The Golden State Warriors became one of the strongest teams in the history of the game. They built through the Draft, added a couple of key veterans, and Mark Jackson helped their young stars with their development. Then, Steve Kerr came along and the rest is history.
However, it wasn’t until they signed Kevin Durant in 2016 that they became arguably the most hated team in the decade. People claimed the rich were getting richer, as they were coming off a 73-win season prior to adding the former Oklahoma City Thunder forward.
But now, people are acting as if Kevin Durant was the only reason why they succeeded, even though they made back-to-back trips to the NBA Finals prior to his arrival, winning one Championship.
That’s why Draymond Green claims his ultimate goal is to get the team back to the top and that Kevin Durant’s departure won’t stand in front of them once the Splash Brothers are healthy again:
“Getting this team back to greatness. A lot of people saying we can’t win without KD — like we didn’t win without KD already. Is it gonna be as easy? Fu*k no. Kevin’s great. But with the two guys I’ve been rolling with … it can get done. And we gonna get it done,” the former Defensive Player of the Year said in All The Smoke.
Kevin Durant made the Warriors better and that’s a fact. He’s one of the greatest players to ever set foot on an NBA hardwood. But the Warriors were already great and a revolutionary squad before signing him. Both truths can coexist.
Still, the Western Conference has some pretty stacked teams like the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Clippers, so perhaps the Warriors are going to have a tougher time dominating this time. But with the Splash Brothers running and gunning again, they’ll always have a shot at the ring.
