Storyline: Let’s nickname the Golden State Warriors, “San Antonio Jr.” They’re following the blueprint drawn up by the Spurs’ R.C. Buford and Gregg Poppovich. Build from within. Preach ball movement. Play team defense. Have multiple role players.
Congratulations, Golden State Warriors! The congratulations are mostly due to the way the organization is run … and not the way the Warriors operated on the court this season.
Courtesy – Fansided.com
When beginning the quest of winning an NBA Championship everything and everyone should be in their proper positions. It starts with the vision of the owner. He or she must be willing to endure some bumps along the way. Champions are not made overnight and that goes for ALL sports!
That’s a beef of mine with sports teams in New York. You get owners who’ve inherited teams or who really have no knowledge of their respective sports. They’ve become enamored with the dollars and cents part of the business. In my opinion, if you have a wealth of knowledge regarding the league you’re now part of then the money is eventually going to accompany the team’s success.
I see this motto now in the Warriors’ franchise. It’s not a coincidence that Head Coach Steve Kerr not only earned 5 championships as a player but he also played the game under two of the greatest coaches in any sport of all time–Phil Jackson (11 rings) and Gregg Poppovich (5 rings). They are teachers of the game as much as they are coaches. They don’t believe in designing a system to fit a player’s game. They want players who are willing to sacrifice numbers for the ultimate goal.
Courtesy: espn.go.com
Phil Jackson coached the greatest player of all time. He convinced Michael Jeffrey Jordan to trust in his teammates. Once Jordan bought into the system he became the last player in league history to achieve 2 three-peats!
Phil also convinced Kobe Bryant that he could get back to the Finals by sharing the ball with Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum. As a result, Bryant is now a five-time NBA Champion instead of a three-time champion!
Poppovich believed that by shying away from the modern-day selfish athlete (littered across the NBA), he could build a team from the ground up and ultimately win a championship. He was sooooooo wrong! His formula backfired. Instead of winning a single title Poppovich has the most NBA titles over the last decade.
Joe Lacob and his GWS partners were crucified for the process that eventually led to the firing of former NBA All-Star and Head Coach Mark Jackson. They saw the big picture for their franchise and they weren’t going to be swayed by public opinion. They stuck to their guns and began putting their plans in action. It started by reaching out to NBA Analyst and former NBA champion, Steve Kerr. They knew that Kerr’s previous experience would be invaluable. Kerr was a key player on championship teams in Chicago and San Antonio and, then, was an owner and GM in Phoenix.
Courtesy: basketballwallpapers.com
Kerr could see both sides of the coin: understand salary cap restrictions and also know when a player is burned out. Those are intangible qualities that cannot be taught in ANY university! They come directly from EXPERIENCE! Kerr also knew that he would have to make some unpopular choices with his roster. It started by benching two former All-Star players, Andre Iguodala and David Lee. Both players accepted demotions with professionalism and dignity.
Although others around the league speculated that the experiment would blow up in Kerr’s face, the exact opposite happened. The Warriors went on to lead the NBA in almost every category this past season, including scoring, defense, attendance, excitement, etc.
And now that they’re champs there’s already speculation that the Warriors will have to let some of players walk. Unlike other franchises around the league (i.e., Knicks, Nets, Clippers, Bulls, Pacers), they’re not going to be handicapped by bloated salaries paid to just a couple of players.
Courtesy: stasheverything.com
That’s why I don’t think it’s unfair to nickname the Warriors, “San Antonio Jr.” They’re following the blueprint drawn up by R.C. Buford and Gregg Poppovich. That blueprint includes
“Win steady and build from within” rather than going through free agency.
Preach ball movement instead of isolations for one player.
Play TEAM defense instead of naming a single “defensive stopper.”
Have more than one role player (For GSW tha’s Iguodala, Lee, Green, Bogut, Livingston, Barbosa, and Ezeli).
Those are all essential to complete a journey to the top of the NBA mountain.
As I stated in my previous article, when we get back to playing, researching, and reporting on sports the way we use to, the results are not that surprising … but they are rewarding, just the same.
I don’t think that too many people were shocked that the Warriors were the last team standing. They exhibited the same poise, class, professionalism, and steadiness they have all season.
Congrats to the entire Warriors organization!
