How JaVale McGee came to be a key piece for the Warriors
OAKLAND – Three months before Draymond Green would make it such a habit to find JaVale McGee for those familiar alley-oops, those highlight-reel lobs that were showcased yet again in the Golden State Warriors’ win over the Portland Trailblazers on Wednesday night, he dished the best assist of all.
And it didn’t even include a ball.
It was late July, a few weeks after the Warriors landed Kevin Durant in free agency in the wake of their NBA Finals loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and during that time when they scoured the NBA landscape for complementary pieces on the cheap. Defensive anchor Andrew Bogut had been traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Veteran Warriors center Anderson Varejao was suffering from a bad back. If the Warriors were going to live up to the “Strength in Numbers” motto that had been such a hallmark of their success, they’d need a big man who could not only produce in limited minutes but who could add the kind of athleticism that was sorely lacking from this bunch.
Enter McGee, one of the league’s most infamous players who had played just 62 games in the previous four seasons, in large part, because of injuries after signing a four-year, $44 million with the Denver Nuggets in the summer of 2012. McGee, the 29-year-old whose unwelcome starring role in the “Shaq-tin a fool” blooper reels on TNT had turned him into a hoops caricature, found an influential advocate in Green en route to signing a make-good, minimum salary contract with the Warriors in late July (approximately $980,000).
Not only did they share sports agents – former Chicago Bulls champion B.J. Armstrong of the Wasserman Media Group – but they shared the underdog gene that had everything to do with Green’s sales job to his basketball bosses. From the early days in Saginaw, Mich. to Michigan State to his rare path from second-round pick to NBA stardom, Green has overachieved at every turn.
He saw a sympathetic character in McGee, someone who had been unfairly labeled and who had the kind of unique skillset that could help the Warriors recapture the NBA crown. And true to form, Green wasn’t bashful about sharing his view of the matter with Warriors general manager Bob Myers.
“I didn't know (McGee) that well at all, but you (could) see some of the skills that a guy has and see that, alright that could possibly fit in,” Green told USA TODAY Sports. “Being that he's super athletic, he offered something that we didn't have. When you know basketball, you know the talent is there, and you know that if you put somebody in the right situation, that it could possibly (work) for you.”
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It’s well-chronicled that Warriors super-sub Andre Iguodala, who played with McGee in Denver, also vouched for McGee. But Green, on the heels of playing a pivotal role in the recruitment of Durant, was a key factor in the matter as well.
“I think the mark of a great organization is allowing some of your (players) to have an opinion, because at the end of the day they're the ones who have to hit the floor,” Green continued. “I knew that (McGee) has never been in a situation like this, you know? I felt like if you put him in the locker room with guys like us, not only (are the) coaches going to hold you accountable, but we're going to hold each other accountable, and it will work out for him and us, and I think it has…Yeah, bring him in (he told Myers). What's the worst that can happen? And he came into training camp playing his ass off.
“He's a great teammate, connected with everyone, doesn't cause any problems, doesn't get in the way of anyone. He just goes and does his job, and is one of the best teammates. Great to have around. Fun to have around.”
Never more so than Wednesday night.
With Durant sitting out because of a calf injury, McGee not only hit all seven of his shots for 15 points in the Warriors’ 110-81 win that gave them a 2-0 series lead but added five rebounds and four blocks while posting a plus-19 mark in just 13 minutes. This, of course, comes after a regular season in which he averaged 6.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.9 blocks, and 9.6 minutes in 77 games for the team that went a league-best 67-15.
“His energy is great, his length, his ability to catch that lob and be a presence around the rim,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We’re just trying to mix and match at that (center) spot, and find the right combination. JaVale has given us great minutes in that role, playing with that athleticism and that energy. He’s still able to (guard) their smaller players, and then be (an impact player) offensively.”
Not bad for a guy who so many NBA observers expected to be out of the league by now.
“I’m not really looking for validation at all, truthfully,” McGee, who will be a free agent this summer, said earlier this week. “Truthfully, I don’t care what the media perceives me as, or anybody that doesn’t have a job in the NBA up top – an owner, or a coach or something.
“I care if the owner of the team really thinks I’m a knucklehead, you know what I’m saying? That affects my money. That affects my livelihood.
“I just feel like my role is to come off the bench and be a spark off the bench. Bring energy, rebound and blocks shots. And I feel like I’m doing a good job at that.”
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