Warriors cannot afford to lose Curry
LOS ANGELES – Suddenly, the Warriors are light-years behind the rest of the NBA.
After winning three titles in five years, Golden State’s championship armor has absorbed various dents in recent months. On Wednesday evening, the Warriors suffered a significant crack that could completely destroy that armor.
Stephen Curry broke his left hand after falling to the floor following a hard collision with Aron Baynes in the loss to the Suns at Chase Center. Curry landed hard on his left wrist and Baynes fell on top of him. Curry plans to receive an MRI and CT scan to determine whether he needs surgery. Even the best-case scenario will likely lead to bad dreams.
Instead of holding out hope they can remain a playoff contender in the super-stacked Western Conference, the Warriors might already begin a rebuilding season 41⁄2 months after losing to the Raptors in the NBA Finals.
Since then, the Warriors’ identity has changed drastically. Two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant bolted to Brooklyn as a free agent. The Warriors acquired D’Angelo Russell. They dealt veteran Andre Iguodala to Memphis in a salary dump. Shaun Livingston retired. And Klay Thompson will remain sidelined until at least All-Star weekend in mid-February after tearing the ACL in his right knee in the Game 6 loss to Toronto.
The Warriors did not envision this when they opened Chase Center in San Francisco after spending the previous 47 seasons at Oracle Arena in Oakland.
The Warriors believed they could pivot from mimicking the Bulls’ dynastic run in the 1990s to emulating the Spurs’ long-term success through the past two decades. The reason? The Warriors had two All-Stars (Curry, Draymond Green), a trusted coach (Steve Kerr), a respected general manager (Bob Myers) and a deep-pocketed owner (Joe Lacob).
Instead, the Warriors have labored through a 1-3 start. Without Curry, the Warriors no longer have the person most responsible for their revolutionized offense and team-oriented culture. And unlike past seasons when Curry became hobbled with ankle and groin injuries, the Warriors no longer have the infrastructure to absorb his absences.
This much we do know: The Warriors’ fortunes for a successful season seem as likely as making a 40-foot shot.
Only Curry can do that.