Golden State Warriors: David Lee To The Bench?
By Ben Woodward
The 2014-15 NBA season may still be in the early stages, but there’s no way you can ignore the hype surrounding the Golden State Warriors. Off to their best start in decades, the Dubs are firing on all cylinders.
The starters appear to be meeting or exceeding expectations set by Steve Kerr back in camp. Waking up on Monday morning, Stephen Curry finds himself the top dog in the NBA scoring race, sitting in first place with 27.7 points per game after a 28-point performance in the Dubs’ first loss of the season last night to the Phoenix Suns.
Klay Thompson, after getting paid before the season began to the tune of $70 million over four years, set the tone for the season with a 41-point performance in the Golden State Warriors’ first home game of the season, and is currently sixth in points per game with 23.8.
The interesting part of the Warriors puzzle thus far has been the lack of David Lee. Recovering from a strained hamstring, the Dubs power forward has missed nearly all regular season action to date, with the exception of a seven-minute appearance against the Los Angeles Clippers, where he netted six points quick points, but didn’t grab a single rebound.
In his place, Steve Kerr has rolled Draymond Green every night and he has not disappointed. The 24-year-old from Michigan has shot the ball well, grabbed rebounds, and played defense, most notably on Blake Griffin back on the Nov. 5 matchup between the Clips and Dubs. With Draymond stepping up to the task of defending the all-star forward, Griffin managed just 14 points and one rebound — significantly less than his season averages of 24.5 points and 6.3 rebounds.
So when David Lee comes back, potentially towards the end of November, the question of who starts should be at the top of Steve Kerr’s notes. Kerr will likely ease him back into play off the bench, increasing his minutes slowly back up towards 30.
But… should Kerr be in much of a rush to get Lee back into the starting lineup at all?
Not to take away from Lee’s abilities — he’s been one of the most consistent power forwards in the game since his days with the New York Knicks. But with the Dubs off to one of the most successful starts to a season since the mid-nineties, what’s the rush to get him back in the starting lineup?
Kerr may be inclined to use him off the bench alongside Andre Iguodala, and not just while he gets into the swing of things post-injury. If Draymond continues his level of play, and the Golden State Warriors keep winning, he may hold that starting spot hostage.
Out of the Golden State Warriors’ next 11 opponents, just two currently have winning records. The other 9 games include contests with the Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Orlando Magic — all with five losses after just a week and a half of play.
Humor me briefly and look at this through blue-and-yellow Dubs lenses. When David Lee returns at the end of the month, the Golden State Warriors’ record could potentially be anywhere from 12-5 to 14-3 to 16-1.
Goodness gracious.
When deciding his starting lineups for December, that will give Steve Kerr something to consider. Do you mess with something that’s been so effective? I always hear that Draymond Green is too small to play power forward in the NBA. To that I say, he’s proving you wrong. Every night, he’s proving you wrong and guess what? He loves it.