"Why should we wait on Draymond when you have Steph Curry" - Marcus Spears believes the Golden State Warriors should do better despite Draymond's absence
Marcus Spears resonated an emotion several Golden State Warriors have expressed over the last few weeks that Steph Curry should be good enough to win games despite Draymond Green's absence.
They are on a five-game losing streak, and practically every game was a winnable affair which got ugly for the Dubs down the stretch. Their fourth-quarter stats are abysmal, and they are heading into a steep decline if they don't somehow turn this season around.
Spears, an ESPN analyst, discussed Curry's missing energy with Kendrick Perkins on the popular ESPN podcast "Swagu and Perk." He said:
"Why should we wait on Draymond when you have Steph Curry in order to start winning games consistently? I understand what Draymond means to this team ... I understand [his] intangibles. Draymond is an All-Star without really putting up All-Star numbers. So he got the respect of the league."
While he complimented Green on his facilitation, defense, hustle and leadership, Spears believes Curry's presence should be enough. He continued:
"I do have a problem with, 'Oh well, when Draymond gets back, the Golden State Warriors gonna be where they should be.' They got a top 75 player of all time on their team. They should be half as good as they are right now."
They are now down to third place in the West with the Memphis Grizzlies overtaking them. The fourth-place Jazz are breathing down their necks, and the fifth-seeded Mavericks are not too far behind in the race.
Many fans and analysts believe the team will be better once Green returns from injury (early next week), while others believe they should be winning games regardless. The Golden State Warriors have a top 75 player of all time in Curry and two All-Stars in Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson. They should certainly be winning games against inferior opponents.
The Dubs have lost eight of their last 10 games. In that span, they've averaged 24.6 points per game in the fourth quarter. That ranks 26th in the league. During their nine-game win streak before this poor stretch, they averaged 29 points per game, which ranked fourth in the NBA.
They were the league's best defense (105.2) by a wide margin during the first half of the season. But they have been near the bottom in that category ever since Green got hurt in early January.
Steph Curry on the concern level about this 2-8 stretch: “Giving in to a losing mentality. We’re not that team. I’m not gonna let us be that team.” https://t.co/Lr4TWI6c63
Steph Curry is worried the Golden State Warriors might get comfortable with losing
Steph Curry sounded concerned after their loss against the LA Lakers. The game was a winnable one, but LeBron James took over and dropped a virtuosic 56-piece performance. Curry didn't like the vibe in the locker room after the loss and is worried the team is getting comfortable with the idea of losing.
The two-time MVP is the franchise's oldest player and has seen all sorts of scenarios during his 13-year career. He knows when the players around him are not taking games seriously or are showing lackadaisical effort.
During the postgame news conference, Curry said:
"It's creeping in. I can feel it. ... Giving in to a losing mentality. We’re not that team. I’m not gonna let us be that team."
Curry said that if the playoffs started today, they might be in trouble. If the team's headliner is sounding so disturbed, there is certainly a reason to panic. One major decision the team has made is returning the Baby-faced Assassin to his old rotation pattern.
Steph Curry himself sounded the alarm on the Warriors.
He doesn't like how comfortable they've gotten with losing. He's determined to not let this vibe make its home on this team.
One step to that end: back to his old rotation.
theathletic.com/3165410/2022/0… https://t.co/Okc7TrkvBb
Under a recent substitution pattern, Curry started and ended each quarter while resting in the middle. He gets subbed while just starting to get a rhythm, and that kills his momentum. Curry never plays long stretches at a time, and he personally isn't a fan of his system either.
He has publicly stated on numerous occasions that he wishes to return to his old ways. And now that is finally happening, he is quite giddy about it.
After the loss to the Lakers that triggered this rotation change, Curry said:
"Something good came out of this game."
For the longest time, he played a 12-6-12-6 rotation pattern. He would play the entire first quarter and then rest for the first half of the second quarter before getting subbed in again. He would then repeat this in the second half. There will still be minor tweaks to this system, but the idea of resting him just once per half is set.
As Steph Curry indicated to @ThompsonScribe, the Warriors are going back to Steph Curry’s old rotation pattern. Won’t always be exactly 12-6-12-6, but it’ll be only one rest per half.
The Kerr soundbite https://t.co/bibzMuv3ki
The Golden State Warriors play the LA Clippers at home on Tuesday, and Curry will return to his old rotation in this game. Bay Area fans are hoping this will end their drought.