Golden State Warriors: Be upset with the method just as much as the result

There may not have been huge expectations, but it was an opportunity. It was a chance to compete against NBA stars, to prove yourself in the Golden State Warriors system, and to continue some momentum from back-to-back wins. Instead, a team missing their ‘core four’ played a pickup game that masqueraded as an NBA one.

Are we surprised? Not really. However, that still doesn’t take away from the disappointment as the Warriors put on a horror show against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday. If this was Joe Lacob’s dream as a two-timeline plan, then it’s quickly going pear-shaped.

The Golden State Warriors, missing Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green, provided no resistance in a 45-point loss.

Golden State fell behind by 20 early in the contest, and from there, it was only about what the final margin would be. There were some minor positives sure, but there has to be in a 48-minute game played almost exclusively by youngsters.

Jordan Poole did what he could with 26 points in the same amount of gametime, and Jonathan Kuminga had some moments defensively on Zion Williamson. But perhaps the biggest issue was a complete lack of purpose — what were the Warriors actually trying to get out of the game?

Steve Kerr said it was to simply get reps and experience into the young players, yet surely there has to be some kind of direction. Asking them to simply play is not fulfilling the opportunity of development. Kuminga put up 12 three-point attempts, a fact that really signifies the unserious nature of the game.

A six-man group of Ty Jerome, Ryan Rollins, Kuminga, Moses Moody, Anthony Lamb and Patrick Baldwin Jr. put up 20 shots in the fourth-quarter — 15 of them came from deep. This wasn’t drive-and-kick style basketball, but more so just taking turns shooting each time down the floor. What was the point?

Meanwhile, at Maverik Center in Utah, James Wiseman was the only Warriors player to record a negative plus-minus, and recorded a team-high five turnovers, in Santa Cruz’s 16-point win over the Salt Lake City Stars. The big man did have 15 points and 11 rebounds, but you could have been mistaken for thinking Trevion Williams was the former number two overall pick that people were there to see.

If you’re going to have such an audacious plan of building the present and the future, then wholeheartedly commit to it. Have the young talent play Warriors style basketball, even if the result is still the same. The franchise got nothing out of Monday’s debacle, and players, coaches and management are all equally to blame.