Stop me if you’ve heard something like this before:
The Warriors choked away Wednesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal game against the Houston Rockets, allowing a six-point lead to evaporate with a scoreless final three minutes in a 91-90 (what is this, 1995?) loss. The Dubs are now eliminated from the tournament, meaning they do not get a free trip to Las Vegas.
Yes, neither the magic of the Cup nor the strength of numbers did the Warriors much good in crunch time on Wednesday. Houston capped the game on a 7-0 run, highlighted by two Golden State shot-clock violations and one of the more unacceptable fouls in recent Warriors history.
If this were just another regular-season game in December, you’d be justified in saying c’est la vie.
But, jokes about the NBA Cup aside, this was not just another game for the Dubs, even if it ended in the way so many Warriors games have in recent weeks.
No, Wednesday was a glimpse into the future. Do you want to know what the playoffs might look like? You saw it in Houston.
Let me sum it up for you: it’s not even close to good enough.
There’s only one solution to the problem. You know what I will say — it’s been suggested in this space countless times.
The Warriors must acquire a true No. 2 — a second offensive alpha—to spell Steph Curry during regular rotations and to play alongside him in the game’s critical moments.
The current roster doesn’t have one, and one won’t develop one before February’s trade deadline.
So the Warriors need to get aggressive and trade for one.
Good news: One is available right now. Let me help you out, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy — pick up the phone and dial 3-0-5.
Yes, the Warriors need to trade for Jimmy Butler, and they shouldn’t delay.
On Wednesday, the Warriors played a definitive 2024-25 game for them: Forty-five minutes of ugly but hard-fought basketball, with Draymond Green performing otherworldly feats on the defensive end and Steph Curry pulling the Warriors’ offense, seemingly against their will.
Buddy Hield knocked down a few shots, and Jonathan Kuminga scored 20 points (despite going 2-for-6 from both the free-throw and 3-point line).
It’s the kind of effort that’s good enough to win more regular season games than you lose; good enough to make the playoffs and maybe even win the right first-round matchup.
It’s good enough for the Warriors to watch the playoff rounds that matter while they’re on vacation.
I understand the Warriors are now so enlightened that they are not solely focused on winning championships, but I think that’s loser behavior.
As Herm Edwards once said, “You play to win the game.”
The Warriors had no problem playing hard for a pennant — which is what I presume the NBA Cup winner gets to stick to the wall of their arena after victory. Why are they not all in on hanging another banner?
Because they should have all the evidence they need to know that the current state of affairs is woefully deficient if that’s the goal.
And what other goal can this team possibly have? If they stay on their current path, they’re only set to achieve perpetual mediocrity. The Dubs know it, too. Why else would they showcase Kuminga by putting him in the starting lineup? They’re presenting the promotion as something he has “earned.” It’s really a test for the forward — the Warriors want to see if he can produce and play winning basketball alongside Curry and Green — and a cynical ploy to boost his trade value for other teams. (No one wants to trade a starter for a bench player.)
But that, in itself, is telling. Apparently, Kuminga “needs an opportunity” to show he’s a top player.
I think anyone who needs such an opportunity given to them via politics isn’t worth the trouble.
This guy isn’t this team’s present, and there’s little reason, other than blind optimism, to believe he’s the future.
He’s not a No. 2, so why would he be this team’s future No. 1?
I’ll hold up Wednesday’s game as Exhibit A to my skepticism.
Kuminga, who made a corner 3-pointer half-a-minute earlier, made the second of two free throws with 3:03 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Warriors up by 6.
For the final three minutes, as Curry and Green tried to drag their team to the finish line, Kuminga was nowhere to be found.
You do not want a scoreless, shot-free final three minutes from a No. 2, but maybe I’m old-school.
Kuninga did, however, miss a backdoor cut for a dunk with 140 seconds to play, leading to a shot-clock violation. He couldn’t corral Green’s too-hot-to-handle pass a minute later. And when Jalen Green beat him to a ball on the floor in the game’s final seconds, Kuminga responded by reaching over the Rockets guard’s shoulder to try to force a jump ball. He was called (justly) for a foul with 3 seconds to play, giving Houston the two free throws they needed to win the game.
Oh, and when Green made those two free throws (what a concept!), it was clear Kuminga wasn’t getting the ball on the final offensive possession of the game.
This isn’t to say that Kuminga is the sole reason the Warriors lost Wednesday’s game — or any game, for that matter.
But you know who would have turned in a strong shift in crunch time?
Butler is one of the best clutch performers of a generation and a player who will not be denied in the most significant moments. There’s no question he’s an alpha.
Yes, Butler is 35 years old and a pending free agent. Who cares?
The Warriors don’t have a future beyond Curry and Green. If they did, they wouldn’t be in the trade market right now — the two timelines plan would be unassailably working, and everything would be glorious.
That, folks, is clearly not the case.
The Dubs — off of one strong game with Curry sidelined (making Kuminga the No. 1) — have gone all-in on Kuminga, tossing the forward into the deep end of the NBA.
I don’t see him keeping his head above water, leaving the Warriors relying on Andrew Wiggins (who missed Wednesday’s game)
Are the Dubs willing to let him flail for weeks to come? I don’t think they can afford it. If they don’t trade Kuminga before Feb. 6, he’s likely to be a Warrior for a half-decade to come — such is the nature of restricted free agency and the Warriors’ salary cap situation.
Meanwhile, their last-best shot at a true No. 2 is available via trade.
There’s no reason to delay making the move. It’s time for the Warriors to right the wrong and trade for Butler.
;Resize=(620)&w=390&resize=390,220&ssl=1 "This Ontario region may have an answer to helping stem rise of HIV cases in Canada | CBC News")
