Despite all this rain, the sky is not, in fact, falling.
The Golden State Warriors are 7-6. And yes, they look old, small, and oh-so average.
And that makes every loss feel like a referendum. Every substitution has become a statement. Every post-game press conferences feel more important than the games.
It’s all very dramatic for November, no?
I get it. You want more and it’s not super obvious with their play that the Warriors do, too.
But it’s a long, long, long season and the Warriors — for all of the think pieces (guilty) and broadcast blocks booked so far this season — are, in fact… fine.
Not great. Not bad. They’re not where they want to be or arguably should be, but they’re nowhere near where they could be (and where it seems some of you have decided they already are.)
Again, they’re fine.
If you turn off the noise and actually look at the ledger, there are three very real, very tangible things going for this team that the doomsayers are ignoring.Let’s start with the most obvious one.
1. They still have Wardell Stephen Curry
You can analyze spreadsheets. You can debate defensive tactics. You can track RAPTOR and VORP and LEBRON until you forget your own name.
And then Steph Curry can decide none of it matters.
We saw it just two nights ago. Victor Wembanyama is a giant, alien being. The Spurs are young and frisky. They, like so many before them, were beating the Dubs.
And then Steph, at 37 years old, decided, “No.”
Forty-six points. Game over.
He remains the “Get Out of Jail Free” card for an entire franchise.
The chatter is always about the “system” or the “window.” Both of those things are just fancy ways of saying “Steph.”
Just get him the ball and get the hell out of the way.
Is it sustainable? Buddy, at a certain point, none of this makes sense. Do what needs to be done.
Somehow, someway, Curry still possesses the nuclear ability to single-handedly rip the heart out of an opponent and win a game the Warriors have no business winning. That one skill hasn’t aged. And it covers for a whole lot of flaws while the rest of the team figures itself out.
If it figures itself out.
2. Small? Try versatile
The other big panic: “They’re too small!”
Yes. Factual. And… so what?
No team is going to be perfect. (Ok, maybe OKC.) One of the Warriors’ flaws is a lack of height, and I doubt that changes anytime soon.
How can they use their diminutive stature to their advantage in the meantime (or full-time)?
How about going fast? Or putting five shooters on the floor? The Dubs should be able to do both this season. And they should have a (small) lineup for every occasion.
Because the breakout of Moses Moody is real. He’s not just a “young guy” anymore; he’s a legitimate, reliable, 3-and-D wing who understands the system. A 10-year vet in a 23-year-old’s body.
And then there’s the guy nobody saw coming.
Who is this Will Richard?
The 56th pick in the most recent NBA draft was supposed to be a G-League player. Instead, he drops 30 in his first start. He’s long, active, and a winner. That makes him an asset to a team that needs as many bodies as possible but prefers them in that format.
He’s a “surprise contribution” in the same way finding a couple hundred bucks in your old jeans is. The Warriors did it again. At some point, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. will receive some credit for building a pretty nice team.
When you’re small but deep, you’re versatile. It’s funny how that word “versatile” is used so often by the knee-jerk economy (emphasis on the latter part) after wins.
Versatile also means volatile.
The good news is that the Warriors can iron out those issues over the course of a seven-month season.
3. The West is a mess
This is the big secret, folks — the one nobody on a national side of this yapping racket wants to admit.
The Western Conference… kind of stinks.
It is, at the very least, top-heavy.
And right now, the Warriors are treading water. That’s all they need to do.
Look at the so-called possible “contenders.”
The Clippers, a vanity project gone horribly wrong, are even older and slower and far worse off than the Dubs.
The Sacramento Kings are back to being loud and dysfunctional. I half expect the Beam to break soon.
The Dallas Mavericks already fired their general manager (to be fair, he deserved it), and are likely pivoting to a full rebuild.
These are the teams that were supposed to be battling Golden State for a playoff spot. They’re not serious.
At least the Warriors, for all their flaws, seem to give a damn about their failures.
The Warriors don’t need to be a 60-win juggernaut (or a 74-win squad, like OKC). They just need to keep their head above water.
I trust their ability to tread water more than the surprising and feisty Suns, the tanking Jazz, or what-exactly-are-you Blazers — this team’s peers in the play-in.
To put it more simply: I seriously doubt the Dubs will be chased down from behind.
Which leaves Golden State in a comfortable punching position. They only need to be better than one team in that top six to earn a real playoff spot. Stay in the hunt and they won’t need a taxing, desperate push until the final week or so.
That energy conservation is far more critical than seeding, at least at the moment.
So, here’s the deal. The Warriors have the ultimate cheat code, a deeper bench than anyone admits, and a conference that’s not as good as we all expected.
In short: Let’s take a breath. The Warriors — despite it all — seem to be right where they need to be.