The whispers of a dynasty in peril first emerged after the 2019 NBA Finals, leading to a dramatic pivot. Then, three years later, a shocking title run changed everything. The team faced a reckoning then -- and now.
) is a senior writer for ESPN Digital and Print, focusing on the NBA. He has covered the Lakers, the Celtics and previously worked for The Boston Globe and Los Angeles Times.of another frustrating loss, Joe Lacob paced the hallway in the depths of Chase Center, just outside the room where thewere having uneven seasons, and uncomfortable whispers about their futures were becoming national talking points. The Warriors were 11th in the West -- and falling.
The promising third-year wing had scored 16 points in 19 minutes against the Nuggets, but Kuminga was benched for the game's final 18 minutes. The decision had riled the Warriors' fan base, and Lacob, too, was certainly aware, as he had championed Kuminga ever since the Warriors drafted him No. 7 overall in 2021. Lacob says now that he knew it would take Kuminga time to grow, perhaps even a few years before he could impact winning.
The Warriors have long known this shift would come, but for years the team has struggled to establish a clear path forward to stave off the descent into irrelevance that has befallen other NBA teams facing the sunset of a dynasty. To sustain excellence thereafter -- or to even remain competitive -- would cast the Warriors as historical outliers. Lacob knows the track record, and many in and around the Warriors do, too, with some privately acknowledging the unprecedented nature of the task.
Entering that offseason, the high-risk drafting strategy remained in place, and the team selected Kuminga and Moody. It was unclear how -- even if -- Thompson would perform after missing two seasons because of major injuries. Amid the glory of this surprising championship, a conflict began to emerge inside the organization, team sources said.Maybe the team's championship window wasn't closed. Maybe this core trio wasn't finished. Maybe, just maybe, this dynasty still has more left to give ...The Warriors had time, then they didn't.
Among the coaching staff, sources with knowledge of the situation said there was apprehension -- and skepticism. Others considered the idea -- even if it came about with good intentions -- to be indicative of an arrogance that permeated from the organization, given Lacob's infamous public remarks in 2016 that the Warriors were"light years" ahead of the rest of the league.
"I think there was always a delusion in that building that they were the next Spurs," said one source close to the Warriors organization. "Steve has never been hesitant to play anyone," one team source said."It's more about being ready to play the way that we play, which is unique. Steve's job is to win games. If guys are ready and in a position to help us win, he'll play them."
From afar, and with the benefit of hindsight, one former Warriors staffer echoed a point made by a chorus of rival executives. After the Celtics won their third title in the mid-1980s, capping off a span of three championships in six years, the team struggled to transition. They reached the Finals in 1986-87 but not again for 21 years.
Kerr looked down the bench. It was time to play their young players, both the projects from their recent past and the more experienced rookies from their present, and blend them alongside their veteran core. On Feb. 5, he benched Thompson late in a win against the Nets; 10 days later, Thompson came off the bench for the first time since his rookie year.
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