Robo Says: GO WARRIORS!
It may be that all games are silly. But then, so are humans.
Robert Lynd
One day in late October, the chatter on the Penserra trading desk shifted from discussing the V-shaped recovery in the stock market to something that seemed suddenly more important; the upcoming NBA season. This topic on the table surprised me for many reasons, not the least of which was because A) we were smack-dap in the middle of football season, and B) we were right in the middle of football season. Somewhere in the middle of the conversation, Robo uttered a phrase which prompted me to put down my mouse and take notice:
“The Warriors are going to win the NBA championship this season.”
To appreciate the significance of Mr. Goddard’s prognostication, one has to understand how it was formulated. First of all, Robo has been a fan of our local NBA franchise, the Golden State Warriors, for many years, but his enthusiasm increased exponentially after they were purchased in 2010 by a group led by Joseph Lacob, a partner at Silicon Valley venture capital heavyweight Kleiner Perkins. When NBA legend Jerry West joined the Warriors as a consultant in 2011, Robo’s enthusiasm began to morph into passion. And for good reason. Over the next three seasons, the Warriors went from NBA laughingstock to a team that had to be reckoned with. Add the addition of Steve Kerr, who became the team’s Head Coach in 2014, and all the right pieces were in place.
Second, and perhaps most importantly, Robo has done his homework. We all are aware of his dogmatic zealousness toward following every nuance of the Grateful Dead, and Robo has applied that same rabid, fervent interest into the men running up and down the court wearing royal blue and gold. Just this past Saturday morning, as I was searching the Internet to see if I had won the lottery, an email from Robo found its way into my Inbox: “Earlier in the season I said a number of times that I really wanted to see the W’s at full strength. Well last night against a top team on the road (i.e. they had just beaten the Houston Rockets) we saw a full strength W’s. Lee is really getting back into a rhythm and Bogut continues to be, imho, the best passing big man in the league. The extra rest in every game that everyone gets is really starting to pay off and will continue as we get deeper into the season.”
So there you have it. If you get a chance, watch the Golden State Warriors the next time they’re on the tube. They are an extremely fun team to watch. And if you’d like, Robo will include you in his 5:00am post game morning analysis.
Golden State Warriors, NBA Champions. Remember who said it first.