By Colton Cary, Contributing Writer
The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors are arguably the best team to ever play professional basketball. They set the record for most wins in an NBA regular season last year with 73 before just losing out on an NBA championship to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
No one would argue that a team with this level of skill and ability needed to strengthen its roster any further to compete at the highest level. However, this past July, the Warriors did just that by signing Kevin Durant, a four-time scoring champion now entering the prime of his career. Durant’s scoring potential combined with the already-recognized potential of the other three NBA All-Stars on the Warriors’ roster (Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green) has fans of the other 29 NBA teams seething with jealousy.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Is a team filled with this much star power simply not good for the future of basketball?[/perfectpullquote]
Millions of NBA fans have not minced words when discussing the new state of the Warriors’ squad. The general consensus is that a team filled with this much star power is simply not good for the future of basketball. How could a team that is this talented be a good thing for the NBA fans that enjoy watching competitive games between equally talented teams?
On the other hand, I believe that the Warriors’ strategy is a fantastic thing for the future of the game, for two big reasons. First, the signing of Kevin Durant does not necessarily guarantee that the Warriors will be as successful as the average NBA fan thinks. In order to have enough money to sign Durant, the Warriors had to trade Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut, two players who played significant minutes last year. Unexpectedly, but perhaps as a result of these roster changes, the Warriors were drubbed by 29 points in the first game of their season this year. They have also already lost another game since then. For perspective, the Warriors didn’t lose their second game in the 2015-16 season until December 30th.
Second, and more importantly, even if the Warriors win championships every year for the next several years, it will be a good thing for basketball because of the increased general interest for the league. Last year, games the Warriors played on TV generally received better ratings than games in which any other team played. The NBA has always put a large focus on garnering views from the younger generation, and the success of the Warriors has helped them to reach those goals. For the last 20 years, since the retirement of Michael Jordan, the NBA has been looking for another super-team to captivate audiences and ensure their popularity for another long stretch of years. In this sense, the Warriors may be just what the NBA needs.