Draymond Green didn’t want to talk about silver linings. After having seen the Warriors’ unfurling of their brand-spanking-new Chase Center end in an embarrassing rout, he was blunt in his assessment. “We f–king sucked,” he argued. “I’m not a moral victory kind of guy. I’m not looking for something to build off on.” And yet, seeing as how the yellow and blue will have plenty of nights like the one they just experienced, “something to build off on” is what he will need to get used to, and fast. He and two-time Most Valuable Player Steph Curry may still be around, but their presence alone isn’t going to cut it in a cutthroat Western Conference.
Not that Green was wrong. In fact, he was on the mark; the Warriors did prove to be far from what fans had been used to seeing them. Yet, to open the 2019–20 season with the same expectations as before would have been foolhardy at best. It wasn’t simply that the roster turned over. It was who left; Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala, the MVPs of their successful Finals bids over the last half decade, are gone along with veteran Shaun Livingston. And in their place is relative youth, not quite the ingredient required to replace productive assets while staying competitive.
Still, Green has no choice. He has to stand as the pillar of the Warriors — certainly its most vocal leader given Curry’s preference to lead by example. They’re going to need him to be even more engaged — if it were at all possible — in the face of their reliance on nine players no older than 23. And, for all his pragmatism, there are things to look forward to. Certainly, the return to action of Klay Thompson is most anticipated. Still recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, the five-time All-Star figures to miss most, if not all, of the current campaign. But the wait will be worth it, because they will be better — make that appreciably better — sometime soon.
In the meantime, Green would do well to adopt Steve Kerr’s outlook. “This is not a one-off. This is the reality,” ESPN quoted the Warriors head coach as saying in the aftermath of their 19-point loss to the powerhouse Clippers, fresh off a rousing triumph against the Lakers and just about the worst opponents they could have faced. “There’s going to be nights like this year. You’ve got to play through it. You’ve got to keep fighting and keep getting better. That’s the plan.” And under the circumstances, it’s not just a good plan. It’s the only plan.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
