Would David West Have Been a Better Fit Than Jason Thompson?
By Eric He
The Golden State Warriors didn’t have to go after many free agents this summer, partly because they had no cap space but mainly because there was no need for the defending champions to tweak much with their roster.
But one player they went after was David West, who wound up signing with the Spurs for the veterans’ minimum, turning down a mid-level offer from the Warriors and a $12 million player option with the Pacers.
Whether West is a good fit for the Spurs is a valid question — although a player of his caliber on a minimum salary is a tremendous steal — but he would have been quite an asset for the Warriors to have on the bench.
The Warriors ended up with Jason Thompson as their added depth at the power forward position, but if it was a matter of choice, West would have been preferable.
For starters, the 6’9″ big man provides instant offense, able to post up and hit the mid-range jump shot with ease and extreme efficiency while defending and rebounding well for his position. He is essentially Marreese Speights, except more consistent on offense and able to play at both ends of the floor. West also is a strong pick-and-roll candidate, a play the Warriors can always turn to if their offense is struggling.
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At 35, West may not be as mobile or strong as his prime years, but still provides that “nasty” effect. He is tough, gritty, and a grinder. Put in him alongside Andrew Bogut to spell Draymond Green and there wouldn’t be much of a drop-off in terms of physicality. In fact, West would provide a nice change of pace as a more finesse player with his proficiency from mid-range, contrasting Green’s dogged, aggressive style of play.
West is not a stretch-four in that he isn’t able to step out and hit the three, but his shooting ability would have added another hybrid to the Warriors’ position-less style of play. An interesting combo would have been a West-Speights frontcourt off the bench, which may cause some defensive nightmares but with some scheming, could drive opponents crazy if their mid-range abilities could be utilized along with the Splash Brothers in the backcourt.
Admittedly, the Warriors don’t really need West, and Thompson is just fine in terms of extra depth. Thompson is a lanky, strong defender with nice touch around the rim. But his offensive capabilities are limited and does not possess the aura, experience, or leadership that West brings to the table.
Landing Thompson as a consolation price for losing out to West is nothing to complain about. Either Thompson or West would have been adequate — or even better — replacements for David Lee, but it would have been nice to have a player with offensive skills similar to Lee’s and a strong defensive game as opposed to a player strictly meant for bench depth.