Golden State Warriors: 3 Pivotal crossroads on the horizon
By Tony Pesta
COVID-19’s lingering threat
There is not much anyone in the NBA can seem to do to avoid the inevitable. The new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, is spreading rapidly — and is expected to cause a massive fifth surge of cases over the next few months.
Roughly 15 percent of active players have entered COVID-19 protocols this week. Jordan Poole is currently the only member of the Dubs’ in the protocol but seven other key players are sidelined for their game in Toronto (which limited fan capacity to 50 percent in light of recent outbreaks).
Derail momentum
NBA executives and players agree on one thing: no one wants to pause the season. Avoiding a full-on shutdown as we saw in 2020 would be the worst-case scenario for the league. Though, it might be needed at some point.
In any event, the possibility for COVID-19 to spread among the Warriors and derail their momentum is looming. At any given point, an outbreak within the organization could lead to their roaring start to the season coming to a grinding halt.
Postponements could benefit the Dubs
Looking on the bright side, the Warriors might need the rest considering they do have multiple players suffering from minor injuries — along with Klay Thompson and James Wiseman nurturing more significant setbacks.
Even just one game being postponed could benefit the Warriors in allowing them to rest up and enter the playoffs fully healthy.