Warriors roster is set. Some call them old, some call them experienced
After a quiet offseason, Golden State looks pretty much as expected
I asked one of the smartest people I know (who also happens to be an expert in negotiation) what his thoughts were on the resolution of Jonathan Kuminga’s off-season standoff with the Golden State Warriors.
“That was a good negotiation. No one’s happy.”
You could say the same thing about the Warriors’ off-season. No tidal shifts in either direction. Sure, some dreams were crushed. Maybe the team could have used Kuminga’s contract situation to swing for the fences, but those dreams were tenuous at best. Given the long, stalled negotiations, it’s clear that Golden State was thoroughly exploring their options all Summer.
Instead, it’s all the rumored players coming in.
A look at the key roster additions
Al Horford will immediately slots in as the starting center. Even with his old man legs; his defense, shooting, and general basketball acumen will ensure that he’s one of the most relied upon veterans this season. Horford is the stretch center that coach Steve Kerr has been dreaming about since the love affair with Mo Speights had to end.
The real heartbreak here though is the departure of fan favorite, Kevon Looney. In what was certainly a tough decision, Golden State let go of their most reliable presence in the paint (outside of Draymond Green). More importantly, Looney was a sort of safety blanket for a team that frequently needed a stable veteran in the middle. It’s easy to understand how the team could see the upgrade to Horford as a no-brainer, particularly given some of the nice flashes seen last season from two of the Warriors promising young bigs, Quintin Post, and Trayce Jackson-Davis. There will be plenty of minutes to go around, and expect Green to be a bit more of a free safety in the rotations.
Joining Horford, the Warriors are also welcoming back some familiar old faces. One of the big concerns on these extended negotiations and the roster hangups they caused was lack of prep time. After all, players were reportedly still signing contracts on the first official day of practice, and the initial preseason game (against the Los Angeles Lakers) is on Sunday - just a few days away. Gary Payton was the quickest lock. He works well within Golden State’s system, comes at the veteran minimum (a mandatory criteria at this point in the depth chart) and both he and Kerr have a solid understanding of each other’s weak spots.
Then there’s a couple of really solid vets to round out the roster, both returning to the franchise for what is widely expected to be a nice warm welcome. De’Anthony Melton hasn’t explained that extra apostrophe in his first name, but he doesn’t need to. One of those classic stereotypical “glue guys” Melton had an absurd on-off impact differential last season before going down with a season-ending knee injury. Notably, that injury will keep him out though the preseason, but he’s expected to join the team early in the regular season. The other guy is the actual Splash’s Brother. Seth Curry will have some contract weirdness that will keep him out for a small portion of the early season, but he’s going to be around all preseason and should be able to quickly come up to speed.
I know we haven’t covered everyone yet. We’ll come back from some Pat Spencer talk. Will look at what Kuminga’s role should be this season. But for now, just breathe out a big sigh and enjoy the fact that the off-season is officially over.
Over-under?
Somewhere between 45 and 50 wins feels right to me at this point. Over 50 wins would indicate a dominance that I don’t feel confident in at this point1 but neither do they seem like the sort of team that is going to struggle to find cohesion or to get wins.
Four hall of famers. Yeah, they are indeed old - but I prefer to think of them as experienced.
So? Let’s talk. Warriors will have some practice news coming out, and we may get the first glimpse of Horford in Warriors gear today. An auspicious start to what is sure to be a historic season. A little slow coming out of the off-season? Yes, but that can be forgiven at their advanced age.
God, I’m going to get so flamed for this in the writer’s chat