MEET THE NEXT TIM DUNCAN [its not who you think it is]
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Music Credits:
➤ Backbone (prod. Cormill)
➤ Skywalker (prod. Young Taylor)
➤ Cold Heart (prod. Young Taylor)
➤ Capable (prod. Yung Lando)
➤ Galaxy Soldier (prod. Young Taylor)
➤ Faith (prod. Cormill)
[Why Losing KD is a Blessing in Disguise for GSW | Unpopular Opinion Ep. 1]
Draymond Green. Stephen Curry. Klay Thompson. This was the foundation. No Kevin Durant. No Andre Iguodala. No DeMarcus Cousins. Just those 3. It’s interesting how quickly people forget. When Kevin joined the issue was they were simply too overpowered, without him, that they didn’t need him. When KD leaves, supposedly, this is the end of it all. But the original core, in its entirety, is still intact. The same core that is both over and underrated at the same time. Whatever fits the narrative. When it’s in the speakers favor it’s 4 all-stars. It’s a 73-win team adding a MVP. Draymond's, Klay's strength is exaggerated. Even Andre’s. When it’s in their favor to downplay their strength, Green & Klay become an overrated role players. Steph’s true level of greatness is called into question.
But with or without KD, Golden State will still continue retooling their roster around that original core. Sound familiar? Any other big 3 come to mind?
Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili. I spoke in a previous video about the large number of influences to this Warriors team, but the greatest of them all was always San Antonio. In culture, in mentality, in sustained success the Spurs were always the team to follow for GSW.
For about a decade that Duncan-Parker-Ginobili led team remained a contender. That kind of longevity is unheard of, especially in today’s superteams era. The trio won 4 titles in 8 years. Duncan was the glue that held it all together, from the David Robinson era to the Big 3’s to Kawhi Leonard's.
In Stephen Curry, GS has the opportunity to have their own Tim Duncan. Not only a superstar who spends his entire career with one team but one capable of maintaining a certain system throughout different eras and different iterations of the team, simply through his presence on the floor. With Klay Thompson & Draymond Green being the Parker & Ginobili of this scenario. While Steph is the face, it is not the same without the roles that the other 2 fill.
So the question is which is truly better for a dynasty, 3-5 more yrs as title favorites or the chance to maintain a championship culture for much longer? While the Warriors always represented all of the bay area, the move from Oakland to San Francisco is an opportunity to become a perennial free agent landing spot, like their so-Cal neighbors.
But its more than just location or market. The Knicks failure in landing not Kyrie, KD, Kawhi, Butler, Kemba.. but Julius Randle? If the culture you’ve established is as dysfunctional as it is in that organization, not even the appeal of New York, the legacy of the Garden, or anything else will be enough to sway a star. The culture built within that Nets franchise was more powerful than any of the rest.
SA never had that advantage, they had to rely on the draft to equip themselves with the talent needed to build a contender.
The Lakers, even they’re susceptible, the dysfunction they’ve shown in the past couple years, I believe they would’ve fallen into the SAME trap as NY, if it wasnt for them already having secured LeBron. The Clippers were close to stealing the city away, just like Brooklyn. They don’t have the allure, the flashy purple & gold, the deeply embedded history, the countless legendary figures that’ve passed through that organization & still, two homegrown LA stars in Kawhi and Paul George passed on an opportunity to go to a Lakers franchise they presumably both grew up rooting for, hell, PG passed on LA in favor of OKC! Think about that. Even with LeBron as the ultimate bargaining chip.
GS has a rare chance to combine the culture in SA w/ a relatively large market and desirable location.
If KD had stayed for yet another couple seasons, how quickly would people forget the roots of this team? The culture was shifting, the chemistry they prided themselves upon was slowly slipping away. This specific run would be remembered, this specific dynasty would be hailed as one of the GOAT, but thats all that would be remembered, not the franchise itself, but one great run.
Remember that that culture was probably the most powerful selling point for free agents. KD wouldn’t have been possible without it, nor Iguodala, Boogie, David West and all the rest.
Even after everything some of that pull still remains, but it wouldn’t have lasted much longer. You see Willie Cauley-Stein and D'Angelo ("Dloading" "D-Lo") Russell gushing about this opportunity that otherwise would’ve been honestly kind of rock bottom for them in their careers.