The Warriors’ thin front line has already become impossible to ignore, and Seth Curry said what plenty of people were thinking after Friday’s lineup announcement.
Golden State revealed that two-way player Graham Ike would start against the Grizzlies, and the younger Curry - who spent last season with the Warriors but was limited to just 10 games because of nagging injuries - reacted on Threads with a blunt read on the situation.
"With all due respect to Ike. A 2-way starting for the dubs in game 2 is tough," Curry wrote.
That post landed because the Warriors’ center rotation really is in rough shape. Kristaps Porzingis’ sudden ghosting of the organization left the team scrambling, Charles Bassey is injured, and Al Horford has not been available on back-to-backs while the team tries to manage his back issues.
Ike, a 6-foot-9 undrafted rookie from Gonzaga who signed a two-way contract with Golden State on Sept. 22, got the nod and made the most of it on offense. He scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting and hit two 3-pointers, though he also finished with the lowest plus-minus among Warriors starters at minus-16.
The bigger problem for Golden State goes beyond one fill-in start. Through two games, the roster has looked short on size and short on answers for the familiar question hanging over the season: who is going to help Steph Curry?
The Warriors opened with a blowout loss in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, when new Lakers big man Walker Kessler went 12-for-12 from the floor and threw down 10 dunks. Then on Friday, Golden State looked ready to protect its home opener before everything unraveled late. The Warriors blew a 12-point lead, went 0-for-9 from the field in the final three minutes, and lost 111-108 to Memphis.
There isn’t much time to reset. Golden State is back in action Saturday at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Bay Area against the Suns, in the second night of a home back-to-back.
But the availability report isn’t doing them any favors: Curry is out, Horford is out, Brandin Podziemski is out, and Draymond Green is considered doubtful. Under those conditions, the Warriors’ search for their first win of the season does not look especially promising.
In Other News...
Warriors Center Search Suddenly Has A More Realistic Trade Path
The Warriors search for a starting center has taken on a more practical edge, with Wendell Carter Jr. of the Magic now sitting near the center of the conversation. Golden State has been looking for help up front, and Carter checks a lot of the boxes the front office would want: size, a starting pedigree and a contract structure that could make the math work if Orlando is willing to listen.
Orlandos position in the playoff race makes any deal harder to pull off, but the financial side of it is why this idea has more traction than many others the Warriors have explored. Golden State has had interest in Carter before, and he has also reminded teams of his value with a strong showing against the Hawks, which only adds to the sense that if the Magic ever decide to seriously engage, this could be one of the cleaner center paths available. [Read more 🡒]
Stephen Curry Sounds Off After A Brutal Warriors Collapse
The late-game letdown at Chase Center stung in a way the Warriors have become too familiar with during this early stretch, as a 12-point lead slipped away in a 111-108 home loss to Memphis. Stephen Curry paced Golden State with 24 points, but his tough night shooting, combined with another uneven finish, left the Warriors with their second straight defeat while trying to make do without Kristaps Porzingis and Jimmy Butler.
Curry did not hide how painful the result felt after another game that was there to be closed out. The encouraging part for Golden State was the way rookies Yaxel Lendeborg and Brandin Podziemski helped steady the group, but the bigger concern is whether the Warriors can clean up the closing minutes before the frustration starts to linger beyond one bad loss. [Read more 🡒]
Luka Drama Just Pulled The Grizzlies Into A Bigger NBA Debate
Yaxel Lendeborgs first NBA night came with more attention than the box score usually brings, and the Warriors rookie did not sound interested in backing away from it afterward. After Golden States debut against the Lakers, Lendeborg publicly went at Luka Doncic in his postgame press conference, calling him a complainer and saying he had lost respect for him. For a player just getting his footing in the league, it was the kind of candid comment that instantly travels beyond one locker room.
Inside the Warriors orbit, though, the reaction was hardly a distancing one. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green defended Lendeborgs remarks, even as the rookie acknowledged afterward that he might have gone too far. Still, he made clear he intends to keep being himself, which leaves the larger question hanging over a young player who already has veterans in his corner and a much bigger NBA conversation swirling around him than anyone expected on debut night. [Read more 🡒]