Last night, the Boston Celtics massacred the Golden State Warriors on TNT, and Inside the NBA's Kenny Smith thinks enough is enough. With a 21-20 record and their championship window closing, Smith doesn't believe the Warriors should go after veterans to make another run. Instead, Smith thinks it's time for Golden State to cut the cord and begin retooling through trades and the NBA Draft. However, that doesn't mean the Warriors trade superstar Stephen Curry. Instead, Smith believes the rebuild should happen around Curry.
“They're in a similar situation as the Lakers, but much different in the same result,” Smith said during halftime of the Warriors' 125-85 loss to the Celtics. “Meaning, when you're building/rebuilding around LeBron James, you say, ‘Hey, he's later in his years. He's maybe not the same player, but he's still a great player, one of the top players in the league.' LeBron James plays with the ball in his hands, so you have to build a team that actually fits in, so you're going to bring in older players.
“I think with Steph Curry, he actually plays without the ball a lot. He's running off picks. So now you can say, ‘We're going to do a young rebuild with young energy to get him shots easier because he's catch-and-shooting more instead of beating people off the dribble.' So, the rebuild is different. They should go young, through the draft, through trade, keep guys like [Jonathan] Kuminga, not think about trading guys like Kuminga at his age. That group is where they need to be.”
Did Kenny Smith's Inside the NBA co-hosts agree with his hot Warriors take?

Smith's approach might allow Golden State to have the best of both worlds- a revamped roster around Curry with pieces that are also young enough to shepherd in the next generation of Warriors basketball once the greatest shooter of all time decides to retire. Unfortunately, time isn't on the side of Curry and the Warriors, making some of Smith's co-hosts disagree with his take.
Smith's co-host, Charles Barkley, took a more straightforward approach, saying it doesn’t matter what the Warriors do unless they can acquire a superstar.
“It doesn't matter what they do unless they go out and get a superstar,” Barkley said. “That's their only chance … getting younger ain't going to make them better.”
With Curry still showing he can play at a high level, the Warriors face the difficult task of maximizing their window with a generational player without sacrificing an abundance of future assets. It's a delicate balancing act, and hopefully, Golden State can figure it out.