Kurtenbach: The Warriors have a secret weapon in their quest to repeat
Golden State Warriors: Steph Curry's leadership has ensured that the
vibes are great around the Dubs.
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 25: Golden State Warriors’
Jordan Poole (3) kisses the Larry O’Brien Championship trophy during
media day at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday,
September 25, 2022. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 25: Golden State Warriors’
Jordan Poole (3) kisses the Larry O’Brien Championship trophy during
media day at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday,
September 25, 2022. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
By DIETER KURTENBACH | dkurtenbach@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News
Group
PUBLISHED: September 29, 2022 at 1:16 p.m. | UPDATED: September 29, 2022
at 2:48 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/09/29/kurtenbach-the-warriors-have-a-secret-weapon-in-their-quest-to-repeat/

It’s hard to remember a time when the NBA had this much quality and this
much parity.

Last year, the Warriors won the title despite having 11-to-1 odds to win
it all at the start of the season. But right now, six teams have 10-to-1
odds or shorter to win the NBA title at Fanduel sportsbook. There’s
another group of five not-so-far-fetched title contenders just behind them.

It’s anyone’s title to win, but the Warriors have a secret weapon when
it comes to repeating as champions:

Calmness.

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So many of the Warriors’ top challengers to the throne are entering the
season in a state of chaos.

The Celtics’ head coach, Ime Udoka, was suspended for the season by the
team earlier this month. The Clippers simply have no idea when or how
Kawhi Leonard or Paul George will play. The Nets’ offseason was
calamitous, with Kevin Durant’s trade request that was never truly
resolved. The Suns’ owner was suspended by the league for the season and
then agreed to sell the team, all while their head coach didn’t talk all
summer to their aggrieved starting center, who was low-balled by the
Suns during contract extension talks. Plus, the Suns’ starting power
forward decided he wouldn’t show up to training camp, demanding a rare
preseason trade.

These teams might be more talented than the Warriors — there’s an
argument to be had there — but they all carry huge red flags. They’re
giving you every reason to bet against them before the season starts.

The Warriors, meanwhile, are cool and collected.

Sure, there were potential issues for the Dubs heading into this season:
Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, and Jordan Poole are all due for
extensions and, particularly with the latter two, raises. The team also
lost two key members of its title roster — Gary Payton II and Otto
Porter Jr. — in free agency, plus top assistant coach Mike Brown, who
left to be the Sacramento Kings’ head coach. And then, there’s the
simplest issue: The Warriors’ core veterans just won a fourth,
legacy-sealing title and it was justly and commensurately celebrated.

Post-championship hangovers are a real problem, and in the Warriors’
case, that hangover might have been literal.

There were countless reasons for the Warriors to take their eyes off the
prize. But not one of those things has proven to be an issue in public
or behind the scenes.

While all other contenders (save for the Bucks) have made it clear they
are not to be trusted, the Warriors have provided every reason for you
to believe they can repeat.

You can thank Steve Kerr — entering his ninth year with the Dubs — for
that. General manager Bob Myers and the Warriors’ ownership group
deserve credit, too.

Vibes matter, and the Warriors’ vibes are good.

I’ve spent my professional life hanging around sports teams. Only the
Warriors have been able to blend competency with a lack of anxiety. It’s
an impressive operation.

But the person who deserves the most credit for the Warriors’ winning
machine staying on the tracks is the team’s superstar.

Curry’s relentless pursuit of goals even larger than a title — like
“redefining” what it means to be in one’s prime — leaves the other
Warriors no room to slack.

Green came into camp in top shape, Thompson is out to prove that he can
reach the heights of his career again, post-injuries, and Poole, who was
keen to passively remind you he should have still been in college the
past two seasons, took to the dais at Warriors’ media day and answered
questions like a 10-year veteran.

And as for the issues of contracts and the luxury tax that comes with it
for the Dubs. Money issues are a leading cause of divorce in America,
but Curry is adamant about keeping that dialogue open and collaborative
between team branches. Issues can’t fester if they’re in the light.

“Absolutely,” Curry said. “A good organization is going to have those
talks, especially with me, Andre, Draymond, we have those conversations,
knowing that every decision is meaningful in terms of us putting the
best team together and keeping things moving in terms of being
championship contenders every single year.

“So you want that to be the spirit of how decisions are made and, you
know, we want the best chance to win every single year. And we’re
proving with this squad, that’s what the results have been. So we want
to keep that together for as long as we can. That’s the goal.”

Other issues will arise for the Warriors as the season progresses. It’s
the NBA — nothing is straightforward.

But the Warriors do not have the makings of a team that will beat itself
this year.

And in this league, that plus talent might be the only things a team
needs to win it all.