You can’t raise a championship banner in October.
But you can certainly raise a red flag.
Consider one flying over Chase Center after the Warriors’ 112-104 loss to the Clippers on Sunday. That’s not because the Dubs came out flat against long-time nemesis James Harden, but because the game saw superstar Steph Curry twist his left ankle not once but twice in the second half of the contest.
The ankle injury (injuries?) saw Curry limping into the locker room with 7:55 to play in the fourth quarter and will unquestionably sideline him for a while. The Dubs have a back-to-back with the Pelicans on Tuesday and Wednesday — Curry is out for those games. That’s followed by a five-game road trip to start November.
It’s far too early to really care about the team’s win-loss record (they’re 2-1 on the season, if you must know), but it’s not too early to start counting the contests Curry misses.
That’s because the Warriors entered this season with a specific conceit: they could be one of the best teams in the Western Conference without a clear-cut No. 2 to augment and backstop Curry.
No, they would win by having the deepest roster in the NBA as support for the 36-year-old guard. The Warriors wanted to revisit the “Strength In Numbers” days. It’s more like the “It Takes a Village” era.
Now, it’s being put to the test.
To be clear: That one-star plan would only reasonably work if that one star played roughly 70 games this season. The first two contests of the campaign — blowout wins over tanking teams — were played to perfection, as Curry spent both fourth quarters on the bench, off his feet and out of the fray.
Yes, 70 games. The number might be arbitrary, but the impact of Curry missing time is anything but.
And seeing as he can only reasonably miss 12 games in the regular season, and circumstance dictates he uses some of that allotment early, there are ample reasons for concern.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr called Curry’s ankle sprain “mild” and “moderate” after the contest. Either way, it’s still “sidelining.” The way the Warriors handle injuries, there won’t be an exact timeframe placed on his return — he’ll simply be “reevaluated” on Friday.
This isn’t to say the Warriors can’t win games without Curry. It’s merely to say that recent history tells us the Warriors will be a bad team without No. 30. They have barely been able to function when he sits on the bench as part of his regular rest protocol in games — what happens when he misses the full 48?
Two years ago, the Warriors went 14-12 with Curry inactive. Last year, they managed a 3-5 record.
I know the Warriors would lock in both winning percentages for this upcoming Curry absence.
It, of course, didn’t have to be like this. The Warriors had opportunities to trade for an All-Star counterpart to play alongside — or lead the team in lieu of Curry. Neither worked out, and the Warriors were hardly blameless victims in both circumstances.
Say what you will about Paul George (who is injured for the Sixers) or Lauri Markkanen (who didn’t look great when the Warriors just played the Jazz). Still, both are better options than Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, or Buddy Hield. Combined, the trio shot 1-for-20 from beyond the arc Sunday.
We know Draymond Green isn’t going to become prime Charles Barkley. And you can feel free to bet on Andrew Wiggins—who has looked good this season—to play like a No. 1. But this is the man’s 11th NBA season. Why is anyone pretending that he’s a prospect ready to break out, if only given the opportunity?
The Warriors are likely a fringe playoff team with Curry. Kumbaya can only get you so far.
And every day without Curry is a day this team will likely need to make up later in the season.
You can only pick up so many IOUs this early.
But this was the bet the Warriors made. They wanted to be deep, and they did just that. Now Kerr can do what he said he’d be comfortable doing on Sunday — start Lindy Waters III.
Truth be told, the Warriors’ front office might be geniuses for this plan. This team’s high floor could prove to be its strongest asset.
Then again, they might have doomed their season with an October ankle twist.