Report: Warriors organization viewed as arrogant around NBA
In news that should surprise no one, there seems to be a view among various NBA people that the Golden State Warriors organization is "arrogant", according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
"Within the NBA, there's a belief that the Warriors are a bit arrogant," Windhorst said on a recent TrueHoop podcast. "I can't tell you how many times in the last four or five months, when I'm talking with other people in the league, whether it's agents or executives or whomever, coaches ... there's the reference, 'Well, they are light years ahead so they'll be fine'."
The "light years" reference is rooted in a March profile by the New York Times' Bruce Schoenfeld, where Warriors owner Joe Lacob sings the praises of his organization from scouting and analytics through on-court performance.
"We're light-years ahead of probably every other team in structure, in planning, in how we're going to go about things," Lacob was quoted in the article. "We're going to be a handful for the rest of the NBA to deal with for a long time."
The story, of course, came out before the Warriors blew a 3-1 series lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, only to then shock the league by signing Kevin Durant.
"That quote has been a touchstone throughout the league," Windhorst said.
The Warriors' rise from long-time also-ran franchise to league superpower was swift, and not unlike other forms of success, was assisted with good luck. The ability to sign Durant for instance, came about in part because Stephen Curry got a bargain contract in 2013 due to his previous history with ankle injuries.
"The great, great venture capitalists who built company after company, that’s not an accident," Lacob said in the March article. "And none of this is an accident, either."
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Given the way the Warriors have revolutionized the sport with Curry's video game-like sharpshooting and their mastering of positionless basketball, it's normal to foster envy alongside copycatting. The parallel that this has all happened not far from the cradle of technology and venture capital in Silicon Valley is not lost on anyone either.
For as many new fans as the Warriors have created all over the world, there has also been a certain amount of negative blowback, as was demonstrated during last spring's playoffs. As a result, it's very easy to envision some within the NBA to adapt a "Damn Yankees" view of the league's latest glamour team - and take pleasure if and when they don't succeed.