players isn’t directly conducive to a team’s success. Quite the opposite, really.
The San Antonio Spurs, for instance, don’t make a point to market any three of its players over their other teammates, because it’s disrespectful to the greater, equally-necessary portion of the team. The franchise’s on-court playing style mirrors what it preaches: selflessness, interdependence and, in the end, success.
The Atlanta Hawks (otherwise known as the Spurs-lite) do the same, and were rewarded for sharing the ball so well their entire starting five was named the de facto “Kia Eastern Conference Player(s) of the Month” for January last season, because it teaches and reconfirms the importance of teamwork in winning. The less you single out one or two or three players, and instead emphasize a team concept and unselfish play, you create a better basketball team and overall culture.
One team who went the other way, overtly glorifying the talents of only three players over the entirety of the team? The 2010-11 Miami Heat, who, in LeBron James and Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh‘s first season together, made a point of branding them as the franchise’s untouchable cornerstone—elevating them (and with them, their importance) over that of the other 12 players on the team.
Which is to say, the Sacramento Kings’ potential big three is worth discussing, but only to an extent. The team’s eventual playoff hopes hinge on much more than the sole efforts of Cousins, Gay and…
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