San Antonio, Oklahoma city and Miami didn't just happen in a vacuum though. Two of those three aren't destination cities.
OKC isn't a destination city. I wouldn't lump San Antonio in that category though; its a lot easier to convince guys to go to warm, tax-free Texas than Minnesota or Milwaukee.
You can honestly see exactly why a lot of organizations have failed. Just an hour ago I was looking over a piece about the suns draft history and it's amazing how much talent they let walk, traded, sold the rights for for cash. A lot of teams are just the victims of their own stupidity.
http://hoopspeak.com/2012/07/steve-nash-to-the-lakers-suns-to-the-bargain-bin/
Hell look at the hornets. We had the potential to be a powerhouse a few years back but we got cold feet with chandler and shipped him off for worse talent that didn't fit in. We overpaid guys like posey. Drafted poorly and let the few good draft picks we had leave because our coach had an over the hill veteran fetish. Our problem was management more then anything.
What I'm saying is that the bad teams are bound to have the bad front offices. The NBA doesn't disclose the pay structures of front offices, but I wouldn't be surprised if Los Angeles is paying more than Charlotte. Let alone the fact that LA is loads more attractive, as a career and destination standpoint.
San Antonio has the best and the brightest every year. They may not have a big market advantage, but they make up for it with their front office's reputation.
I don't think it is as impenetrable of a wall as you are making it out to be though. Especially with the new luxury tax implications in a few years. If the heat are bleeding money now, in about two years it's going to be a bloodbath unless one or all of their players severely restructure. I still say it mostly comes down to management. Too many teams chasing and overpaying for middling talent and too many teams unable to properly rebuild an organization with a proper vision and focus and getting the right people to do it.
Its got a few cracks, but the wall is pretty damn impenetrable. Much moreso than it has ever been before. You need soooo much luck. So much luck.
I agree that the new CBA helps
A LOT (I've posted multiple times about it) but we won't feel the effects for a while. The top teams aren't just going to be broken up; we will feel the effects of the old CBA for a really long time.
And its not like the new CBA is perfect. The top teams still have an enormous advantage, just less so than before.
