The revenge tour starts now for the Golden State Warriors as the wait is officially over and it’s time to see what this team is made of.
The climb back to the top of the mountain is going to be a long and treacherous one for the Golden State Warriors. It has been nearly two years since the league last looked at the Warriors as a threat to win the title – and few dynasties have ever managed to breathe a second life into their reign as champions.
The Warriors took a hit that they may never recover from when Kevin Durant signed elsewhere. It feels increasingly unlikely they regain a talent similar to Durant – and the ongoing injuries to Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will only make it tougher for Stephen Curry to carry them to another title.
Only the greats have managed to weather the storm of injuries and key offseason losses to reclaim the throne. The Los Angeles Lakers recovered from the loss of Shaquille O’Neal and retooled around Kobe Bryant to become back-to-back champions at the end of the 2000s, while the San Antonio Spurs enjoyed the likes of David Robinson, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard alongside Tim Duncan for their entire run.
Avoiding a Rebuild
Typically, when a championship-caliber team falls to the pits of the NBA Draft Lottery, they are destined to dwell at the bottom of league standings for quite some time. It’s the price of competing at such a high level for so long – eventually, everyone has to rebuild.
While the Dubs front office has kept the future of the franchise in mind with acquisitions such as Andrew Wiggins, Kelly Oubre Jr. and James Wiseman – the Warriors are far from accepting a total rebuild. And, with a star like Curry on the roster, why would they?
The window might be smaller than ever before, but it certainly isn’t closed. Though the rest of the league seems to have forgotten what Curry is capable of, the Warriors are more than comfortable testing their luck with a two-time MVP leading the charge.
Moment of Truth has Arrived
However, all the speculation as to whether or not the Warriors will be a title contender is going to play out right before our eyes this season. We have analyzed the likelihood of another Dubs’ banner for months – and now we will finally see what they are made of.
For players like Curry and Green, there is nothing left to be proved. Of course, this doesn’t mean they can’t further establish themselves as all-time greats – but even a completely failed season shouldn’t hurt their already existing resumes.
As for the rest of the roster, this is their moment of truth. Aside from the rookie big-man, the Warriors rotation is filled with guys who have a chip on their shoulder. Wiggins has yet to live up to his lofty expectations as the former No. 1 pick and Oubre is tasked with building on the best year of his career.
Meanwhile, role players like Kevon Looney, Brad Wanamaker and Kent Bazemore need to show they can still contribute. Not to mention younger guys like Jordan Poole, Eric Paschall, Mychal Mulder, Alen Smailagic and Damion Lee who are performing with their career’s on the line. These X-Factor players will have to capitalize on the opportunities in front of them in order for the Warriors to reach the playoffs.
The season opener versus Brooklyn is sure to be plagued with sloppy play as neither team has had much time to prepare for the journey ahead. Still, this game marks the first of many trials the Warriors will have to go through as they traverse through their revenge tour. It all starts now for Golden State.