Splash Bros on ice? Unleash Boucher and Bell!

In journalism, we are often prone to over-using catch phrases. But I’m going to do it anyways: The Golden State Warriors have been ravaged by injuries.

No Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, David West, or Patrick McCaw tonight. That’s three out of our four All Stars, our most productive bench player this season, and a future hall of famer (arguably).

But don’t lose hope, because that sound you hear is the dusty blanket that has kept rookie Chris Boucher under wraps all season falling away. For the first time since we signed him, the Warriors have listed Boucher as available for tonight’s game.

Boucher is an intriguing player who worked well alongside Bell at Oregon in college. He also has one of the coolest nicknames of all time (or maybe it’s one of the cheesiest, I can’t tell). Regardless, he’s back from a knee injury and has been dominating the G League.

Here are your starters for tonight, the weirdest starting five in franchise history:

PG - Quinn Cook,

SG - Nick Young,

SF - Kevin Durant,

PF - Kevon Looney,

C - Zaza Pachulia.

Making a meaningless game fun

Ok, full disclosure: this game is going to kind of suck. Kevin Durant and a bunch of role players against a depleted L.A. Lakers team that was missing the playoffs even when fully healthy. Neither team needs a win here, the Warriors are pretty well locked into the second seed, and the Lakers would need an act of god to sneak into the 8th spot.

BuuuuUUUuut, this game is going to be fun for exactly the same reason.

Are you ready to see Nick Young start alongside Quin Cook? You ready for Boucher and Bell to have a friendly contest on who scores the most points and accumulates the most blocks (my money is on Bell, and I think Apricot agrees).

With all meaningful stakes pulled from this game, it really frees Kerr to play around with the roster, and removes any excuse to not play our lower bench players.

Yes, this may be a trash game without meaning in some sense, but I’m personally excited; this reminds me of a throwback game back in the “It’s a great time out” era of Warriors games. When the team wasn’t great, but seats were twenty bucks, Oracle was rowdy, and the bacon-wrapped hotdogs on the way out were the hottest aspect of the night.

The Lakers are going to miss Brandon Ingram - who has averaged 21 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks in the previous three games against the Warriors and has been a decent foil to slow down Durant.