The Golden State Warriors are going full tank mode this season.
The basketball gods have not been generous to the Golden State Warriors recently. An absurd amount of injuries have plagued this team since the 2019 NBA Finals and things are only getting worse.
Let’s start with the Finals. It all began when Kevin Durant fell to the ground with a ruptured Achilles tendon. In the next game, Klay Thompson collapsed with a torn ACL that will hold him for the entirety of the 2019-20 NBA season.
The Dubs felt confident in their ability to recover from these brutal injuries. A core of D’Angelo Russell, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green seemed strong enough to compete in the Western Conference.
Then, the unthinkable happened. In a fluke play, Curry fell to the ground awkwardly as Aaron Baynes landed on Curry’s left hand. It took only a short amount of time for the news to surface that Curry has broken his hand.
Curry is set to miss at least three months following his surgery. To make things worse, Green will now miss a few games with a torn ligament in his hand.
This leaves the Warriors lineup absolutely decimated. It is truly astonishing how fast this team of All-Stars has been reduced to bench players and G-League call ups.
There is virtually no reason for the Dubs to avoid tanking at this point. Their rough start to the season will dig them into a hole that they can’t feasibly get out of. The Warriors are best off aiming for next season.
The NBA Draft will give the franchise a chance to take another step in the rebuild. Golden State might have to accept the days of competing for a championship are gone. Now, the focus is on building for the future.
These recent events only solidify how special the Warriors run was. Not many teams are capable of playing at such a high level for five years and it’s clear how fast things can fall apart. Hopefully, everyone can appreciate what we witnessed from this dynasty.