A brief thread on the Warriors destroying the NBA.
I get the complaints about the Warriors. Whenever there's talent disparity, people will complain. I did it for many years when the Warriors were awful and other teams used them as a scrimmage with fans. But the real question is how the Warriors created the current talent gap.
1. The Warriors started their path to dominance by getting lucky. If the Timberwolves pick differently or if the Knicks manage to trade up, the Warriors don't get Curry and none of this happens. But every good team starts with some luck, in ping pong balls, trades, whatever.
2. But lucking into Curry was no guarantee of success. To reach the next level, the Warriors needed a culture change. They got that with new ownership and - more importantly - the real basketball people that ownership inserted, Jerry West, Bob Myers and rest of the front office.
3. West, Myers and the front office had a vision for the team: smart players, high-character players, two-way players. They stockpiled them, trusting that they could sort out roles later. They added a veteran who fit that mold with Iguodala. They found the ideal coach with Kerr.
4. The secret sauce for the Warriors "ruining the NBA" is the unselfish culture that the team created with that combination. They played by the same rules, with the same salary cap, in the same draft and free agent market. Their competitive advantage was their character.
5. It's what Iguodala saw when he left money on the table to join the Warriors. It's what allowed the egos of Curry, Thompson, Green, (then) Barnes and others to co-exist and thrive when lesser egos (and talents) had torn apart other teams.
6. And it's ultimately what brought them Kevin Durant. The Warriors offered a culture where Durant could win, but also be himself. He could be a teammate, not the team. Others would have his back, instead of talking behind it. The Ws created a "super team" by being a true team.
7. So the Warriors destroyed the NBA - by creating a stronger team culture, by developing an environment that elevates players based on their own strengths and stories, by their unselfishness and joy. What they built is rare and special, not just for sports, but for our society.
8. The question should not be "Did the Warriors destroy the NBA?" The question should be "Why didn't the other 29 teams make it better." /end
