Over the weekend it was reported that the Warriors have offered Harrison Barnes a four-year, $64MM contract extension, but the offer was declined. Even though Barnes’ camp is seeking more money, the proposal appears to be a starting point in talks on a long-term pact. At $16MM AAV, the Warriors would be able to stay under the tax threshold in 2016/17, retain Stephen Curry in the year after, and still have money left for free agents. The question now is – how much further will Golden State be willing to go? Here’s more on the Warriors..
- Chris Babb, acquired from the Celtics in the summer David Lee deal, could be a good fit for the Warriors, Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside writes. While an up-and-down D-League player like Babb might not fit in with a lot of contenders, the defending champs could use the 26-year-old’s pesky D and high basketball IQ. If the W’s decide against keeping Babb, however, they won’t be on the hook for any cash as his deal is non-guaranteed.
- A self-described “old-fashioned” basketball mind, Warriors executive board member Jerry West doesn’t envision big success for “analytically based” teams, as Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group writes. “All of the analytical guys that have started to play a big role in it, and frankly, I’m not a big analytical person,” West told Sirius XM on Friday. “Give me the best players, and give me a great coach, and we’ll beat these analytically based organizations all the time. And I know they have their role. I know they have their place in basketball. But I see a lot of teams that follow that line, and I don’t see a lot of success there. I’m not knocking analytical people at all. But just give me the best players, and give me the best competitors, and I will show you a team that has a great chance to win every year.”
- Most of the same cast is back in Golden State, but the look will be different now that the Warriors are champs, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com writes.