Golden State: How They Changed The NBA - July 3rd, 2017

Golden State: How They Changed The NBA

July 3rd, 2017

I admire what Golden State has put together and you can probably tell by the title of this article and my last post (I am still a Los Angeles Lakers die hard and strongly support my hometown team the Minnesota Timberwolves.) However, the Warriors are the front runners of the NBA as of now and have won two of the last three NBA championships, four straight 50 win seasons, 2 MVP award recipients, multiple All-NBA Players and have the 2016-2017 NBA Defensive Player of the Year winner on their roster. They are the blueprint for how to build a dynasty in today's NBA. They, along with a 100 million dollar cap space, are also the reason why we are witnessing a free agency frenzy. Nevertheless, there are a few reasons why I do not think anyone can replicate what they did.

Reason number one is the most overlooked in my opinion…Curry’s ankle issues. After a mind blowing collegiate career and a NCAA tournament exit that had scouts raving, Wardell Stephen Curry II was drafted seventh overall in the 2009 NBA draft with a contract worth 12 million over four years. During the course of those years, he put up solid numbers but missed games every year due to injury including his 2012 season where he missed 56 games. Curry’s injury prone ankles caused slower development after his first four years, therefore, a max contract was not on the table. He received a four year extension to play for Oakland with an average base salary of roughly 11 million dollars. During these four years Steph Curry DOMINATED the league. He led the Warriors in scoring every year, won back to back MVPs (one unanimous,) won two NBA championships and led a dominant force through regular seasons and playoff appearances. I say all of that to say that he definitely out played his contract but due to his previous injuries the Warriors’ front office got a Ferrari for the price of a used Toyota Camry which led to cap space for my next reason…

A SUPPORTING CAST. In 2015 through 2016, the year of Golden State’s record breaking 73 wins, their second team was able to compete other teams. Their cast included Leandro Barbosa, Festus Ezeli, Andre Iguodala (who just signed a 3 year deal to stay), Shaun Livingston, Brandon Rush and Marreese Speights. Those are not household names but when they came on the court in a big game with a ten point cushion, they had the ability to push you into the dub club. Their quick hit bench give their starters well deserved rest during a long NBA season. Even players like Andrew Bogut, Zaza, and Harrison Barnes all played their role and complemented the core consistently. Additionally, Golden State got to extend Green and Thompson's contracts and pick up Kevin Durant all within the cap which makes this a well oiled machine.

Solid drafting is high on the list why this team is together. When I look at their core players in their starting lineup they are mostly drafted and earned not bought (except for Durant of course.) Golden State drafted Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green and let them develop together. Also, what people do not realize is yes you draft for skill and potential but you also draft according to your scheme and the player’s fit. What do the Warriors like? Shooting at every position with the ability to pass and defend. Draymond Green is a prime example of this. Green is a Swiss army knife type of player who has a respectable shot, elite defending ability on the interior and perimeter, decent handles, can push the break and passing vision that benefits the team. The Bald Spot Force is the perfect complement to a speed lineup that they like to run with him at the Center position. Along with Green and Curry’s abilities, Klay Thompson is the unsung hero in the mix. Coming out of Washington State, everyone knew that Klay could score and shoot the ball but everything else was unclear. However, he grew as a complete player on both sides of the ball. His development on the defensive side of the ball is most impressive to me. He gets the tough guard assignments every night in a point guard driven league and neutralizes them consistently. Drafting these players and developing them every year is what made the foundation blocks to the team we see now.

Unselfishness is also a substantial reason why they are prevalent today. To thrive in there system you have to be unselfish. Ask Monta Ellis about it. Ask Iggy about it. Ellis could not stand Curry’s rise to fame and could not put aside his alpha male ego so he got the boot. However, coach Steve Kerr asked Iggy to put aside his starter role to be a force off the bench and what happened? That man got a Finals MVP and two rings. I say that because its a culture there that you have to buy into and it looks like a lot of fun dominating these games night in and night out. Moreover, this shows up in games. They score very easily simply because they are all willing to pass. Everyone on the roster is not stingy when it comes to ball rotation and it reflects in the win column. All of these teams are building their own super teams with ball stopping stars and stat driven egos. Look at the Cavaliers in this years finals, when it came to crunch time you would see Kyrie and LeBron alternating turns with isolations with Kevin Love and company and that is not what wins games against this team. Also, teams try to play their style and tempo of play to beat them which is very comical to me…uh no that won’t work. GMs and players saw the NBA Finals three year battle and realized that you have to beef up your roster to three or four stars with a bench to JUST TO COMPETE and maybe defeat them boys in Oakland. However, until a team can move the ball in their style of play as well as play next to out of world defense or until cap room forces a break up, the Warriors will still be on top and we can do nothing but sit and watch greatness unfold.