Rick Barry Says Warriors Won't Win Championship If Kevin Durant Is Out
Hall of Fame forward and Warriors franchise legend Rick Barry told TMZ Sports he does not believe Golden State can win the 2017 NBA championship if Kevin Durant is forced to miss the rest of the season.
"I would think the chances are diminished considerably [without Durant]," Barry said Wednesday. "I don't think they would have an opportunity to do it without Kevin Durant because he is such an integral part of their success so far this season."
Durant, 28, is expected to miss at least four weeks after an MRI revealed he suffered a sprained MCL and bone bruise in Tuesday's loss to the Washington Wizards. There are roughly six weeks remaining in the regular season, so it's possible Durant could return to the floor before the postseason.
"At this time it's just speculation to guess when that is," general manager Bob Myers told reporters. "He'll heal as his body heals. And when he's healed and our doctors clear him and we feel like it's safe, he'll play. I want to know as much as you guys, but at this point the plan is just to re-evaluate him and see where he's at in four weeks."
One of the biggest offseason signings in modern NBA history, Durant has helped propel the Warriors to a 50-10 record this season. He's averaging 25.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, blasting his previous career high with a 53.7 field-goal percentage.
"I'm not saying they can't win without him. They didn't have Kevin Durant when they won before," Barry said. "But it's just a matter of how well are the other players going to play."
The Warriors have almost seamlessly worked Durant into the fold, with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green helping create the NBA's best four-man group. Barry said the sacrifices Golden State made to get Durant, specifically gutting its depth, may wind up costing it in the playoffs—especially as the Cleveland Cavaliers load up their bench on the buyout market.
"They have some tough teams that they'd have to get by to win it," Barry said. "Cleveland's loading up. Take a look at what they've been doing lately getting all these veteran guys who have great track records as far as what they've done in the game. They may even the center that was on their championship team, Andrew Bogut...the Warriors' bench right now isn't as strong as the bench was when they won the championship. That's the one element that has to rise to the occasion."
The Cavaliers added point guard Deron Williams on Monday. Bogut, a much-needed rim protector, will sign with Cleveland on Wednesday if he clears waivers, per ESPN.com's Marc Stein. The 7-footer missed the last two games of the Cavaliers' Finals win over Golden State in 2016 due to a knee injury.
