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Golden State Warriors: The Rise And Fall Of David Lee

By Gerald Bourguet

Feb 3, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward David Lee (10) reacts after being called for a foul against the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Sacramento Kings 121-96. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 3, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward David Lee (10) reacts after being called for a foul against the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Sacramento Kings 121-96. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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David Lee
January 14, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors center Marreese Speights (5, left) celebrates with forward David Lee (10) against the Miami Heat during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Heat 104-89. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

What Comes Next?

At the 2015 NBA Trade Deadline, the Warriors made the right move by standing pat, even with Lee now failing to crack the rotation. The good news is that as much as he has reason to be unhappy, Lee has no animosity towards Kerr and has accepted his diminished role, according to Monte Poole of CSN Bay Area:

“‘We’re winning and we’re having fun,’ Lee said. ‘It’s hard at times. I couldn’t do this if we weren’t winning. But we are. I’m not going to put myself ahead of that.'”

There’s no ill will coming from Kerr’s end either, as he admitted to Poole that Lee is still in his prime. But Kerr is also cognizant of what makes the Warriors so tough to beat and the direction that the league’s heading in. Having a true stretch-four like Green and being able to spread the floor with small-ball lineups doesn’t leave a lot of room for your classic “bruise ’em in the post” power forward.

Lee has a midrange shot, but he’s nowhere near as effective as Green has become, and that’s before you factor in the major gap between the two defensively. As Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News explains, Harrison Barnes has been effective as a backup power forward, Speights and Lee are holding down minutes at backup center and even Festus Ezeli might have a bigger role coming thanks to his defensive attributes.

Disrupting the chemistry in the middle of a championship chase would have been a bad move so the Warriors were wise to hold onto Lee, but his contract could be movable in the offseason. Lee is still owed $15.5 million for the 2015-16 season, but that’s the last year of his current deal. Moving Lee would help the Warriors free up cap space to re-sign Draymond Green to a max contract without going into the luxury tax.

At this point, the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors are still okay. As long as Lee continues to be graceful about his diminished role, there’s no reason to worry about what many see as a potentially awkward situation. But for the time being, the focus is on the task at hand.

Soon enough, the time may come when Lee is traded and we can all reflect on what went wrong and whether he still has those same double-double powers at his disposal to offer to a new team. But for now, his playing time has become a necessary casualty of the pursuit of a championship. As David Lee said himself, the focus should be on the Golden State Warriors winning games.

Next: NBA: 50 Greatest Players Of All Time

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