Steve Kerr says ‘fragile’ Warriors ‘just lacking confidence right now’
For the second game in a row, boos rained down on the four-time champion Golden State Warriors in their home, the Chase Center.
This time it was during a blowout loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, a game where the Warriors trailed by 41 and lost by 36. This was coach Steve Kerr’s assessment, via NBC Sports Bay Area.
“We deserved [the boos] for sure. I think we’re just lacking confidence right now. You just sort of get to a stage sometimes where you just kind of lose your belief. It happens. That’s what’s happened right now with our team the last few days. We’ve just lost the spirit and confidence that has to carry you against talented teams night in and night out…
“When we’re fragile like we are right now, I don’t think that screaming and yelling at them is going to help. I’m trying to keep their confidence up, I’m trying to encourage them. But at some point that may have to change. We can’t keep going this way, two straight games being non-competitive at home. We have to find some fight. We may have to resort to some different tactics but more than anything we’ve gotta be connected defensively to give ourselves a chance.”
It might be easier to connect when Draymond Green returns to the court. He has been reinstated from his suspension by the league, is practicing with the team and should return on its upcoming road trip. Kerr said that without Green and the injured Chris Paul (fractured hand), the team was too “quiet.”
“We do have a very quiet group of guys with this particular team that’s out there now. We probably need a pick-me up. We need Draymond, we need Chris. We need guys who can rally the troops right now.”
Green is about to walk through those doors. However, this Warriors team hasn’t thrived with Green on the court this season either — they have not been consistently good no matter who is on the court. The Warriors have the 23rd-ranked defense in the league and a -0.9 net rating overall for the season — the Warriors’ championships were built on defense and that cornerstone is gone. When Stephen Curry struggles (as he did against the Pelicans with 15 points) this team is doomed.
All of which has led to a lot of trade speculation, often involving the Raptors’ Pascal Siakam or the Bulls’ Zach LaVine. The Warriors are testing the market for struggling Andrew Wiggins, but his trade value is down after a season where he has been benched. The more likely trade package for a quality player is Chris Paul (non-guaranteed for next season) packaged with Jonathan Kuminga or Moses Moody, plus maybe a first-round pick.
The question the Warriors need to ask themselves is would this be worth it? Would adding an expensive player such as Siakam (who wants a max contract this summer) to Stephen Curry and the rest of this roster even make them a contender? The end of a dynasty is never pretty, and that’s what the Warriors are struggling through right now, a trade is not changing that dynamic.
It might add a little confidence, but it will take more than that to turn these Warriors around.
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