The Golden State Warriors lost their season opener and the shots of Stephen Curry looking glum on the sidelines were hard to ignore.
Ahead of the new NBA season, Bobby Marks suggested that the Golden State Warriors would fail to make the Play-In Tournament if they were in the Eastern Conference. But there is also a very real risk they don’t actually qualify in the West either.
The Warriors were blown out by the LA Lakers in the opener 127-105, and not even Yaxel Lendeborg clashing with Luka Doncic could distract from how one-sided the game really was.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 23 points. Nobody else on his team scored above 14.
Speaking to Gil’s Arena, former NBA player Brendan Haywood said it could be time for Curry to have tough conversations with the franchise. He argues that despite Curry’s best efforts, he is destined to never win another title with this team.
Haywood said: “Steph Curry and his camp need to have a conversation, man. Do we want to be loyal to the soil? It looks sad out there, and stay here for the next couple of seasons and waste years where I could be winning championships?
“Or do we want to go to management and say, ‘Hey man, I know we had a great run, but these next two to three years, I’m going to try to get, you know, an extra one, two to three championships.’
“Because I’m going to tell you right now, Steph Curry can help you win a championship. He just can’t help this team win a championship.”
Who do you think is going to be the Warriors’ surprise of the season?
A rookie, a bench guy breaking into the rotation, or a starter ready to take a leap – you decide 👇
Steph Curry has been a one-team player
Steph Curry has been with the Warriors ever since they drafted him in 2009. And it has been a glorious run, with four NBA Championships, the most recent in 2022.
Haywood says nobody would blame Curry if he decided to leave the Warriors at this stage of his career, considering what he has achieved in the game.
He said: “They criticize LeBron because he left in his prime. They criticized KD, he joined his rival and left in his prime.
“If Steph leaves Golden State at 39 years old after looking at a roster right now that looks like it won’t even be playoff-worthy, I don’t think people will say, ‘You know what, his championship doesn’t count.’”
It is only one game into the season, and the Warriors hope for better fortune when the team face the Grizzlies next up.
The Warriors are still missing players, Gui Santos is expected back soon. Moses Moody and Jimmy Butler could take until 2027. Kristaps Porzingis’ status remains uncertain.
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