Hardwood Paroxysm: What does the future hold for the Cavaliers and Warriors?
The 2015 NBA Finals proved what we already know: The Golden State Warriors are really, really good at basketball. However, their six game battle with the Cavaliers also left some stones unturned. Like, is this the last we’ve seen of David Lee in the Bay Area? What’s next for LeBron James and his band of misfits? Should the Warriors fully commit to small ball by bringing Monta Ellis back to his former stomping grounds?
Only time will tell, but that won’t stop us from speculating.
What does the future hold for David Lee?
by Ian Levy (@HickoryHigh) — Hardwood Paroxysm
David Lee has a ring and he earned it. He played less than 30 minutes in the NBA Finals and scored just 22 points but, for a player who has frequently been defined by numbers that overstate his impact, those numbers don’t begin to do justice to his importance. Midway through Game 3 the Warriors were huddled against the ropes, just trying to protect their heads from a furious rain of strikes and counterstrikes from LeBron and company. Then Lee entered the game and, for really the first time in the series, the Warriors offense played with some confidence and some fluidity. He did the same thing in Game 4, the Warriors won and the series turned.
Lee popped up for a handful of minutes and reminded the Warriors who they were and what they did. It changed everything and for that alone he more than earned his jewelry.
Those will likely be the last minutes Lee plays in a Warriors uniform and he was, in many ways, the only one who could have played them. Lee has been with this team for five years, participating in the entire transition from youthful question mark to dominant champion. His midrange game, passing, and pick-and-roll synergy with Stephen Curry was one of the catalysts for the Warriors transformation. As things progressed, his personal limitations made him less relevant, especially in this season’s iteration. The team changed around him and he really couldn’t have played more or done more in the Finals without butting up against his own limitations.
Lee’s on-court limitations will persist and his contract is a barrier to bringing back Draymond Green, a far more indispensable player to their offensive and defensive intentions. The Warriors will likely be pushing as hard as possible to find a trade partner willing to take Lee on. It is sad to think about a future for him, separated from the team he helped move forward for so many years, the team he helped in his own small way to get over the hump.
Lee’s future is still playing basketball, just somewhere less exciting and probably less meaningful. But in those days to come he can take comfort in the fact that he fulfilled his destiny in a way very few players ever get the chance to.
Next: What does the future hold for Leandro Barbosa?