Warriors help create NBA’s summer of love
Even in offseason, league continues to captivate public’s imagination
The NBA is destroying the NFL in the duel for offseason publicity, a fascinating development directly related to the Warriors’ ascent to the top. For vivid illustration, turn to a couple of recent scenes in Las Vegas.
At the Thomas & Mack Center, home of the NBA’s Summer League, crowds flocked to the action from start to finish, complete with a boisterous soundtrack you’d associate with the X Games or a bachelor party. People were going absolutely nuts, and even when the main attraction (Lonzo Ball) was ruled out of Monday night’s championship game, the place was packed.
Not far away, at the project site of the Raiders’ proposed stadium, a homeless encampment could be found. The Las Vegas Review Journal described it as “a cluster of property and trash,” with a sign reading, “Anything you can spare is a blessing.”
Fear not for the NFL. Once the autumn winds arrive, it will assume its usual position as America’s most popular sport. As the heart of summer approaches, it’s all about the homeless, the tedious saga of Colin Kaepernick, and Johnny Manziel selling autographs for $99 as he launches another hopeless comeback. The NBA, even with the Warriors considered a lock to win another title, churns out intrigue like a page-turning novel.
Is LeBron James bound for Los Angeles? Can
Russell Westbrook and Paul George, together with the Thunder, shake up the West? Did the Celtics do enough to bypass Cleveland? What happens if the 76ers’ Joel Embiid and rookies Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz develop as expected?
What the Warriors have done, in tandem with the remarkable Mr. Ball, has transformed the way people view basketball. Everyone wants a piece of this spectacular trend — share the ball, with style and panache — and therin lies the beauty. Such gifts to the sporting public are extremely hard to find.
As Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey recently told reporters, “I think it’s all the Warriors, honestly. Watching them, I think players understand better what it takes to win a championship.” Morey went on to say that the Warriors “looked unbeatable” in winning their second title in three seasons, and “that really hits you over the head.”
Nobody’s trying harder than Morey, who landed elite point guard Chris Paul and shored up the team’s suspect defense (ideally) with P.J. Tucker, Luc Mbah a Moute and the resigning of Nene. The Rockets remain in negotiations to acquire Carmelo Anthony from the Knicks, and that would
really make things interesting on a team planning to meet Golden State in next year’s Western Conference finals.
Just examine those names, though. Aside from Paul, they contribute at only one end of the floor. As the Cleveland Cavaliers discovered, there’s no stopping a team with two-way players who can score, defend and generally create havoc with their speed and length. And somehow, without a draft pick or sufficient funds, the Warriors got decidedly better with the acquisitions of Jordan Bell, Omri Casspi and Nick Young (although we need to see “Swaggy P” in Steve Kerr’s system before locking up such a positive judgment).
All that’s left is the status of JaVale McGee, his pride wounded by a low-budget salary offer. But it has come to this: Without McGee, the Warriors will be free to develop Bell and Damian Jones more extensively. If McGee comes back, that’s great, but be assured that only one of McGee’s demands makes sense. Does he deserve more money? Absolutely. Should he play more minutes? No.
As the Warriors fiddle with the end of their bench, Stephen Curry is using this summer to illuminate his brand and the Warriors’ fun-loving nature in general. While LeBron stews in silence, reportedly upset over the Cavaliers’ failure to significantly improve, Curry delighted fans at the celebrity golf tournament near Lake Tahoe with his frivolous escapades and phenomenal play. (A final-round 68, climaxed by an eagle on the final hole? That’s pure Curry magic.)
If anyone was born to play for the Warriors, it’s Lonzo Ball — although he’s in exactly the right place: learning under Magic Johnson’s tutelage and playing for Lakers head coach Luke Walton, who saw the light in Oakland and dearly wants to build his own version. In any case, it’s all about the pass. The second look. Giving up a decent shot for a better one. Complete absence of self. In that sense, Ball, 19, is a heaven-sent template.
Ball is about to join an NBA crew of sensational point guards, so many of them highscoring wonders: Curry, Westbrook, James Harden, Damian Lillard, Isaiah Thomas, Kyrie Irving, John Wall and Mike Conley, along with rookies Fultz, De’Aaron Fox and Dennis Smith Jr. (a high-energy revelation in the Summer League, and bound for Dallas). With rare exceptions — say, Curry and Westbrook — none will draw more fan interest than Ball.
Imagine the Lakers in a year or two, when they build a playoff-worthy roster. Ball might not cause a drastic shift in the NBA landscape, with threepoint shooting at such a premium, but his influence on youth basketball could be incalculable. “If you keep winning, everyone is going to keep sharing the ball, and things could change,” he said. “I mean, it could lead to that.”
So here we are, on the brink of August, and the NBA headlines rage on. A few stories are yet to be told: Anthony’s future, whether Westbrook is prepared to sign a five-year, $235 million extension in Oklahoma City, and the Rockets’ future in light of owner Leslie Alexander’s shocking announcement that the team is for sale.
Alexander, 74, had one hell of a run. He bought the Rockets for $85 million, watched the team win NBA titles in each of his first two seasons, and spent freely to keep the team in contention as its value rose to (according to Forbes) $1.65 billion. That’s how to turn a handsome profit. It should be demanded of the Rockets’ new owner to arrive with an open checkbook and a fierce desire to catch the Warriors. That’s the state of today’s NBA, steaming through summer with regular-season intensity.