Warriors On A Great Loss, Losing A Prolific Star To Death Causing Instability To Team Strength…

Sure, we’re only a quarter or so into the NBA season.

However, as of this writing, the Golden State Warriors are a disaster; they are three games below.500 and ranked 11th in the West.

Perhaps it’s too soon to call them gone, but in light of Draymond Green’s recent actions, now is as good a time as any to inquire: Is the Dubs dynasty over?

While not every employee at For The Win agreed, we still made the decision to write down our ideas. Here are a few of our opinions as we debate whether or not it’s time to write the Warriors off:

Since the Warriors dynasty is nearing its end rather than its beginning, it is technically dying. Even though it seems like this year will be the total collapse from the looks of it, I still think they have a chance to make the playoffs.

The reason is because we saw this from the Warriors last year. Today, they’re only two games worse than they were through 23 games in 2022. And they actually went backwards from there, falling to 15-18 before Christmas. They were under .500 as late as Feb. 23 and still finished as the No. 5 seed. There’s still time for this year’s team to make a similar turnaround, and because the Western Conference is as wide open as ever, I’m not ready to count out Golden State with Stephen Curry still playing as good as ever. Yes, other players need to step up, but ultimately they just need to close games better. They’re almost always in every game, which is why they have a positive point differential despite a losing record.

Let me be unequivocally clear: the dynasty that was the Golden State Warriors exists no more — at least as we knew it.

In the last ten seasons, the Warriors have won four championships, including three in four years, but since then, the engine that makes them go has sputtered. Teams no longer fear the big three of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. While Curry can still shoot the lights out of the gym, Thompson has struggled to stay healthy and Green, while still effective, can’t seem to get out of his own way.

Furthermore, it appears that the Warriors have achieved some recent success despite Steve Kerr, whose coaching choices have not kept up with the level of competition the NBA offers. That isn’t precisely a formula for achievement. While the dynasty was entertaining, fans should be aware that its appearance will change in the future.

In the gauntlet of the Western Conference, there is one team that will inevitably miss the play-in tournament and the Warriors are in serious danger of that fate. Their vibes are starting to give post-empire in nearly every way but at the same time, they also still have Stephen Curry playing phenomenal basketball.

We should all know by now how dangerous it is to bet against Curry, who is still one of the top players in the world no matter how you want to measure it. Do I have concerns about Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green? It would be foolish to ignore the red flags. But with promising signs of life from the young duo of Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski and some room to shake things up if their revamped front office wants to make a trade before the deadline, it’s still way too early to wave the white flag on Golden State. I’m not calling it over for these guys until Curry does and while he seems frustrated, don’t count out their ability to come back to life and surprise us all.

I think this is it. Even if the Dubs make it to the postseason, I don’t think they can make it that far.

Even though Steph Curry is still performing extraordinary feats, it seems possible that putting the team’s future 36-year-old leader on his shoulders will have consequences. After recovering from two devastating injuries, Klay Thompson hasn’t looked the same, and there seems to be tension surrounding any kind of extension. I’m not entirely sure what Andrew Wiggins’ situation is. Even at his advanced age, Chris Paul tries to blend in.

And what about Draymond Green’s actions and suspension? The longer he’s gone, the worse it will hurt.

The good news is that there have been glimpses from young players like Jonathan Kuminga, Moody, and Podziemski.

The bad news is that, despite the ship’s amazing endurance, I simply don’t think it will be enough to save it from sinking.