The Golden State Warriors entered this season as one of the teams to watch in the NBA. They were coming off missing the playoffs last year after five straight trips to the NBA Finals, and people wondered whether the end of the dynasty was upon us.
And, while we can't say that the Warriors are no longer contenders - especially with Klay Thompson sidelined for the year with a major injury - it's pretty clear that they're far from the team they've been since Steve Kerr started calling the shots.
Stephen Curry continues to play on a superlative level but the rest of his teammates have yet to catch up, and the frustration is starting to show on the two-time MVP because of how much they struggle to compete vs. contenders.
Stephen Curry Calls Out Warriors' Bench During Blowout Loss
That frustration was in full display last night as the Los Angeles Clippers were beating the Dubs by 23 points in the third quarter. Curry took it to the bench and let his teammates know that they need to be better than that if they want to compete.
Curry isn't the kind of player who's constantly taking shots or calling his teammates out but he knows that he needs to be the leader of this young team if they want to make a run at the playoffs this season.
The Golden State Warriors must make some moves before the trade deadline if they want to compete. The team needs another go-to-guy next to Curry and it's clear that Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre Jr are not those players.
Still, it's early to hit the alarm button in the Bay. Yes, Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green aren't getting any younger but this core still has a couple of years left to compete at the highest level.
