The Golden State Warriors have had quite the run, winning five championships with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are their nucleus and Steve Kerr as coach.
But man, they sure aren't looking good this season — and just one year after losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the playoffs. Clearly, age and injury have caught up with these Warriors. So they may keep their core, but their winning anything special with it ever again.
At least, that's the opinion of Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, the popular radio personality and ESPN host.
"Are the Golden State Warriors going to win another championship?" Russo asked on First Take with guests Tim Legler and Brian Windhorst. "The answer's no."
Russo went on to explain his reasoning.
"Last year they were fortunate to get out of the (first-round) series against Sacramento ... Curry is 36 years of age, I don't know what they're going to do with Thompson, Green's not young. They're two games over .500. They are not winning an NBA championship."
The Warriors are currently in the 10th seed in the Western Conference, which is the final spot to make even the play-in tournament. And even then, you don't have home-court advantage in such a one-and-done scenario.
"I think they're going to be in this situation for the foreseeable future, until Curry retires, where they're going to be fighting at the bottom end of the postseason in the Western Conference, try to sneak in, maybe catch a little magic.
"But as far as them playing in mid-June, for a title, with Green and Curry, I don't think that's gonna happen."
Russo isn't alone. Word is the Warriors intend to offer Thompson a new contract when he enters free agency at the end of the season, and a lot of people are wondering why. If you want to keep the core together, that's fine. But most teams want to win, and as Russo suggested, the Warriors are at the end of the road for that as currently constructed.
.@MadDogUnleashed doesn't see the Warriors winning another NBA title with this core ? pic.twitter.com/xv7OCn7Sfc
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 27, 2024
