Golden State Warriors: The dynasty is likely over, no matter what happens this summer
After major injuries to Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant, the Golden State Warriors dynasty is likely over no matter what happens this summer
Watching the 2019 NBA Finals, I could not help but marvel at how talented the Golden State Warriors were as a team.
Even with Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant injured, the Warriors were difficult for the Toronto Raptors to close out in Game 6 of the Finals. And with KD and Klay injured, many have speculated that the Warrior’s dynasty is over.
The Warriors, before Thompson and Durant, got injured were undoubtedly one of the greatest NBA dynasties in history. The Warriors hold the record for the number of wins in a season, consecutive home wins, consecutive home playoff wins, consecutive wins to start a season, wins over a five-season stretch, and the best win-loss record in a single postseason. And there has not been a team since the 1950s Boston Celtics to make it to five straight NBA Finals.
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NBA dynasties are hard to define but easy to recognize. Were the Cleveland Cavaliers a dynasty after making it to four straight Finals? Were the Miami Heat a dynasty after making it to four consecutive Finals with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James?
Even by the most modest standards, the Warriors moving forward will not be considered an NBA dynasty. However, many good teams were not considered to be dynasties. For example, the 2002-08 San Antonio Spurs made three NBA Finals and a WCF appearance in six NBA seasons. The Detroit Pistons in the 2000s made it to six-straight ECFs, two NBA Finals, and won a championship.
Similar feats were accomplished by the 1990s New York Knicks and 1970s and 1980s Philadelphia 76ers. The Knicks under Patrick Ewing in eight seasons made four ECFs and two NBA Finals.
The teams mentioned above are great teams, however, the teams mentioned above are not considered by many to be dynasties. Lastly, the Warriors for the rest of Curry’s career are highly unlikely to perform even at the levels of those teams.
However, whether or the Warriors can make a comeback all hinges upon the health of Thompson. KD and DeMarcus Cousins. If Klay had not been injured, the Warriors’ dynasty would have undoubtedly continued. The Warriors without KD were still good enough to make it to the Western Conference Finals for the foreseeable future.
According to former Kevin Durant teammate and NBA champion Kendrick Perkins on ESPN:
"I tore my ACL. And Yeah guys come back in six months, Seven months, whatever the case my be, but what people don’t know is that it takes a full 22 to 24 months for you to get back to your normal self far as the ACL injury. So it will take Klay Thompson at least 2 years to get back to klay Thompson. Achilles…is almost career ending.”"
However, nobody knows how good Klay will be when he returns or how long it will take him to return to playing for the Warriors. ACL injuries are generally devastating and can impact how well players play when they return from the injury. For example, while Cousins is playing well enough on the Warriors to be a starting center or sixth man on most NBA teams, he isn’t the play he was before his Achilles injury.
Of the 20 known Achilles tears in the past 15 NBA seasons, no player has ever turned to his pre-injury playing level. Likely, even if the Warriors retain both Klay and KD, the Warriors will never be as dominant as they were in the past.
In two years if Klay is performing at his pre-injury levels, other teams will have already made moves to pass the Warriors. With the Lakers getting Anthony Davis and with the current competition in the NBA, it is going to be harder for the Warriors to compete against these teams in the near future.
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As for the 2019-20 season, there are at least 10 teams currently in the NBA that are better than Warriors without KD and Klay. The Warriors may not even make the playoffs in the 2019-20 season.
A milestone has passed in the NBA. Maybe the NBA’s greatest team so far has imploded within due to injuries. However, luckily for fans, teams in the future will likely be even better than the Warriors.