How Warriors’ summer of discovery shaped franchise’s greatness
Inasmuch as the Warriors not so long ago were a microscopic dot on the national sports landscape with a loyal but seemingly cursed fan base, their rise to global phenomenon and, the most valuable team in the NBA is the most stunning in recent American sports.
It was only 10 summers ago that the Warriors’ ascent went from slow and steady to swift and steep. All the way to the top, mostly because the essential members of the franchise were furious.
Golden State CEO Joe Lacob was exasperated with his coach, Mark Jackson, and replaced him with Steve Kerr in May 2014.
The players, led by Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala, initially were unenthusiastic about the coaching change, as Jackson had led Golden State to its best two-year run in 22 years. Moreover, they were unanimously outraged after losing in seven games to the Los Angeles Clippers in a turbulent first-round NBA playoff series.
“We fought so hard this whole series, this whole season,” Curry said after the Warriors were eliminated. “It stings.”
The intensity of that series – there was a postgame confrontation after Game 7 at Staples Center – lit a fuse that stayed with the Warriors all summer, into training camp, throughout the season and into the 2015 playoffs.
Curry already had blossomed into a star. Klay Thompson had become a potent two-way weapon. Draymond Green realized he was a legitimate impact player. Veterans Andrew Bogut and Iguodala were convinced the Warriors were ready to become championship contenders.
Warriors have multiple paths to properly celebrating franchise icons
Kerr was hired 11 days after the Warriors were ousted. Two months after that, general manager Bob Myers signed free agent Shaun Livingston, giving the team a third productive guard behind Curry and Thompson. In mid-September, Myers heeded Kerr’s recommendation to sign free agent Leandro Barbosa as the fourth guard.
Kerr, a first-time coach, eased his transition by coaching Golden State’s Summer League squad in Las Vegas and by arranging one-on-one meetings with veterans, even going to Australia to visit Bogut.
“That was huge,” Bogut told NBC Sports Bay Area in 2019. “I can assure you not many coaches would do that.”
Kerr flew to Seattle to observe Seahawks coach Pete Carroll’s approach to an NFL training camp. Kerr stole Carroll’s use of music to lighten moods, allowing players to take turns as DJ of the day.
Devoted to preparation and knowing the culture he wanted to build with the Warriors, Kerr was ready for his first training camp. His top assistants – Alvin Gentry for the offense, Ron Adams for the defense – were respected 60-something veterans steeped in experience.
In a matter of days, the Warriors, sweating to the beat and seeing positive results in real time, were fully engaged. Still annoyed with their quick elimination from the playoffs, they were seeing paths to improvement and quickly bought into the new regime.
The confidence built from back-to-back playoff appearances – and the fervent belief that both runs should have been extended – was augmented by a level of certitude they had not known in the NBA. Which, along with their collective inner rage, gave birth to a dynasty.
“I inherited a really good team, smart and with a lot of talent,” Kerr told NBC Sports Bay Area in May. “They had developed a defensive foundation under Mark Jackson, so we tried to build off that. Alvin knows offense, and we made a few changes there.
“But I also know I had the benefit of great timing.”
Kerr’s out-of-the-box ideas – the music, batting practice at the Coliseum, trips to the bowling alley and more – were bonding instruments. They also helped veterans plays digest such grunt work as “boring” fundamental drills.
Driven by playoff heartbreak and diving into the new toys generated by the offense, the Warriors won 21 of their first 23 games, including 16 in a row. The joy of winning was compounded by the glee within the process. They were advancing from good to great.
Kerr’s connection with his roster eased what could have been a difficult moment. When starting power forward David Lee, a Lacob favorite and in 2013 Golden State’s first All-Star in 16 years, sustained a hamstring injury in the final preseason game, Green moved into the role.
Ten years, six trips to the NBA Finals and four championships later, Draymond remains the team’s starting power forward.
Golden State, which 15 years ago B.C. (Before Curry) languished in the NBA outback, routinely shunned by free agents, is now an exemplar for the league and one of the five most valuable American sports franchises.
The Warriors’ next trick is staying maintaining their lofty status. It will be quite the task, considerably more difficult than the journey to get there.
