Warriors General Manager Bob Myers knows the work required to get to the top. He also knows that it鈥檚 even harder to stay there. It鈥檚 why he鈥檚 already preparing for the offseason even though the blue and yellow just capped their 2017-2018 campaign with their third championship in four years. He understands that everybody else will be retooling rosters with an eye to defeating them, and he figures that continuity is key to holding the opposition at bay.
Myers is right, of course. The Warriors have latched on to a winning formula, one that no other quarter — with the possible exception of the Rockets — can trump in the immediate term. And, needless to say, he鈥檇 like to extend their reign for as long as he can. Which accounts for his public pronouncement on the Number One task he has to fulfill, and pronto: get two-time Finals Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant to sign on the dotted line. Parenthetically, he cannot but be pleased that the nine-time All-Star has already expressed a preference to keep the status quo.
It bears noting that Myers is appealing to Durant鈥檚 sensitive side in telling all and sundry that the latter has 鈥渆arned the right to sign whatever deal he wants. I just want him to sign the deal.鈥 It鈥檚 an extraordinary concession that both recognizes the extent of the insecurity of the National Basketball Association鈥檚 best player not named LeBron James and highlights the Warriors鈥 appreciation for the latter鈥檚 contributions on and off the court.
For Myers, the development is a no-brainer. Never mind that breaking the bank for Durant will push the Warriors deep into luxury-tax territory and likely make them the first franchise ever to have a $400-million payroll. The investment is all upside, in no small measure because it hinges on the output of a relatively low-maintenance megastar who has no qualms playing within a proven system. And, as an aside, it鈥檚 the need for the system to keep thriving that Steve Kerr, its engineer, will also be getting a multi-year contract extension.
There will be financial hurdles in the horizon, what with stalwarts Klay Thompson and Draymond Green hitting free agency next year and in 2020, respectively. As Myers noted, however, those are problems for another day. In the meantime, he鈥檚 bent on getting Durant to understand that 鈥渨e want him for as long as he wants to be here. He鈥檚 earned that.鈥
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since 大象传媒 introduced a Sports section in 1994.
