By Justin Taylor
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| Before talking about anything negative it is important to recognize something overwhelmingly positive |
Trade Klay Thompson! Trade Harrison Barnes! Fire Mark
Jackson! Bench Klay! Start Barnes! Fire Mark Jackson!
Hearing these comments after a crushing loss to a terrible
team is almost as bad as the loss itself. Sure, four or five more wins at the
All Star break and the conversation is about competing for home court advantage
in the first round of the playoffs instead of fighting for an invite but what
is the big difference?
The Warriors could completely miss the playoffs this season
and nobody could convince me that their long term prospects aren’t better than
they were one year ago. Mark Jackson is never going to be Greg Popovich but
he’s also not going to be Brian Winters. Harrison Barnes isn’t going to be a
superstar but he’s not Mickael Pietrus either. I never thought this would be
the year we win it all but we’re closer to the Finals now then we are to being
the Warriors team that spent a season in San Jose.
It is comical how the introduction of real expectations
removes any semblance of patience. Here are the top knee jerk reactions that
get brought up on a daily basis and are especially amplified after losses.
There is no need to fire Mark Jackson
I am not a huge Coach Jackson supporter and if you follow me
on Twitter you already knew that. No coach in the NBA can be successful with
subpar talent but as the talent here has increased some things remain the same.
I’m sure he has helped Stephen Curry’s development but does anyone think that
the best shooter in the NBA wasn’t going to progress if PJ Carlisimo were his
coach? Klay Thompson’s transformation into a solid defender has to be
attributed to coaching so why can’t they make the seemingly easier adjustments
with him on offense?
If Joe Lacob, Bob Myers and Jerry West thought he was the Pastor
that was going to lead us all to the promised land he would’ve had his contract
extended already. The guy they want hasn’t come available yet and until that
day comes Jackson will be the guy. The jury is still out on whether or not he
can be more than a “leader of men” or a motivational speaker but we owe it to
ourselves to find out for sure before we act like he’s the one preventing the
championship parade through the Bay Area in June.
There is no need to trade (or start) Harrison Barnes
You couldn’t choose a worse time to trade Barnes even if you know for a fact he’ll never be a star. I’ll never forget the heat I took for recommending that we sell high this offseason to get Kevin Love for him and David Lee but we don’t have to worry about that happening anymore, do we?
I completely disagree with anybody that says we should be starting him. If he wants to start he’s got to prove he’s worthy. Brian Scalabrine would look better playing with Curry, Lee, Igoudala and Klay but that doesn’t mean we should start him over Bogut to get more out of our bench players. He should be closer to a sixth man of the year candidate then an afterthought before that switch is made.
There is no need to trade (or bench) Klay Thompson
Watching Klay jack 18 shots on his way to 17 points is
depressing but the suggestion that he needs to be traded is just as ridiculous.
On his worst day he plays good defense, stretches the opposing defense and
makes you scratch your head when he nails 28 footers but can’t hit from two
feet. On a championship team he MAY
be a sixth man but I’m not concerned because there is no denying that he can be
a vital piece of a winner. The point is that Klay has at least one elite skill
where Barnes does not and you don’t give up on that.
This management group is smart enough to know that you never
sell a kid like that for 60 cents on the dollar unless that 60 cents is the
last piece to get you into the Finals and as a Warriors fan, that is a great
feeling. Imagine if Klay played for the Spurs right now for a second.
Considering what Pop has done for lesser players it’s a blessing that we no
longer have to worry about giving guys away only to watch them become All Stars
for somebody else.
There is no need to worry about Andre Igoudala (unless we’re
talking free throws)
He hasn’t been the same since he pulled that hammy and if
the team wasn’t already squandering winnable games I’d be recommending that the
front office shut him down for a few weeks. Either way, he can be the third
best player on a contender and I’m still ecstatic with his addition to our
team. Andre is a true lockdown wing defender and his skillset on offense is an
absolute perfect fit for this roster.
The only team with more talent than the Warriors Igoudala
ever played for was Team USA. With the pieces surrounding him here he can
literally play the same role he excelled at in the Olympics. He’s been waiting
his entire career for someone to say, “Hey Andre, go shut down the opponents
best player, get some boards, run the break, attack the rim and make your
teammates look better.” We’ve seen flashes of that and once he’s fully healthy
I’m confident we’ll be seeing a lot more of it.
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| No matter how the bench has looked there is no doubt that Draymond Green belongs on a contender |
There is no need to worry about the pathetic bench play
Our bench has sucked this year, there’s just no other way to
say it. No matter how true that is everyone should be happy that Carl Landry
and Jarrett Jack got paid to play somewhere else. They were huge for us when
they were bargains on our bench but they’re also part of the reason their
current teams suck. When you pay bench players starters money you sacrifice
dollars that can be invested in the core.
At the end of the day it’s a hell of a lot harder to get a solid core
that goes six deep than it is to find players seven through ten.
Going into this offseason Bob Myers only has to focus on
rounding out the rotation which will feel like a breeze compared to the work
he’s had to do the last two seasons. Of course this ownership group always has
one eye out for a blockbuster deal. That’s what the good teams do. If your team
is in the free agency market hoping Rudy Gay signs I hate to break it to you
but your bench isn’t the problem, it’s your core.
Enjoy the ride
The Warriors fan base is really breaking new ground this
year because the underdog/loveable loser mentality no longer applies. The
realization is that the Warriors advanced to the second round of the playoffs
in spectacular fashion, followed it up with a huge free agent signing and
created expectations that Bay Area basketball fans haven’t experienced since
the 70’s.
I’m not saying that everyone shouldn’t be pissed when shit teams
like the Bobcats or Wizards are allowed to walk out of Oracle Arena victorious.
In fact, my TV almost didn’t survive those two games. What I am saying is that
you don’t alter your long term plans based on those games.
The West is so competitive it’ll drive crazy. Consider for a
second that if the Warriors had won just four games that they had no business
losing they’d be 35-17 and NOBODY would be bitching. We’re one more winning
streak away from being happy right now and if you can look past this season
things only get brighter. Appreciate where we’ve come from and enjoy the ride
to where we’re headed!
