Steph Curry Returning This Season for Warriors Makes No Sense
The Golden State Warriors are officially in tank mode this season! Well, they should be, anyway. That's how rough things have gotten on the injury front.
After losing Steph Curry to a hand fracture, the Dubs are suddenly looking like a lottery team. With Klay Thompson already out for what could be the entire season due to an ACL injury suffered during the NBA Finals, the truth is clear: Curry has absolutely no incentive to come back early. In fact, he ought to consider staying on the shelf all season long so his team can fully embrace the tank.
The worst record in the NBA.@MontePooleNBCS has the takeaways from the Warriors' loss in OKC https://t.co/J03Msq6HIk pic.twitter.com/dFJPtgHxLj
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 10, 2019
Adding a top rookie in 2020-21 to a lineup featuring Steph, Klay, D'Angelo Russell, and Draymond Green would be an exciting proposition. Steve Kerr may not like it, but given how teams like the Mavericks and Suns are playing this year after rebuilding through the draft, to say nothing of #TheProcess in Philadelphia, the Warriors have far worse options than punting this whole season and entering the sweepstakes for a big man like James Wiseman or a versatile forward in the Jaden McDaniels or Deni Avdija mold.
Watch the Warriors get the #1 pick in the draft and return in 2020 with healthy and rested Curry, Klay, Draymond, DLo (or whoever they trade him for), #1 pick, and young role players with experience. Lol https://t.co/s9XrTwhbwi
— George Wrighster III (@georgewrighster) November 8, 2019
Of course, this could all be moot, as there's a chance that Curry actually returns this season. If the Dubs are full strength with everyone ready to go other than Klay, they're no longer a bottom-dweller. In fact, they could be in the worst possible situation: sub-.500 Western Conference team that isn't good enough to make the postseason, but isn't bad enough to have the kind of odds that favor a top lottery pick.
The Warriors are refuting a Bleacher Report story that suggested Stephen Curry is unlikely to return this season. "That's complete hogwash," one source said. https://t.co/XxjJDlpI78
— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) November 8, 2019
If you're Bob Meyers and the Golden State front office, why would you allow Curry to come back for anything other than a cameo at the bitter end of the regular season? A healthy Steph isn't exactly helpful to this team's longer-term goals right now, as painful as that is to ponder.
Curry has been to the NBA Finals for the past five years running. He has three rings and two MVP trophies. There's no doubt his body has taken a toll from all of those high-profile games and the intensity of the spotlight; let him sit out until he's more than just ready, draft an up-and-coming ace, and then have the Warriors come back even stronger than ever for a title run next year.