The Golden State Warriors are the defending champions, but they are struggling to start the year and enter play on Friday with a 6-9 record. NBA analyst Greg Anthony thinks one situation regarding the team is being overlooked.
The Warriors lost 130-119 to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night. Speaking on NBA TV after the game, Anthony referenced the Draymond Green-Jordan Poole punch as a problem.
“I go back to when all the craziness started with Draymond and Poole. I still firmly believe, yes they got strong leadership in their locker room and their front office, but that is a seminal moment for me. When that stuff gets out in the public and it’s there for all to see, it hits differently. And I still think this group is dealing with that,” Anthony said.
Prior to the season, Poole and Green had an altercation during practice. That culminated with Green punching Poole, and the video later went public.
Anthony said he thinks it’s become bad enough where teams now look forward to facing Golden State.
“They’re going to say all the right things, but the real proof is when you watch them play. This is not a cohesive unit. They don’t seem to have the same level of fire or trust. And the rest of the league is like kind of licking their chops. They’re looking forward to playing them now. That was never the case with the Warriors,” said Anthony.
Maybe the punch has thrown off the chemistry between the sides, but it’s hard to say.
As far as Anthony saying that the Warriors not having the fire right now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Golden State isn’t looking to be at their best in November; their goal is to win in the playoffs, not the regular season. There will be a big issue though if they’re not playing well a few months from now, when they need to make a playoff push.
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