Say Hello to the Savior(s)

As you may have heard, the Golden State Warriors have been emancipated. Former owner Chris Cohan, who shackled the Warriors for so many years with his bogus decision-making and cheap-skate mentality, has finally sold the franchise to an ownership group led by Joseph Lacob and Peter Gruber (LaGruber!) to the tune of $450 million (the highest price paid for an NBA franchise).

Initial reaction: thank goodness. Gruber is the CEO of Mandalay Entertainment and Lacob has been a Warriors fan for over 10 years and is well respected around the league. These guys (and their friends) laid down $450 MILLION for the Warriors. If anything else, the financial commitment will force them into becoming profitable and, thereby, improving the quality of the product on the floor.

But the more I think about it, the real reason I'm so happy about new ownership is because the man on the right, Stephen Curry, will likely be a Warrior for the rest of his career. Or at least for the next few years.

But, to be honest, I'll take either of those options. You see, if Cohan were still owner, Curry would be out by the end of this year or the next. At that point, looking for a contract extension, Curry would be staring into Cohan's empty wallet and soul-less eyes. He would have no choice but to leave the Golden State, as so many talented Warriors (including Chris Webber, Larry Hughes, Antawn Jamison, gun-less Gilbert Arenas...oh man this list is making me feel sick) have in the past.

And really, losing Curry would sting more than any of the previous Warrior casualties did. He would invariably go to the Knicks, where he would be paired with Amar'e Stoudemire, Danilo Gallinari,  etc., and immediately become Steve Nash 2.0 (this time with a title or two). And we, as Warriors fans, would go back to rooting for our hapless team, all the while wondering what could have been.

But this is Curry's team now. Anthony Randolph is gone, as is Anthony Morrow. Monta Ellis is on the way out, as is Don Nelson. With open-minded, dedicated owners, a young, rejuvenated squad, and a fresh logo/jersey redesign, Curry will be handed the keys to the franchise and be told to run this (Oak)town to new heights.

Because he's not LeBron James, Curry will relish that challenge. And Warriors fans will no longer wonder what could have been because the alternative, a Cohan-owned team, would be too painful to think about.

Welcome back Warriors fans. Say hello to the saviors. Curry and LaGruber are in the building.