It has been a tough year for the Golden State Warriors. They lost Kevin Durant in the Finals and then lost in him in free agency. Klay Thompson suffered a torn ACL in the NBA Finals and by the look of it, might cost him the entire 2019-2020 season.
However, there was some light at the end of the tunnel for the Warriors. For one, they were able to land an all-star in return for Kevin Durant when they could have lost him for nothing. The second thing keeping this team's spirits up was the hope of adding Thompson back to the lineup after all-star break. The idea was that the Warriors with Steph Curry, Draymond Green and D'Angelo Russell would be enough to hold down a low playoff seed until Thompson recovered.
The Warriors season then took another turn for the worst when Curry went down with a hand injury only 4 games in. The trajectory of the season was up in the air with the team's two biggest stars out for extended periods of time.
With the writing on the wall, having a 12-40 record at the trade deadline the Warriors moved D'Lo for Andrew Wiggins. It is a sign of the Warriors waiving the white flag. As of right now the Warriors are still without Thompson and Curry and own the league's worst record of 12-46. Currently, it is a tank fest at the Chase Center. But there is still an upside to this down season.
This Warriors season is very reminiscent of the 1996-97 Spurs. In the early to mid-90s the Spurs were coming off seven straight postseason appearances. However, those early David Robinson Spurs' never had much postseason success outside of one trip to the conference finals in 1995.
In 1996-97 the Spurs had an injury-riddled season. The biggest loss for them was franchise cornerstone Robinson, who only played 6 games. That offseason the Spurs won the NBA draft lottery and landed Wake Forest phenom Tim Duncan. The rest, as they say, is history. The Spurs went on to win 5 championships and have not missed the playoffs since that 1996-97 season.
If history were to repeat itself the Warriors could end up being the next Spurs of the NBA. The team is coming off 5 straight trips to the finals including 3 championships. Curry and Thompson both have the type of game that, even with the injuries, will result in longevity in the league.
The trio of Curry, Thompson and Green, along with Steve Kerr at the helm, is still enough to compete for a title for years to come. By adding a young athletic 24-year-old wing in Wiggins and possibly number 1 pick, suddenly they become a team that can reign havoc on the NBA for another 10 years.
It is only a matter of time before the Beast in the Bay rules again.
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