Warriors insider says Klay Thompson 'sucked the life' out of Golden State the last two years amid Steph Curry's latest 'healthy egos' take
Klay Thompson left the Golden State Warriors this offseason and signed with the Dallas Mavericks. John Dickinson, a Warriors insider and a radio host for KNBR, claimed that Thompson "sucked the life" out of the team in the past two seasons.
Speaking on Thursday's episode of "Muprh & Markus" on KNBR, Dickinson reacted to Steph Curry's comments about this year's team having "healthy egos" after their season-opening win against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Dickinson explained how Thompson created problems internally in the past two years. He even went so far as saying that the sharpshooter did more things negatively for the team than Draymond Green, who was suspended several times for his off-court antics in the past two years.
"The Warriors have said everything as positively as they possibly can about Klay Thompson and his return on November 12th," Dickinson said. "And everything he meant to the team and all of those things are true.
"But I'm telling you, and I've said this a couple of different times and people have crushed me for it, Klay Thompson sucked the life out of the Warriors the last two years. Internally, as much as Draymond Green did, maybe even more, though in a different way."
John Dickinson explained that Draymond Green's unavailability due to his suspension and other issues led to problems in Golden State. However, Klay Thompson and his inability to accept that his best years were behind him also added issues within the team.
"His unwillingness to accept the fact that he wasn't the player he used to be, and the just bullheaded nature of the way he played," Dickinson said. "Then there was the anger he showed after games, the frustration with his own play and his inability to help the team, that was felt."
Dickinson added that several players tried to get through to Thompson, but it was only coach Steve Kerr who was able to settle things down. There would still be issues from time to time, allegedly stemming from Thompson seeing that Green and Steph Curry were still playing at a high level.
Steph Curry says there are "healthy egos" on Warriors after first game without Klay Thompson
Steph Curry led the Golden State Warriors to a win in their season opener against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. Curry told reporters after the game that it was great to see a locker room with "healthy egos" amid Klay Thompson's departure and reports about his behavior affecting the team.
"You have to have commitment," Curry said. "No agendas. No egos, well, healthy egos. When you're out there like you know you're supposed to be out there, but if it's not your night, you can't bring the team down with your energy. I haven't seen any red flags with that."
While Curry didn't mention Thompson, Dickinson appears to think there is a connection between Klay's departure and Curry's comments.
The Splash Brothers will interact as opponents for the first time when the Dallas Mavericks visit the Chase Center on Nov. 12.