Getty Draymond Green (right) and Steph Curry of the Warriors
In October of 2022 when Draymond Green punched Jordan Poole at practice, the knuckles were quite literally on the jaw.
Then once the games began, it became clear for the Warriors that the writing was on the wall. Basketball writing. The defending NBA champions had no real chance to repeat, with some injuries and unfulfilled promise from the next men up.
After nine fewer wins and a second-round playoff departure, the team that came into the year with grand dynasty beliefs among the people signing the checks was scrambling to put some workable stuff around Steph Curry.
General manager Bob Myers was offered a new contract, but he politely declined. He had no doubt read the aforementioned wall.
Today Golden State is two games under .500, two games out of the last play-in spot in the Western Conference. There are still 56 games to find its way, but with Green suspended indefinitely for whacking Jusuf Nurkic (an opponent, not a teammate… hey, progress), the road isn’t so clear.
BREAKING: Draymond Green will miss 3 weeks for this punch on Nurkic
“I think the whole thing is simply they’re not as good,” a league executive told Heavy Sports, echoing the thoughts of some others in similar offices. “Steph’s still Steph, but Klay (Thompson)’s not as good, Draymond’s not as good. That’s clearly the case with Klay. He’s had it tough with injuries, but he just hasn’t looked like what he was — and they have to be wondering if he’ll ever be able to again. He’s had some good games, but he hasn’t had a good year, and that’s tough.”
Warriors Young Players Stalled Out
And there hasn’t been the support from others on the roster who were expected to develop and keep the Warriors contending for June games.
“They were trying to play the young guys more minutes last year, and it just wasn’t working,” said one league front office veteran. “But that’s how their mindset was from the top, and I mean above Bob Myers and (coach) Steve Kerr. And it cost them.
“After their last championship against Boston, it was all about, ‘We’re going to keep going in this dynasty, but we’re also gonna build for the next one. Because we have the means to do it and we have the guys.’ And they didn’t have the guys. The bottom line is those guys haven’t been as good as they needed to be. I don’t think it’s any more complicated than that.”
Another former Myers peer agreed.
“I think Bob saw what was coming,” he said. “The league’s collective bargaining is changing, and they had such a high payroll, and they had all these guys like Steph and Klay and Draymond, and new contracts … I think that’s the hard part is what you do when they’re not as good as they were, but you want them to hang around. It was inevitable at some point.”
‘Those Guys Love’ Draymond Green
When the subject veered toward Green’s absence, he added, “Those guys love Draymond. I mean, Draymond is dysfunctional. It’s kind of like what you had with Marcus up there in Boston. They’re psycho guys, they play really hard, and they lose their minds every now and then. Draymond lately, that’s just weird. But those guys like Draymond on their team … I mean, they love when he’s on the court and playing like he can.”
“He drives them crazy,” another league source told Heavy Sports. “But the impression I’ve always gotten when I talk to those guys is that they really don’t think they can win without him. He’s so important to how they want to play, how they need to play to win.
“But even with him, it’s hard to picture them competing with Denver in a series. And they’re spending a lot of luxury tax money to just fight for a playoff spot right now. I never count out any team that has Steph Curry and their experience, but experience is only good if guys can still play. Right now, overall, it’s not there. It’s not together.”