Bill Simmons has always been one of my favourite things because he has never once attempted to disguise his passion. Not even for the least. He’s from Boston. He essentially observes everything about the NBA through Boston Celtics coloured glasses.

That’s how I am too. I grew up in the region most people mistake for Oregon—Northern California, way north of San Francisco—and attended college close to the Bay Area. Ever since I could walk, the Warriors have been a constant on my TV, or at least a constant presence in my NBA consciousness, over the years.

I have to make an effort to view the Warriors objectively. I’m not sure if I succeed every time. I think that when things are going well, I’m a little too high on them, and when they’re not, I’m a little too critical. When Steve Kerr won’t let Steph Curry run pick-and-rolls until he’s forced into a Game 7 against the freaking Kings, well, remotes have been known to fly.

Yes, I am aware that the Kings are no longer the freaking Kings.

Yes, I am aware that Steve Kerr is the greatest coach of all time.

I still get upset over these things. However, there’s something about this Warriors team that feels unique, and that strangely comforts me. They aren’t a worthy opponent for the crown. Not in its current form. I’m okay with that. At least for the moment. I can’t promise anything when they’re hovering around the play-in queue in February and don’t make a trade for a true game-changer.

But this isn’t the Warriors team as of mid-November. It’s a legacy play to try to force them into the contender conversation, and that legacy was created with Draymond Green and Klay Thompson at the pinnacle of their abilities. That’s not the situation anymore. It’s simply not.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love Green a lot (when he can stay focused), but for a team that already struggles to find any kind of reliable scoring outside of Curry, Thompson’s deterioration is too much to bear. The Chris Paul Kool-aid quickly changed from being the real thing to being sugar-free. Paul isn’t even close to being the same player that Thompson once was.

He may be a better ball defender than Jordan Poole, but gosh, the juice isn’t there. From three, the player can hardly get the ball in front of the basket. Any given night, you can glance up and see him with two points without being shocked.

Two timelines were a complete joke. While Poole had a significant role in the 2022 championship victory, James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga were the true two-timeline players. The Wiseman has left. Although Kuminga is and has been a superb player in the past, it is unrealistic to expect him to provide the true championship pzazz.

Moody’s is also excellent. However, as a 3-and-D player, he is somewhat redundant next to Thompson, and I’ve come to terms with the fact that the Warriors will ride the nostalgia for Thompson till the end. Thus, Moody’s minutes are inconsistent. Furthermore, he’s not exactly a radical needle-mover.

With an almost neutral net rating, the Warriors rank 15th in terms of offence and 12th in terms of defence. These days, they barely even win the Curry minutes (plus-0.4, according to CTG). Granted, Andrew Wiggins has been a shadow of the guy the Warriors have grown accustomed to and has significantly diminished the Curry lineups, but that is a denial of the larger, more important reality.

There simply isn’t enough on this Warriors team. Perhaps if they were willing to make a major trade, possibly involving Thompson, they could have had enough, but I don’t think they will. Not that I really want them to. I’m a part of this squad, once more. have been ever since I can recall. Thompson and I share the same warm place for each other as every ardent Dubs fan.

However, in all honesty, he’s now just Steph’s supporter, and even then, just sometimes. That is the harsh reality. Curry no longer has a true teammate to help him score points and shoot targets, and in the absence of a superior defence, a fantastic bench, or—dare I say it—some Jordan Poole juice to make up for it, this is kind of how things stand.

Actually, I had a feeling that this was a team that would linger around the play-in queue, and nothing has emerged to contradict my suspicions thus far. Two of the Warriors’ seven victories came via game-winning jumpers. It might very well be a 4–9 scenario.

They were unable to win at home last year and on the road this year. It’s hard, dude. Yet things are as they are. The heyday has passed. For the mere reason that Curry is still playing at his best, we have a puncher’s chance every night, but that’s all. Unless they rearrange the lineup. which they won’t likely do.