The Golden State Warriors are a One-Way Ticket to Success
Ahead of the Golden State and Oklahoma City matchup, the discussion shouldn’t be whether or not Kevin Durant will wear a Warriors jersey next season, but why he might want to.
From today and into the foreseeable future, the Golden State Warriors will be an automatic contender for the Larry O’Brien trophy. With their Big Three of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green currently competing (and excelling) in their prime, NBA players are sure to be looking for an opportunity to hop aboard and possibly capture a title with the defending champs.
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And according to recent speculation, a big time player might be eyeing to play in the Bay. Yes, the Durantula himself.
Whether or not Kevin Durant has a legitimate interest in joining Golden State next season is an appropriate discussion for a later time. And truthfully, most Warriors fans are probably indifferent to the idea. If he joins, yes it could form the so-called “super team,” but even if he doesn’t, Golden State already has an all-star team in the making. What’s important to take away from these rumors is that for NBA players, even superstars, the thought to join this Warriors squad has crossed their mind. Why? For one important reason: they exemplify success.
Warriors fans know the making of this elite caliber team didn’t occur overnight. It took years, decades to be exact, of suffering through lackluster seasons and franchise instability. But the commitment to excellence means making sound executive decisions, adding potential franchise pieces, letting go toxic or detrimental players, and, most importantly, buying into the team mentality. Keeping the goal of long-term success in sight, and adding a little bit of luck here and there, and the end result makes the process well worth it.
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Are other teams willing to abide by the same procedure? The Brooklyn Nets believed they could trade for a championship contender by adding Deron Williams, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett. That didn’t last long. Even now, the Cleveland Cavaliers organization have for some reason placed their entire faith in LeBron James to make all executive decisions, which hasn’t brought them any closer to bringing a title to Cleveland.
If there is such a discussion we should be having with these Kevin Durant rumors, it should be that KD, as the undisputed number one option on the Thunder, is willing to forego that label to play with teammates who value collective achievement over personal recognition. This Golden State Warriors team is unselfish, no matter the amount of individual accolades that come towards their way, they value the team as the top priority.
It doesn’t matter if he’s received back-to-back all-star nods, Klay Thompson realizes these accolades are not solely an indication of his individual success, but a testament to his contribution to his team. Draymond Green’s league-leading ten triple doubles are evidence of his motivation to do anything, and everything, possible to lead his team to a win. And for the reigning MVP, ESPN writer Ethan Strauss summed it up pretty well in a recent tweet regarding the Warriors’ incredible success:
Think an element of why the Warriors have been successful is that Curry hasn't seized power for the sake of having it
— Ethan Strauss (@SherwoodStrauss) February 5, 2016
While the talk leading up to today’s game between the Warriors and Thunder has been whether or not Kevin Durant will be switching jerseys next season, the real discussion should be the reason why the thought may have crossed his mind. The Warriors have excelled to new heights but have never forgotten what got them there.
One player exclusively did not win this championship, the team did. This mentality is what makes the Warriors appealing to other NBA players and want to join in.
Next season, perhaps KD will be one of them.