No, the NBA is not ruined because Kevin Durant chose the Warriors
The superteam assembled in Oakland—and the intriguing Celtics, too—make the upcoming season especially worthy of anticipation.
COMMENTARY
I wish the new NBA season started tomorrow.
Now, I say that knowing that the players (and media, too) are still recovering from the satisfying grind of a season that just relented less than three weeks ago. There is still a deep bench’s worth of potentially helpful free agents who haven’t found a home. The rookies and fringe roster guys have to show their stuff in the Summer League. Danny Ainge needs a day or two to put together an offer to heist Russell Westbrook from the tattered Thunder. Hell, the 2016-17 schedule hasn’t even been released yet.
I know, there is still plenty of offseason business to be settled. That’s why I said I wish the season started tomorrow and not tonight. I’m reasonable like that. Gives ‘em enough time to wrap everything up nice and tidy, don’t ya think?
Even with the slightly less facetious acknowledgment that the next NBA season is a long way from starting both on the calendar and logistically, I can’t imagine why any true basketball fan wouldn’t already be eager for opening night.
Kevin Durant has united with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and the remaining 73-win Warriors (plus perennial title-chaser David West!) to form their own supergroup. Even though they have at least two lead singers, I can’t wait to see what genius hardwood harmonies they come up with. (I’m sorry if I accidentally described The Eagles in that analogy.)
The Warriors are going to be unlike any superstar-laden, free-agency-assembled team we have ever seen, including the 2004 Lakers (which added Karl Malone and Gary Payton to underwhelming effect) and LeBron James’s initial gathering of friends in Miami. The Warriors have four of the 15 players chosen to All-NBA teams this season: Curry was first team, Durant and Green made the second team, and Thompson was a third-team selection. They weren’t just named Western Conference All-Stars; they are the Western Conference All-Stars. The Warriors have the roster that should be assigned to take on the revamped Monstars in the Space Jam sequel.
It’s an irresistibly intriguing sports marriage: One of the finest players of his era joins a team that won a record total of regular-season games but collapsed in the final minutes of the seventh game of the Finals. Durant, one of the greatest shooters of all time, joins what was already arguably the greatest shooting team of all time. Even with the lingering disappointment around here that he did not choose the Celtics, I cannot wait to see how this works … or how long it takes to work, or if it works to maximum potential, which is probably, what, 75 wins and a championship in Year 1?
http://cinesport.boston.com/boston-globe-sports/finn-what-durant-celtics-means-now/
They have a chance to be an all-timer of a team, even by the standards the Warriors have recently set. But the key word there is “chance.” There is no certainty to this. LeBron didn’t win a title his first year in Miami; the superstars’ roles required proper calibration first. The Kobe/Shaq/Mailman/Glove Lakers melted into a puddle of egos.
Yet through the usual channels I’ve heard from a number of fans who have a defeatist attitude about this Golden State superstar collaboration, as if their championship is a foregone conclusion. A Whitman’s (Twitman’s?) sampler of NBA hot takes:
Chad let’s be honest. There’s no reason to watch bball before June this year https://t.co/BWHr2qWRQG
— Pete (@PistolPeteC) July 5, 2016
https://twitter.com/ColinjQunn/status/750354625597886464
the season can start and end with the Warrior beating Cavs in finals. League is ruined for next 3-5 years
— Dan H (@Dan40plus) July 5, 2016
There’s a subsection of fans who are already conceding and dismissing the season that I can’t wait to see tip-off, and I don’t get it. The Warriors aren’t assured of anything beyond having an awesome lineup on opening night. (Which should be tomorrow, IMHO, as I may have previously stated.)
It will be a treat to watch Durant play with Curry, Thompson and Green, but there is real suspense regarding how it all plays out. Will Curry, who has turned the sort-of-open 28-footer into an acceptable shot, become more of a playmaker? Will Thompson lose shots like Ray Allen did when he joined up with Paul Pierce (who sacrificed nothing) and Kevin Garnett (who never cared about touches) with the Celtics? Will Green be OK with being the fourth option, or will it fuel another nationwide crotch-kicking spree? And who, exactly, is going to rebound besides Zaza Pachulia, who is older than the departed Andrew Bogut?
Yeah, they’ll be awesome. And they’re guaranteed nothing. The Spurs, with Pau Gasol joining their 67-win team, aren’t about to shrivel. And you don’t think LeBron, the champion and sudden underdog, is pushing a few extra weights around this week? If he can lead the Cavs past these Warriors, there will be no doubt about his standing in NBA lore. He will be the greatest player of all time. I’d imagine such a possibility might serve as motivation, as if he’s someone who needs it.
It’s not just about seeing the Warriors, either. The Celtics, with Al Horford and No. 3 pick Jaylen Brown joining the ascending 48-win core, are as interesting as they have been at any point since Game 7 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals. There are still small transactions to be made by Ainge. Perhaps some big ones too. A Russell Westbrook blockbuster makes little sense given the prohibitive cost, his contract status, and his me-first attitude that apparently frustrated Durant; but Dwyane Wade, currently engaged in a game of contract chicken with Pat Riley, would be a really intriguing fit as an upgrade in the Evan Turner role.
I’m surprised Wade-to-Boston hasn’t percolated as at least a rumor. But you know, there’s still time. The schedule isn’t released until next month. The real games don’t begin until October. Before the Warriors and Celtics and the other 28 franchises can begin the sure-to-be engrossing season to come, the remaining business of this seismic offseason must be done. I suppose we can wait, but there will be no promise of patience here. This season — like the new Warriors’ lineup on their best nights — will be can’t-miss.
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