The presence of Iguodala immediately vaults the Warriors into contender status in the West. (Credits: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images Europe) |
Remember last year when the Warriors exploded onto the scene? They had an exhilarating young point guard in Steph Curry who was just coming into his own as a superstar. David Lee continued his dominant double, double consistency. Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes really became legitimate NBA players, almost overnight, and Jarrett Jack provided instant offense off the bench. Led by
No one would say that last year's Warriors were defensive stalwarts. Outside of maybe Barnes and Andrew Bogut (when healthy) the young guns would rather outscore their opponents than shut them down. Finishing 19th in points allowed, the Warriors weren't exactly a legitimate contender last year. However, that could seriously change.
Iggy is one of the more underrated players in the league. Actually, at one point he was overrated, back when he was playing for the Sixers. People saw him (unfairly) as a superstar, when he was really a notch below that. He could be in your big three, but don't ask him to be your guy. In Philly he failed as the guy, but in his short Denver tenure, he emerged as a legitimately vital player. Last year he averaged 13/5/5, all while being a top-5 wing defender once again. The team wasn't exactly the best defensive team, but that's more because George Karl likes to run and gun. What he was a part of, however, was a 57-win team that led the league in points, second in rebounding and third in assists. Iguodala is the consummate team player, who's going to give you everything. The sort of swiss-army knife skill set that makes people drool over LeBron James. He's not LeBron, not even close, but he is good and he can certainly take the Warriors to the next level.
I thought that Iggy really benefitted from his time with USA last summer even though he didn't log heavy minutes. He got to really see what it was like to play with superstars, and then he translated that sort of do-everything play to the season with the Nuggets. Golden State can run, can score, can pass, can shoot, can rebound and now can defend the wing. Golden State just became a contender.
Yeah, the Houston Rockets made the oh-my-god-we-got-potentially-overrated-superstar-X signing that had everyone (cough...cough...ESPN) jumping out of their seats, but I think the Warriors made the real franchise-changing move. Their depth is quite apparent and they have only one key player in his 30s (and D-Lee's 30). This team matured overnight in that playoff run and I think they've got a legitimate shot to win the West. I'll put the Thunder at 1A and the Warriors at 1B. Get your seat belts ready, because Golden State is about to take us on an exhilarating ride.
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