A few days back, two-time All-Star David Lee announced that he retired from active competition in the NBA. Lee was known for his time with the New York Knicks and the Golden State warriors. With the Warriors, Lee won his only championship in the league in 2015. Sadly, it was also the Warriors who forced him to end his playing career.
In a recent radio interview, Lee admitted that the dominance of the Warriors in the past three seasons factored in his decision to hang his jersey for good. Lee explained that teams in the NBA are either hoarding star players or going young, and that limited his options.
Lee began his career with the Knicks, who selected him with the 30th pick in 2005 NBA Draft. He became the face of the franchise in New York and earned his first All-Star selection. In 2010, he joined the Warriors, and in his first four seasons with them, he was a starter. Unfortunately, in the 2014-15 season, Lee started the Warriors' campaign on the bench because of an injury. The health setback led to him getting replaced by Draymond Green in the starting lineup, and the rest was history.
In 2015, the Warriors traded Lee to the Boston Celtics. He also suited up for the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs following his time with the Dubs.
Warriors era
David Lee had a point when he discussed his thoughts regarding the Golden State Warriors' dominance in the NBA.
It is true that because of the Warriors, almost every franchise attempted to build a super team. The Oklahoma City Thunder traded for Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. Jimmy Butler got sent to the Minnesota Timberwolves from the Chicago Bulls. The Boston Celtics brought in Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. The Cleveland Cavaliers acquired veterans Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose to help LeBron James and Kevin Love.
Meanwhile, NBA organizations like the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers are relying on youth. They are honing prospects, hoping to have a chance versus the Warriors in the future. In the NBA right now, everything is all about the reigning champions and how to beat them.
Warriors fall to Thunder
Speaking of beating the Golden State Warriors, the Oklahoma City Thunder just did.
On November 22, the Warriors suffered their fifth loss in the present NBA season as they got blown out by OKC on the road, 108-91. Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant led the way for the Dubs. Curry tallied 24 points, while Durant scored 21 against the squad he played for the majority of his career. It was the first time the Thunder beat the Warriors since Durant signed with the latter in 2016.
