Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob has been a bit of a polarizing figure among fans for some time. He deserves credit for buying the team and helping to turn it around after decades of struggles, but now he is getting blasted for getting in the way of potential continued success.
A recent CBS article highlighted the ways in which Lacob has felt like the success of the Warriors was largely because of him. He is not the only owner to think that way and he certainly does deserve his fair share of credit, but the team hitting the literal lottery by drafting Stephen Curry is the reason why the Warriors are the franchise they are today.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob's overreach has gone too far
Lacob clearly thought that Curry was going to be in decline years ago which is why the team employed the "two-timelines" approach, hoping to build for the future while still trying to compete in the present.
That approach is what led the Warriors to select James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga -- two players who Lacob liked but executives and the coaching staff were not so high on.
Both turned out to be disastrous as the Warriors cut bait on Wiseman and traded him when they realized he was not a good fit, and now he's not even on an NBA team just over five years after being drafted. Kuminga has shown flashes of promise in his career, but now he wants to be traded as it's become clear he does not mesh with what head coach Steve Kerr is trying to do.
Every owner begins to think they know what's best for the team at a certain point, but had he not interfered and let Kerr and general manager Bob Myers run the show, then perhaps the Warriors would be in a better position than they are right now.
The Warriors are not awful by any stretch, but they are mediocre with the potential of being good which is such a frustrating place to be. Even before the Jimmy Butler injury, which has thrown the future into question, the Warriors were clearly not good enough on a consistent basis to hang with the Oklahoma City Thunder or Denver Nuggets.
The injury now makes it clear the Warriors have almost no shot to contend this season barring a huge raise in the level of play from the guys already on the team, or some sort of blockbuster trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo which seems unlikely.
Lacob wanted to be one of the chefs in the kitchen, but he put his fingers in the stew too much and has nearly ruined it. He deserves credit where it is due, but his overstepping may have limited what the Warriors dynasty could have been.