Sorry, Joe Lacob - no Two Timelines this time around. The Golden State Warriors failed to move up in the NBA Draft Lottery and will hold the 11th pick heading into next month's draft.
The Warriors tried once to draft a young core to set up their post-Steph Curry future while still competing for titles. Owner Joe Lacob labeled it the "Two Timelines" approach. It failed spectacularly.
Two Timelines failed the Warriors
Golden State did manage to win the 2022 championship, but not because James Wiseman or Jonathan Kuminga did much of anything to help them. Both failed to develop into the stars that the Warriors hoped for, and neither is on the team as Stephen Curry continues to play like a superstar.
With another lottery pick in hand, the Warriors had a chance to leap up into the Top 4 and draft a difference-maker to add to the roster. It would have been a much-needed shot of talent into the arm of a listing Warriors ship.
Instead, they failed to move up, staying put at pick No. 11. In a strong draft that is not a disaster, but it's certainly not the future superstar talent that the Warriors hoped to be adding.
Joe Lacob wants to win
Lacob loves to win. That applies purely to the standings, of course; Lacob wants to build teams that win more games than they lose, that make the playoffs, that win series and contend for championships. He doesn't want a laughingstock of a team.
What Lacob also wants to win at is the "game" of team-building. He is playing NBA 2K Franchise Mode and trying to come off smarter than everyone else. He wants to put a contender on the court and then transition smoothly into the next era without a hitch. He wants to win at team-building in every facet possible.
Now he's going to have to abandon his dreams of proving himself a genius and simply support putting the best team possible around Wardell Stephen Curry, the greatest player in franchise history. Steve Kerr is back on a new contract. Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler are still here. Al Horford, too. This is a team built to win now, not down the line.
Win for Steph
The Warriors should lean into that reality and give Steph the best possible team - not try to get cute and straddle the fence. That time is past. If mortgaging the future to maximize the present is possible, they should do that. No one better than Curry is coming around anytime soon. He deserves it.
If Joe Lacob wants to win, he needs to do so now, with Curry and Kerr. Tomorrow will speak for itself. Now his worst demons are out of reach, and he has a chance to choose his better angels.
The Lottery was a loss for the Warriors. But perhaps it will also be a win.
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