After a rough start to the season that was followed by a period on the sidelines with injury, Al Horford has found the type of form and impact the Golden State Warriors envisioned when they acquired the veteran center in free agency.
Yet despite Horford’s notable influence in Golden State’s recent surge where they’ve won 11 of the past 15 games, the 39-year-old may still face some regret for his decision to depart the Boston Celtics during the offseason.
Al Horford may face some regret over free agency decision
While the Warriors have found their best form of the season and are now five games above .500, they still remain eighth in an incredibly competitive Western Conference. Meanwhile, over in the East, the Celtics have been one of the surprises of the season, sitting second in the conference at 26-15 despite an offseason roster teardown and the absence of superstar forward Jayson Tatum due to injury.
You could make the argument that, despite their respective records, Golden State are just as good if not better than Boston, and that the latter are simply taking advantage of a far weaker conference. Regardless of what you think of the Celtics, there’s no doubt that the East is significantly less challenging on a nightly basis.
Going through the East makes Boston appear like far more of a contender in contrast to what Golden State do in the West right now, particularly when Tatum could still make a sensational return after tearing his achilles in last year’s playoffs.
For a veteran player like Horford who is desperately looking for another championship, the decision to leave the Celtics is looking increasingly regretful despite initially appearing like it would be a gap year for the franchise.
Would Horford have his time back with the benefit of knowing what’s happened through the first-half of the season? Perhaps not enough time has passed to make a fair judgement, especially when things are looking up for a Warrior team who could get even better with a significant mid-season trade.
There’s also a financial aspect to this. The Warriors gave the 5x All-Star a two-year, $11.7 million contract (second year player option), while the Celtics would have only been able to offer a minimum deal as they sought to reset what was a very expensive payroll. That may have played a factor, but winning certainly comes first for a player of his age who has made over $290 million in career earnings.
Horford has averaged 8.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 blocks in the last 15 games, shooting an efficient 47.1% from the floor and 42.6% from 3-point range on over four attempts.
