Warriors happy to play new roles on winning team

The conclusion of a recent Golden State Warriors shootaround had the feel of a celebration. Jay Z’s classic, “Reasonable Doubt,” blared from a laptop and as players took turns shooting jumpers, Leandro Barbosa giggled and started doing the running man dance. Then, as the song approached the end, Andre Iguodala rushed over to the computer, pressed repeat to keep the vibe going and bobbed his head to the music before shooting a fadeaway 3-pointer.

Not only do the Warriors have the best record in the West this season, but they have successfully melded fun with wins. Earlier this season, the NBA had to shut down their playful, in-flight sing-alongs to a song about the virtues of a certain illicit drug, but the Warriors have maintained one of the loosest locker rooms throughout their surprising rise.

Success makes it easier to smile and an overlooked element of Golden State’s ascension has been the sacrifice of two former all-stars who accepted lesser roles for their teammates - and in turn, the team - to flourish. Iguodala and David Lee won’t warrant as much attention as Stephen Curry’s espresso-shot shooting displays or Klay Thompson’s ability to score 37 points in a quarter, but coach Steve Kerr cannot discount nor ignore their influence.

“It’s one of the most gratifying parts of the season,” Kerr said. “That’s really what you hope for as a coach. That each guy is going to accept a role and understand that that role is designed to make the team better and that it may cost him some minutes and some points and all that stuff. But if everyone buys in, and believes, you’ve got a pretty strong, powerful force and I think we’ve achieved that to this point.”

Kerr was fortunate enough to take over a team that was ready to contend, but he also realized that the Warriors required a few tweaks to maximize their talents - and that meant minimizing their reliance on two of the most accomplished players on the roster.

What Kerr had working in his favor with Iguodala was that both were Arizona products and Lute Olsen pupils who shared a similar basketball pedigree. What Kerr had going his way with Lee was that while Lee started the season out with a injury, Draymond Green simply was a better fit in a starting lineup that needed grit and tenacity more than scoring punch.

“Everyone has one goal and that’s to win,” Thompson said. “We have guys that have been in this league for a long, long time, they’ve had great, decorated careers and they’re at a point where they just want to win, to do whatever it takes. We’ve got young guys that have the same mindset. No one is out there playing selfish. We’re sharing the ball, playing smart and trusting each other. Makes for a fun game to play.”

Kerr had been dropping hints throughout the summer about his plans to make Iguodala assume a reserve role he had only accepted once before - while winning an Olympic gold medal in 2012 as a member of Team USA. Backing up LeBron James is much easier to accept and understand than taking a lesser role for Harrison Barnes, a third-year forward coming off a disappointing sophomore campaign in which he was repeatedly booed while struggling to be a consistent contributor off the bench.

Barnes had the ability to play better, Kerr felt, but lacked the confidence that would only come by being on the floor with better talent. In order to get more out of a former lottery pick, Kerr approached Iguodala - one of the team’s two captains, along with Curry - about the switch.

“Andre is a really smart guy. He doesn’t suffer fools. So you can’t just throw something at Andre and expect him to believe it,” Kerr said. “He understood. He’s been brilliant. He’s getting better and his attitude is fantastic. To me, he’s one of the keys to our whole team, not only with his play but his example.”

The move would help save the wear and tear on Iguodala’s body as he grows older, have Iguodala assume the role as playmaker for a talented second unit and still have a chance to close games with Curry and Thompson.

“I just wanted to be on the floor. I wanted to be in my element,” Iguodala said. “I feel like I’m still getting there, still getting adjusted. But I’m starting to get comfortable. With more time in this situation, it’s only going to get better.”

Iguodala added that he couldn’t necessarily rely on his experience on the Olympic team because, “you’re playing with the greatest players in the world. It’s a little different. It’s an adjustment. But it’s not as big of an adjustment as you would think. Just keeping level headed on a consistent basis because you’re going to have ups and downs. So, it’s weathering the storm, staying confident, staying with the process and seeing the big picture.”

After languishing in his role as a primary scorer off the bench last season, Barnes is scoring more points and shooting a higher percentage from the field, as Kerr had hoped.

“It’s been great for my confidence, to be able to go out there, playing out at a high level but also to do that on a winning team, a team that’s playing with a purpose. It’s fun,” said Barnes, adding that the criticism he received last season “was warranted. I wasn’t playing well and it took me time to figure it out.”

Lee came to Golden State in the summer of 2010 after an all-star season with the New York Knicks and has had four seasons in which he has averaged at least 18 points and nine rebounds. He made another all-star appearance with the Warriors but didn’t have any objections when Kerr told him about his intentions to keep Green starting with the team off to the best start in franchise history.

“Coach came to me and said, ‘Look, I really like what we’re doing right now, do you mind .?.?. ?’ I said, ‘You can stop talking right now.’ I said, ‘Absolutely,’?” Lee said. “If we were an average team, we’d have a conversation, but with how we’re winning and how the guys are playing, winning is the only thing that matters.”

Green was drafted the same year as Barnes and has emerged as one of the team’s emotional leaders - he has stuck his tongue out at Blake Griffin and has yet to back down while guarding some of the bigger, more physically imposing power forwards. The Warriors have also benefited from Green’s surprising range, with his ability to hit 3-pointers spreading the floor and creating more space for Curry to drive and improvise.

“His value doesn’t really come with him being a so-called stretch four. His value comes at guarding everybody and being an attack dog and being competitive as hell and emotional and passionate,” Kerr said. “That’s why he’s good for us. The fact that he can step out and hit threes sometimes is gravy, but it’s everything else that he does that’s most important.”

Lee is still adjusting to a role that requires him to set more screens, guard centers and settle for scraps on the offensive end, but he can’t squabble too much with the results, even as his individual production gets lost in all of the wins.

“I’ve had plenty of years putting up big numbers, being all-stars and doing things like that. Now it’s time to chase a ring and I love what our team is doing and our chemistry. And the character guys on our team, nobody cares who gets the credit,” Lee said. “We know that we have two bona fide superstars in Steph and Klay and everybody else is really here to fill around those guys and to make them as successful as possible.”

Iguodala made the all-star team in Philadelphia, where he was a do-it-all performer who said he learned how to become a professional by following the lead of veterans Aaron McKie and Kevin Ollie. In his first season with the Warriors, Iguodala was a first-team all-defensive team member for the first time in 10 seasons. He readily admits he had some reasonable doubts about coming off the bench but added that Kerr has made the transition easier for him.

“We think the same in terms of basketball. I feel like I’m a student of the game. Our minds are wired pretty much the same when it comes to basketball. I can see what he’s trying to do,” Iguodala said. “What’s most important is we know it in this locker room. That trumps anything. Guys knowing their roles, knowing the sacrifices may not be seen now, but hopefully, when June comes, it’ll be realized.”