The Golden State Warriors are in a rough patch, and Sunday’s 136-131 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers only deepened the frustration. Despite Stephen Curry dropping a scorching 48 points-doing just about everything short of selling popcorn at halftime-the Warriors still couldn’t get the job done against a Blazers squad that had lost six of its last seven. That one stings.
With that loss, the Warriors slipped to 13-14 on the season and now sit below .500. They’re clinging to the eighth seed in the Western Conference, 4.5 games back of the sixth-place Minnesota Timberwolves. And in a West that’s as deep and unforgiving as ever, that gap feels bigger than it looks.
Fans are feeling it-and they’re letting the organization know. One fan, 27-year-old Justin Dutari from Panama, took matters into his own hands. He tracked down team owner Joe Lacob’s email and sent a message that echoed what a lot of Warriors fans are probably thinking right now.
“Please do something about this team,” Dutari wrote. “What [does] Steph need to do every night to win?
Drop 50 points? Team is [in] need of a real second option.
Jimmy [Butler's] tools are being underutilized because he is playing as a power forward due to the small position players. We have no true center.
I am so frustrated.”
To Dutari’s surprise, Lacob actually responded-within two minutes.
“You can’t be as frustrated as me,” Lacob wrote. “I am working on it.
It’s complicated. Style of play.
Coaches’ desires regarding players. League trends.
Jimmy is not the problem.”
Now, it’s rare to see that kind of direct engagement from a team owner, and Lacob’s response, while measured, offered a glimpse into the internal complexity facing the Warriors right now. He didn’t name names beyond Jimmy Butler-who, according to Lacob, isn’t the issue-but the line about “coaches’ desires regarding players” raised more than a few eyebrows.
It doesn’t take too much reading between the lines to see where that might be pointing. Jonathan Kuminga’s situation continues to be one of the more puzzling storylines in Golden State.
After what looked like a promising start to the season-starting the first 12 games, averaging nearly 15 points, and seemingly carving out a consistent role-Kuminga has since faded from the rotation. He’s logged more DNP-CDs than actual appearances over the past few weeks, and it’s no secret that his relationship with the coaching staff has been rocky for a while.
Last summer’s contract standoff didn’t help matters, and now, as the trade deadline looms on February 5, Kuminga’s name is once again being floated in potential deals. But let’s be clear-moving Kuminga isn’t a magic fix. Unless the return is a game-changer (think Giannis-level talent, which is highly unlikely), it’s not going to single-handedly elevate the Warriors back into contention.
Still, something has to give. Curry is playing at an MVP-caliber level, but the supporting cast hasn’t been consistent enough to keep the Warriors in the upper tier of the West. The team lacks a reliable second scorer, the frontcourt has been stretched thin, and the rotation feels like it’s still in flux nearly two months into the season.
Maybe Lacob will take Dutari’s plea as a call to action. Maybe the front office will get more aggressive as the trade deadline approaches. But until then, the Warriors are going to have to find a way to survive the next month in a Western Conference that doesn’t offer any breathers.
Curry can’t do it alone. And right now, that’s exactly what it feels like.