Coming off what has to be their most successful season since Tim Hardaway and Chris Mullin were dominating opponents in the late 80's and early 90's, the Golden State Warriors seem to be on the prowl in the Western Conference.
After pretty much walking all over the Denver Nuggets in the first round, Golden State gave Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs a run for their money in the Western Conference Semifinals before falling in six games. Interestingly enough, San Antonio's only two losses of the postseason have come at the hands of the Warriors (they swept both the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies).
Golden State has a solid young group led by All-Star snub Stephen Curry as well as Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes. The Warriors 2012-2013 campaign also produced their first All-Star since Latrell Sprewell in 1996-1997 in the form of David Lee.
This unit worked together better than any group of Warriors' teams in my life. Veteran additions Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry seemed to mesh well with a solid group of youngsters. When healthy, Andrew Bogut showed everyone why he is an All-Star caliber center.
In all, the relationships these players built led to a locker room atmosphere unlike any other in the NBA. They were one team with a common goal, not individuals looking to make it on their own.
Were the 2012-2013 Warriors championship caliber? No. They left a lot to be desired as it relates to experience and front-end talent in the frontcourt. Still, this team took the Western Conference Champions to the brink of a Game 7. Curry proved that he is a true star in the making, while Barnes came through big time in his initial postseason stint as a rookie.
The core of this team is not just talented, it is united in the common cause of bringing a championship to Northern California. It needs a piece here and a piece there to compete with the big boys, but the nucleaus is most definitely in place.
It is now being rumored that Golden State one of the favorites to land ultra-enigmatic center Dwight Howard from the cross-state rival Lakers in a sign-and-trade.
There are many different things wrong with this, so let me break it down for you in a numerical format.
1. The Lakers trading one of their stars to the Warriors is highly unlikely. Why would Los Angeles aid in the continued success of a fellow California franchise that seems to have overtaken them on a national stage? Not only would the Lakers have to take a backseat to the Clippers in Southern California, they'd be "stepsisters" to the Warriors on a state-wide and national scale.
2. The Warriors can't expect to get Howard from the Lakers for Richard Jefferson, Andris Biedrins and some change. They'd have to part with Klay Thompson and/or Harrison Barnes in order to get a deal done. A max contract, which Howard would likely get on the free-agent market, is worth $118 million over five seasons ($23.6M per season). Biedrins and Jefferson add up to less than $20 million in combined salary next season.
This means that Golden State would have to add Thompson or Barnes just to matchup in terms of salary. As most of you already know, the Warriors don't have a lot of cap room to work with under the luxery tax. In addition, Jack and Landry are both free agents. Golden State also lacks a first-round pick in the draft next month, which is useful in deals like this. It is impossible for Golden State to sign Howard outright, as it doesn't have the cap room to do so. That became a reality when the Warriors amnestied Charlie Bell last offseason (still a questionable move).
3. There is also the Andrew Bogut factor to take into account. Golden State would likely demand that he is a part of any deal, which would require the Lakers to give up Steve Blake and Jordan Hill in return to faciliate the contracts. This is where it gets messy. Not too often do you see two-team NBA trades with nine or 10 players. That would be necessary if the Lakers were to take on Bogut's deal. This doesn't even take into account the fact that Los Angeles wouldn't even want Bogut in the first place. In addition, there is no way Golden State would run a 2013-2014 roster out there that includes both Bogut and Howard.
4. Then there is a little something called continuity. Howard isn't considered the best locker room personality in the world, and that's putting it lightly. He is a me-first individual that seems to lack the necessary social skills to be part of a bigger plan. As I mentioned above, Golden State's roster is filled with team guys. What happens the first time that Howard goes complaining to Mark Jackson about a lack of field-goal attempts? How will Curry, Thompson and Lee handle that? Heck, how will the head coach handle that? You don't mess with a good thing, especially when you are a franchise that has struggled for so many years.
That's it.
There is absolutely no reason for the Warriors to trade for the egocentric Dwight Howard. He might provide "star power" to the franchise, which I know ownership covets. But that idea alone shouldn't be the reasoning behind trading for someone like Howard.
If Golden State wants to find another top-tier player to go with Curry, Thompson and Barnes, there are other options. The contracts of Biedrins and Jefferson are extremely valuable, especially in sign-and-trade deals with clubs looking to rebuild.
Josh Smith and Andre Iguodala would be some pretty solid options outside of Howard. This is only if the Warriors are actually looking at finding that "star power."
As it is, there is no reason to believe that the Warriors should go out there and risk what they're working for to bring in a hot dog like Howard.
This is the type of trade that the previous regime would have been drooling over. If things have truly changed in Oakland, the Warriors just need to move on.