Lee missed the start of this season this year due to a hamstring strain. Lingering injuries has been a theme for the 6’9 power forward for the past few seasons. He just hasn’t seemed 100 percent healthy in a while. Lee came back from injury a few weeks into the season this year but hurt himself again. Some media and fans were calling for Green to start at power forward last season so the Warriors could get some needed defensive presence at that four spot to start the game, but Coach Mark Jackson was a big believer in Lee and kept him as a starter.
Due to Lee’s injury, Kerr has been forced to go with Green to start the year and has kept him the starter ever since, despite Lee coming back from injury. Unlike Jackson, Kerr likes to break the continuity here and there and go with what’s hot. He hasn’t been shy about making Andre Iguodala a bench player in favor of Harrison Barnes. Most recently he has come out saying Leandro Barbosa is worthy of minutes because of his hard work in practice and by being a good teammate, resulting in Shaun Livingston losing some minutes. Justin Holiday has cut into some minutes as well although he barely even made the team before the season started.
Kerr says starting Green is more about Green playing well and the Warriors record being an impressive one with him as a starter rather than bashing Lee. He has always been a mature, poised player. He has been friendly to the media and his teammates. He has never been known as a guy who creates problems in the locker room and is someone you would like to root for. It’s sad to see a guy who has started in all but two games during his first 278 games with the Warriors and have him play off the bench.
It shows you that at the end of the day, basketball is still a business. Despite being the highest paid player on the team and making tons of more money than Green, Kerr is not afraid to start the younger former second round draft pick in Green over a former All-Star in Lee. To Lee’s credit, he is still not 100 percent there yet from his injury and it will take time to get back into basketball shape and rhythm, especially with how much the offense has changed since Kerr took over.
Lee has been involved in nearly every trade rumor the Warriors have been a part off, lost his spot in the starting rotation, and has fell under the shadows of Curry, Thompson, and Green. Yet, he still holds a special place in the heart of many Warrior fans. He can go down of one of the most under-appreciated players in the Golden State history. He put aside his ego and accepted the role of coming off the bench despite expecting to start this season. He has given the Warriors mostly quality minutes during his time on the floor. His defense will never be great, but he has shown more attention to detail this season than in years past.
This Warriors team is talented. There aren’t a lot of guys in second units who can score in the paint like Lee can. He lost confidence in his jumper last season, but is slowly building that back up again too. Lee is another example of setting the unselfish tone within the Warriors roster. He might be the odd man out at this stage of his career on the team, but has championship aspirations on his mind.
If funny to hear Lee and others say that he has “sacrificed” by going to the bench. What choice does he have? The coach won’t start him. I guess he could pout and tantrum. But, that won’t get him anywhere. He is simply playing the role that is being offered to him at this point in his career. The warriors have a defense-first mentality now. Lee doesn’t quite fit into that model. But, his D is good enough for the bench, and his O can really help the bench as well. The bench is where he belongs now. No shame in that. All elite teams need a good bench.