As the leader of a group that bought the Warriors 13 years ago, Joe Lacob made loud vows that have been delivered at a high rate. They climbed from the NBA’s subfloor to win multiple championships and become a global phenomenon.
But after a spiritless 133-118 tip-to-buzzer beatdown by the Toronto Raptors on Sunday at Chase Center, the Warriors are plummeting at a rapid rate. They’re 17-19 after losing five of their last seven games, with four losses at home.
“We got punched in the mouth right away,” coach Steve Kerr said.
“We didn’t play up to our capabilities to start the game,” rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis said. “We settled in when the second half started, but it was a little bit too late. Guys are upset. We’re a better team than that.”
The Warriors are discovering that getting to the top was easier, courtesy of Stephen Curry, than finding ways to stay on top.
Any chance of staying there, at least for now, is Jonathan Kuminga. And nobody knows that better than the Lacob, the team’s CEO.
If the Warriors keep Kuminga, it’s because he’s the most athletic member of one of the NBA’s least athletic rosters and they still believe the power forward is a future cornerstone. If they package him in trade, it’s because they believe the return will bring a player with a better chance to fill that role.