I am a David Lee fan. I liked him at Florida (and I don’t like Florida teams), I loved him with the Knicks, and I was thrilled when the Knicks signed-and-traded him to the Warriors.
Lee missed out on Florida’s championships, finishing his career there in 2005. The team never advanced past the second round in his four seasons, subsequently winning the 2006 and 2007 national championships. The Knicks drafted him with the last pick of the first round in the 2005 draft. (the Warriors, meanwhile, spent the No. 9 pick on Ike Diogu)
Lee spent his first five years with dysfunctional Knicks’ teams, racking up double-doubles. He was a strong shooter and a good passer. He averaged 20.2 points and 11.7 rebounds in his final year with the team. He never shot below 54%. In 2010, his last year with the team, he became their first All Star in a decade.
His percentages and rebounding numbers have gone down with the Warriors, but he is still a constant double-double threat. Unfortunately, the team has not been very good since he arrived. A recurring theme?
Florida only won two NCAA Tournament games with him. The Knicks never made it to .500 or reached the playoffs. But this year, the Warriors did. For the first time since the glorious 2007 team, they made it to the playoffs.
But let’s put this in a little more perspective. From 1986-87 to 1993-94, the Warriors made the playoffs five times in eight years, winning three series. Then a 12-year break during which the team never finished higher than fifth in the Pacific. In 2006-07, they stunned the top-seeded Mavericks in Nelly’s Revenge. And five more years of nothing since then.
Now Stephen Curry is turning into the star we hoped he would be. Andrew Bogut is finally making the Monta Ellis trade seem worthwhile. Jarrett Jack is the backup point guard of whom dreams are made (and he’s from Georgia Tech and that glorious 2004 team!). Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, and And David Lee goes out and, in his first playoff game ever, tears his hip flexor. Warriors lose Game 1.
So what do the Warriors do next? They turn around and win three straight. Then they lose Game 5 in Denver, setting up Game 6 back in Oakland. Warmups begin. And this happens.
He only played 87 seconds, grabbed one rebound, and missed his only shot. But he showed up and played. His numbers might not have demonstrated his influence and effect on the team. But now he’s got at least one series win. Here’s hoping he comes back healthy and strong and has many more good years ahead of him.
Snow DiMaggio 