Assessing the Conference Semifinals Losers: Western Edition - SteveM's Blog

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Assessing the Conference Semifinals Losers: Western Edition Stuck

Posted on May 22, 2013 at 09:04 AM.

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With the Conference Finals under way, it's a good time to look at the teams who just got knocked out of the Playoffs and see what lies ahead for them, both in real life and in NBA 2K13. We'll start with the Western Conference's ousted teams, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
The Good News: The Oklahoma City Thunder have their flaws�for sure�but their flameout in the second round of the playoffs was only partly due to those shortcomings. It was mostly due to the injury to Russell Westbrook. With Westbrook predicted to be back and fine for next season, the Thunder still have one of basketball�s most dynamic duos in Kevin Durant and Westbrook locked up for the next several years. Serge Ibaka�s relative ineffectiveness in the playoffs seems more like a blip than a serious problem, and if his game continues to evolve, he�ll be earning his money.

The Bad News: For the real-life Thunder, the calls are only growing for them to amnesty Kendrick Perkins, who is due a princely sum of $17.6 million over the next two years. It�s even worse in the world of NBA 2K13, where there isn�t an amnesty provision. But at least for virtual Thunder owners Perkins can still set a good pick and get some boards. The other big question is Kevin Martin, who becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season and has looked good enough to probably earn a payday the Thunder would rather avoid. He likely won�t pull down the $12.4 million he collected this year, but someone will probably be willing to pay him $6 to $8 million at least.

The Way Forward: From a basketball perspective, amnestying Perkins makes a world of sense. It hurts financially, but if the Thunder want to stay relevant, they�re going to have to accept that hurt. Martin provided them 75-80% of what Harden did, but I�d go a different direction and look to sign a player like Tony Allen, who could bring some of his grit and grind ethos to the Thunder�s offensive fireworks. Also? Somehow, they need to move on from Scott Brooks. He�s taken them far, but his failure to adapt in the playoffs highlighted his bland approach to the architecture of the game.

For virtual Thunder owners, the smart move is letting Martin walk (his shot is tough to master anyways), bearing with Kendrick Perkins or moving him for parts, and bringing promising players like Perry Jones III into the rotation. It shouldn�t matter too much to you who the coach is, but it also couldn�t hurt to switch up playbooks�the Thunder�s selection is mostly stale and ineffective.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
The Good News: In spite of stinking it up to the tune of 6-for-22 in the momentum-shifting Game 5 of Golden State�s series against the San Antonio Spurs, the backcourt duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson really are one of the best-shooting backcourts that�s ever been in the NBA and they might even get better. Barnes looked good, especially in the playoffs where he was the first NBA player to ever notch back-to-back 25+ point games in the postseason after never scoring 25 or more in the regular season. Playing him as a small ball 4 might not work all the time, but it�s an intriguing approach, especially next to Andrew Bogut�s defensive acumen. It�s also easier to pull off in NBA 2K13 where physical size is less of a liability.

The Bad News: The Warriors� post-season success relied a lot on health and on getting hot at the right time. When Curry was on fire, all was right with them, but when he wasn�t, they looked deflated, flat. Beyond the court, their biggest problem is the roughly $20 million owed to Andris Biedrins and Richard Jefferson next year, two players who can�t get on the court. They unfortunately used their amnesty provision already on Charlie Bell. Who? Exactly. That move got them just $4.1 million of cap space for one year.

The Way Forward: It�s a lot easier in NBA 2K13 than in the real world. First, send Steph Curry to whatever training camp can improve his finishing in traffic at the rim. Second, trade Jefferson and Biedrins away for whatever you can get�ideally picks and young talent, but really, just about anything is an upgrade over them. You�re probably going to have to say goodbye to Sixth Man of the Year candidate Jarrett Jack, but there are other options like Aaron Brooks or Eric Maynor out there who are likely more affordable.

The real-life Warriors are on the rise and, provided Bogut and Curry stay healthy, have a solid core in place with the aforementioned players and David Lee, Thompson and Barnes. Look for them to be an even bigger threat next season.