Dollars more important than wins, and don’t let them ever claim otherwise.

I won’t pretend to know if West ever found happiness, or what happiness looked like for him (his writing on depression is true & raw), but I do know he inspired and guided so many others to excellence. The world is less exceptional without him. /end

I interviewed West a few years later (thanks Raymond) and he rattled off what the Ws would need to do - and eventually did - to win a championship. He saw it, that elusive West standard of excellence, and he was cursed most days with seeing everyone (himself included) fall short.

West finished his formal Q&A, and then stuck around talking basketball for an hour with anyone who wanted to chat. He stayed until the last person wanting to talk (me) left. If I had a few more question, I suspect he would have stuck around.

I have vivid memories of West’s intro press conference. He took the stage and immediately said a bunch of painfully true stuff that no one associated with the franchise (including Lacob) had dare utter. It felt like someone just bulldozed through years of dilapidated mediocrity.

I don’t have a lot of heroes, but Jerry West was one. Brilliant, humble, conflicted, a truth-teller, and always chasing a standard only he set. To me, the dividing line between the old, sad, sorry Warriors and what we have now was the day he joined the franchise.

You know the in-season tournament is the real deal because someone got hurt right before it.

Welcome to the Dunleavy Era.

Just here to say I'm still not rooting for Chris Paul.

Just here to say it was a better run than I ever dreamed was possible.