The Golden State Warriors, with four key players over the age of 35, were always going to struggle to keep their rotation healthy this season, and, so far, that concern has borne itself out in depressing fashion.
However, following the early portion of the season, in which the Warriors had five back-to-backs, they have now received a lengthy break as a result of their elimination from NBA Cup play, and, over the next few weeks, the spaced-out nature of their schedule will grant them ample time to recuperate and get their stars healthy.
Granted, Golden State has issues that transcend their schedule, and, as the season goes on, they will need to address those in due time. For now, they will get a much-needed opportunity to get back on track.
Warriors will have a much easier schedule over the next month
As lethal as the Warriors have the potential to be come playoff time, everyone knew that they were going to struggle over the course of an 82-game regular season, especially considering the extent to which their stars require load management.
So far this season, Stephen Curry has missed nine games, most recently missing more than two weeks with a quad injury. Jimmy Butler has missed four games. Draymond Green has missed five. Al Horford, who has been rather disappointing even when he has played, has already missed 12 with no definite timeline for his return due to the ongoing sciatic irritation he's experiencing.
They have the second-oldest roster in the league, narrowly trailing the ancient Los Angeles Clippers.
Therefore, the NBA did Golden State no favors with their early-season schedule, and the team has paid the price.
Yet, with five days separating their last matchup against the Chicago Bulls and their game on Friday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Curry looks poised to return, and, beyond that, things are looking up from here.
The Warriors will not play another back-to-back until January 2nd, and they will have multiple multi-day breaks between games through the month of December.
Moreover, over their next nine games (which represent the remainder of their December slate), they will play four teams who are decidedly outside of the playoff picture. Beyond that, they will play the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Phoenix Suns (twice), the Orlando Magic and the Toronto Raptors.
While these certainly do not represent easy games, these teams are also not the cream of the crop in the NBA currently.
Therefore, although the Warriors were handed a brutal lot to start the season, the 13-12 squad now will have some leeway at an absolutely pivotal point in the season.