Golden State Warriors: Curbing Your Enthusiasm for Andre Iguodala

Feb 5, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Andre Iguodala (9) drives to the basket during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 112-104. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Controlled optimism is not a phrase most Golden State Warriors fans are familiar with. We tend to go through massive mood swings on players.

Case in point:  Dwight Howard. In the early stages of the Howard free agency, many fans dismissed the center as immature and a diva, claiming that his negative attributes off the court outweighs his positive impact on the court. When the Warriors emerged as a serious frontrunner to acquire Howard, many fans changed their tune, expounding a Stephen Curry- Andre Iguodala-Howard “Big Three” that would take the West by storm.

Warriors fans waxed poetic about Howard’s dominance as a center and that he was the only thing keeping the team from a championship run. Those who previously said that Howard would not be worth Thompson or Barnes, quickly reneged on their dogma. Once it became clear that Golden State was not going to get Howard, the criticism of Howard returned, though this time purely as sour grapes.

What does any of this have to do with the Iguodala signing? Well, I don’t strive to be overly negative rather I want to control the the team’s optimism and manage their expectations for next season. While I think it is too strong to say that the deal could be a bust, I think there are some factors that put a damper on the mood.

Let’s take a look at five reasons to curb your enthusiasm for acquiring Iguodala.

As a reminder, the Warriors had to send Brandon Rush, Andris Biedrins, Richard Jefferson, a 2014 first-round pick, a 2016 second- round pick and a 2017 first and second round pick to the Utah Jazz and a 2018 second round pick to the Denver Nuggets. In return, they got Iguodala and the Jazz sent us Kevin Murphy.