Why are NBA fans sleeping on the Golden State Warriors?

Derailed by injuries and departures, the Golden State Warriors have crashed to earth. However, despite their dreadful 2020 campaign, the Dubs will be back.

Since the beginning of the 2018-19 season, the NBA has undergone some truly immense changes.

Giannis Antetokounmpo experienced a breakthrough of epic proportions and became the most unstoppable force in the entire league. LeBron James finally seemed to reach a point of decline only to bounce back arguably better than ever during his current stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. Top-25 stars like Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Paul George, Russell Westbrook, Jimmy Butler, Chris Paul, and Kemba Walker all took their talents to what they believed to be greener pastures. We even witnessed the Houston Rockets become borderline unwatcha—nevermind.

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To say the NBA has been turbulent over the past 18 months would be a severe understatement. You would be hard-pressed to find another period in NBA history that echoed a similar level of chaos to that of the current landscape of the league.

All of the previously mentioned seismic shifts in power and player allegiance, however, simply pale in comparison to the most notable—and strangely, the least talked about—change of the past two years: The demise of the dynastic Golden State Warriors.

At the start of their success this past decade, the Warriors became an extraordinarily beloved team. They accrued a tremendous fan base, sold-out arenas across the entire country, and filled the stands hours before games even tipped off due to Stephen Curry’s mesmerizing pre-game warm-up routine.

In 2015—the year the Warriors truly broke out onto the scene—their season culminated with a Stephen Curry MVP and the organization’s first championship since 1975. The following year, as we all remember, saw even greater performances from both Curry and the team as a whole. Steph became the first player ever to win the MVP award in unanimous fashion, and the Dubs broke the regular season wins record with 73 victories and only nine defeats.

Of course, this was also the season that the team mentally broke down in the Finals, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games. Yet, regardless of the humiliating Finals defeat—one in which the Cavs played one of the most magnificent three-game stretches of basketball a team has ever played—the Warriors still managed to hold their “World’s Most Beloved Team” title. In just two years, the Warriors became everybody’s favorite television show.

Even quicker than their rise to prominence, however, was their path to becoming the most vilified organization in the history of professional sports.

After their 2016 Finals loss, the most memorable free agency decision of the past decade came when Kevin Durant—whether you believed it to be cowardly or not—opted to team up with the already dominant Warriors. I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news of Durant’s decision. As a Cleveland native, my reaction was precisely what you would expect it to be:

“Oh, my God.”

The Warriors at their peak

Alright, maybe it wasn’t exactly that. To be completely honest, my reaction was laced with expletives, incoherent rambling, and it may or may not have included a maniacal half-laugh, half-scream into a pillow. How could it have been any less than that? I, similarly to the rest of the NBA, was terrified.

Along with every other non-Warriors fan, I nervously trembled at the idea of Durant, Curry, Klay, and Draymond sharing the court as teammates. The only thing that gave NBA fans any hope of sanctity was what the Miami Heat experienced at the beginning of the 2010-11 season following their acquisitions of LeBron and Chris Bosh. Hoping for a failed chemistry experiment, however, felt wholeheartedly foolish. The Warriors were the most unselfish team many people had ever seen, and they were receiving arguably the greatest scorer who has ever touched a basketball on a golden platter. If this team somehow failed to reach their potential, the basketball Gods rightfully would have struck them down with the power of 500 million Shaquille O’Neal two-handed jams.

Surprising to absolutely no one, the foursome made for some of the most beautiful basketball ever played. It didn’t even matter who the fifth piece of the puzzle was: Andre Iguodala, DeMarcus Cousins on one leg, Lady Gaga, a parakeet—you name it. It wouldn’t have made a difference. I genuinely believe that this Warriors team could have played 4-on-5 and still won a majority of their games.

Shortly after Durant and the Warriors won their first title as a new unit, it was impossible to envision any demise befalling one of the most dominant NBA teams ever assembled. The players were playing incredible basketball and selflessly sharing the spotlight, the organization was selling more tickets and merchandise than McDonald’s sells Happy Meals, and the NBA was making money hand over fist. Everyone was happy.

Well, except for the other 29 teams and the fans of the league, of course.

The Warriors in decline

Not in our wildest dreams could we have imagined a world in which so many high caliber players would grow tired of winning together. Breaking up the Warriors seemed nearly as impossible as breaking up The Beatles. It felt as though Yoko Ono herself would have had to start dating Kevin Durant for the team to part ways.

It was basketball nirvana—who wants to ruin that?!

Yet, here we are. Durant wanted a situation more conducive to his personal brand, players (cough-cough, Draymond) grew weary of the constant media circus surrounding Durant’s impending free agency, and the team mentally and physically broke down after sustaining five consecutive trips to the Finals. In their brief time together, the foursome won two consecutive titles and even had an opportunity to three-peat with Kevin Durant injured on the sidelines. They were that good. Had they stayed together, no one would have been surprised if this core ended up accumulating half a dozen championships, possibly even more.

After being the topic of conversation and the brunt of all “soft” jokes following Durant’s decision to join the team, Golden State had, on paper, become mortal again following KD’s exit. No longer could viewers complain that the NBA season had become pointless or that the Warriors were an unfair team. After three grueling years of outspoken fan frustration, the remaining 29 teams finally received what they had been hoping for—a “fair” NBA.

Surely enough, the Dubs cratered at the hands of multiple causes. Durant’s departure, Klay Thompson’s torn ACL, the trade that sent Andre Iguodala to Memphis, Stephen Curry’s eventual broken hand, and Draymond Green’s significant drop-off in performance have all played a role in Golden State’s regression.

However, now that the Warriors have slipped into the shadows, no one even cares to mention their precipitous downfall. It is almost as if the Dubs have fallen off the face of the earth. After putting the entire league in a five-year chokehold, the Bay Area and Warriors fans across the globe have been as quiet as a church mouse. Three titles in five years is a feat that few teams have accomplished in the history of the NBA. This year, however, their accolades look a touch less impressive.

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One of the worst records in the league? Check.

A mostly young, inexperienced roster? Check.

A dramatic decline in viewership? Check.

In contention for a top-three lottery pick in the draft? Check.

If one thing has proven to be somewhat certain, history tends to repeat itself. When you mix NBA dynasties into this equation, the outcome usually yields similar results. The 70s and 80s Celtics and Lakers, the 90s Bulls, the early 2000s Lakers, and this generation’s San Antonio Spurs all found themselves in the same boat. Each of those dynasties faced an uncomfortable state of rebuild directly following their extraordinary success.

But the Warriors? Well, the Warriors are just different.

Time and time again, Golden State’s executives have proven to comprise one of the smartest, most thorough front offices in the league. After all, they did build one of the greatest teams of all time. Sure, during their current campaign, the Warriors have experienced a significant drop-off in virtually every facet. But let’s not act like the organization hasn’t slyly made moves to elongate their window to contend for a title. Their ‘rebuild’ is more of a year-long vacation than anything else.

By working out a sign and trade with Kevin Durant as opposed to letting the superstar walk freely last July, the Warriors landed D’Angelo Russell from the Brooklyn Nets. At the trade deadline, Russell turned into Andrew Wiggins, who—despite his preposterous contract—is still a strong asset to either incorporate into the roster or use as trade bait come next season. Steve Kerr has also done a terrific job of developing young players like Kevon Looney, Eric Paschall, and Jordan Poole.

Not only has the front office and coaching staff done their part, but the Warriors are more than likely going to lay claim to a top-three pick in the upcoming NBA draft. The current draft pool might be considerably more shallow than previous renditions, but a top-three pick remains extremely valuable nonetheless. With it, the Warriors could potentially land a player like LaMelo Ball or Anthony Edwards, or they could mortgage the pick in exchange for a proven NBA player.

Oh, and they still have Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who—when all is said and done—will be the two greatest shooters of all-time as well as two of the top-100 players in NBA history. Let’s not forget that.

Long story short? The Warriors are far from finished.

As long as Bob Myers and the organization continue their success in the draft and free agency, as long as Steve Kerr is the head coach, as long as Draymond Green can mirror his intensity with his performance, and as long as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson can healthily jog and flick their wrists, sleeping on the Warriors might be the biggest mistake the rest of the league could make.

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