As the Golden State Warriors try to navigate the end of this “fading dynasty” as head coach Steve Kerr so aptly put it, Kerr must be reminded of the end of the Chicago Bulls dynasty in the 1990s and knows how sad things can get.
Kerr won four rings with the Bulls but was part of the mass exodus after 1998 which was heavily orchestrated by general manager Jerry Krause. He knows what it means for a team to go from winning championships, to trying to grasp at any sort of relevance towards the end.
Warriors' futurre is very uncertain after Stephen Curry
That’s what the Warriors are starting at right now, an uncertain future especially once Stephen Curry decides to retire. Who will be the face of the franchise? Who will lead the team into the future?
It will be very similar to the Bulls after Michael Jordan. There will be a generation of fans loyal to the team because of the championship years and what one star player did while with that team, but eventually the Warriors will go back to being just another team.
They’re already in the process of doing that. They’ve been a Play-In team every year since 2023 and there’s no reason to think that will change this upcoming season. Golden State has made no meaningful additions to the roster, so how will they improve?
It just speaks to how the Warriors are caught in between right now. Looking at it coldly and rationally, it’s probably time to rebuild. The Warriors likely cannot win another title with this core group of players, but no one is prepared to move on from Curry who has stated that he wants to stay with the team.
The team will still sell a ton of tickets because people want to watch Curry play basketball. They’re going to milk that cow for all it’s worth until they can’t any longer. Maybe bring Klay Thompson back next year and they can put together one final reunion tour before the band breaks up for good.
But after all that is when things get scarier. No more nostalgia. No more rings to point back to. Just an average NBA team trying to find its way. That’s what the Bulls have been with a few exceptions this century.
Maybe that’s the basketball gods evening things out a bit after the good fortune the Warriors and their fans have had for the last decade or so. Still, that doesn’t make it any more fun to think about and Kerr has seen it all play out before.
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