Golden State Warriors: Jerry West saved the Warriors
The Golden State Warriors’ executive Jerry West will be ending his six year run with the team in which he helped create a championship culture.
Days after the Golden State Warriors won their second championship in three years, Jerry West will be leaving the team. According to Sports Illustrated’s Jack McCallum, he has finalized a deal to go south and join the Los Angeles Clippers. It will end his six year run with Golden State.
West joined the Warriors in 2011. New owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber brought him on as a consultant and executive board member. The hiring immediately made an impact.
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West is a winner. He has seen success at every point in his career. As a player, he established himself as one of the greatest players of all-time. As an executive, he’s helped build some of the league’s best teams.
The Logo was integral in putting together the Showtime Lakers. Years later, he teamed Shaquille O’Neal with Kobe Bryant to bring more titles to Los Angeles. Then he helped create a strong core for the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Warriors’ new ownership brought him onboard and it was a huge deal. He is one of the few figures in basketball whose name means something. Instantly, Golden State’s front office had credibility.
West is the NBA logo for his play, but he is perhaps an even better executive. In fact, there’s a case to be made that he’s the best executive in league history, That’s how great he is at what he does.
He saw something in Bob Myers and pushed for him to move up in the ranks and made his job easier. He helped evaluate talent. He helped bring Kevin Durant to the Bay Area.
West’s most significant move was when he stopped the Warriors from making a horrible move. Golden State was considering trading Klay Thompson for All-Star power forward Kevin Love. This was an incredibly divisive issue.
Thompson was good, but he was still mostly unproven. On the other hand, Love seemed like a consensus top ten player in the league. He was a double-double machine and could help make Golden State’s offense really special with his spacing and long outlet passes.
Some in the Warriors’ organization wanted to pull the trigger on the trade. Owner Joe Lacob was one of the figures who wanted to go through with the deal. West was adamant that they shouldn’t.
He pushed hard to retain Thompson. They did and the rest is history. He’s now a three time All-Star and a two time NBA champion. He’s developed into of the league’s best two-way players, showcasing his ability to explode offensively and be versatile defensively.
West was also one of the important pieces in bringing over Durant. After the meeting had been conducted, he gave Durant a call. They had a conversation about what West’s career was like and how Durant’s could change if he joined the Warriors.
While West wasn’t the deciding factor, it doesn’t hurt to have an NBA legend of that magnitude in your corner. His mere presence speaks louder than most executives’ voices. His reputation precedes him.
Jerry West helped build the Warriors. He also helped save them, mostly from themselves. None of this would be possible without him.
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West is a legend for his contributions on the court. He has one of the most brilliant minds to ever be around the game of basketball. Even as times have changed and the necessary components to win a championship have evolved, he’s managed to be several steps ahead of the game.
Above all, it seems like West likes challenge. He moves onto a Clippers team that has had talent over the last few years, but lacks the leadership it needs. He’s going to try to save Steve Balmer’s team.
The Warriors don’t need West anymore and he knows it. Still, his work should never be understated. What West brought to the Bay Area can never be replicated because there is no one in the game with his mind or influence.
West helped put together some of the best basketball teams in league history in Los Angeles. He has now helped build what could be the best basketball team in league history with these Warriors. His work is finished.
West helped change the culture in the Bay Area. He was a major component in putting together the roster. There would be no Warriors as we know it without him.
Hopefully he can do something similar in Los Angeles so the Warriors’ rivalry with the Clippers will be rekindled. It hasn’t been much of a rivalry the last few years. He could start by luring LeBron James to LA.