Golden State Warriors — BASKETBALLIN . NET

So long, KD.

The Golden State Warriors dynasty may be over as we have known it, but as a whole, they cannot be pronounced dead until Steph, Klay and Draymond are no longer repping the blue and gold. Just think about all of the times that the Spurs re-tooled around Duncan, Ginobli and Parker.

After Draymond’s extension this summer, the Warriors big 3 remains intact. The dynasty is still alive.

Chances of truly prospering this year are slim due to Klay’s torn ACL and the West’s influx of star-studded contenders. But we are in no way completely ruling out the 2019-20 Warriors.

The best part of KD leaving the Bay is not that the league is now completely up for grabs — although this too is VERY NICE. The best part is that we might get to see one of our favorite players, one of the best basketball players of all time.

2015-16 Unanimous MVP Steph Curry.

The season before Durant signed with Golden State, Steph was otherworldly. He bent the game in ways we never even imagined. The 30-foot 3-point shot off the dribble became not only acceptable, but a great shot, one that Steph could seemingly get at will. Stephortless.

Steve Kerr deserves more credit for unleashing the beast that is Steph Curry as we now know him. And don’t forget that Luke Walton was the interim coach at the beginning of the magical 2015-16 season, overseeing the Warriors insane 30-2 record to begin the season that included the best start to the regular season in NBA history at 15-0.

It’s crazy that Steph’s stats last season at eye level actually aren’t that far off from his historic 2015-16 campaign. With KD on the team, our lens was skewed and the spectacle of Steph weathered for worse because of it.

But KD’s gone and Klay is out for the foreseeable future recovering from his torn ACL in Game 6. The 2015-16 Warriors feasted on strength in numbers. On paper, the team this year does not have anything close to the same type of firepower up and down the roster after the Big 3:

2015-16: Bogut, Iggy, Barnes, Livingston, Barbosa, Ezeli, Speights, Rush, Clark

2019-20: Russell, Looney, McKinnie (waived), Chriss, Burks, Cauley-Stein, Poole, Evans, Spellman, Robinson Jr.

The headliner is All-Star D’Angelo Russell, recouped from KD’s decision to leave for Brooklyn. D-Lo should be a viable fill-in next to Curry during Klay’s absence, but there has been speculation as to whether or not D-Loading is in Golden State’s long-term plans. Do the Warriors need $100 million tied up in just their backcourt which already features two of the absolute greatest shooters in NBA history?

In our basketballin’ minds, the grand key to the Warriors success this season lies in the hands of one Draymond Green. Unlike Steph, there is a very steep drop off in Draymond’s numbers from 2015-16 to 2018-19. He was asked to do much less with KD in the picture, but now he will be asked to do much, much more. Draymond shot 38.8 percent from 3 in the 2015-16 season compared to 28.5 percent a year ago. If defenses have to go back to even somewhat respecting his back-pack 3, then Steph, D-Lo and eventually Klay will have more (needed) space to work with.

Defensively, Golden State will need Draymond to be their savior. We have to reiterate just how thin this roster is. Has a team ever lost as much in one offseason as the Warriors did? KD to the Nets, Iggy to the Grizz, Livingston to retirement and Klay to injury. Gulp.

It’s going to be even more impressive when Steph reaches for his 2015-16 form. From 2016, take us away, Shoals:

He then proceeded to stare them down with that unmistakable gaze of his, where his bright eyes go momentarily blank and his soft features curdle into a death mask. The one that says, "I'm Steph Curry and this is what I do."
Curry's game is practically inconceivable without a sky-high level of confidence and he wears it on his sleeve.
You can't play basketball like Stephen Curry without the firm belief that, when the ball is in your hands, anything is possible. You don't get to "feeling it" like Steph Curry does unless you're also in a perpetual state of feeling yourself.
Stephen Curry is scary as hell. And he has every right to make sure the whole world knows it.

League Pass Notes

Who is the power dunker on this team?! Is it Marquese Chriss?? Well, Cauley-Stein did throw one down on the Celtics on a random Wednesday night back in February 2017.
New arena alert! The Chase Center in SF is finally here.

The Final Questions / The Final Take

2019-20 Steph > 2015-16 Steph ?

When will Klay return? We have a feeling it will be at the perfect time.

Never underestimate the heart of a (3-time) champion. OVER 48.5 wins.