When the Golden State Warriors rocked the landscape of the NBA by signing Kevin Durant last summer, NBA commissioner Adam Silver was one of the first to say he did not think the move was good for the league. It didn’t take long for him to change his mind.
Before Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Silver told Adam Gilgore of the Washington Post that the league should focus on how to build more “championship-caliber” teams — not break apart the Warriors.
“Rather than focusing on the top of the league, we should be focusing on the rest of the league,” Silver said. “Rather than talking about how to break up or knock down a championship-caliber team, my focus should be on how we do a better job developing more great players in this league.”
Silver acknowledged that the Warriors put themselves over the top by signing an All-Star free agent, but he noted how Golden State was able to draft and develop players to build a contender before that.
“All the focus seems to be on, ‘They’re too good’ as opposed to, ‘What is it we should be doing to create more great teams in this league?’ That’s what my response is.
“My answer is, let’s create more great teams, rather than completely focus on one incredible team and whether that’s seemingly unfair to the other team. I think it’s the nature of competition. Ultimately, it’s about raising the bar for all the teams in this league and celebrating excellence.”
If it were as simple as Silver makes it sound, everyone would be doing it. Turning the 35th pick in the draft into Draymond Green is no easy task. Getting a perennial MVP candidate at No. 7 — like the Warriors did with Stephen Curry — is something every team wishes it could do.
You need a combination of home-grown talent and free agent signings to build a powerhouse team, and the Warriors have done it all. And in order to keep that team together, you’re going to need players to be flexible with their own financial situations. If a report we heard about Durant recently is true, Golden State may also have that covered.
Unfortunately for fans who hate super-teams, this is the new landscape of the NBA. Superstars want to team up with one another to chase titles, and they’re getting the results they’re seeking.
