IGUODALA: BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

Kudos to the Warriors front office for pulling off the improbable task of clearing enough cap space to sign Andre Iguodala. They were able to unload the dead weight contracts of Andris Biedrins and Richard Jefferson along with the recovering Brandon Rush for a legitimate star free agent willing to take less money to join the Warriors. It cost them two future 1st round draft picks and a 2nd round pick, but they will likely be in the mid-20's range. Lacob has shown that he's more than willing to buy picks, so I feel confident that they will be able to recoup their lost picks come draft day. The fact that a marquee free agent was willing to take less money to join the up-start Warriors is a testament as to how far this franchise has risen since Joe Lacob and his team took over.

Iguodala has always been one of my favorite players in the entire NBA. I've long coveted him for the Warriors ever since Nellie-ball was the talk of the NBA and he has finally arrived. He's as well-rounder player as you can find - a mini-Lebron in every sense of the word. He'll do it all, including hitting clutch shots, zipping passes with point guard precision, locking down defenders, dictating pace, and helping on the boards. Iguodala is not about the stats, he's about making his teammates better and doing whatever it takes to win. A big part of what will help the Warriors win is his ability to act as a secondary ball handler to free up Curry. He gives the Warriors a fearless rim attacker who can draw contact and finish strong or get to the line - something the Warriors sorely lacked. He also gives them a 2nd lock-down defender to help Thompson stop the opposing guards and wings.

What makes Iguodala unique is his ability to play four positions because he is so versatile. He's skilled enough with the ball and has excellent passing instincts which allow him to play point guard. He has prototypical traits of a 2-way wing player at shooting guard and small forward. He even has the strength, athleticism, and wingspan to play small-ball power forward just as he did for Team USA during the 2012 Olympics. The addition of Iguodala allows for incredible lineup flexibility and increased ways to exploit the oppositions weaknesses and limit their strengths.

The Warriors are already much improved from last year and they've only just begun the 2013 free agency period. I can't wait to see who else they add into the mix.

PG: Stephen Curry / Scott Machado* / Nemanja Nedovic**
SG: Klay Thompson / Kent Bazemore / Kevin Murphy*
SF: Andre Iguodala / Harrison Barnes
PF: David Lee / Draymond Green
C: Andrew Bogut / Festus Ezeli / Dwayne Jones*
* non-guaranteed
** unsigned draft pick

2012-13 Game Log

Related Links

Adam Lauridsen: Iguodala to the Warriors — Happy Independence Day
Tim Kawakami: The opportunistic, hungry, frenetic Warriors’ front office: Iguodala now, who knows what comes next
Denver Post: Andre Iguodala leaves Denver Nuggets to join Golden State Warriors for $48 million
Marcus Thompson II: Golden State Warriors obtain Andre Iguodala