The Warriors take on the Los Angeles Lakers tonight with a chance to cement their place in the record books as they are primed to be the first team in NBA history to start a season with 16 consecutive wins.
While Golden State sits at the NBA mountain top as the reigning champions, buoyed by a well-managed salary cap and young stars on team-friendly contracts, the Lakers languish at the bottom with a roster built around a 37-year-old former superstar, two rookies*, and the player formerly known as “All-Star Roy Hibbert.” The opposing trajectories of the two franchises is especially remarkable when considering the recent past.
(*Julius Randle is not technically a rookie but he missed all but 14 minutes of his first year.)
Warriors fans remember when the team from So Cal was the envy of Bay Area natives all too well. Just five years ago, in June of 2010, Kobe Bryant and company were celebrating an NBA championship ans Golden State suffered through a 56-loss season.
What happened in the five intervening years that has created such a dichotomy between the two franchises?
Today seems like an appropriate time to revisit some of the more memorable transactions that have molded each team since the confetti fell in Staples Center.
Stephen Curry (30) moves the ball ahead of Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Re-signing the Franchise Player
Lakers:
Perhaps no transaction is more illustrative of the differences in franchise philosophy (and responsible for the outcome of the last few years) than the new contract each team awarded its star player. In the winter of 2013, the Buss family came to a unified agreement to offer 35-year-old Kobe Bryant, who had not played since tearing his Achilles tendon, a contract extension worth $48.5 million. Observers around the league had been optimistic that Bryant would take a team-friendly contract similar to Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki that would allow the organization enough financial wiggle room to build a roster with proven free agents has he moved toward retirement. That was not to be as Jim Buss publicly declared that the new mega deal was in part to pay for Bryant’s previous years of service, financial flexibility be damned. It was understandable in terms of sentiment and business as it helped keep fans packing the Staples Center and TV ratings high but it was an is a disaster as a basketball decision that continues to limit the franchise’s ability to bring in coveted players in the off-season. The first year of Kobe’s extension accounted for roughly 40% of the Lakers salary cap, effectively ending any notion of teaming a squad of talented free agents with Bryant (if they managed to not bungle the meeting first).
Warriors:
On the other hand, the Warriors agreed with Stephen Curry on one of the most team-friendly contracts in professional sports. It is important to note that when Curry inked his deal in 2012, he was coming off ankle surgery and had missed 40 of 66 games the previous season and did not have unrestricted free agency like Bryant. Though obviously talented, there were legitimate concerns that his ankle issues could derail a promising career a la Magic-era Grant Hill. The Warriors and Curry, thus, agreed to a four-year, $44 million deal that was considered fair for both sides at the time given the health risks. Curry’s still comically low salary has allowed the Warriors to field a deep and talented roster around the MVP featuring Iguodala, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Shaun Livingston and Andrew Bogut while also keep them in position to make a play for Kevin Durant this summer.
Head coach Steve Kerr talks to the media after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Coaching Hires
Lakers:
After a disappointing 1-4 start to the 2012-2013 season, LA abruptly fired Mike Brown. In his place, the Lakers had the opportunity to reunite with Phil Jackson and his 13 championship rings but, instead, stunned the NBA world and Jackson by hiring Mike D’Antoni after a less than stellar run in New York (121-167) that ended with his resignation from the Knicks. D’Antoni struggled in two years with the Lakers managing an injured team, including regular public feuds with All-Star Pau Gasol. He led the team to a 67-87 record before resigning from a glamor franchise job for the second consecutive time. Jeannie Buss would later say she felt like she had been “stabbed in the back” by her brother Jim Buss’ decision to hire D’Antoni over Jackson. The Lakers today are coached by Byron Scott, a man who has publicly stated in the pace-and-space era of 2015 that three-pointers don’t win championships and whose defensive principle is for everyone to “man up.”
Warriors:
In June 2011, Golden State chose Mark Jackson straight out of the announcing booth to lead the nascent Warriors. The former point guard made good on his promise to deliver the Warriors to the playoffs (albeit a year late) and he and his staff transformed the team from a turnstile on defense under Don Nelson into one of the best in the league. Jackson breathed confidence into the young Warriors, especially during timeouts where team huddles resembled more motivational speech than Xs and Os talk. Together, the team won a first-round series against the favored Nuggets and took the Clippers to seven games a year later despite missing their two best centers. After a public fallout between ownership and Jackson, the coach was let go and they hired another first-time coach, Steve Kerr. Again the Warriors landed the perfect coach at the perfect time as Kerr demonstrated leadership, passion, poise and intelligence from the coaching position. He instituted a new offensive system that featured more ball and player movement and in one season created a team that had the number one defense and number two offense.
Steve Nash addresses the media at press conference to announce his retirement at the Toyota Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The “All In” Move
Lakers:
The Lakers were poised to become the next “Super Team” when they traded for Dwight Howard after acquiring Steve Nash in a sign-and-trade with Phoenix. Pairing the two with Bryant, Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace was supposed to help the Lakers decimate the league on their way to another championship. It was not to be however, as the expected starting unit managed to play in one game together. Nash appeared in only 50 games while battling an assortment of injuries; Howard struggled to find his form coming off back surgery and the new Big Three had chemistry issues on and off the court. The move to create the league’s next super team cost the Lakers Andrew Bynum and four future draft picks — one of which will be conveyed this off season — thwarting their ability to rebuild with young players.
Warriors:
Golden State’s new acquisition was far less splashy but a similarly big gamble. In the summer of 2013, Andre Iguodala, fresh off a strong stint in Denver, agreed to a four-year, $48 million deal with Golden State. In order to create enough cap space to complete the transaction, the Warriors sent two unprotected future first-round draft picks and two second-rounders to the Utah Jazz so they would take the expiring contracts of Andris Biedrins and Richard Jefferson. After the deal, Golden State was effectively capped out and had (like the Lakers) four fewer draft picks to add depth to their roster. They were all in – team improvement would have to come from the roster as constructed. The gamble paid off as Iguodala became the 2015 NBA Finals MVP, playing superb defense on Lebron James en route to the team’s first championship in 40 years.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) celebrates with Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob and the Larry O’Brien Trophy after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Ownership / Management
Lakers:
The Lakers’ front office was once the envy of the league. Owner Jerry Buss, Mitch Kupchack and Jerry West oversaw multiple championships and were consistently able to lure a marquee free agents like Shaquille O’Neal to Tinseltown. In February of 2013, Jerry Buss died at the age of 80. His passing left a schism in the Lakers’ leadership group as the Buss siblings Jim and Jeanie publicly sparred over control of the franchise and front office decisions. As President of the team, Jeanie has stated that her brother is on a three-year timeline to get the Lakers back in “contention.” The end date of the three years remains ambiguous but the continual infighting and front office instability has persisted.
Warriors:
Joe Lacob and Peter Guber purchased the Warriors from Chris Cohan in 2010 for a then-record $450 million. After a rocky start that saw Lacob vociferously booed by Warriors fans at Oracle following the trade of fan-favorite Monta Ellis, the new owners steadily began to gain the trust of Warriors loyalists with one franchise-improving transaction after another. Golden State selected Klay Thompson with the 11th pick in the 2011 Draft and then secured three foundation pieces in Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli and Draymond Green a year later. They made the right coaching-hire in Jackson and a better hire in Kerr. They have assembled a brain trust that includes former Laker Jerry West and reigning NBA Executive of the Year Bob Myers working cohesively. Another important decision was a move that ended up not happening as the Warriors front office decided not to trade for Kevin Love, electing instead to keep Klay Thompson and the team’s nucleus together.
The front office of an NBA franchise matters, as we are reminded again and again and again. Yes, the Warriors were fortunate with a few signings and avoided untimely injuries and having a superstar in his prime certainly helps, but I would argue that a savvy, forward-thinking management team is just as (if not more) important that having a top-flight player on the roster. Just look at DeMarcus Cousins and the tumultuous Kings continuing to flounder. As the Warriors aim to improve their record to a historic 16-0 against the declining Lakers franchise, there could not be a more stark reminder that the Warriors are in intelligent, capable hands with Joe Lacob and Bob Myers running the show. After Chris Cohan years, let’s be thankful for that.
Sure a good front office makes a big difference, as we can just look at the Niners to see what a disaster a bad front office can make to a professional team. Jed must be consulting with Cohan to make decisions for the team. He needs to find a GM who knows what he is doing, and then just get out of the way.
Trust me — every Warriors fan is thankful. It’s like a dream watching this team.