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We have known since the NBA announced its plans to continue the 2019-20 season that the Golden Warriors won’t be a part of the 22 teams making the trip to Orlando. The eight NBA teams staying home while the league crowns a champion are facing an unprecedented layoff.
Commissioner Adam Silver says the league is aiming to start the 2020-21 season by Dec. 1, which means the Dubs won’t play a real game in nearly nine months. The Warriors last game before the coronavirus hiatus was on March 10.
Although it doesn’t seem like the ideal situation, The Athletic’s Ethan Strauss says Golden State officials are happy with not having to be in the Walt Disney World bubble:
“Talking to Warriors officials, they’re ecstatic about skipping Orlando and not just because they’re avoiding an increasingly complex negotiation process. They know that skipping Florida means more time to focus and figure out a way forward. The trick is getting started.”
Strauss adds that several Warriors have already returned to the team facility to continue training, but coaches would like to expand from the one-on-one drills the players are only allowed to do right now. Once the restrictions are eased, it is expected Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and other Dubs players who are away from the Bay Area will return to hold full team practices.
Head coach Steve Kerr is in favor of holding a mini-camp at some point over the summer, or even play some games against the other seven teams who are not playing in Orlando. But, when asked about a potential nine-month layoff during a media availability last week, Kerr said the time off is welcome after playing in five-straight NBA Finals.
“Who are we to complain?” Kerr said. “We complained enough about not having any time off over the last five years. We can’t now turn around and say we’ve got too much time off.”
It would be good for the players to get some live game action before the start of the 2020-21 season. For players like Thompson and Steph Curry, who are coming off of injuries, it would be an opportunity to knock off some rust, and get their fitness levels back up.
Do you think the Warriors should participate in some exhibition games over the summer?
On to some more links:
Some of the haters like to question Curry’s playoff performances. NBC Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson highlights one postseason stat that shows Steph is among the all-time greats.
We still don’t know where Golden State will be picking in the 2020 NBA Draft. Bleacher Report’s Joe Tansey released his latest mock draft and it is no surprise who he has the Dubs taking at No. 1 overall.
The NBA’s salary cap is expected to dip due to the shutdown, meaning some veteran players make take a one-year deal to cash in prior to the 2021-22 season. Fansided’s Tony Festa looks at nine players the Warriors can target with the mid-level exception.
We are hoping Marquese Chriss can build off of his strong finish to last season. Chriss is trying his hand at another form of entertainment during the hiatus. You can listen to his new song on here. (h/t NBC Bay Area)