That’s been the theme of the message coming from the Warriors since the day they reported for training camp.
asserted
they → come → camp
The golden years are long gone, but at least Golden State’s brass has the courtesy to tell us all.
asserted
brass → go → courtesy
Coach Steve Kerr hasn’t hidden the fact that championship expectations are pretty much out the door for the first time under his watch.
asserted
expectations → hide → watch
Instead, he said, success will be judged on process.
asserted
success → say → process
One of Kerr’s best qualities is his transparency, and he dropped another truth bomb this week.
asserted
he → drop → bomb
A ticket to see the Warriors is not the same as a ticket to see Steph Curry.
asserted
ticket → see → Curry
Buyer beware.
asserted
Buyer → beware → ?
“I would just come out and tell the fans out there to be mindful when you’re buying the tickets of the schedule,” Kerr told reporters after practice Thursday.
asserted
Kerr → come → practice
Kerr’s warning was ostensibly an attempt to get ahead of the curve on a problem that has plagued the Warriors — or, well, really well-meaning ticket buyers — for years now.
asserted
that → get → years
Fans drop big money to catch the Warriors when they come to town, and all they get to see is Curry’s fashion sensibility on the bench.
asserted
they → drop → bench
Even an athlete of Curry’s caliber isn’t capable of keeping up with the NBA’s 82-game schedule at age 38, entering his 18th season.
asserted
athlete → keep → season
It’s in the Warriors’ best interests to keep him fresh for the long haul.
asserted
It → ’ → haul
They play 15 sets of back-to-backs this season, tied for the second most in the league.
asserted
They → play → league
It’s not just smart money to bet Curry won’t play both legs in many, if possibly any.
uncertain
Curry → ’ → many
It’s just smart basketball.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
“We’ve got not just Steph but multiple vets we are going to try and manage,” Kerr said. “Because it’s the only way we can do this.”
asserted
we → get → this
They had an old roster full of veterans who would need to be managed to make it through the season.
asserted
who → have → season
Three games in, Kerr had a decision to make: Play the long game and rest his vets on their first back-to-back of the season or chase a win against the Trail Blazers in Portland after beating the Nuggets in overtime the night before.
asserted
Kerr → have → overtime
He went for the win, and the Warriors lost by 20.
asserted
Warriors → go → 20
Golden State faces an almost-identical schedule this season, only with the second half of the back-to-back coming in Phoenix, rather than Portland.
asserted
half → face → Portland
If Kerr has learned his lesson, then, well, sorry Suns fans hoping to catch a glimpse of Curry, you can’t say he didn’t warn you.
asserted
he → learn → you
Heeding Kerr’s advice and looking further down the road, fans in Dallas or Memphis (Nov. 18-19), Los Angeles (Dec. 23), Phoenix (Dec. 28), Portland or Utah (Jan. 27-28), Chicago or Boston (Feb. 9-10), Houston or Dallas (March 1-2) and Oklahoma City (April 8-9) seem likely to get the short end of the stick in terms of who will actually be in the black-and-gold uniforms they paid to see.
asserted
they → heed → uniforms
The Warriors typically try to avoid sitting their stars at home, but some tickets are riskier than others (Nov. 1-2; Dec. 22, 27; Jan. 6-7, 12-13, 21-22; March 9, 16-17, 24-25).
asserted
tickets → try → others
All told, that makes up more than one-third of the schedule with games fans can’t go to the box office with confidence in who’s going to be on the court.
asserted
who → tell → court
That’s a larger issue for the NBA, and Kerr has repeatedly pushed for shortening the regular season to 72 games.
asserted
Kerr → ’ → games
But his attempt at managing fans’ expectations only served to underscore the realities the Warriors are facing this season.
asserted
Warriors → manage → realities
There’s a reason why nobody, not even the perennially positive Curry, was preaching championship or bust before their first preseason practice.
asserted
nobody → ’ → practice
At the end of last season, Kerr said the Warriors couldn’t do the same thing again.
asserted
Warriors → say → thing
Al Horford appeared in only 45 games.
asserted
Horford → appear → games
Kristaps Porzingis missed more games than he played in after being acquired in February.
asserted
he → miss → February
Curry’s knee flared up and caused him to miss two months.
asserted
him → flare → months
General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said his options over the summer came down to availability or fit, and he leaned toward the latter.
asserted
he → say → latter
The only active player older than Horford is LeBron James, and he won’t play back-to-backs again this season.
asserted
he → play → backs
There will need to be built-in rest days for Draymond Green, 36, as well as Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody when they return from knee surgeries.
asserted
they → need → surgeries
Curry will also be handled differently this season than ever before in an attempt to keep his runner’s knee from barking.
asserted
Curry → handle → knee
Part of that adjustment has meant a slower ramp-up than normal in the preseason.
asserted
Part → mean → preseason
He only played 25 minutes for the first time in their final exhibition.
asserted
He → play → exhibition
With only a few days to go until Opening Night, Kerr couched expectations one more time.
asserted
Kerr → go → expectations
“He’s not yet where he wants to be,” he said of Curry.
asserted
he → ’ → Curry
“But he’s on track.”
asserted
he → ’ → track
The Aporia
