Durant makeover wasn’t a slam dunk for Warriors
Artistically, the Warriors’ monster makeover with the addition of Kevin Durant has been a smash success. I’m referring to the cartoon short “Superteam,” which can be seen online and features a truly evil Stephen Curry leading a team “rebranding” with a very dark spin. Artistic on the court, in real life? We’ll see. Game 2 went well, a tidy win in New Orleans on Friday. But for some time, maybe the entire season and beyond, two questions hang in the air.
Did everyone in the Warriors’ organization sign off on the pursuit of Durant?
Was the Durant pickup really a no-brainer, an opportunity the Warriors would have been cowardly idiots to pass up?
Don’t wait for an answer to No. 1. The Warriors’ high council, basically six guys, presents a unified public front. Even should the Warriors flop, none of the council are going public with, “I told ’em so.” They’ll hang together, or surely they will all hang separately. (Thanks, Ben Franklin.)
The KD move was pure Joe Lacob, aggressive and gutsy, the kind of dynamic risk-taking that made the Warriors champions in the first place. But did every man in the Warriors’ brain trust vote yes? Was there discussion and debate? Any dissenter(s) in the end? It would be interesting to know.
As for question No. 2: The party line that only an idiot would have voted no to chasing Durant? Bull-loney.
Hey, Joe and crew, way to pounce upon a golden opportunity, carpe the big diem, but don’t deny there was significant risk involved, that there was a case to be made for not taking that plunge.
What the Warriors had the last two seasons was rare and magical, up until the last minute of the last game. Some good and smart fans would have kept the gang together.
Here’s hoping the experiment is a colossal success. I don’t root, but covering and watching the Warriors had been a hell of a good time. More, please.
But if you weren’t instantly 100 percent sold on the Big Makeover, or wouldn’t have done it, don’t let anyone call you a fool.