The Golden State Warriors might have the worst record in the NBA. But the culture of fun and teamwork established over the last few years of prolific winning have made for a positive environment in the Bay Area.
So when general manager Bob Myers dealt a host of players prior to Thursday's trade deadline, there was actually a tinge of sadness. Most people expected relief at moving on from the bottom-dwellers of the league.
Myers said that is something you rarely see in professional sports (via Janie McCauley of NBC Bay Area):
“That’s unprecedented,” Myers said Friday after dealing much of the Warriors roster this week.
Myers then elaborated on how tough it was to make certain decisions due to that established culture:
“I hope our environment makes me better, makes players better. We were talking about the difficulty of trading those guys the other night in Brooklyn and somebody mentioned to me, ‘This is really rough on our culture,’ and I said, ‘You know what’s amazing, we have the worst record in the NBA, not one player wanted to go.’ That’s unprecedented,” Myers said, applauding coach Steve Kerr’s role and the support of owner Joe Lacob.
Golden State traded D'Angelo Russell, Omari Spellman and Jacob Evans to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Meanwhile, Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III were sent to the Philadelphia 76ers. Former No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins is among those who will join the Warriors.
Myers' comments seem to define the general vibe surrounding the Warriors this season. Injuries may have ruined any chance of competing this year, but the cohesiveness was clearly there. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were on the bench for nearly every home game, showing unbridled enthusiasm for the young guys and staying engaged.
In any case, former two-way players like Ky Bowman and Marquese Chriss will now get acclimated after signing for the rest of the season. And the Warriors will continue to try to grow their young players as Curry eyes a potential March return.
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