2018-19 NBA Season Preview: Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors have cemented their dynasty in the NBA history books by winning 3 NBA Championships in the last 4 seasons. The throne is theirs and they are certainly the team to beat in this upcoming season as well. With the second consecutive title beating the Cavs, they had won the 4-year-long Cavs-Warriors rivalry 3-1 comprehensively.
The sublime 4-0 sweep in the NBA Finals to eliminate LeBron James & his Cavs proved to be the last nail in the coffin for LeBron in the East and the Cavaliers collectively.
LeBron left the Cavaliers to join the LA Lakers in a blockbuster move, and the Warriors front-office couldn't care less. They had all the pieces of the puzzle committed to their services for the foreseeable future and were expected to be in a somewhat tranquil after-party mode throughout the summer. But apparently, that's not what happened entirely.
Let's take a look at how they shape up as a team for the 2018-19 season:
Offseason Activity
When a franchise has just won their 2nd consecutive title, people don't expect reinforcements for the next season. And to still land one of the best big men there is in the league, is just setting the bar for the other teams way too higher.
DeMarcus Cousins signed a one-year/$5.3 million with the Warriors on the 3rd of July, and the NBA universe gasped in unison. This was easily the second most captivating signing of the summer after LeBron joining LA, mainly because it involved the team which is at the center of NBA basketball right now and the man who is capable of doing everything all by himself.
In retrospect, everything else other than this blockbuster move seems like formalities. Kevin Durant re-signed with the Champs as he had previously mentioned on a lot of occasions, and as expected Steve Kerr got his contract extended. Also, David West announced his retirement after spending 15 seasons in the NBA including 2 championship seasons with the Warriors, which was preceded by the signing of Jonas Jerebko in July.
Broadly stated, it was a win-win summer for a team that has already won 3 NBA Championships in the past 4 years.