Silver: Warriors’ dominance OK
NBA commissioner says creating ‘forced parity’ not the answer
LAS VEGAS >> Is the Warriors’ recent dominance and influx of talent bad for the NBA? The league’s most influential official does not think so.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily per se bad that the Warriors are so dominant,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a news conference here on Tuesday. “I’m not trying to create some sort of forced parity. What we’re really focusing on is parity of opportunity.”
So even if Silver praised the Warriors once again for winning their third NBA title in the past four years, the NBA commissioner and the league’s owners addressed competitive balance during the Board of Governors meeting.
It might not be surprising considering what just happened this month during NBA’s free agency. LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Los Angeles Lakers, dramatically furthering the divide of talent between the Western and Eastern Conference. The Warriors acquired center DeMarcus Cousins using their taxpayer midlevel exception ($5.3 million), which gives them a starting lineup full of All-Stars. Silver had already entertained such questions about NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the Warriors “should be doing everything they can to increase their dominance” under the current rules.
competitive balance when the Warriors and Cavaliers met in the NBA Finals for the fourth consecutive year.
“There’s a fair point to be made in a tax system when certain teams are spending significantly more than others, that’s not parity of opportunity,” Silver said. “Also, certain teams have advantages other teams don’t based on their resources and market and the wealth of the market. They may be in a position to go deeper into the tax than another team does.”
The Warriors are in that position. Though they were limited toward acquiring players on a taxpayer midlevel exception and veteran’s minimum deals, the Warriors have around a $142 million payroll because of their five All-Stars in Cousins, Stephen Curry ($37.4 million), Kevin Durant ($30 million), Klay Thompson (nearly $19 million) and Draymond Green ($17.5 million). The Warriors are nearly $19 million over the luxury tax, and, therefore, owe an additional $61.75 million in luxury tax penalties.
Still, Silver lauded the Warriors and other teams willing to spend money so they can hoist a Larry O’Brien trophy.
“Under the current system right now, we want teams to compete like crazy. The Warriors, within the framework of this deal, should be doing everything they can to increase their dominance,” Silver said. “That’s what you want to see. We want every team to compete in every way they can within the rules. If it makes sense to make adjustments to the rules next time, we’ll look into that.”
The NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement runs through the 2023-24 season, though both the league and players union could agree to opt out after the 2022-23 season.
Though Silver said that “people weren’t coming in necessarily complaining” about the league’s competitive balance, he said they have had conversations about possible solutions.
Silver did not reveal any “new ideas.” But he argued that “we have a very soft cap right now.” He again brought up travel concerns regarding a proposal to rank playoff seedings based on record instead of conference affiliation. He expressed interest in meeting with the players union and labor relations committee to brainstorm initiatives.
Still, Silver conceded an obvious reality: “Dynasties are nothing new in this league.” The Boston Celtics won 10 NBA championships from 1959 to 1969. The Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers won eight of the league’s 10 NBA titles in the 1980s. The Chicago Bulls won six NBA championships in the 1990s. The Lakers won five more titles
in the 2000s.
“We recognized great players, superstar players will have a unique ability to make an impact on games,” Silver said. “Having said that, there are changes we can make to the system that I think can create more competitive balance and more quality of opportunity.” WARRIORS SIGN CURRY’S FUTURE BROTHER-IN-LAW >> The Warriors have added a familiar face to their roster. They have reached an agreement to sign Damion Lee to a two-way contract, league sources confirmed to this newspaper.
Lee is the future brotherin-law of Curry and is engaged to his sister, Sydel. Lee, who went undrafted out of the University of Louisville in 2016, also played with the Warriors’ G-League affiliate in Santa Cruz in the 2017-18 season before the Atlanta Hawks picked him up in late March. The 6-foot6, 210-pound Lee averaged 10.7 points on 40.8 percent shooting and 4.7 rebounds in 26.9 minutes through 15 games.
The Warriors currently have 13 players under contract after making Kevon
Looney’s re-signing official on Tuesday. They are expected to re-sign guard/ forward Patrick McCaw after granting him a $1.7 million qualifying offer to become a restricted free agent. The Warriors are expected to keep their final regularseason roster spot open for financial and flexibility purposes.
STAFF DEPARTURES >> Warriors head performance therapist Chelsea Lane has left to take a job with the Atlanta Hawks, while manager of team security Ralph Walker stepped down to spend more time with family, league sources confirmed to this newspaper.
Lane, who worked with the Warriors’ training staff for the past three years and two in her current post, has earned praise for her work in keeping the team’s star players healthy. The Warriors plan to hire Lane’s replacement before the 201819 season starts.
“Sad to see Chelsea Lane (leave) the Dubs,” tweeted Mychal Thompson, the father of Warriors guard Klay Thompson. “ATL is getting a good one ... She is great at her job.”