As the series returns to Game 6’s TD Garden, Stephen Curry will score 34 points, earn the Finals MVP and give the Golden State its fourth championship since 2015.
Long before drinking champagne over the euphoria of the championship, Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers and coach Steve Kerr said it was. can Even happens.
As Carr told Myers before the NBA Playoffs began, “I don’t know if this is a championship team.”
Forget the various NBA experts who have questioned the Warriors’ ability to win their fourth NBA title in eight years. Carr said, “Conference finalists, probably no more,” as the Warriors were seriously injured by stars (Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green) and progress was mixed with young core players. I admitted that I was thinking.
“We were laughing about it. We said,” Well, what do we know? “Myers now said they proved they were wrong. “I think there was a pretty expensive bar for what we were comparing.”
This is because the Warriors have made two appearances in the finals (2017-19) three times in a row, making it impossible to rely on Kevin Durant to promote to the NBA title. But unlike the pre-playoff conversation about possibilities, the franchise looks more daring after winning the first NBA title since the departure of the Durrants Free Agency (2019).
“In my experience, winning the championship will improve next year,” Kerr said. “If you keep going, you’ll be exhausted. It was cruelly difficult for us to get three petes in that third year, 19 years. But I was a player or now Whether you’re a coach or not, you beat the first player. You have the freedom to do it. There’s excitement and it’s carried over to the second year. “
It presents the Warriors with what Myers called a “luxury problem.”Only a week after decisively defeating the Boston Celtics Game 6The Warriors need to make a decision to decide if they can keep the championship train running.
when 2022 NBA Draft Taken on Thursday (8 ET, ABC / ESPN), the decision-making process begins as the Warriors seek to find credible young talent on the 28th, 51st, and 55th draft topics.
Does the Warriors agree to an early extension of the two players (Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole) who helped them get back to the top? Do they hold key-free agents like Kevon Looney, Gary Payton II, Andre Iguodala?
With lead assistant coach Mike Brown Depart for Sacramento Can the Warriors find a suitable alternative to car coach staff to coach the Kings?
Can the Warriors continue to rely on Star Trio while developing young talents (James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody)?
1. Add prospects
From Clay’s amazing journey to infusing the roster with fresh talent, Steve Kerr sits down with Jared Greenberg to discuss the path to another Warriors title.
The Warriors will try to upgrade their roster by adding young NBA prospects to their team, as in 2019. This is when you use the 28th pick to select a pool that has flourished as a rotation player. But the same is not true when the Warriors used the same first round pick at Jacob Evans in 2018. Jacob Evans barely cracked the rotation. Consider Tony Parker, the guard of the San Antonio Spurs, as the only gem of the 28th pick in draft history. Otherwise, the 28th pick has historically featured 11 role players that lasted at least 10 years, 28 played less, and 5 never appeared in the NBA game. ..
“A guy like a pool, it shows you how valuable it is to get it right,” Myers said.
2. Hold a key-free agent
But the Golden State has more control over maintaining its own players, so what about the future of Wiggins and the pool?
Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole have found a way of news to contribute to the Warriors against the Celtics.
Myers called signing extensions for both Wiggins and Poole a “top priority.” The third veteran Swingman in the Golden State, after Wiggins made his first All-Star appearance during the ninth NBA season, is eligible for $ 172.2 million for an extension of up to four years. The pool, which surpassed scorers, playmakers and defenders in the NBA’s fourth season, qualified for an extension worth $ 190 million over five years.
Technically, the Warriors have time to negotiate a deal throughout the next season, and both Wiggins and Pool have signed the deal until then. Myers does not expect to reach these deals as soon as the free agent launches on June 30, but he hopes to reach a resolution well before next summer. If the Warriors do not secure an extension for either player, Wiggins will be an unlimited free agent and the pool will be a restricted agent.
“We will make every effort to keep both people,” Myers said. “They were huge to us.”
The Warriors said the same for most of the seven pending free agents.
Carr described Looney as a “championship center and modern defender” after helping the Warriors with both starters and reserves in both rim protection, rebounds, screens and hustle play. Despite struggling to maintain his health and spending most of his seven-year NBA career, Looney has become one of only five NBA players in all 82 regular season games this season. became.
“He is a big factor in our success,” Kerr said. “We all want to get him back. Hopefully it’s from us because we also personally support him in making a really good deal. “
The Warriors praised Gary Payton II’s shooting, defense, and resilience. Peyton, a sixth-year guard who spent time on four different teams before sticking to the Golden State, showed his toughness in another way during the playoffs.
“We hope our players will give us the opportunity to respond to offers,” Myers said. “They don’t owe it to us, but if you win and you create a good environment, it’s what you get.”
For the NBA veteran Igdara, who reunited with the Warriors on a veteran minimum contract early 2021-22, both Carr and Myers expressed uncertainty about the potential extension of his 18-year career. ..
2015 NBA Finals MVP Iguodala faces a limited court role this season amid various injuries that have pushed him aside in 12 playoff games and 50 regular season games. Did. Nevertheless, the Warriors praised Iguodala’s behind-the-scenes guidance. Kerr was a key turning point in the playoffs when Iguodala told his teammates in his first round series with the Denver Nuggets, “To win the championship, we need to improve from round to round.” Insisted.
It’s no wonder Kerr said, “I want him back on the list.” But what about as an assistant coach? Kerr thought, “He’s so smart that I don’t think he can sit next to me and attend meetings of all coaches to do this.”
3. Replace Mike Brown
On the one hand, the Warriors were reassured that Kenny Atkinson would be back in the next season. Reportably change his mind About accepting the Charlotte Hornets coaching position. Kerr considered Atkinson a “great development coach” because of his way of handling players and how he analyzed numbers.
Meanwhile, Myers predicts that Atkinson will soon receive another coaching offer. The Warriors are discussing how to replace former associate coach Brown, who organized team rotation and defensive game plans. The Warriors have not ruled out outside candidates, although Myers said “we prefer the inside” on how to deal with the vacancy.
In those discussions, the Warriors don’t seem to be worried about the potential impact on salaries that are already leading the league.
Golden State spent about $ 346 million in payroll and luxury taxes last season, surpassing taxes by $ 24.6 million in its next campaign. They can exceed the cap to keep Looney and Peyton, but after accepting the veteran’s minimum deal, they can’t do the same for veteran Otto Porter Jr. The Warriors can also have three other unlimited free agents (Nemanya Bierica, Christiozza, Damionly) and restricted free agents (Fantoscarno Anderson, Quinndary Weatherspoon) and other roster vacancies.
Still, the majority owner, Joe Racob, proved he was willing to spend for two reasons. Since Chase Center is a privately funded arena, the Warriors receive revenue from both home games and other entertainment events. Racob sees this variable as the cost of doing business to some extent.
4. Keep doing good
The success of the Warriors also depends on how much they have and how much they earn.
See the best moments and play of the post-season Warriors of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green!
“They are in pretty good shape right now,” said Myers after Curry, Thompson, and Green together won their fourth NBA title. The Warriors are optimistic that they will play more consistently next season after Thompson’s absence due to a two-and-a-half-year injury and returning to mid-2021-22.And when Curry collects him First Bill Russell Finals MVPCar is confident he can continue to lead the Warriors in future playoff runs.
“He definitely peaked in the playoffs,” Kerr said. “I think it will be difficult for him, 35 years old next year and the following year, to put together a season of 82 games as he did seven years ago. But in the playoffs, there are breaks between games and he’s really trapped. Is this the best I’ve ever seen in terms of his two-way performance? “
As for young people, they will be clear about their potential this summer. After playing modestly during the rookie season, Center Jonathan Kuminga and Guard Moses Moody will play in either the California Classic (July 2-3) or the Las Vegas Summer League (July 7-17). It’s a schedule. Probably both. The same is true for James Wiseman, a third-year center who missed the entire second season during a surgically repaired right knee rehab. Myers said all three could play a fair amount of time next season.
Car will later worry about the roster.
“I’m excited about my vacation,” Kerr said. “But I’m excited to come back next year and coach.”
This is because the car no longer expects the Warriors to be below the NBA title. This time he may be right.
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Mark Medina is a senior writer / analyst at. NBA.com..You can send him an email hereFind his archive here And follow him On twitter..
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