Golden State Warriors: 20-1
If Klay Thompson ends up becoming that significant extension prior to the Oct. 31 deadline, he should consider giving a portion of it to new Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, whose opened-up offense has been producing only quality seems for the shooting guard during the preseason.
Thompson can keep the majority of the cash; the huge majority of his advancement has to do with killer assurance and a perfect release. We can not charge Kerr for those items.
What is happening with Thompson is a symptom of a larger shift in Golden State–one which is giving rise to the expectation that last year’s 51-win effort was just the start.
B/R’s Howard Beck chronicled the issues with former head coach Mark Jackson’s plan of attack:”The crime too frequently stalled and stagnated, resulting in muddled isolation plays and contested jumpers. There was little motion or dynamism, and small awareness of cohesion.”
Already among the league’s top defensive outfits (the Warriors rated third in defensive performance last year), Kerr’s club is shifting the ball beautifully on offense. Andrew Bogut and David Lee, great passers equally, are now hubs of the attack, and Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala et al. are feasting on cuts, flares and brush displays.
All this, and Kerr has only had a few months to set up the fundamentals of his admittedly complex plot.
If Golden State gets beyond the turnovers that hurt it last year and continued to crop up throughout the preseason, it is the team with the best shot to choose one of the West’s best 3 spots from the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Los Angeles Clippers or even San Antonio Spurs.
If that happens, Thompson will not be alone in owing a debt to Kerr. Fans across the Bay Area will be right there with him.
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