Golden State Warriors: Tension Brewing About David Lee’s Return?
By Marcus Bass
When Golden State Warriors big man David Lee returns to action (possibly in the next three games), head coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors organization will be faced with a simple decision. At this point as the Warriors have gotten off to a 8-2 start on the early season, relegating Lee to the second unit makes sense and it’s a fortunate option for the Warriors.
Lee has been sidelined by a sore hamstring since the start of the regular season, and while he’s not the primary threat in the Warriors plans, he’s a big part of what makes the team successful.
The fact that the Warriors have been playing dominant basketball for a franchise best start in 39 years only makes the issue of Lee in a reserve role easier. Their statistic of beating opponents by an average of 11.5 points per 100 possessions makes Lee coming of the bench a no-brainer.
It’s not as if Lee will be unaccepting of a reserve role. This is the team that has Andre Iguodala on the bench, and are reaping the second-unit benefits of that decision.
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On the flip side to what will be built as a dramatic situation, remember this is a guy who has made a pair of All-Star teams and possesses averages of 18.2 points and 10 rebounds on 51.4 percent shooting in five seasons with the Warriors.
Although you hear every player from rookies on the league’s worst Philadelphia 76ers to the top dogs of the league say they’re team is ready to contend for a championship, Stephen Curry also believes the Warriors are ready right now.
Lee’s presence in an already loaded second unit makes the Warriors contenders without the hyperbole. Curry told the Bay Area News Group,
"“For sure, we’ve been on the steady rise for the last couple of years and we have the same corps back that’s playing well. With the experiences we’ve had the last couple of years, we feel like we can get over that hump and come out of the West.”"
With every deficiency being addressed and each strength being maximized, Curry couldn’t look more right at the moment. Not only does their record back up bold statements, but the fashion in which they’re winning games is.
To designate the Warriors as a contender is to do Kerr’s group an injustice, however they’re not yet ready to be donned favorites. Even with the return of Lee.
There’s still the issue of turnovers (the Warriors have averaged 28.2 turnovers per game in their last five contests) and Kerr wants the team to fasten its efforts to the boards sooner than later.
Lee will add some extra muscle to the rebounding stat column, however the Warriors have yet to figure out how to keep the ball within their grasp for a few extra possessions.
The addition of Lee will slow the game down a bit, which should take away a few turnovers in the Warriors second unit. With an ability to face up to the basket and play down low, Lee’s a gifted passer and decision maker, and with the emergence of Festus Ezeli, Lee will most likely soak up minutes from Ognjen Kuzmic.
He’ll fit in a group that already averages six to seven turnovers a game while the Warriors starting unit only averages 4.2 a game. Adding another veteran presence to the Warriors’ second unit should bring added patience in addition to those intangibles that coaches love and fans miss in the stat column.
It won’t be a difficult pitch to convince Lee that he’s better used (this season) in the W’s second unit. That’s if there’s any need to pitch him at all. Taking one realistic look at the Warriors current play shows small inefficiencies albeit a wealth of factors going extremely good.
Everyone knows it’s unwise to fix things when they’re not broken, and you should never mess with a good thing. David Lee knows this as well. He’ll come off the bench. It won’t be a problem.
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