Here’s the thing, as Golden State comes into this season they should be riding the quest of a threepeat in search of a fourpeat. Take away Draymond Green’s ejection two years ago and that’s where the NBA is currently. That being, the Golden State Warriors being the hated champions with twenty-nine other teams wishing they were them.
I haven’t done my Western Conference bracket sheet yet, but here’s the truth, while OKC, Houston, San Antonio, and Minnesota all got better…so did the Warriors. As if they needed more offensive firepower, that’s exactly what they did this off season in adding more offense to their mix with the additions of Nick Young and Omri Casspi. Unless an injury bug hits the Warriors, they will be better as well.
The thing which bothers me the most about the Thunder is what do you do with Andre Roberson. Of the teams I just mentioned including Golden State, all of their guard tandems feature two way backcourts, none of these teams have to close their eyes when their shooting guard touches the ball. Those other shooting guards are Klay Thompson/Warriors, James Harden/Rockets, Danny Green/ Spurs, and Jimmy Butler/TWolves. I love everything Sam Presti did and I love Andre Roberson’s game other than his shooting, but that’s part of being a shooting guard. Namely, scoring the ball enough to keep the other team honest.
If I’m an opposing coach my take on OKC is still the same even with the additions of George, Melo, Patterson, and Felton….I’m either going to foul Roberson early in the possession or not guard him at all once the possession becomes half court.
As the opposing coach I’m going to write on the board…’Make Andre Roberson Beat Us.’ I’d do exactly what Steve Kerr does by using the extra defender to congest the lane and take away the rim from Adams and Westbrook. Would you rather have those two at the rim or Roberson with the ball in his hands? Duh.
Billy Donovan is going to have to work through this somehow. He’s going to have to become a situational savant on the bench. Those four other coaches don’t have to work through any of that. And remember what happened last season in the first round against Houston, Mike D’Antoni simply said to his team, ‘Make Andre Roberson Beat Us.’ Pretty simple.
So that’s the one thing which gives me a feeling of unrest about the Thunder and why I can’t decide whether to pick them second or fourth on my Western Conference bracket sheet.
My heart says second, but my reason says fourth. And fourth means you’re on the Warriors side of the bracket.
I can’t decide.