The Warriors remain the calm center of the NBA universe

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Plus, is it time for Kemba Walker to leave Charlotte?

Kevin Durant's decision to sign with the Golden State Warriors struck pandemonium in the hearts of NBA fans who craved competition. A 73-win team adding a former MVP in his prime? The rest of the league might as well hit the reset button. And that's how it went last year. The Warriors cruised through the regular season, cruised through the playoffs, and dispatched the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games in the NBA Finals. While the MVP race provided narrative fodder, the Warriors dominated the season. They were the main story every night, and this offseason, in ways both good and bad, was the summer of Durant.

The Warriors are on pace to maintain last year's steady dominance. Despite an ankle injury to Stephen Curry, they lead the league in net rating at 12.5. Durant is playing in overdrive. They are championship favorites until proven otherwise. Yet, they've hung in the background of this year's major NBA storylines. They are the constant in a year that has been defined by change.

The Process is coming to fruition in Philadelphia, where Ben Simmons is running away with the Rookie of the Year Award. Jimmy Butler has taken the reins in Minnesota. The Lakers and Knicks have emerged from the muck, the former with a promising young core and the latter with a generational talent. Giannis Antetokounmpo is a superstar unlike any other we've witnessed. LeBron James is arguably playing the best basketball of his life, while the Cavs embark on what has become their perennial season-long journey of trying to get their shit together in time for the postseason. The Toronto Raptors, who lead the East in net rating, have kickstarted their offense into the 21st century. The Rockets, who are now 15-1 with Chris Paul in the lineup, look like the single-most threatening roadblock between Golden State and the Finals. Houston's alter-ego, the Thunder, are mired in offensive dysfunction after adding Carmelo Anthony and Paul George to the roster. The Celtics, after losing Gordon Hayward to a gruesome injury in the first game of the season, rattled off 16 straight wins. They're second in the East, with a defense that threatens to dethrone the Cavs, and a potential trade for Anthony Davis still looms.

All of these stories have figured more heavily into the season than the Warriors’ under-the-radar brilliance. But step back and think about the allure behind most of those storylines, and it's clear that the specter of the Warriors still hangs over the NBA.

In the wake of Durant’s addition to the Warriors, teams were left with no easy solution, no immediate reprieve. But with 365 days to game-plan, the rest of the league decided that instead of laying down, they were going to take big swings and embark on a quest to slay Goliath.

In Houston, that has meant everything from adding Chris Paul, who gives them the firepower to hang with the Warriors on offense — especially if he can get Curry in foul trouble — to acquiring versatile, switchable defenders like P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah A Moute. It is only December, yet Mike D'Antoni's shortened rotations are already under fire. James Harden’s and Chris Paul's lingering knee issues have turned into matters of cataclysmic anxiety, not only because injuries are bad, but because the Rockets have emerged as the only viable threat against the Warriors. Nobody wants to see that squandered because of short-term decision making.

In OKC, Sam Presti traded for Carmelo and George in hopes of creating a defensive juggernaut with enough firepower to squeeze by Golden State. In the face of disappointment, there isn't a single party in Oklahoma that isn't facing criticism.

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Clik here to view.Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

In Cleveland, despite going on a 13-game winning streak, questions about Isaiah Thomas' hip, LeBron's workload, the roster's age, and lack of defensive agility reign supreme. Why? Because LeBron and a bunch of shooters, a league-scorching formula, simply won't be enough inside Oracle Arena.

Even Minnesota, which stands at 19-13, is facing a maelstrom of criticism. Tom Thibodeau is over-working his starters. The offense, despite efficient output, often looks disjointed. Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns have yet to make the appropriate defensive strides. On the face of it, the fact that a young team that added three new starters is 19-13 with the fourth seed in the West should be cause for optimism. But the Wolves, ultimately, are disappointing because with Towns at the helm, surrounded by scorers in a sound defensive system, they had the blueprint for a potential Warriors-buster, and on that curve, they're falling short.

The Celtics, amid the fray of average championship contenders, could have hung tight and banked on the development of their young core. But against the Warriors, and the teams that have emerged in their wake, Boston knows that won't suffice, so it’s still looking to take another big swing.

Even the Raptors, who do not have designs on championship contention the way the aforementioned squads do, banked their improvement on a philosophy that's straight out of Golden State's playbook: more ball movement and more threes.

The Warriors may be relegated to the background for now, but they still dominate the psyche of this league. On Monday, they will take on the Cavaliers, to subdued fanfare, thanks to the absence of Curry and Thomas. Make no mistake, however: When you await the prime-time matchup, Houston vs. Oklahoma City, with bated breath, you might not be thinking about the Warriors. But the Rockets and the Thunder will be.

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Clik here to view.Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

A Sideline Story

Kemba Walker should be a God dream. He should remind you of the tops blowing off buildings.

But even before Kyrie Irving distinguished himself as a Finals MVP, he had more acclaim than Kemba. I've never understood this, although Walker isn't the only point guard who might be jealous of Irving's marketability. Still: Walker is an explosive, exciting leading man with a collection of ankle-breaking crossovers and game-winners that should give everyone who watches him the stank face. Yet his fame, it seems, peaked in college.

Seemingly every year, I think, "Hey, maybe this is finally Kemba's moment." And then something happens, whether it's to him, or his team. I checked in with the Hornets a couple of weeks ago, when they were 8-13 with Nicolas Batum in and out of the lineup. I thought, at the time, that the Hornets would need to make a heavy push with a healthy Batum. See, Batum's importance wasn't just tied to his skill alone, but how deficient the Hornets are of playmakers when Walker sits. The absence of Batum, who could hold court with Walker on the bench, hurt the the Hornets more than it would a better-equipped team.

Since then, Batum's left shoulder has continued to keep him out of action, and the Hornets have fallen to 11-20, good for 12th in the East. Kemba, who was playing through a shoulder injury, and now a sprained left wrist, is shooting 36 percent from the field and 27 percent from three this month.

For years now, the Hornets have made or missed the playoffs on Walker’s busted-up shoulders. It might be time to look inward and diagnose the team for what it has: a bleak present, and no future. It might be time for both parties to walk away. It might be time for the Hornets to #FreeKemba. Walker is making just $12 million a year, with one year left on his deal after this season. An at-cheap star with a long rental period and few lingering rumors can attract a big haul. Just ask the Nets— well, really, ask Danny Ainge now.