Barely a month into the new season and already, the Golden State Warriors and their fall from grace have been nothing short of epic. From being a couple of games away from further cementing their legacy by winning their third straight title — and their fourth in the past five seasons — the defending Western Conference champs are now in possession of a league-worst 3-14 record in a matter of months.
Obviously, injuries have played a major role in Golden State's current conundrum, but there's also no denying that the Warriors are absolutely missing the services of former back-to-back Finals MVP Kevin Durant. Sure, he would still be on the shelf right now even if he opted to re-sign with the Dubs in the summer, but nevertheless, Monte Poole of NBC Sports reports that this parting of ways is something that team owner Joe Lacob terribly regrets.
Article Continues BelowThough the Warriors added D’Angelo Russell, hoping he might offset some of the offense lost with KevIn Durant’s departure (a decision that, according to some, still haunts franchise CEO Joe Lacob) – and, at worst, be of value in trade – they already had seen enough of D-Lo to know he is not equipped to fill the leadership/galvanization void created by Curry’s absence.
D'Angelo Russell, who himself has battled through a couple of injuries since making his Warriors debut this season, is clearly the primary subject of this report, but it's hard to ignore the bit about Lacob and Durant. At the end of the day, it was always going to be Durant's decision to make, but still, what Lacob is probably ruing the most is how they just let one of the best players of his generation slip through their fingers so easily.