Matt Steinmetz

The Warriors got beat by the Lakers on Sunday, but there was a new player in the rotation: Andre Iguodala. He played 14 minutes, didn’t score, but as is his M.O., the team was a positive when he was on the floor.

Still, there were a lot of Warriors fans lamenting that Iguodala’s minutes came at the expense of Jonathan Kuminga. Why is Iguodala, on the last legs of his career, taking minutes from anybody, let alone Kuminga, the thinking goes? Well, this is the deal the Warriors made — with Iguodala, his teammates, and yes, in a way, the fans.

When the Warriors brought back Iguodala for one final season, there was no way he was going to be entrenched in the rotation from October through the spring. Nobody expected his body to hold up for a full season, and Iguodala delivered on that promise.

The plan was always in place, though. If Iguodala were healthy, he’d play. The issue now is, the Warriors looked like they’ve boxed themselves into a corner. Fans have been disappointed all season that Iguodala has occupied a roster space even though he was unavailable to play. Fair enough. On the other hand, if Iguodala is on the roster and healthy, how can you NOT play him?

But the deal was always that if Iguodala was healthy enough to play, he had to be part of the rotation. All season long the Warriors have seemed unconcerned with Iguodala or his health. They’ve had the big picture in mind all along. And the big picture was that Iguodala would be a player who could help down the stretch and into the playoffs.

We’re into the stretch run now and Iguodala, as of right now, is healthy. So the bottom line is he’s got to play, right? He’s a four-time champion with this team, and player after player, coach after coach, has talked about Iguodala’s importance off the court and on.

When you have an aging championship core, but you’ve done everything you can to give that group one more crack at a title, how can you not go with Iguodala? Especially when the games are so important now.

My guess is the Warriors are going to give Iguodala a shot at playing as much as he can for them down the stretch of the regular season. If the results are good, and he’s healthy, he’ll likely play in the postseason. The next few weeks will give the Warriors a look-see at what, if anything, Iguodala has left.

But rest assured, if Iguodala is healthy and playable, he’s going to be taking minutes from a teammate — whether it’s Kuminga or Anthony Lamb or anyone else. That’s the deal the Warriors made with Iguodala, and we all should have seen it coming.

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2012. It’s been nearly 10 years since Greg Willard, one of the NBA’s greatest officials, passed away due to pancreatic cancer. He remains one of the best examples of what an official should be.

—————————————————————————————————————————-

If you’re a hard-core NBA fan, you know who Greg Willard is. But if you’re a casual fan, chances are you can’t create a mental picture of him.

Well, he’s a rugged and strong official, he takes the job seriously, and he’s got an impeccable balance between presence and ego. Or put another way, Willard’s got presence; he has no ego.

I don’t know Willard, and I never talked him. But I feel like I know him because I’ve watched him officiate dozens upon dozens upon dozens of basketball games – many in person and even more on TV.

Willard, 53, is the kind of official who makes me stand up for officials so adamantly. He’s one of the reasons why I’ll defend so vigorously on a referee’s behalf.

Anybody who knows me or reads me with any interest knows that my dad was a high school and college basketball official back East, and I’ll give referees the benefit of the doubt and then some.

I do that because in my heart I believe refs are fair and forthright, they’re doing it for the right reasons and they want to do the right thing. That’s what my dad tried to do. And Willard does, too.

That doesn’t mean that refs don’t miss calls or that some are better than others or that certain ones have deficiencies when this or that happens during a game. And it doesn’t mean your team might not have a worse record with this guy reffing rather than that guy or that so-and-so may have blown a big call against your team recently.

But NBA officials are still the best basketball referees on planet earth and, with rare exception, comport themselves with dignity and professionalism. The best of the best also possess a keen eye, terrific mediation skills and a drive to be right.

Willard is all of those.

When it comes to the scouting report on Willard, it’s all strengths.

He has a steadiness about him that doesn’t waver whether its the first quarter or overtime. He doesn’t officiate with bombast, but he’s not emotion-less, either. He’s always under control, and I can’t ever remember him bringing attention to himself. Willard means business, but he’s approachable. He can’t be intimidated, but better than that he doesn’t lord his power over anyone whether it be player or coach.

Most of all, he’s a hell of an official; one of the best I’ve ever seen.

When I hear fans griping about referees or complaining that a certain guy screwed their team out of a playoff win, it irks me. Despite what some may think, the reality is that most refs do what they do because they love the game every bit as much as you do and they want to be involved in it — like players, coaches, broadcasters, trainers, statisticians, sportswriters, etc.

Hey, I know my dad loves the game, and when he was officiating he was as conscientious and earnest about that as he was about anything else in his life. And I assume Willard is the same way.

There’s that old adage about how the best referees are the ones you don’t notice. Well, if thats true, Greg Willard is damn near invisible.

Be well, Greg.

How things end is always important. For the Warriors, it’s likely that what happens in the next two months or so will determine how they go forward as a franchise. Technically, Golden State’s dynasty still lives, but if you’ve been watching you know that we’re in perilous times with this thing.

What if the Warriors miss the playoffs and play-in completely? Would that mark the end of this glorious run? What about if the Warriors win a round or two? Or what if, though it’s hard to believe, they get to the postseason and run the table? Will the Warriors have to run it back again?

This could go any number of ways and they all are fascinating. The way I see it, there are four keys to Golden State’s immediate and long-term future. Here they are:

Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins status: Curry is injured and will miss at least the next two games, but likely more. With just 22 games remaining, it’s imperative that Curry play in as many as possible. Can Curry play 16 of the final 22? If so, I think you’d take that right now if you’re a Warriors’ fan. But what if Curry needs to miss eight or 10 more? Can the Warriors hang in this thing if Curry misses half the remaining games? Great question.

Wiggins has missed the past three games because of personal reasons, and there is no timetable for his return. Wiggins is the Warriors’ most important perimeter defender and key part of the offensive pecking order. If Wiggins gets back soon, he can help mitigate Curry’s absence. If Wiggins can’t get back soon, the Warriors will have an uphill battle getting into the postseason — which would set into motion lots of unknowns.

Bob Myers fate: President of basketball operations and general manager Bob Myers is working without a contract for next season. Myers has been the architect of this dynasty, and it’s hard to calculate how he’d be missed if he doesn’t return.

Hard to believe the two sides didn’t work out an extension after last year’s championship, but here we are. While many believe this is owner Joe Lacob’s decision to make, the reality is that a lot of this now is on Myers. Is he ready for a little time off after this 10-year run? Perhaps. Myers almost walked away after the 2019 season, but changed his mind. The reality is, with the run coming to an end sooner rather than later, this might be the best time to part ways.

Draymond Green’s opt-out: While the circumstances aren’t exactly the same, Green finds himself in a similar position to former Warrior Kevin Durant. Green can opt-out of his deal after the season and become a free agent. Sound familiar?

That was Durant’s M.O. while he was a Warrior, and Green never liked that uncertainty. Yet here Green is with a similar decision and nobody knows what he is going to do. The difference between him opting in and opting out is staggering. Green holds many of the cards regarding the future of the Warriors … and he ain’t telling.

Steve Kerr’s looming decision: The Warriors coach is under contract for 2023-24, but how much does that mean? If Myers chooses not to come back, that most certainly would affect Kerr. The two have become close friends, and they almost seem like a package deal.

If the Warriors were to falter down the stretch, perhaps Lacob would view it as the perfect time to move on from this era. He could jump-start that by allowing Myers to walk and then bringing in a new coach to take over for Kerr.