THE Warriors are a mess. There was a time when they proved to be practically unbeatable at home. Just last season, they went a heady 33 and eight at Chase Center 鈥 with their mastery of familiar confines made all the more evident by their woeful 11-30 slate on the road. Thus far in their 2023-24 campaign, however, they have been mediocre at best in front of their fans. And it isn鈥檛 just that they鈥檝e been playing badly. They鈥檙e actually getting worse. Yesterday, they received a 36-point shellacking at the hands of the Pelicans, who led from the get-go and needed less than five minutes to build a double-digit lead that got bigger with time.
To contend that the Warriors aren鈥檛 supposed to be this miserable would be an understatement. Pegged to be among the legitimate contenders for the hardware prior to the start of the season, they are now more likely to be among those anticipating the bounce of ping-pong balls in the next lottery. Forget about their seemingly solid start; as it turns out, they were simply propped up by the lights-out showing of Stephen Curry. And as the burden of carrying his sad-sack teammates have become heavier, his numbers have drastically fallen. It鈥檚 no coincidence that his on-court swoon has accompanied off-court disappointment; he isn鈥檛 even trying to hide it anymore.
In part, the Warriors have been handicapped by significant drop-offs in the output of vital cogs, particularly Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson. In larger measure, they suffer from self-inflicted wounds. Draymond Green鈥檚 lengthy suspension from anger management issues deprived them of their principal playmaker and defensive anchor. Meanwhile, head coach Steve Kerr鈥檚 cringe-inducing substitution patterns served to alienate otherwise-productive personnel. And, in the midst of the turmoil, Curry鈥檚 love of the game 鈥 the very fuel for his greatness 鈥 has waned considerably.
Not that the Warriors are dead in the water. There鈥檚 still more than half the season to be negotiated, and they鈥檙e a mere one and a half games out of a play-in spot. On the other hand, Kerr鈥檚 somber post-match presser yesterday underscored their fragile state; he noted that they have lost 鈥渟pirit, confidence, and belief.鈥 If they鈥檙e going to turn their fortunes around, Curry will have to lessen his icy stares at the bench and lead by example. Green will need to toe the line and control his temper. The rest would do well to follow suit. Else, they will have wasted what looks to be their last best chance to make a deep playoff run with the core that gave them their four championships.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since 大象传媒 introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
