Sometimes one-offs are all you need.
Whether it's movie-making, baby-making or making a run at a sports championship, there are times when things just come together perfectly, likely and sometimes hopefully never to be repeated.
The phrase "one-and-done" is most commonly associated with elite college basketball players at blue blood programs, but after what Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors accomplished on Thursday night to upset the super-team Warriors and win Toronto's first NBA title it's an idea that might pick up steam not only in pro hoops but throughout sports.
Sure, it's better to build through the draft and develop talent. But just ask the old Oklahoma City Thunder of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook if that's the only or a guaranteed way to win, even with elite Hall of Fame talent to work with.
And it's not just desperate, stagnant teams like Toronto that are the only ones enticed by the lure of high-end talent on even a short-term basis. Randy Moss joined the Patriots in 2007 on a one-year contract prior to his NFL-record 23 touchdowns helping New England to a 16-0 regular season. That title run came up short and Moss re-signed with the Patriots, but that was far from a guarantee when he arrived via trade from Oakland to join the ongoing dynasty in Foxborough.
Bill Belichick took an even bigger swing at the one-and-done model in 2014 when he signed Darrelle Revis to a contract that was structured as essentially a one-year deal. This time it worked, the Patriots defeated the Seahawk in Super Bowl XLIX, as the mercenary future Hall of Famer Revis collected a ring before returning to the Jets in the offseason.
On the heels of Leonard's work leading the retooled Raptors to glory, it's an issue that's especially noteworthy these days in Boston given the status of New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis. Davis wants out of the land of Mardi Gras as he heads into the final year of his contract. The Celtics are one of the teams reportedly engaged in trade talks with the Pelicans despite the fact that Davis has made no indication he'd be open to remaining in Boston long-term and signs actually point to him wanting to be elsewhere a year from now even if a deal did come to fruition.
It was not long ago that Danny Ainge and the Celtics were doing it the "right" way, building around a young superstar like Kyrie Irving and a core of potential developmental studs in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
But with apologies to John "Hannibal" Smith, that plan never came together in the Celtics disappointingly dysfunctional 2018-19 campaign. A seemingly perfect plan and season came to an end long before it got a shot at the supposedly unbeatable Golden State squad, while a Raptors team that moved on from a beloved franchise star in Demar Derozan for a possible rental of the then-Spurs malcontent Leonard and the Greek Freak-led Bucks took charge in the Eastern Conference.
Now, Leonard is heading into free agency as Toronto and the North are celebrating a title while teams and media alike may be forced to rethink the model for building a winner not just in college and pro basketball but all of sports.
Should the Celtics go all-in to get Davis and keep Irving in Boston for a possible one-year run at a title? Traditional team-building philosophy might say no. It's too much of a risk. But the reward, especially now, is pretty tough to overlook.
Every Raptors fan and member of the Toronto organization would say the reward is every bit worth the risk, even with swirling rumors that Leonard could very well be elsewhere next season. Sure, they're living in the immediate glow of an NBA title. Maybe they'll all feel differently if mired in a miserable season next winter with the free agency-bound Leonard showcasing his elite talents in L.A. or elsewhere. But they'll always have 2019. Always have that ring. Take their newfound star if you must, they still keep the title.
Is taking a shot at a one-year run to a title – the sports world's version of buying a big-jackpot Powerball ticket – worth it?
It's a question that has to be asked all over the sports world today as a new roadmap to success for team-building. It's a question that certainly has to be asked in the Celtics front office.
