The Warriors were hoping to snap out of their long slump Tuesday night against another team in turmoil, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Instead they lost by 16 points at home to a Miami squad playing without the suspended Jimmy Butler and are left with questions about how to stop a downturn that began before Thanksgiving.
“When shots are falling, everything’s nice, everything’s great,” Trayce Jackson-Davis said. “We can’t be front-runners; we got to dig in, we got to find our soul. That’s what Draymond (Green) kind of said. It was our soul that we’ve lost. We’ve lost our spirit, and we got to get that back and we got to play tough basketball. We got to play with confidence, stick shots and play hard on the defensive end of the floor, and I think if we do that, we’ll find our way back.”
The Warriors were doing those things early in the season when they got off to a 12-3 start and looked like one of the best teams in the Western Conference. They’re just 6-15 since then amid injuries, rotation changes and a mid-December trade for Dennis Schröder that failed to spark a turnaround.
At 18-18, Golden State is barely holding on to the final play-in spot and is about to head to Detroit, Indiana, Toronto and Minnesota on a tough four-game road trip. Coach Steve Kerr said the team is facing a “crisis of confidence” and needs to play with more energy than it did on Tuesday.
“We feel deflated right now,” he said. “And there’s no room for feeling sorry for ourselves in the NBA, in life in general. We can’t let disappointment dictate our approach to the game. We have to do the opposite. We have to bring more fire. We have to out-compete our opponents when things aren’t going our way. And that was what was most disappointing tonight, was I just felt like everybody was down and we didn’t have a competitive spirit. And if you don’t have that, you’ve got nothing.”
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Kerr mentioned “personnel” as a reason why his team doesn’t get many easy baskets or shoot a lot of free throws, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. However, he declined to answer questions about whether there’s any urgency to shake up the roster before the trade deadline. “Those are questions for (general manager) Mike (Dunleavy),” Kerr told reporters. “I love our guys. I love coaching these guys. I believe in them. I’m going to keep doing that. Those are front office questions.” Kerr said over the weekend that he prefers to see the current roster stay together for at least a month or so.
- The Warriors need to make a trade “in the worst way” and it may take three of them to fix the roster, contends Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. He adds that Kerr has already tried numerous lineup combinations, but the team doesn’t show the same fire it has become known for throughout his tenure on the bench and the organization is in danger of losing the culture it has created.
- Golden State might be shorthanded as the road trip begins Thursday in Detroit, notes Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. Stephen Curry is listed as questionable for the first game of a back-to-back due to left knee inflammation. Also considered questionable are Green (left ankle sprain), Schröder (left hip contusion) and Moses Moody (left knee soreness).
Why is Kerr lifetime coach? On every other team they fire the coach in this scenario. Kerr just gets excuses made for him. GSW needs new energy at the top, its plain as day to anyone. Kerr isnt very good at any aspect of his job and was always carried by Steph/Dray/Klay/KD. He just got run rings around him by Doug Christie. Kerr is washed up and GSW will improve once that move is made.
Hahahahahahahahahaha.
“On every other team they fire the coach in this scenario”
One week ago you posted this on the Mike Brown story:
“Kings FO is the most perpetually clueless one in the league”
So which is it Davey? I’d pull your receipts from the offseason too if they weren’t damn near satire.
Having receipts on hoops rumors comments is insane work
Nah, they need to trade Kuminga for a slightly older, just as good, underpaid hustler. Kerr is a top coach in history, he’s not the problem, a few players are.
@kirkydu what would Kerr have to do to get fired, in your opinion?
You understand he has never coached a team before this one, right? Riding Curry’s prime is something anyone could have done.
Oh *please*. That’s easily the wildest comment you’ve ever made, Davey. You think some shmuck could have walked in off the street and done nothing while Curry walks to multiple MVPs and four rings? That’s unquestionably the worst take I’ve seen on here, and it’s not close.
Like Luke Walton?
@Eon Luke Walton had this team cooking better than Kerr ever did. You’re just arguing for thumbs up from my haters. I am right, your opinion is utterly wrong. If it was true, GSW would have been a top 4 team the last 3 years and currently. Get off Kerr’s dick.
Or Bogut, Barnes, Livingstone, West, Iggy, Lee with Steph, Draymond and Klay. Another article about a mediocre team, sigh. Remember when people were saying Sacramento are better than Golden State?
reason they keep running articles on warriors and Lakers is because they have some of the most fans. You can see articles about better teams like OKC or teams like kings but they don’t have the fan support. Look at some of their articles no post.
You don’t say, even when both stink it’s all about them. Thanks, absolutely ground breaking.
Sounds like you don’t like the truth. Be on the west coast and forced to watch Yanks and Red Sox games all the time. Sports is about viewership. Neither team should be getting more press than the better teams in the west
You sounds nuts. Your comprehension on how others think is way off. I’m fully aware of what ratings and market size do for a ball club. Are in agreement both are going nowhere fast though.
Lmao. Please keep Davey and the chromy crew off the Kings stories
The Warriors need shooters, they only have 3 guys that can consistently shoot and those are Steph, Hield and Wiggins. No one else is consistent enough from 3 to warrant any major attention, huge drop compared to their 2022 title run where they had like 6 guys that were shooting threats.
Its not shooting, its scoring. They are the worst team in modern NBA history at layups and free throws right now. If they hit all their layups, they’d be top 4 right now. How do you miss a freaking layup?
@davey j
“How do you miss a freaking layup?” You obviously have never played basketball have you?! It happens.
ONE thing you’re correct about, their overall free throw percentage is not good. Especially when their F/T opportunities are so few.
@SharksFan91 “You obviously have never played basketball have you?! It happens.” what a stupid thing to say. Of course I have played, what does my playing have to do with NBA players missing an absurd amount of layups? Its called “a layup” for a reason…smh “It happens” yeah man 15% on layups “just happens”, ever tried thinking for once? 0/10 ragebait.
The Warriors are a team at the end of their run. There is no magic trade that will change that. Curry and Draymond make to much to bring in the high priced star to save the day. They won’t do a full rebuild to maybe get a high draft pick. They are stuck in the middle which happens to all dynasty’s. It’s been a good run. But the days of being a championship contender are over. We just need to appreciate Steph while he’s still here and that’s it.
Marcus Thompson doesn’t understand they can’t do a bunch of trades as he mentioned. There is very little assets they have to make trades. Kuminga is their #1 asset and he is their future all star. The other young players have very little value to bring back anything. You can’t trade draft picks because they are needed for the future. Might be best to trade for picks and restart for next year.
You said this in 2020 and 2021.
It’s not their soul or spirit they lost, it’s their talent. Forget trying to cover this mess up with existential mumbo jumbo and look in the mirror and just admit that the talent level isn’t there to be any more than a fringe level playoff team and that time has passed you by. The Lakers and the Heat need to do the same. And all the media attention in the world isn’t gonna change it. And don’t even bother trying to blame the coaches because they ain’t on the dang floor with the ball in their hands. Every team in every sport goes through it eventually….except maybe a team like the Dodgers…they seem rich enough to buy their way out continuously and don’t face a real salary cap to hamper them.
Nah, its Kerr. Playing Looney Dray Kuminga Moody and Steph as the top 5 most MPG has them top 6 right now.
Nah, it’s fans like you who think they know all the answers.
You want a mute? You are here strictly to argue with me – thats a TOS violation. Be better.
Never knew it was a TOS violation to argue with Davey J lmao
Grow up. Here’s the problem. You take issue with anyone that disagrees with you or points out some of your foolish takes or hypocrisy. When in fact, you and I agree on a few things.
Just because you type something over and over and over doesn’t make it true! We get it, you don’t like Kerr, Wiggins, and Podz for a start. You love Moody, Kuminga, LeBron, Bronny, Vucevic, to name a few. No need to repeat those opinions hundreds of times. You also seem to believe you know hoops better than some much more qualified for their jobs than you. You’re also not as smart or right as you think you are. Get use to it. It’s a fact of life. I know I’ve been wrong many times in life and will continue to do so. Hopefully not repeating those mistakes.
Perhaps you should cut down on your playing NBA 2K time and come out of your parents basement into the sunshine and real life? Just a suggestion.
This team is old with who gets minutes…
Curry can still catch lightening in a bottle, but Draymond is laying too many eggs… At least get some rebounds… And Buddy is Buddy…
The young pups are still pups, but they are promising… A tank season or 2 and this team has a solid foundation…
Their last tank season set them back a bit because they drafted James Wiseman, a bust. Imagine if they had picked Lamelo Ball?
You can’t just tank one season and have an expectation of a foundational player…
That was the whole point of the process… Multiple chances at finding players that could be that All star foundational peice…
They also could have traded the Wiseman pick, Kuminga pick, Moody pick for established players, which was discussed before going in to the Wiseman draft year.
Pistons, Pacers, Raptors, Wolves
Not a cake walk but don’t see how that qualifies as a “tough” road trip
Those flights do sound tough!
For this current Warriors team, it’s definitely a tough road trip
Ever since they got Schroder, they started losing, but I was somehow wrong about that lol
Yes, the Warriors are bad because of Schroder.
Makes perfect sense.
Sacramento are a lot better
Christie is a lot better than Kerr. So is Kenny Atkinson. So is every HC in the NBA.
Firing Kerr is the best thing that could happen.
Atkins might be the reason kerr was winning so much.
Arc – you see it.
Kerr is not as good a coach as people think. Nurse clearly out coached him in the finals.
Every coach in the NBA runs rings around him. Christie is an assistant coach and he cooked him. Luke Walton had this team cooking harder than Kerr ever has.
Vucevic is a good fit for Warriors. Probably can get him and still keep their core. Plus whatever they can pickup after players get bought out. Clock is running on Dra and Curry. Has to be a trade coming.
Exactly right, Al.
Fire Kerr, trade picks and Podz for Vucevic = GSW is back.
Why do we all know how well Curry does pnr with bigs, then give him no bigs to roll with?
This skid marks a dark stain on Golden state’ reputation. Stinks for the players, stinks even worse for the fans.
Blame a decade of winning its was going to come to a end sometime. The league got younger while GSW got older. You can see the shift in the NBA many good young clubs coming up. Also factor in Bob Meyers was terrible at drafting.
Yeah it’s a stain because the rest was clean. That’s my point. Skid marks.
@ Davey…Podz for Vucevic not even possible.
Time to blow it up. Just a very average team
time to trade Green while he still has value. trade him to a team that needs defense and up and coming to teach defense to that team Atlanta could be a good fit.
Regarding Kerr, 2 things can be true:
1. He was a great fit for the loaded teams he inherited in 2015. His innovative offense maximized a young Steph, Klay, Draymond and KD. Four ‘Chips and a sure HoF’er.
2. He’s no longer a great fit.
– This is the 3rd straight disappointing season. Davey is right: that’s the standard for firing a coach.
– He hasn’t adapted to the aging of his stars, and the absence of personnel able to run his offense.
– He refuses to accept the cost of playing so small.
– His weakness in developing young players is, after 10 years, undeniable.
– As a “lame duck” (he’s retiring in 1.5 years) means he’s not aligned with the mid- and long-term goals of the organization. (Consider how he’s treated Moody and Kuminga this year, after Moody was signed for $13M/$39M and Kuminga offered a $30M/$150M.)
Acquiring Vucevic is not the answer. Neither is Butler. Poeltl or B. Lopez (if he were available & $$ were to fit) would be a sound acquisition. Although highly unlikely for various reasons like $$.
Firing Kerr and/or trading Wiggins would be big mistakes. Trading Podz, Moody, and possibly Kuminga among others might be short term solutions. Problem is there’s no perfect answer.
Rolling with the team as is, by playing TJD , Looney, Anderson, & Hield more consistent minutes might help? GP2 and Looney do provide D and rebounding off the bench. Cut the minutes of Podz and Waters would also be good start.
While I’m in the minority, I do believe a solid rotation of 10-11 generally fresh players will work in the NBA provided the players all buy in to that strategy.
Add Portis and Porter Jr as possible good short term solutions.