4. A dynasty has ended…what does that mean for the Warriors and the rest of the NBA?
As noted already, the Warriors are coming off a Dynastic run, with five straight Finals appearances and three championships. But Kevin Durant is gone to Brooklyn, fresh off an Achilles tear, to team up with his pal Kyrie Irving. D’Angelo Russell takes his place, with Andre Iguodala out the door to Memphis. Shaun Livingston hasn’t “retired” but the Warriors waived him and he’s yet to be signed. And oh yeah, Klay Thompson, the new recipient of a five-year supermax extension, will be out till probably the All-Star Break with a torn ACL.
Will they make the playoffs? Most likely. After that, I’ll be honest, I don’t know what to expect. I’m the biggest Stephen Curry truther there is and I expect a big season. Draymond Green should be motivated coming off a Finals loss and a newly minted $100 million extension. I think Russell will fit better than most do. But their bench is young and unproven. They lack depth in crucial areas.
But MVP level Curry is a top 3 player in the league, unquestionably. Motivated Draymond is a DPOY candidate. That’s more than a lot of teams can boast. Get Klay back healthy, and anything is possible.
As for the rest of the NBA, this much is clear. The path to the top is wide open. The West is deeper, as usually is the case, but Philadelphia, Milwaukee and potentially Boston can take the throne. Those teams are good, like, really good. The Clippers picked up a few decent players in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Russell Westbrook teamed up with James Harden in Houston, and some guy named LeBron James lurks in L.A. with a new sidekick, Anthony Davis.
That doesn’t even take into account, the Western Conference elite might not even come from one of the above teams. The Nuggets and Jazz were really well last year and only got better. For the first time in five years, the NBA is a free for all. And I for one am all for it.