It has been more than 40 years since Jerry West has played in a NBA game, but his legacy lives on. West played his entire 14-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers which included him helping the franchise win an NBA Championship in 1972. West was also a 14-time NBA All-Star and he’s gone on to literally become the logo of the league. And as good as West was on the court, he has been even better as an executive. West was the Lakers general manager from 1982-2001, and during that time the franchise won five NBA Titles. West would go on to become the general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies in 2002 as helped the franchise make their first three trips to the postseason. West would remain with the Grizzlies until 2007 before he stepped down, but it wouldn’t take him that long to resurface on the basketball scene.
Jerry West
In 2011, West became a member of the Golden State Warriors executive board not long after Joe Lacob and Peter Guber purchased the team. And since then the Warriors have gone on to be one of the better teams in the NBA as they won a championship in 2015, while setting a single-season for wins last season with 73.
West turned 79-years of age earlier month, but he doesn’t appear to be slowing down. And as West still possesses one of the sharpest minds in basketball he is still a very wanted man.
West’s contract with the Warriors is set to expire at the end of this season and he has reportedly drawn interest from the Los Angeles Clippers for his services. West is a legend in the City of Los Angeles after what he did with the Lakers, and now the Clippers want in on the fun.
Steve Ballmer
The Clippers have made the playoffs in each of the last six years, but they have never been able to make it past the second round. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has owned the team now for three years and is a person who is committed to winning. Ballmer has the ability to sell water to a whale if need be, but could he persuade West to leave Oakland for Hollywood?
Whereas the Clippers have been a competitive team, they are currently at the crossroads. The Clippers have a pair of perennial All-Stars in point guard Chris Paul and power forward Blake Griffin, along with shooting guard J.J. Redick who are all set to become unrestricted free agents this summer. And the Clippers ability to maintain all three players could come down to whether or not that Ballmer can get West to come on board. But as much as Ballmer may want West to return to Los Angeles, don’t expect Lacob and Guber to go down without a fight.
West might be an executive board member by title for the Warriors, but he has a keen eye for finding talent. The Warriors core trio of point guard Steph Curry, shooting guard Klay Thompson, and power forward Draymond Green who helped the franchise win an NBA Championship in 2015 were not top-five selections in the NBA Draft, and in the case of Green, he was a second-round pick. West joined the Warriors after Curry was drafted by the team, but he did have a hand in the selection of Thompson and Green who have gone on to be two of the better players at their respective positions. And the Warriors ability to woo small forward Kevin Durant last summer in free agency last summer cannot be omitted either.
The Lakers only missed the playoffs once during West’s tenure, while he built the Grizzlies into a contender. And after helping to make the Warriors into the modern day version of the “Showtime” Lakers, Lacob and Guber cannot afford to simply allow West to leave town, and I see the duo leaving no stone unturned in order to keep him happy in order for him to remain in Northern California.
Joe Lacob, Peter Guber
So now let the bidding war begin as West who is already wealthy is set to become wealthier as there will be some billionaires who are ready to open up the vault for his services. West has walked away from a winning situation before when he left the Lakers which makes joining the Clippers not that far-fetched. However with what the Warriors have accomplished along with what they still could do, it would be difficult to see West walk away from that in order to team up with Ballmer.
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