Chapter 34: The Warrior Who Sets Out for the Championship

Arthur and his think tank made two decisions this summer that will ultimately determine the direction of the team's future, whether it is to go to heaven or hell. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info?w book w?w...

The first decision was to fire head coach Mark Jackson out of "preference" issues, and then find Steve Kerr to take over. Kerr has no experience as a head coach but gets along much better with the team's management.

The second decision was that Arthur was unwilling to pay Klay Thompson as a bargaining chip, so he did not complete the trade for All-Star forward Kevin Love.

These two decisions have different side plots behind each other, good or bad, so they are also particularly important. Reaching the playoffs is almost a foregone conclusion for the Warriors, but the team clearly has bigger ambitions when it comes to making those two decisions. It remains to be seen whether they will make the leap or not.

The new season is just around the corner, and Warriors fans have a lot to get excited about. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are superbly talented, and they will also be back with the FIBA World Cup champions. The team's new coach Steve Kerr is about to make a difference, and he should have a lot more tricks on the offensive end than Mark Jackson. New arrivals such as Sean Livingston, Brandon Rush, and Leandro Barbossa will boost the team's bench depth. David Lee and Andrew Bogut will also head into the new season in healthy form, and hopefully they can keep that form going. The people of Jinzhou already have all the capital to become a powerful power in the west.

When fans think of the Golden State Warriors, the first thing that comes to mind is professionalism, because the team's uniform team is really discouraging. Mark Jackson has the support of the locker room, they love him, they sweat and blood for him, and they don't want to see him go. However, due to Arthur's preference issues, he was thrown out due to problems with the team's management, and he was replaced by rookie coach Steve Cole.

Last summer, the team considered sending away Andrew Bogut to make room for the salary of Dwight Howard, which upset Bogut, and this year they are looking to let Klay Thompson go again in the face of the temptation to get Kevin Love. Although they have denied the incident countless times in public, Thompson must have known that there must be someone in the team's uniform who wanted to trade him away, and only Arthur, as the team's owner, insisted that he stay.

Getting along with the management is never a requirement for a successful team, and to be honest, the dislike of the uniforms may be the motivation for the players, but fans can't help but wonder what the current state of mind is like for this team, and if they will bring that frustration to the pitch. Before all of that happened, the team was one of the top powerhouses in the Western Conference on paper.

The sharpest spear: Stephen Curry.

Curry's belief that his offense is better than LeBron James has made headlines all the time, but in fact, maybe he's just a stone's throw away from that.

No player in NBA history has combined quality and quantity as well as Curry from beyond the three-point line, and he has changed the opposing defensive system with his superb shooting. When defending pick-and-rolls, opposing big men have to tightly block the three-point line in an attempt to stop Curry's stitches, which makes them very uncomfortable and causes the team's interior door to open wide.

Strongest Shield: Andrew Bogut.

Curry is the most irreplaceable player on the Warriors, followed by Bogut. In the series against the Clippers, Bogut's absence allowed them to do whatever they wanted with rebounding in the frontcourt, and sometimes their basket scoring was easy and enjoyable, which proves just how indispensable Kangaroos really are.

When defending pick-and-rolls, Bogut usually chooses to recycle protection, but since the team is often responsible for defending the opposing point guard Klay Thompson, this strategy is actually quite effective, as Thompson's reach allows him to interfere with the opponent's mid-range jumper from behind. Bogut is one of the league's best box locks, and he can also take care of David Lee on the backcourt rebound. If he can't stay healthy in the playoffs, the Warriors will almost certainly be in the first round.

First Brain: It's hard to be convincing if you don't mention Curry's name here and ignore him. Last season, he averaged a career-high 8.5 assists per game. Curry is the only engine on the Warriors' offensive end.

Last season, when Curry was on the floor, the team scored 109.7 points per 100 possessions, the highest number in the league. And once he rests on the bench, the team loses 15.9 points per 100 possessions. Curry has become one of the league's best passers, finding a weak-side shooter with one-handed laser guidance after a pick-and-roll, delivering clever passes to a descending screener, and completing aerial relays with Andrew Bogut and Andre Iguodala.

Curry's next goal is to reduce his mistakes. Last season, he turned over 16 percent of all offensive rounds with the ball, which is well above the league average. Nowhere is this more evident than in the playoffs, where Chris Paul is often able to time Curry's passes.

Mr. Key: It's still Curry.

In his first game against the Mavericks last season, Curry hit the winning shot and has been out of control ever since. Against the Celtics and Mavericks, he threw two shots; Against the Rockets, he equalized in the final moments; In the face of the Heat, he turned his hand to lead the team, but James turned his hand into rain and shot three points to give the Warriors a defeat. When the game was in the final 10 seconds and the team was within three points of the game, Curry shot 5-of-11 and bet 2, which was a considerable efficiency. League-wide, the last few rounds were much lower than the rest of the time. In addition to his normal shots, Curry also made two assists and two free throws in those moments.

Out of the spotlight: Draymond Green.

This position has always been a traditional stat for Iguodala, and the top three players in the true plus/minus are certainly one of the options. But Iguodala's salary is in the eight figures, while Green's rookie contract is just starting its third year. After Chandler Parsons gets his max contract, Green's contract may be one of the best value for money in the NBA. Originally from Michigan, he is more defensive than the first brother because he can defend power forwards, and small forwards. A more consistent three-point ability will provide greater progress in chasing dreams. If he can pick up his shots, improve his shooting crosshairs, and become a more dangerous cover for the back three-point battery, he could have a chance to replace David Lee in the fourth quarter even if he doesn't start.

Strong signing: Shaun Livingston.

The Warriors' backup point guard made frequent changes last season but was chronically weakened, and Livingston is the newest addition to the position. He's got the expectation of directing the offense when Curry is off the court and being a long-arm perimeter defender when Curry is on the court.

When the Warriors used a $5.3 million mid-income exception to sign guard Sean Livingston, they triggered the $80.8 million hard salary cap. The team currently has 14 fully guaranteed contracts and five players looking to stay in the squad. Aaron Craft, James McAdoo, Mitchell Watt, and Justin Holiday each have a guaranteed amount of $35,000 if they all play as affiliates to the Santa Cruz Warriors in the Development League. In addition, the team has two small deal exceptions in its hands, and there is still a little room to maneuver under the luxury tax red line of 76.8 million.

The average age of the Golden State Warriors is 26.5, which ranks 15th in the NBA league. Their key members: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, David Lee, Barnes, and Andrew Bogut have an average age of 27, which is arguably the golden age of basketball players. If you look at the bench again, Sean Livingston, Leandro Barbossa, Brandon Rush and Dream Green. All the important pieces of the puzzle are in place, now it's time to win.

Everyone is looking forward to a major overhaul of the team's philosophy and structure from the inside out. Alvin Gentry was poached in hopes of revamping a team whose main offense relies on Curry and Thompson's ability to produce 3-pointers on the court anytime, anywhere. With David Lee and Andrew Bogut's on-call passing skills, as well as the efficiency of Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa in pounding the basket and making assists, there are simply too many offensive options this season, contrary to the unlimited ball-handling singles suffered in the 13-14 season.

Fans are looking to Curry to maintain or even surpass last season's output, while Thompson can improve enough on offense and passing with the ball to accompany his projection. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the team to improve is how to operate the team's role players. With the Clippers, even though Paul needed to keep the offense in check, Gentry still found the ball moving; At the same time let the defense work properly. It's not about speed, the Warriors had the sixth-best pace in the league last season. What is more important is the transfer of the ball from side to side, the movement of the other players.

Mark Jackson's "offense" contributed the fewest passes in the league, which was to be expected. Gentry's job off the court is to design a fluid offense that is quick to get started without sacrificing defensive pressure.

Kerr has already talked about having Maris Speights and Yi Jianlian play the space four, David Lee's 15-foot mid-range shot as a common weapon, Bogut doing the low singles, and starting Harrison Barnes. None of this has given fans much confidence in his ability to assess talent. Now it looks like the idealistic Kerr is slightly ahead of the real Kerr when it comes to assessing the ability of his players and putting them together in order to be effective offensively.

When Barbosa is on the court, his offense is at high speed, he can hit the basket at the speed of light in open areas, and he can also display all kinds of beautiful finishes in the free throw area. If he is fully recovered, he will be able to bring to the team something that Jarrett Jack has contributed to the team. Hitting the basket is a rarity in Mark Jackson's offense.

Barbossa's last healthy season averaged 20 minutes per game off the bench and shot 54 percent from the field, a league average. The Warriors are hoping that Barbosa can stay fit enough to bring enough output to the bench instead of offensive poison. Scoring without Curry often comes with high stakes — too many dribbles, difficult shots, and incoherent performances. Barbossa can make it all seem simple and effective.

Shaun Livingston is the biggest signing brought in this offseason, taking up the mid-range exception this year and next. Like Barbossa, his projection is lacking, but his other strengths can be fully compensated. For example, he's a defensive all-rounder, and unless you're a pure offensive team, you're always looking for a versatile and efficient defense. On the offensive end, Livingston can rely on his height and arm length to create mismatch matchups and create chances on the perimeter. At the Warriors, he takes what he's good at to the extreme.

Harrison Barnes' wobbly dribbling, inability to find opportunities in tight defense, fluctuating projection, and lack of self-confidence suggest that he has a lot to improve this season. Barnes is a reliable pitcher, athletic finisher with plenty of reach on the wing to cause problems for opposing point guards or power forwards. Kerr's offensive system will reduce the pointless runs of players in each round, rather than letting Barnes dribble around aimlessly, throwing the ball at him and hoping he can "do something!" ”

Having Barnes on the court with Curry or an upgraded point guard lineup (Livingston and Barbossa) gives him more freedom to think ahead about how to attack. As with every Warriors player, Barnes' stats suffer greatly when playing with players who don't have the ability to distribute the ball.

Lee is fit and claims to have improved his shooting stance to maintain consistency from the past decade, but the defensive problems haven't gone away. While fans remain cautiously optimistic about his return to the past, the disgraced performance on the pitch is questionable. David Lee's mid-range shooting dropped from 41.8 percent in '12-13 to 35.3 percent last season. In order to offset his holes on the defensive end with his interior offense and "new" developed jump shots, he would have to make a 180-degree change on both ends of the floor where everyone participates.

On the contrary, if Dream Green is allowed to play the starting or substitute first card, he should be able to cover Brother Li's brilliance soon, perhaps by now. Green had the upper hand in several head-to-head encounters with Blake Griffin in the playoffs and showed a solid ability to open up offensive space. Kerr backed up his veterans early in training camp, but the Warriors were in winning mode. In contrast to David Lee's slow decline, Green is rising.

Fans have never shaked hands with Dream Green. But if one day, under certain circumstances, the fans shake hands with him, it may be difficult for the fans to hold the steering wheel on the way home. Green didn't even have hands, but a pair of large, swift bear paws. Trying to change direction in front of him was futile, as useless as if the opponent had already played a 10-0 run before Mark Jackson called a timeout. One of Griffin's classic moves: heavy shoulder-chest hit-shooting foul, completely invalidated by a confident cut of the ball that he was not afraid of.

In addition to being fast, Dream Chaser is also tough in the face of players who try to play back. Despite losing weight, Green has turned all the fat on his body into muscle, allowing him to use the weight loss to move more quickly next to the big man.

The Golden State Warriors are in an enviable position, with an experienced roster that can both win and tap into talent. The starting line-up is very talented and worth looking forward to, and this sharp five-man duo overcame obstacles last season. They have also given players like Barnes, Green and even Nedovic some leeway into their roles.

The era of Steve Kerr began, and this summer he was attracted to a five-year, $22 million contract, ditching Phil Jackson's Knicks. This amount of money is absolutely astronomical for someone who has never coached, and above is the impression that the entire league except Arthur has of Kerr.

The era of Mark Jackson is full of harem battles, and Kerr will bring fresh energy to fans and management alike. Jackson is loved in the locker room and Kerr needs to earn his place, but as long as the team plays well, no one doubts that Kerr's charisma can't win the support of the players.

Kerr's first coaching experience will be made easy by the presence of what could be the best assistant team in the league. Ron Adams is a recognized defensive coach and was Thibodeau's right-hand man. He assisted Boston's new coach Brad Stevens last season, and this experience will also help Kerr. Considering the Celtics' frontcourt performance on the defensive end, Adams' ability to coach the team's defense to be in the upper middle of the league is also commendable. Alvin Gentry is a well-appointed head coach, most recently coaching the Suns under Kerr from 2008-2010. Before joining Rivers last season, Gentry's name was often associated with the league's best offensive team.

What kind of manager Steve Kerr will become will be one of the highlights of the new season, especially since he has made his debut in a coaching career with a team with a lot of good players. Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry are the most feared sniper duo in the league, and they should be playing better next season than they have been in previous seasons. On the other end, the team has experienced defensive stalwarts such as Andre Iguodala and Andrew Bogut who will be expected to combine to provide a more solid defense than before.

If Kerr does a good job, the Warriors should still be able to make a difference in the playoffs, but if he makes a mistake, the team is also known for its ability to play tricks at the level of conscience in the industry. They may be unlikely to miss the playoffs, but they will be honored by the league's upstarts who are eyeing the O'Brien Cup. The team's current situation, combined with the new coach himself, will add a lot of excitement to this year's Bay Area.

For the Warriors, everything will be up to Steve Kerr.

Kerr is widely regarded as one of the brightest players in the basketball world, but will he be able to make the transition as he sits on the bench and picks up the coaching whip?

This issue is clearly crucial for the Warriors. If he can do it like Jason Kidd, then the Warriors are not bad.

However, the team's problems are obviously more complicated, as Kerr's replacement is Mark Jackson, a man beloved in the locker room who has brainwashed all the stars into brains. But at the end of the day, a healthy Warriors with Curry and Thompson, if not the leader of the Pacific Division, is unlikely to be out of the ranks of the Western Conference powerhouses.

The reason why Arthur chose to sit in the Golden State Warriors is to keep an eye on the team's contract extension with Klay Thompson.

Thompson has no shortage of headlines this summer. The Warriors refused to trade him for Love, and he has since been consistent and eye-catching in the devastated U.S. men's basketball team. The market for wing players is heavily inflated. If a contract extension cannot be negotiated before the start of the season, quality defense + super projection will give Thompson a big contract in 2015.

It should be noted that Thompson's PER last season was just 14.2 because there was nothing on the offensive end except for the jumper. To get a real top salary, Thompson has to learn to block and dismantle, improve his ability to complete the basket, make fouls, and get rebounds. In the final third of last season, Thompson showed some of these qualities, and there is reason to expect him to continue to improve.

4 years and 69 million, this is the contract extension proposed by the Warriors uniform team and Thompson when Arthur does not intervene, just when the two sides are about to fully sign, Arthur brought the two sides back to the negotiating table to continue to negotiate because Arthur gave a new contract.

80 million in 5 years!

For Arthur, the increase in years is naturally because he knows how exaggerated the annual salary of NBA players will skyrocket in the next two or three years, so signing a few more years now is naturally to save money in the future.

For Thompson, although Arthur's new contract is one year longer than the previous one, the average is only 16 million, far less than the previous one of 17.25 million, and the current Thompson is still young, and he is confident that the average salary of his next contract will be higher than 17.25 million.

But on the third day of Arthur's new contract, Thompson completed a contract extension with the Warriors, and the contract extension was 5 years and 80 million.

Many people are puzzled, but it's actually quite simple, Arthur-owned Under Armour then signed a huge endorsement contract with Thompson.

In 2016, Thompson, then the spokesperson of ANTA basketball shoes, sold 650,000 pairs of basketball shoes in China alone.

Now that he knows Thompson's star effect and renews Thompson's contract at a low price, how could Arthur not think of using Under Armour's huge endorsement fee to keep the other party?

7 years and 30 million dollars, this is the endorsement contract signed by Thompson and Under Armour, which can also be regarded as a reward for his contract extension with the Warriors.

Signing Thompson at a lower annual salary than his predecessor means the Warriors have more room to select players in the transfer market for years to come.

Moreover, the new contract + huge endorsement fee will definitely not be an isolated case in the Warriors, next year's Green, future Curry, etc., can get such treatment.

If you say it's cheating, will the NBA management punish it? That would be absolute nonsense.

Are Warriors stars stars with huge economic effects?

Does Under Armour need NBA stars to endorse?

The two are a perfect fit.

The only thing that makes sense is that the Warriors belong to Arthur, who in turn is the largest shareholder of Under Armour, and that's it.

In short, Arthur clearly knows that the current Warriors team is on their way to the championship! (To be continued.) )