Have the Warriors wasted another season for Stephen Curry?

Yahoo Sports senior NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor is joined by NBA contributor Tom Haberstroh to discuss Golden State’s position entering the final 20 games of the season and why the team is too good to tank and too bad to contend. Check out the full conversation on “The Kevin O’Connor Show” and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.

Video Transcript

Meanwhile, the Warriors, another wasted season, 31 and 28 this year.

Their offense has sputtered, 114.5 net rating.

Their defense has been good, 112.5 net rating, but they’re on track to be in the play-in for the third straight year.

Stephen Curry out right now, but still having a tremendous season.

It’s just hilarious, Tom, that Kuminga showing out with the opportunity he has so badly wanted, and then the Warriors are, like, too good to tank.

They’re, they’re still winning games without Steph, but they’re not good enough to actually be anything worthwhile in the playoffs in the Western Conference.

It’s just- I just, I, I think it would be one of the funniest possible things if Kuminga averages, like, 25, 5, and 5 the remainder of the season while the Warriors just lose in the play-in.

I can I, I, no offense to Warriors fans, but I, that would be hilarious if that happens.

What are they gonna do with Kuminga?

I mean, Joe Lacob would sell if that’s the case.

If he, if he sees Kuminga go off and the, and the Warriors losing the play-in, I think he just might be like, “I’m done.”

“I told you, I told you.

I told you.

I’m out of here!”

It’s It, it would be a crazy development.

I just think it also underscores how important Jimmy Butler was to that team, and just, like, the, the ACL tear derailed everything.

And yes, I think they should have tried a little bit more to build around Steph and Draymond in this twilight of Steph Curry’s career, except he’s playing like prime Steph Curry.

And so I don’t think they, I don’t think they projected this.

I don’t think they projected at all that Stephen Curry was gonna be this good this late in his career.

And the Jimmy Butler acquisition suggests like, “Oh, we, we need to maximize this window.”

But the fact that they were withholding Jimmy Butler for next season and not putting him reportedly into trade deals suggests to me that we’re just kicking the can down the road and saying, “It’s a lost season- Yeah we’re just gonna hit the reset button next year.”

But man, I don’t know how that sits with Stephen Curry the way he’s playing, or w- when he was healthy.

Yeah, it’s, it’s a shame.

And ul- ultimately, I look, best-case scenario for the Warriors, I’d say, is you lose in the play-in, and you get lottery odds, and who knows?

Who knows?

The, the odds could be in their favor, Tom, and they could move into the top four.

You never know what happens.

They very well could, that could be the case.

Because if they get the seven or eight seed, they’re out in the first round, and that’s just the reality of this Warriors roster.

Even if Stephen Curry is healthy, without Jimmy Butler out there, there’s just no shot.

I know you had them as a one- Oh, I would bet against, if he’s healthy- Oh, Tom- Oh, I don’t know no.

No, not a shot.

Okay.

All right.

You get Knock, knock, knock off that- If Steph and Draymond- You got them as a one star on Tom the Finder, your contender rankings.

Take away that star, Tom.

They get no shot.

None.

Have the Warriors wasted another season for Stephen Curry?

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