Chiefs 2016 Preview - Post-2015 Season Remarks II

When I was in the 5th grade my school's PE class had a softball league. I was elected a captain and got to pick players for my team in a draft, held in the main office with the other captains. Because I was in Little League and the other captains weren't, I knew I had an advantage. Even though I was a poor baseball player myself, I knew who the better players were.

Sure enough, "David's Demolishers" crushed everyone. My lineup was a murderer's row of hitters. We won every game we played by several runs, putting away each opponent early. Their defeats were so mercilessly demoralizing, the contests so tediously anticlimactic, that the PE teacher literally ended the season early.

I say this because, as I've shared in this blog before, my favorite NBA team is the Golden State Warriors. I've been a fan since my parents took me to Oracle back when it was simply the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum or something like that in 1971 to watch the Warriors play Lew Alcindor and the Milwaukee Bucks.

Yes, there was that very cool Rick Barry-led championship in '75, and yes, everyone reveled in the Chris Mullin-Tim Hardaway team of the late '80's-early '90's, but other than that, the Warriors had been traditionally one of the more pathetic doormats of professional basketball. I can honestly say I've been a fan though all of the worst of it, and believe me, there was so much of it. That was until the new Lacob-Gruber ownership radically transformed the Warriors leadership climate, and plugged in great management people to build a team around a healthy Stephen Curry.

Wow.

Stephen Curry hitting his patented teardrop jumper
The San Antonio-Golden State game last night was
the best regular-season matchup by combined 
winning percentage in NBA history

Last night the Warriors welcomed a historically great San Antonio Spurs team into Oracle, and they demolished them. I like that term because it makes me remember my 5th grade softball juggernaut, and because the term was notably used by this Slate writer in this very fun piece.

I share this too because Stephen Curry's favorite NFL team is the one from his home state, the Carolina Panthers. He is best buds with Cam Newton, who himself is arguably the best player in professional football. The Warriors are much like the Panthers, talented, well-coached, unrelenting, all those other kinds of adjectives that describe teams that pretty much demolish their opponents. Not only does each team have the best player in their respective leagues, but they each have arguably the best defensive player in their sports. The Warriors have uber-stopper Draymond Green, and the Panthers have uber-stuffer Luke Kuechly.

I also see the Warriors and Panthers as two teams the elitist media-darling-favoring ivory-tower-dwelling powers-that-be would rather not showcase. They're not from the larger or more favored markets -- I think the Powers had been juuust fine with the Warriors and Panthers being in the dregs of competition while the New York teams (Yankees, Giants, Rangers) and the Boston teams (Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics) and the Los Angeles teams (Dodgers, Lakers) and a few other darling teams (Packers, Steelers, Heat) were ruling the roost.

But see, when those Powers do the messing around with competitive integrity -- which I firmly believe they have particularly in NBA basketball when the Lakers and the Celtics have always been handed advantages to keep them winning so the league could stay afloat -- when they do that, they must still sustain some level of authentic integrity to keep the fans knowing their team has a chance.

Enter a team like the Warriors and a team like the Panthers, who've been so committed to excellence, and so dedicated to the hard work it takes from top to bottom, and so exceptionally skilled at making great teams with the tools they have, that they've actually outdistanced their competition by miles to get to the place where they are now. (The Powers must be going apoplectic with baseball's Kansas City Royals doing the same thing right now, but we'll save that for another discussion)

And I wonder. I really wonder how much the NBA is looking at the Warriors and going, "Damn, did we create a 12-headed monster. Is anyone going to keep paying attention when they run the table this year -- again. I mean, if the Spurs look like, as their own coach said, "Boys against men out there," then who can take them on? And if no one can, will fans stop watching?"

Oh yes Stephen Curry can still keep everyone's attention, he is so good. The NBA can still try to prop up some team who can beat them, and maybe they can! Golden State has yet to play the one team I think has the best shot, Oklahoma City. Don't worry, the NBA is doing just fine, and I don't think the fine play of the Warriors hasn't contributed to that in some measure no matter how dominant they've been.

Look at the Panthers. Sorry, but I don't think the Super Bowl contest is going to be anything other than a 49-10 Carolina blowout. I can't see for the life of me how the Broncos have the smallest of chances.

All I saw from the Broncos-Patriots game was the Broncos demonstrating that the Chiefs still could've beaten them in a playoff game. Very frustrating, but I accept it. There is a part of me that believes it was probably best we didn't get into the Super Bowl, because to be honest, I don't think the Chiefs would have a prayer against the Panthers, either.

But you know what else?

I like what John Dorsey can do, and I'm really looking forward to him blowing the lid off that elitist media-darling-favoring ivory-tower-dwelling powers-that-be crap and getting the Chiefs in the mix of being an AFC juggernaut.

Do you know one of my students asked me this question the other day. He asked, "So, what would you think if the Chiefs traded Jamaal Charles?" For a nanosecond I thought, "NO! No way!..." But then it dawned on me.

I realized I had a refreshing and profound confidence in a Chiefs front office that I'd never had before. That Clark has complete trust in the proven abilities of John and his team to make the right decisions. I actually found myself responding to the student, "Know what? If we can get a 1st round pick for him, I'm great with that."

Even so, I'm great with whatever Dorsey thinks is best. Please know I don't for a second want to trade Charles or think he's expendable or any of that.

But it's not my call. And I trust the people whose call it is because I know they'll make it in the very best interests of the Chiefs and their success on the football field.

Really, have you ever really had that feeling before? I admit I did a little with King Carl when he was in his prime. And for good reason -- I mean, the James Hasty acquisition, that alone, very sweet.

I don't think during the Peterson-Schottenheimer regime, however, we ever truly appreciated the gravity of not having a D&D quarterback, or D&D wide receivers for that matter! Even though, yes, we still don't have that quarterback today, we've seen that Alex Smith has the potential to get us to that elite place until we get that guy. And if not? Here's the thing.

I really like the confidence Chiefs fans can now very justifiably have in our leadership.

Already I know we've got to sign our free agents. Every year there are those guys. Yes we want to keep Eric Berry. Yes we want to keep Jeff Allen. Sure it'd be nice to keep Sean Smith too but it seems he's considered as good as gone. I've always worried what would happen if we lost this guy or that guy.

There is much less of that now, and it is so good. Again, we've got the leadership. They know what they're doing. They've got this. They'll stay the course courageously building the culture and deftly constructing the team for that major step to the next level.

Steady now, steady as she goes.

Is that great or what.
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(This weekend, wait for it! The top ten memorable Chiefs seasons in history, according to this writer! See if what I think matches up with what you think!)
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