The Golden State Warriors lost some key pieces in the offseason. But even so, they seemed nowhere near the team they were two years prior when they missed the NBA playoffs. As long as they had Stephen Curry on the floor, they’d be ok.
Or so they thought. But regardless of Curry’s greatness and continuous dominance, the Dubs’ second unit had left a lot to be desired to start the season. That was before Steph also fell out with a shoulder injury.
So, now that they don’t have their best player, their young guns have failed to step up, and the rest of the championship core is also struggling, Stephen A. Smith believes this is officially their lowest point.
NBA News: Stephen A. Smith Claims Warriors Are Getting Their Butts Kicked
“Yes, it is [the lowest we’ve seen them],” Smith said. “We all know that Steph Curry is out; we understand that and we expected more from Klay. Consistently, he hasn’t been there even though he’s had more than a few moments this season. We hope he gets it going. Jordan Poole, I like Jordan Poole a lot and I’m glad he got his money but it’s time to earn it my brother.”
“Here’s the reality of the situation: If I’m Joe Lacob, if I’m Bob Myers, I’m disgusted with what I’m seeing,” Smith added.“Yes, they’re the reigning defending champions and they deserve a lot of credit for that. But what we need to recognize is that you don’t just get paid for what you’ve done, you get paid for what you’re projected to do moving forward. And there’s no way that they signed up for this… You got to be better than this.”
“I mean, you’re down 29 points in the first quarter; how does that happen? Do you know how bad you have to be down 29 points in the first quarter? Do you know how bad you have to be down 40 at halftime? I mean, good lord, what a disgrace. I can’t recognize these Warriors right now… Where the hell are the Golden State Warriors? We ain’t talking about a loss now; we’re talking about getting your ass kicked. I mean come on, it’s embarrassing,“ Smith concluded.
Of course, this could be a bit of a stretch, considering they missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons before winning the ring. But then again, they’re not going to make the postseason this time either unless they turn things around soon.
