Justin Rossi
El Observador
The Golden State Warriors Finals collapse put a very disappointing end to an otherwise amazing season. Most franchises would still be getting over such a devastating defeat. Luckily for Warriors fans, they get the ultimate consolation prize in landing the number one free agent and top 3 player in the NBA, Kevin Durant. Instead of thinking about this last season and what could have been, we lucky bay area fans get to look to the future. Thinking of Kevin Durant playing alongside Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala is something special. Never in the modern era has a team had this much talent. Four All NBA players and the two most recent MVPs on the same team, throw in a Coach of the Year and what more could a fanbase ask for? Well they also got a quality starting center in Zaza Pachulia for peanuts and a veteran presence in David West to sign on board for the minimum. The bench still has Livingston as well, so the teams’ role players are solid.
They will be expected to win, and win immediately. Kevin Durant was quoted for deciding on the Warriors because of how much they seemed like a family. He “wanted to see those guys face-to-face, look Steph in his eyes and ask him how he felt” about another superstar joining the roster. He came away feeling everything was organic, authentic and real. With a team known for their brilliant ball movement and locker room chemistry, there will be no excuses of needing time to gel.
The fans expect basketball poetry from this team. The media expects domination. Many around the nation will see the Warriors as the new villains of the NBA. With so many narratives surrounding the team, this will be the most fun fans have ever had following a franchise. They should enjoy it while they can, because Adam Silver wants more parity in the future. He expressed concern over the state of the league and the distribution of talent. As he put it, “For me, part of it is designing a collective bargaining agreement that encourages the distribution of great players throughout the league. On the other hand, I absolutely respect a player’s right to become a free agent and, in this case, for Kevin Durant to make a decision that he feels is best for him.” What this means is that we could see an end to Super Teams sometime soon. This might be the last time this much talent is ever assembled on the same squad. Hopefully fans don’t take this team for granted. They are lucky to have the Warriors.
