Fansided

Top-10 reasons Golden State Warriors won’t repeat as NBA champions

By Robert Judin

October 27, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates during the third quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Pelicans 111-95. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
October 27, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates during the third quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Pelicans 111-95. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 23, 2015; Manchester, NH, USA; Boston Celtics center Tyler Zeller (44) and forward David Lee (42) celebrate against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half at Verizon Wireless Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 2015; Manchester, NH, USA; Boston Celtics center Tyler Zeller (44) and forward David Lee (42) celebrate against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half at Verizon Wireless Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /

6. David Lee

Okay, so maybe a 32-year-old David Lee isn’t the worst loss for the Warriors. And maybe getting his $15.5 million contract off the books wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but with the cap increased because of the new TV deal, the Warriors could have found a way to keep Lee on the team.

Sure, the progression of Draymond Green made Lee expendable. Plus, it certainly helps that Steve Kerr found success against the Cleveland Cavaliers by going with a smaller lineup.

But there will be times when the Warriors will need to play half court basketball, and by trading Lee to the Boston Celtics, Golden State lost the only threat it had in the low post.

Green is good, but his game isn’t as polished on the block as Lee’s is. Golden State could toss the ball down to Lee whenever it needed a bucket or when it needed to exploit a matchup.

Sure, Lee has missed 46 games during the past two seasons, but his value is geared more for the postseason. Let’s say the Warriors do find themselves going up against the Clippers. Los Angeles may be the only team in the conference that can run up and down with the Warriors, but Stephen Curry could have spaced the offense for a Lee post-up on Blake Griffin.

That option is gone now. They traded Lee for Gerald Wallace, which actually wasn’t a bad swap, but then the Warriors let Wallace go before he could even play a game for them.

Lee added another dimension to Golden State’s offensive and was a secret weapon off the bench. Now, he’ll serve that role with the Boston Celtics.

Next: 5. Injuries

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