Positional height advantage key to Warriors GM’s philosophy

Positional height advantage key to Warriors GM's philosophy Long ago, when he was an unheralded UCLA forward and not one of the NBA's most accomplished executives, Warriors general manager Bob Myers learned the value of positional size. Neither did a brief spin defending 6-9 Cal forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim — Myers quickly realized the futility of his quest and fouled Abdur-Rahim. The Warriors, who will make their third consecutive NBA Finals appearance next Thursday, covet players who are tall for their position — from (at least) 6-9 small forward Kevin Durant and 6-7 shooting guard Klay Thompson to 6-7 point guard Shaun Livingston and 7-foot center JaVale McGee. Thompson enjoys a similar advantage over most "2" guards (despite his shooting struggles this postseason), as does Livingston against opposing point guards. Wilt Chamberlain (7-1) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (7-2) were tall centers, just as Larry Bird (6-9) was tall for a small forward, Michael Jordan (6-6) was tall for a shooting guard and — at 6-9 — Magic Johnson was really tall for a point guard. [...] think about several key moves in constructing the Warriors who won the 2015 NBA championship. The...