Warriors Ownership Needs to Take Risks

           When Joe Lacob bought the Golden State Warriors over a year ago, he promised the Warriors would not be the same old team that plays poorly year in and year out.  So far, that promise hasn’t been fulfilled. Larry Riley is still the Warriors General Manager even though he was a part of the failures of the Chris Cohan era. And this year is turning out to be another wasted season where the team doesn’t play well enough to make the playoffs, but doesn’t play bad enough to get a top pick in the NBA draft.

            If Lacob wants to prove fans wrong, he needs to start taking risks to make this team better. The NBA trade deadline is March 15th and Lacob needs to make a trade to improve this team. The Warriors need a big man who can score points and get rebounds. One big man who can solve this problem is Dwight Howard. The problem is that Dwight Howard is a free agent at the end of this season and so the Warriors are reluctant to give up a lot of players for someone who may end up leaving at the season’s end. However, that has been the problem for the Warriors in years past. They are too cautious.  Being too cautious hasn’t gotten the Warriors anywhere in years past and it won’t this year either. That is why they need to trade whomever to get Howard.

            With this trade the rewards outweigh the risks. If Howards decides to stay with the Warriors, the team will have a center to lead the team into the playoffs. If he leaves, then the Warriors will have a lot of salary cap space from giving up guys like Monta Ellis or Stephen Curry to get Howard in the first place. That money can be used to get other centers via free agency.  Worst case scenario is that the Warriors lose Howard to free agency and the team has no replacements for Ellis or Curry. However, that means the Warriors will most likely be one of the worst teams in the league next year, which will give them a better shot at the top pick in the draft. That top pick can potentially change the fortunes of the Warriors for years to come. That’s a better outcome than the Warriors continuing to not make the playoffs, but not being one of the worst teams in the league.

If I were Lacob, I would trade Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis, and Andris Biedrins for Dwight Howard. Andris Biedrins is garbage so there would be no risk in trading him. Furthermore, trading Curry may be a smart move as well since he is a young player who already has serious ankle problems. If we wait too long to trade Curry his injuries may worsen and is value will drop dramatically. Curry is replaceable as the Warriors have Klay Thompson who has the potential to be a better player. While, Ellis is a very good player he’s obviously no Dwight Howard. Although, Ellis has played many good games, he also has played many awful games. True stars of the NBA consistently perform well. It may not be popular trading guys like Curry and Ellis, but it’s the risk the Warriors need to take to improve the team’s future. Taking risks like these are what separate the good teams from the bad teams.