Warriors’ under-the-radar moves pay off
Let’s face it: The Warriors give their haters plenty of fodder.
Outside the Bay Area, it’s easy for NBA fans to resent the greatest show on hardwood. Start with Draymond Green’s wayward kicks last postseason. Now add Zaza Pachulia’s closeout heard ’round the world, even if it wasn’t nearly as grievous as Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich suggested.
Plus, there are all those relentless regular-season wins (a 207-39 record the past three seasons). And the current playoff run, 10-0 and counting.
But one piece of the resentment rings hollow. The Warriors didn’t build this powerhouse with high-end shopping, Kevin Durant notwithstanding. They spent more time roaming the bargain-basement aisles.
This is worth remembering as Golden State steams toward what seems like another inevitable NBA Finals collision with LeBron James and Cleveland. Durant already was an elite player when the Warriors acquired him, obviously. He’s also alone in this distinction.
Look at Tuesday night’s rout of San Antonio, when rookie Patrick McCaw scored 18 points and played terrific defense in place of injured Andre Iguodala. McCaw was the 38th player selected in last year’s draft, a long shot by any measure.
Green now is an indispensable all-around player, but he was a pudgy question mark as the 35th player chosen in 2012. JaVale McGee, an injury-prone punch line the past three years, dominated in stretches during the first-round sweep of Portland.
The list goes on and on. Minnesota drafted two point guards in 2009 (Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn) rather than take a risk on skinny Stephen Curry from unheralded Davidson College. Nice work, Timberwolves.
Many fans wanted the Warriors to keep Monta Ellis over Curry. The front office preferred to pair Curry with Klay Thompson — who, incidentally, was chosen one spot after Jimmer Fredette in the 2011 draft.
My point here: The Warriors really built their powerhouse with many smart, less-than-obvious decisions.
They have been fortunate again during these playoffs, absolutely, given key injuries to their opponents ( Jusuf Nurkic, George Hill, Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard). They’ve also weathered injuries to Durant and Iguodala because of shrewdly obtained depth (McGee, McCaw).
So savor the show. It won’t last forever.