NBA Champions

[MaD_hAND1e]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NBA_champions

I was looking at the list of teams that have won championships, and I realized that only a handful of franchises have ever won the championship (about 16 of the 30 teams).
Why do you guys think some franchises win more than others, aside from the obvious reasons of number of seasons in the league (e.g. Bobcats, Grizzlies, Raptors etc)?
Which franchises do you think you will never see win an NBA championship in your life time? For me I can't see the Clippers winning a championship, I guess there must something to do with having 2 teams in LA, if a player wants to play in LA, he'd rather go to the Lakers because of the prestige factor.

[benji]

Management.

And luck.

[Null17]

I say the Clips coz of the owner who's too cheap the the usual fuckups in the management.

[Andrew]

Why do you guys think some franchises win more than others, aside from the obvious reasons of number of seasons in the league (e.g. Bobcats, Grizzlies, Raptors etc)?

I think Ben pretty much nailed it in three words, but if I had to elaborate on that I'd say the most successful teams have not only been smart and lucky enough to put together strong teams but had the good sense and managerial skill (both in handling dollars and egos) to keep those teams together for a number of years, producing multiple championships.

[Jyrxx.]

Traditions seem to play a role, especially when you think of Boston Celtics and LA Lakers,
and Chicago has performed well too .

[MaD_hAND1e]

The management argument seems similar to a player talent argument, the management can be moved around and it hardly seems fathomable that the guys who managed the Lakers and Celtics in the 1950's would still be managing the team today.

Could there be something to do with how popular the city is to live in? Hence it attracts more players to want to play there.

[Jyrxx.]

I think the popularity affects the amount and activity of the fans,
and that affects the game too, in it's own way .

[benji]

Yes, because those guys retired or moved elsewhere. And then died. That was over fifty years ago. Notice that the teams winning and contending keep the same staff around until they fail badly or move on. Jerry West, Phil Jackson, Joe Dumars, Popovich/Buford, Jerry Sloan, Donnie Walsh, Colangelo's, etc.

As for cities, why do Orlando and Phoenix have no titles? Why doesn't Miami have more? Why are the Knicks Finals trips since their last title limited to the best player in the league leaving for a year (and a questionable call), and an unbelievably fluke run (and a questionable call) just to get slaughtered by the Spurs?

[Andrew]

The management argument seems similar to a player talent argument, the management can be moved around and it hardly seems fathomable that the guys who managed the Lakers and Celtics in the 1950's would still be managing the team today.

Of course not, but a team that continues to be well-managed through the years is more likely to keep making good decisions, even though the people themselves come and go.