Warriors season preview: Steph Currys health, rookie Yaxel Lendeborg and five big questions
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.Don’t tell Steve Kerr and the Warriors.The last time we saw these guys, it felt like it could be the last time.The future was still very much up in the air heading into the summer.
Kerr was contemplating retirement.The center of their galaxy, Steph Curry, was 38 and dealing with a new and potentially chronic knee issue.Inside a room about the size of a broom closet after their play-in elimination to the Suns, Kerr said he was no longer sure he was the right man for the job.
Curry acknowledged there would need to be a “new normal” for himself and different expectations for the Warriors.Draymond Green couldn’t say for sure if he’d be back, or if Golden State would want him back.The last remaining vestiges of their dynasty were cracking.
An era was coming to an end.A few months later, they’re running it back again.For all of the unknowns when they parted ways in April, it was a relatively quiet summer at One Warriors Way.Kerr signed up for two more years.
Curry signed an extension almost as soon as he was eligible.And, after declining his player option so that the Warriors could explore other avenues, Green re-upped at the same rate ($27.7 million) when none of those options panned out.LeBron James turned down the alluring idea of teaming up with Curry for a better chance at a championship in Philadelphia.
Their top target this past trade deadline (Kawhi Leonard) and the white whale they’ve been after for years (Giannis Antetokounmpo) found other destinations.For much of the offseason, Mike Dunleavy Jr.was the only general manager who had yet to make one modification to his roster.
And still, when you look on the visitors’ bench Wednesday night inside Crypto.com Arena, the most notable new faces will belong to a draft pick (Yaxel Lendeborg, taken 11th overall) and an assistant coach (Frank Vogel, hired to lead the defense).The changes that the Warriors believe — well, at least, hope — can squeez...