To shut down Steph Curry would be a distinct white flag being waved from San Francisco, California, yet perhaps that is what’s best. Following their March 18th loss to the Boston Celtics, the Golden State Warriors have a disappointing 33-36 record and cling to a play-in spot in the Western Conference. This season has gone just about as poorly as possible for Coach Steve Kerr’s squad. Curry remains out with a nagging knee injury, Jimmy Butler tore his ACL in January, and midseason acquisition Kristaps Porzingis continues to battle a mysterious illness that limits his usage immensely.
With 14 games remaining in the regular season, reality has to set in at some point for the 2022 champs. This is not a team currently constructed to make any semblance of a playoff push this year, and there is no reason to put Curry’s health at risk any further.
The Team is Flat Out Not Good Enough
It is abundantly clear that without the services of the greatest shooter of all time, along with Butler and usually Porzingis, this is a borderline lottery team. That is why it begs the question of what the point would even be of bringing Curry back at this juncture in the year? He is one of the most incredible players to ever grace the hardwood and has completely altered the way the game is played forever, but even he could not carry this roster to its ultimate goal of winning another championship.
In all fairness to the players who have been thrust into larger roles than expected, they have shown a commendable amount of heart and pride in these games without Curry and Butler. These guys have never just decided to mail it in and take a game off because they are shorthanded and expected to lose. Role players like Moses Moody, De’Anthony Melton, and Gui Santos have impressed and played above expectations on various occasions this year. This leads fans to wonder how different the situation would be had Curry, Butler, and Porzingis all been fully healthy for this last stretch of games and into the postseason.
Shut Down Steph Curry And Pray For Next Season
Whether the Warriors or their fans want to admit it, this season is over; it’s just a matter of when they play their final game. At the very most, they win a play-in game or two and then are swiftly eliminated in the first round by a younger, superior team. So what could next year have in store for Curry and company?
The idea of having an extremely veteran core of Steph, Butler, Porzingis, and Draymond Green is certainly intriguing; however, that group may never spend a minute on the court together. The Marquette product almost certainly will not be ready for game action until at least January 2027, and even that may be too soon. The often ill Latvian big man is a free agent at the conclusion of this season, and it remains to be seen what kind of contract he’ll command or if the Warriors are even interested in keeping him around.
If all three are still a part of the team, the best-case scenario would be Curry, Draymond, Porzingis, and friends keep them afloat until Butler can return. Once that happens, they would need to avoid the injury bug like the plague and depend on all four of them to be healthy for the second half and throughout the postseason. Admittedly, this seems like an unlikely outcome, but if health could be on their side for a full year, that would be a team nobody would want to see come playoff time.
In reality, the sad truth is that the all-time leader in made three pointers has most likely won his last NBA championship. That doesn’t mean that the Warriors franchise does not absolutely owe it to him to do everything in their power to give him a fighting chance. They allegedly made a run at Giannis Antetokounmpo leading up to this past trade deadline, but clearly it was not enough to get the Bucks to pull the trigger. Golden State must resume these talks during the offseason and do whatever it takes to acquire the future Hall of Famer. Any draft pick and player not named Wardell Stephen Curry has to be made available if the Warriors expect to obtain Giannis or any other player who could be a serious difference maker.
The NBA is at an incredibly competitive point in its history. There are numerous young, extremely talented teams led by MVPs present, past, and future in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, and Victor Wembanyama. While all of them are sensational players, even at 38 years old, a healthy Curry with a legitimate supporting cast would strike fear into all of their hearts, along with the rest of the league. He’s made a career out of proving people wrong. It wouldn’t be a surprise to his fans if the all-time great had one last championship run left in him before all is said and done.
