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First, I think this is a weak move by Durant. IMHO he should have stayed and tried to beat the team he just lost to in the WCF. But this is a new generation we're dealing with here (sigh).
Second, I like the Warriors less because of this. The biggest reason I rooted for them this past season was the fact that they were an organization built from the ground up. Instead of putting together a team in a mercenary fashion, they identified young, underrated talent and got a championship out of it. The team feels less special, imo, after this trade. In all likelihood, Bogut is gone, which would be a damned shame, but I hope the owners just pay the luxury tax and pay the man. They were a bottom five defense before he came and they became a top five defense largely because of him. He seems to be a fan favorite. Just pay the man.
All that being said, Durant makes the Warriors' small ball lineup 5,000% more terrifying. Durant does every single thing better than Barnes when it comes to the game of basketball. He's going to give them dribble penetration, which they didn't have much of before (got zero from Barnes). He's going to be able to play in total space, which he couldn't do in OKC because he was the only good shooter on the floor. It will be interesting to see how he buys into the system. The Warriors will have four 40% 3-point shooters on the floor. That's insane.
Warriors will be worse next year. Durant is not a good fit. Cavs have shown the league how to figure Steph out. They probably win 60.
I don't see them attempting a 70+ win this season... I see them preparing for the ultimate goal, the playoffs.
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