“Roster-wise, everybody talks about the firepower [that theπhave]...but it's a super important thing. You can't just go out there and think you're going to win off talent. The game is more complicated than that."-United Wholesale Mortgage π employee Devin Booker
Yeah. π₯π is not be-all, end-all. Hell, you can win practically 45 games every year in the Association with YMCA league πͺ«! You need "connectivity", you need to play with "intentionality", you need a "Culture". But God, you do need π₯π. If you want to win a championship. If you don't, if you just want to fleece your fans 41 times a year then you can do that with πͺ«.
UMWπare in a tight spot. Their business model is mortgaging, right? Well, they've mortgaged their corporate basketball team's future to Kevin Durant, the afore-quoted Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. They used their draft capital through the remainder of this decade and into the 2030's as collateral for the mortgage. Owner Mat Isbia is, of course, a billionaire, but the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is mucho punitive on wholesalers who mortgage their franchise's future. Mat can afford to pay the "luxury tax" that the Association levies for this luxurious roster but the new CBA also limits a billionaire’s ability to complete his luxurious home even if faulty construction leaves the top floors unfinished! Mat’s going to have to employ scrap he finds behind the local Y rather than expensive marble craftsmen to finish the job. It is difficult to envision beauty in the finished product. We wish Mat the best.