The landscape of today’s NBA is as lopsided as it’s been in years. In terms of teams that qualify as legitimate “championship contenders,” it is not very hard to see there’s really only two. And since their relatively dominate championship victory this past month, many believe that the Golden State Warriors are in fact the only championship contender in the league. Regardless on where you stand on how they’ll fare for the next few seasons, one cannot deny that the roster the Warriors have been able to compile is absurdly impressive.
I mean, think about it – the 2015-2016 Warriors were the best team in NBA regular season history and just fell merely one game short of possibly being “the best team ever.” Then, you add a player who is regarded as one of the top three basketball players on the planet. It just seems like they partook in a fantasy draft in which they were able to select their picks before anybody else did. But how did the Golden State Warriors get to where they are today?
It is easy to assume Golden State’s front office is running in circles around every other team. In fact, owner Joe Lacob is under the same notion as last year he was quoted saying “We’re light-years ahead of probably every other team in structure, in planning, in how we’re going to go about things.”
The Warriors are poised to be the best team in the league for years to come. However, unlike what their owner may think, it isn’t their ingenuity or intelligence that got them here – it’s because of really, really good luck.
Let’s start at the 2009 NBA draft where after a disappointing 29-53 season, the Warriors found themselves with the 7th overall pick. With Jamal Crawford as their only capable point guard, Golden State was looking for a young guard to lead the offense. If I told you that three point guards not named Steph Curry were drafted with 3* of the first 6 picks, I’m sure you’d let out a good laugh. I bet you’ll laugh even harder when I tell you that two of them were drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth and sixth overall picks. Yup, the Timberwolves selected point guards Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn back-to-back ahead of eventual 2-time MVP and NBA champion Steph Curry. Seems like a cruel nightmare for Minnesota but the beginning of some unbelievably good fortune for the Bay Area.
After going 62-102 from 2009-2011, the Warriors again found themselves with a lottery pick as they owned the 11th selection. Golden State needed a dominate scoring guard, and as the theme will continue to repeat itself, the Warriors had lady luck in their corner yet again. Three guards were selected with the 8th, 9th and 10th selections: Brandon Knight, Kemba Walker, and Jimmer Fredette. The eventual 3-time all-star and second half of the “Splash Brothers” dripped through the cracks. The three shooting guards drafted in front of him only combine for one all-star selection – the Warriors received another gift right in their laps, defying some pretty incredible odds yet again.
Although Curry and Thompson were on the team, during the 2011-2012 season, they both only averaged below 15 points per game while Monta Ellis and David Lee were the team’s leading scorers. Both names may sound unfamiliar, they both play important indirect roles in the further construction of the current Warriors roster. Anyways, after a 23-43 record, Golden State owned the 7th overall pick in the 2012 draft. With this pick, the Warriors selected Harrison Barnes who played a pretty big part in the 2015 championship run. However, in this draft yet another future superstar went undetected and fell through the cracks.
Except this time, Golden State missed him too… the first time. Draymond Green was selected with the Warriors second pick of the draft at number 35. Yup, the Warriors not only had every team pass on Draymond, they got the luxury of having another chance. In their defense, who was supposed to know that an overweight prospect whom nbadraft.net’s player profile reads “Minimal upside.. Could stand to drop some weight.. He’s a low-risk/low-reward pick considering his role-player potential and ability to fit in” could turn into.
There’s no need to explain the player Draymond has become and what he brings to the table, as two all star and all-NBA first defensive team selections speak for themselves. But being able to snag him after the entire league gets a chance, is simply too good to be true.
Right before the 2012-2013 season began, the Warriors found themselves facing arguably the most important decision in the organization’s history. Since he was nearing the end of his rookie contract, the Warriors had to decide on whether they wanted to re-sign Steph Curry. Obviously today decision today is a no-brainer, but hindsight is always 20/20. Curry missed 40 of 66 games in the previous season due to a twice-surgically repaired ankle, and he sprained that same ankle in the preseason of 2012. He produced when he was healthy but because of the uncertainty surrounding his ankle, Golden State had to take a risk. They decided to stick with Curry, signing him to a 4-year $44 Million contract.
That’s $11 Million per year for a player who produced two MVP’s and championship rings. Timofey Mozgov is currently making $16 Million per year and Tristian Thompson will make more than that the for next three years. Those comparisons are laughable but prove an interesting point. Many love to praise the Warriors front office for being able to have one of the best players in the league play for a contract that resembles role player’s. However, it wasn’t the ability to see into the future that found them in such a fortunate position – it was essentially the flip of a coin. Think about how many players with nagging injuries are able to stay healthy and continue their career, then think about how many of them eventually transcended to the top of the league. The uncertainty of Curry’s future health effectively allowed the Warriors to save a TREMENDOUS amount of money in order to acquire more assets, not front office brains.
After a much improved 2012-2013 regular season record of 47-35, the Warriors finally found themselves taking the next step. After a second round loss to the eventual runner-up San Antonio Spurs, the Warriors were hungry to improve off their newfound progress. The Warriors won more games in 2013-2014, compiling a 51-31 regular season record. However after a 7-game series, a first round playoff loss to the Clippers ended the season early.
Then, the Golden State front office made another questionable call that not even the face of their own franchise agreed with. Not even 24 hours after the Warriors lost game 7, head coach Mark Jackson was fired. Jackson had been at the helm of the team since 2011 and was instrumental to the development on Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. In fact, Jackson’s belief in the duo can be traced back to late April of 2013 when he told Mercury News “In my opinion, they’re the greatest shooting backcourt in the history of the game.”
As mentioned, Curry was not happy with Jackson’s quick removal from the organization. He respectfully expressed some displeasure in an interview shortly after Steve Kerr was named head coach by saying “It was emotional for sure, seeing that come to an end. For me, it was who he was as a person, and our relationship and communication, but also just, he was a sign of stability for me.” Without the approval of the players, the Warriors front office acted rashly. Normally, a coaching change that quickly after a game 7 loss, especially when the players love the coach spells disaster for a franchise. It is only natural that this move ended up having no adverse affects on the team’s upward trajectory.
Another important scenario played out during the 2014 offseason – Klay Thompson NOT being traded for Kevin Love. After an early dismissal from the playoffs the Warriors were looking for one final piece to finally take the next step – an article further explaining the trade can be read here. Despite the Warriors on the brink of pulling the trigger, Jerry West, acting as some sort of angel, vetoed the trade at the last second. Once again, the Warriors narrowly escaped danger and instead inched closer to greatness.
Maybe the most critical player in the Warrior’s’ journey is also one of the most unknown. He also happened to be the highest paid player on the 2015 championship team – David Lee. David Lee was traded and signed to the Warriors on a large 6-year, $80 Million contract in 2010. In the 2012-2013 season, he became the first Warrior all-star selection since 1997. However, his most important contribution was a hamstring injury in the final preseason game of the 2014-2015 season. He missed the first 24 out of 25 games and was replaced by none other than Draymond Green.
Green absolutely flourished when opportunity came knocking, and remained in the starting lineup even when Lee was healthy. The addition of Green in the starting lineup was that last piece as the Warriors went on to win the 2015 NBA Championship. David Lee was traded in the following offseason to open up room in the salary cap for the man who took his spot. Draymond then signed a 5-year, $82 Million contract which is actually the same exact base contract as Tristan Thompson’s, and only $2 Million more than Ryan Anderson’s. The odds of finding a player like Draymond to unselfishly sign a deal like that is one in a million, great odds if you’re a Bay Area NBA executive.
After an NBA championship, the Warriors tried to offer Harrison Barnes a deal similar to Green’s, but he declined in order to prove himself to garner a larger offer. As the Warriors found themselves up 3-1 in a finals series rematch with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Barnes was given his opportunity. However, his gamble did not pay off. His field goal percentage was 45% in game 4, 14% in Game 5 , 0% in Game 6 and 30% in Game 7.
Safe to say the Warriors realized how expendable Barnes was as they watched Cleveland celebrate their first championship. While he may have been the reason for one season’s loss, his confidence and eventual choking in prime time helped the Warriors for years to come. If he had signed in the beginning of the year or if he shot at least averagely in the playoffs, he’s got a new deal. Instead, he stinks and is on his way out – preparing the Warriors for possibly the most mind boggling addition in NBA history.
So what does the greatest regular season team that goes on to lose in the finals do in the offseason? They add one of the three best players on the planet in Kevin Durant. How were they able to afford him with the best roster in basketball?
That’s where each little event has such a strong significance. Steph’s old contract due to uncertainty with his health and Draymond and Klay both being on older and generally modest contract deals, combined with Harrison Barnes’ ineptitude to deliver when it all matters perfectly combine for the addition of who some see as the best player in the league in the 2016 offseason.
After being criticized for “the softest move in basketball history,” Kevin Durant did exactly what the Warriors signed him to do, beat Lebron in the finals. Golden State won the 2017 NBA finals in a dominant 4-1 series that now has the rest of the league wondering “How can these guys be beat?”
It’s still soon after the dust from the championship parade has settled, but much of the media’s focus hasn’t been on who can stop this Warriors team in the coming years; it’s a matter of if they can be stopped. That is a question that I hope can be answered, but nonetheless, when you consider
Warriors owner Joe Lacob may think he and his team of executives are the cause for this juggernaut of a team. As you have been able to see on our journey through recent Warriors history, Lacob shouldn’t be patting himself on the back – he should be buying more rabbit’s feet.
More must-reads: