Stop me if you have heard this before, the 2016-2017 World Champion Golden State Warriors changed the game of basketball forever.  It is absolutely apparent in the transition of playing styles that teams have switched to in trying to become a copy of the “space and pace” that the Dubs rode that lead them to raising the Larry O’Brien trophy for the second time in three years.  But impact this super team had off the court is just as noticeable; and it starts with the fear they evoked into every other team in the league.

Nowadays, if you aren’t a super team why are you even trying to win a championship? A prime example just unfolded hours ago with the shocking trade that will send shockwaves through the dynamics of fantasy basketball rankings.  Jimmy Butler, a dynamic two-way star entering the prime of his career, was shipped to the MInnesota T-Wolves for a package that left Bulls fan scratching their heads and wishing for more.  At first glance, the entire association has to be questioning what the Bulls’ motivation was for this trade. In reality, they got two young pieces, in Kriss Dunn and Zach Lavine, they can hope to build around and the seventh pick in the draft but is that really worth giving up Butler, who is becoming a perennial superstar because of the way he can impact the game on both the offensive and defensive end of the court.  The simple answer is most likely yes and that is not because the Bulls’ front office doubt the playmaking ability of their former bona-fide star, but instead it is because of that big bad super team coming out of the bay area.

The NBA team strategy has completely shifted: If you aren’t compiling a super team, you better be rebuilding your franchise from the ground up and wait your turn in line to try and make it to the finals once, or better hopefully once, the legendary Dubs break for any number of reasons. The simple reality is, there is only five time max that have any shot at dethroning this star-studded start of a dynasty the Warriors have compiled.  It is fair to assume we will see the Warriors in the finals for the foreseeable future, granted their guys don’t suffer a catastrophic injury, and you can say the same thing about the Cavaliers making it to the finals, as long as the King his still defending his land.  This has given NBA teams the strategy to try and collect as many assets as possible, in hopes of their franchise peaking as the Warriors begin to falter.  The Warriors are supremely talented and gifted at this point and will continue to dictate the course of the NBA season for years to come.