Outside of the Bay Area, no one seems particularly happy with the Golden State Warriors’ stunning acquisition of Kevin Durant through free agency.
The NBA certainly doesn’t want super-teams erasing all semblance of competitive balance, and rival players wonder how all those stars will be able to happily share the ball.
Joe Lacob, the Dubs’ outspoken owner, is entirely unconcerned with what the critics are saying.
Per ESPN:
The Golden State Warriors are technically playing by the rules, though it doesn’t exactly feel like it. Painful playoff losses are supposed to bring about an offseason of wallowing, the stuff of Dirk Nowitzki running off to Australia and growing a full beard. Instead, the unchastened Warriors evaded the natural heartbreak process by promptly wooing Kevin Durant to what was already considered the best shooting team in the league. They did it legally, but that fact won’t do much to soften feelings around the league.
Adam Silver gave voice to some of that sentiment Tuesday in his NBA’s Board of Governors address. Silver said, “In the case of Kevin Durant, I absolutely respect his decision once he becomes a free agent to make a choice that’s available to him. In this case, he operated 100 percent within the way of the system, and the same with Golden State. Having said that, I do think in order to maintain those principles that I discussed, creating a league in which every team has the opportunity to compete, I do think we need to re-examine some of the elements of our system.” Silver’s summary on the current state of superteams was surprisingly pointed: “I do not think that’s ideal for the league.”
When asked about Silver’s comments, Warriors owner Joe Lacob declined to comment at first, before saying, “Let them talk,” as he exited Thomas and Mack arena.
