Joe Lacob Comments on Warriors' Future After NBA Finals Loss to Cavaliers

Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob didn't wallow in his team's NBA Finals collapse. He got right to work on retooling the roster in preparation for next season.

“We will scratch and claw every single day,” Lacob said, per Jennifer Elias of the Silicon Valley Business Journal. “That’s why I couldn’t wait one hour after Sunday’s loss to start getting the team ready for next year.”

Lacob, 60, has grown from a mostly tertiary figure in the Warriors' run to one of their most outspoken proponents. His comments in a New York Times Magazine profile in April ruffled some feathers—notably his comment about being "light-years ahead of probably every other team in structure, in planning, in how we’re going to go about things.”

Despite the Warriors becoming the first team in NBA history to blow a 3-1 Finals lead, Lacob remains confident in his ability to create a winner. He touted the Warriors' use of small ball—they blasted the NBA record for three-pointers in a season (1,077), led by an individual high from Stephen Curry (402)—while insinuating Golden State may shift its focus this offseason. 

“We drove this idea of small ball, and it’s a different style of play,” Lacob said. “Having said that, I think it’s important to know that whenever everyone else starts doing things, it’s time to start doing what’s next. We’re on to the next idea—how can we iterate to evolve to get an advantage? I can assure you we’re very forward-thinking in that regard.”

Of course, the Warriors did not invent the concept of small ball. Not even close. The Mike D'Antoni/Steve Nash Phoenix Suns played a similar style, and you can even dig back in the archives for some ABA footage that shows a neophyte version of what Golden State did.

The Warriors may have perfected small ball, though. Curry and Klay Thompson are the greatest shooting backcourt in NBA history, and Draymond Green already ranks among the best second-round picks ever. Add in smart signings, and Lacob can take credit for putting the right decision-makers in place on this roster.

Lacob commented on his way of thinking when making a reference to how the Warriors will handle free agency this summer. 

“The free-agency market is like the talent market in Silicon Valley,” Lacob said. “It’s about hiring the best people and letting them do their job. I set the highest goal and pay them whatever it takes. Great people attract great people.”

While Lacob "dodged" questions about Kevin Durant—NBA tampering rules prevent him from discussing those matters publicly—the former MVP is exactly the type of player the Warriors should target. First of all, Durant is one of the five best players in basketball.

You pause everything in the world to sign him.

Second, a player like Durant may be the only way the Warriors' small-ball mentality can take the next evolutionary step. A starting lineup featuring Curry, Thompson, Green and Durant is so offensively talented it defies comprehension. 

If he's able to pull off the Oklahoma City heist, Lacob's comments in the New York Times Magazine might not have been hubris. They might have been foreshadowing.

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.