The Golden State Warriors Era is Officially Over
When you think of the most dominant NBA player of the last 20 years, your mind will automatically drift to Lebron James. As it should, of course. But the most dominant team of last decade has never been the one he’s on. It’s the Golden State Warriors.
The 2023/24 NBA Season has shown a much different side of the Warriors. Less dominant, more vulnerable, and no longer on the same page. It’s looking more and more like the dominant era of the Warriors is over and that the team needs to start planning for a different future.
The Golden Age of the Golden State Warriors
This venerable franchise started out as the Philadelphia Warriors in 1946. The team remained there until 1962 when they headed out to California and made a new home in the Bay Area. They were the San Francisco Warriors from 1962 until 1971 when they became the Golden State Warriors, a name they still operate under today.
Like most teams, the Warriors have had their ups and downs. Overall, it should be considered a successful franchise. This is a team with 12 division titles, seven conference titles, and seven championships. That’s not a bad record when you look at it.
On top of that, a veritable litany of legends have played for the team. That includes the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, Chris Mullin, and Kevin Durant. The modern incarnation of the team includes several future Hall of Famers, such as Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Stephen Curry.
The team’s modern success is thanks to that incredible roster being coached by Steve Kerr who won a total of five titles as a player with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs. This era of Warriors dominance has produced six conference titles and four NBA Championships.
A Fall From Grace
Not everything has been perfect over the last ten years. The Warriors lost the championship to the Toronto Raptors in 2019 which was followed by Kevin Durant’s departure. The team missed the playoffs for the next two seasons until a few smart trades helped them find a new rhythm.
Golden State picked up its most recent championship in 2022, which surprised many critics who didn’t think they still had it in them. The Warriors made the playoffs in 2022/23 but missed the finals. Now in 2023/24, they barely made the Play-In Tournament and were ejected from the playoffs by the Sacramento Kings.
While they have been down before, the current incarnation of Golden State has found a way back to the Finals. This time, it seems unlikely. Steph still looks amazing, of course. But Klay is playing terribly and Draymond is more concerned about getting in fights than winning games.
There’s also the question of Coach Kerr. Thompson played 32 minutes in the recent Play-In loss to the Kings, the third most on the team in that game. He sunk zero shots and got zero points. Why Kerr left Klay in so long when he was sucking wind is confusing to say the least.
Time for a Rebuild
Simply put, the dominant era of the current Golden State Warriors is over. The team is in need of a rebuild, and it’s hard to imagine that Steve Kerr is the man to do it. He still relies too heavily on the big three, Draymond, Klay, and Steph. The first step may be a new captain to steer the ship.
After that, Klay and Draymond both definitely need to go. Klay still has good years on the court but he needs to move to another team to find his own revitalization. Draymond might need more anger management. Shockingly, kicking people in the crotch costs more games than it wins.
Steph is playing like a man on a mission and should stay. Other current roster members like Wiggins, Kuminga, and Podziemski should play key roles in the Warrior’s future. What they really need is a versatile big man, like Adebayo, Sabonis, Jokić, or Towns. If they could trade for Jarrett Allen from the Cleveland Cavaliers, that would be huge for them.
No team can stay dominant forever. The decline of the Warriors was inevitable. But the pieces are there to find success in the not-too-distant future if they accept the need for change and make the big moves now, before the franchise is too far gone.
