When Warriors do lose, there’s lots to talk about

Posted on February 20, 2016 by Steinmetz

Boy, one loss can really change everything. Or so it seems.

The Blazers rout the Warriors 137-105, and all of a sudden there are a lot of talking points with Golden State, despite its 48-5 record. My co-host on the “NBA This Week” John Dickinson was in Portland for Friday night’s game, and he gives terrific perspective on a game that didn’t look much like the Warriors at all.

Here’s a link to today’s “NBA This Week” show which also includes an interview with Brad Turner, who covers the LA Clippers and Lakers for the Los Angeles Times.

Not coincidentally, the Warriors are play the Clippers on Saturday in LA – a game that suddenly is a lot more interesting. Here are some of the topics we discussed on the show:

–Are the Warriors vulnerable in the middle? With Andrew Bogut relatively ineffective and backup Festus Ezeli out, the Warriors didn’t do a lot of rim protecting against Portland. Mo Speights just isn’t that kind of interior defender. If you watched Friday’s game, you realize that maybe this team could use Anderson Varajao.

–Coach Steve Kerr said the team lost its poise in the third quarter of the game against Portland. The Warriors committed 13 turnovers in that period, and, of course, that was the time frame in which the Blazers turned it into a laugher. Draymond Green committed nine turnovers for the game and also picked up his 12th technical foul of the season, tied for the league lead with Dwight Howard.

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Durant-to-Warriors talk just starting and there are many facets

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Steinmetz

The Kevin Durant-to-the-Warriors discussion isn’t abating, and a big reason why is that something new is being reported at seemingly regular intervals. Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Warriors were a significant frontrunner to land Durant; Marc Spears reported that Durant has done due diligence on the Bay Area; and Chris Broussard wrote that some Warriors’ executives believe they’re going to get Durant.

So despite being in the midst of a historic season, and with their focus on winning a second consecutive title, the Warriors are going to have answer questions about everything Durant.

And there are tons of fascinating aspects to discuss. We dissected Durant and the Warriors inside and out on 95.7-FM The Game. Here’s some of what we talked about:

–How would Durant, who’s played his whole career in Oklahoma City, fit in? The thing about Durant is that, yes, he is a scorer, but, no, he’s not selfish. He’s a high-character person, but that doesn’t change the fact that the thing he does better than anything else on planet earth is put the ball in the bucket. Stephen Curry does that pretty well, too. Do you really want Durant “fitting in” to something that might not come naturally to him?

–On the one hand, how could you possibly turn up your nose at acquiring Durant – and get this – without having to lose Curry, Klay Thompson or Draymond Green? On the other, how could you possibly want to tinker with perhaps one of the greatest teams in NBA history with one of their signature trademarks: Chemistry? It really is kind of crazy.

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Kevin Durant appears to be part of Warriors’ plan for future, but what does that mean for Warriors present?

Posted on February 3, 2016 by Steinmetz

First of all, the Warriors are not made up of porcelain dolls. They’re not going to crack when there’s a little adversity or an obstacle or challenge is put in front of them. They’ve made it through a half-season without their head coach Steve Kerr and a good portion of it without forward Harrison Barnes, who was hurt.

But they might be facing a more daunting issue now: The constant background noise regarding Kevin Durant.

The whispers of Durant possibly joining the Warriors at the end of the season turned into shouts when Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Tuesday that Golden State may very well be the frontrunner to land the former MVP and free agent to be. And it just so happens Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder will be at Oracle on Saturday for a game against the Warriors.

The Warriors are 44-4 right now, with a game against the Washington Wizards later today and a trip to the White House to meet the president tomorrow. They are coming off their first championship in 40 years and they are being talked about as one of the greatest teams in NBA history.

The idea of Durant joining this juggernaut is fascinating, no doubt. It wasn’t long ago that the Warriors struggled to lure free agents to the Bay. Now, the biggest free agent on the market is thinking about joining an already loaded Warriors team. Hey, the Warriors have done a 180 and there’s no reason not to enjoy it.

 

 

But the acquisition of Durant would come at a price. Danny LeRoux wrote in the Sporting News months back that a Durant-to-the-Warriors scenario was a possibility. But LeRoux speculated that the Warriors would likely have to lose two of the following three players to get it done: Andrew Bogut, Andre Iguodala and Harrison Barnes.

Still, Durant is a game-changer and the Warriors would have to be crazy not to explore all possibilities to try to get him. As bright as the Warriors’ future looks with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green it’s impossible not to imagine what adding Durant to that mix would look like.

 

Still, conventional wisdom is that the Warriors are currently set up for a big-time run so the question is: Why would you mess with a sure thing? The bottom line is the Warriors are set up for the future so bringing in Durant would mess with that.

But it’s not just the future to think about. There’s also the present. With the Golden State Warriors working on back-to-back titles, and working on it in historic fashion, do they really want and need this Durant distraction now?

The Warriors’ chemistry is very real. They get along, play the right way and are as together as any team in the NBA. But the louder the calls for Durant get, the more and more their current players will likely think about whether they’re a part of the future or not. In the midst of this historic, once-in-a-lifetime season how will some players react to the idea, perhaps even the plan, that they won’t be needed or wanted next year?

Human nature suggests that when you’re 44-4 you’re going to be disappointed when you hear you might not be around next year. Sure Bogut, Iguodala and Barnes have heard their names in trade reports before, but this would be different — as key core players on the best team on planet Earth.

There hasn’t been a team in the NBA that has shown they can beat the Warriors this year. But this would be another kind of gut-check for the Warriors — keeping everything intact and humming nicely while Durant seemingly waits in the wings.

Or maybe waits front and center. For example, is Durant now going to get a standing ovation when he is introduced on Saturday, with Warriors fans knowing he wants to come? Wonder how some Warriors players might feel about that.

Of course, there’s a lot to play out here. Who knows how the season is going to finish out? What if the Warriors win a second consecutive title? Would Durant really want to join a team that’s won without him? That wouldn’t be a good look for a so-called superstar. Would the Warriors really want to break up a team that just won back-to-back titles?

Well, the answer to that last question is: Yes. If there’s one thing Warriors owner Joe Lacob has shown it’s that he’s willing to take risks. Big risks. So there’s no doubt he’s absolutely looking at ways to get Durant here in the future.

But it’s not the future the Warriors should worry about. It’s the present.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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