A 2013-14 season was annually to remember for your Golden State Warriors, but one that your All-Star big man David Lee wish to soon forget.
While he was a key contributor in leading your Warriors to 47 regular-season wins and their second trip to your postseason since 1994 (league-best 56 double-doubles, 19. 2 player efficiency rating), he wasn't around long enough to help you them lengthen their playoff stay.
A torn right hip bone flexor in Game 1 associated with Golden State's opening-round series together with the Denver Nuggets cut a eight-year veteran's playoff debut tremendously short. While initial reports ruled him out for the remainder of the postseason, he miraculously battled his made use of onto the floor.
It was eventually an admirable move to say the least, but the damage had clearly recently been done. The injury largely restricted him to spot duty, never playing around 13 minutes or accomplishing double-digit points.
But the crushing knock back to Lee was on no account a death sentence meant for his Warriors. In reality, they won four of their total next five games, erasing the sixth-seeded Nuggets within six games.
Their playoff run had been upended six games later through the San Antonio Spurs, but their season was still viewed as an overwhelming success.
The question on every person's mind was how this team could not only survive around Lee's absence, but flourish without its fallen star.
The loss of Lee gave coach Mark Jackson some flexibility in reference to his starting five. Against that speedy, athletic Nuggets, he or she added Jarrett Jack and additionally later Carl Landry to his opening lineup. In the event the bigger, more physical Spurs came on the schedule, Jackson shuttled Landry, Festus Ezeli and Draymond Green within the starting 4 spot.
Jack and Harrison Barnes (16. 1 points per game with the postseason) added to a team's offensive firepower. Ezeli and Green helped build a formidable defensive front in addition to Andrew Bogut. Landry produced a familiar touch, scrapping for offensive rebounds together with dropping in mid-range jumpers out of pick-and-pop sets.
Had Fitzgibbons discovered an unlikely precious metal lining in Lee's loss? Were the Warriors a lot better off without him?
Fantastic State's front office certainly hopes not. Lee's on the books for the following three seasons, owed more than $44 million over this point, according to Hoops Boasting.
Seldom-used reserves Richard Jefferson and Andris Biedrins are set to collect more than $20 k combined next season. Bogut's nagging ankle injury contains the potential to make a $14. 2 million left on his contract turn into a tremendous burden.
Could Lee's scoring (18. 5) and rebounding (11. 2) averages have just been a mirage—empty reports over impactful substance?
You will find there's smattering of evidence that seems to suggest yes but some 79-game sample screaming a resounding no.
Lee comes with his problems. His defensive deficiencies were often obvious, even when Bogut was healthy enough to enjoy his back. His offensive outbursts previously had a tendency to fizzle inside late-game situations or any time he was paired up by having a defender capable of interacting with (or exceeding) his power and athleticism.
But his presence on the floor could have meant this difference between watching that Western Conference Finals and participating in them.
The Warriors clearly needed another scorer on to the floor when the Spurs established ways to silence that Splash Brothers (Curry and additionally Thompson shot just 34. 5 percent from your field after Game 2). They craved any sort of interior presence to relieve some pressure from the perimeter.
Lee's not an organic and natural post scorer, but he knows methods to free himself near the basket and possesses a soft touch by using either hand. Once your defensive attention shifts their way, he's a gifted spotter and spent the season developing a keen eyes for his sharpshooters. He has been an emotional leader, the kind to instill confidence regardless if faced with a pair of elimination games.
Is this individual overpaid? Probably, but the ink has in the past dried on his arrangement, and those salary stats won't change. Is he valuable to the present franchise? Absolutely, he's a veteran leader capable of lightening the offensive load positioned Curry's fragile ankles.
Link: Travis Tygarts, director of the used: "case sources is a step backwards in combating doping"
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