NBA legend and former Warriors headquarters executive Jerry West may not have had the last word on arguably the most important noncommercial in Golden State franchise history, but he surely had immense influence. , and without it, there would be no dynasty to speak of.
“It wasn’t me,” West said Friday on the “Damon, Ratto and Kolsky” podcast of the 95.7 game, because he wasn’t trading there. Obviously, I am a big fan of Klay Thompson. I think there were certain people there who had a different opinion because Kevin Love was an attractive player due to his ability to spread the field, his rebound, his pass, he is a good player.
“But for me, the perfect player, and he wasn’t that far along in his career when this change was discussed, the perfect player for Steph was Klay. He never looks for the spotlight. He just plays the game.” And he’s gotten better and better and frankly, he’s one of the most underrated players in the league who doesn’t get as much love as he should.
“… the decision was made not to trade him, and today you have the best basketball court in the game in those two. And also, an amazing complementary player for Steph in his own right, as good as Steph in otherwise, the whole of his game. He is also improving. “
[RUNNIN’JUEGAPODCAST:[RUNNIN’PLAYSPODCAST:[RUNNIN’JUEGAPODCAST:[RUNNIN’PLAYSPODCAST: Listen to the last episode]
Hindsight is 20/20, but looking back, there’s no question that the Warriors made the right choice by choosing to hold on to Thompson. He has become one of the league’s preeminent bodyguards, with the ability to light the scoreboard and suppress his defensive duties.
He holds NBA records for the most points in a single quarter (37) and the most triples in a single game (14). He’s been named an All-Star in the last five seasons he’s appeared in, and the fact that he’s only been named to one All-Defensive team is an indictment against voters.
The next time the Warriors play in an NBA game, Thompson will likely have had at least 18 months to recover from the torn ACL he suffered in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals. Curry will surely rest well, too, and West He believes the Splash Brothers will bring Golden State back to contention next season.
“So Warriors fans have a lot to look forward to,” he added. “Two players are at their best. They’ve had some injuries. It should be a promising year next year for the Warriors, because if they get a player in the draft that they like, it can give them something different than what they have.” They should run again for a chance to be one of the best teams in the West again. “
[RELATED:[RELATED:[RELACIONADO:[RELATED:How warriors have refocused on the draft with a new calendar set]
With a healthy star-studded backcourt, a selection of the top five in the draft, and multiple useful assets, Golden State has the tools to prove that last season was an outlier. Thompson’s presence will surely help the Warriors in that effort, and it’s terrifying to think of what it would have been like without him all these years.
Sometimes the best exchanges are the ones you don’t do.
