Paul and Curry are still difficult to win the championship, no need for Nuggets to do it! Can the Warriors beat the Lakers?
Paul has once again made a championship declaration, joining the Warriors to light up his championship dreams again, and for the 38-year-old, the window for winning the championship is closing fast, and the opportunity may be this time.
The Warriors and Wizards deal ignores the "side dishes", and the "main course" is Poole for Paul. Poole was groomed by the Warriors as Curry's successor, and the Warriors gave him up and had to take some resources in exchange for 38-year-old Paul, which shows how disgusted he is.
Poole's "punch" with Dreams caused a fuss in the Warriors' locker room, and Kerr called it the biggest crisis since coaching the Warriors, and it was not completely resolved by the end of the season. Although the whole team is tight-lipped about what happened in the locker room, only Chasing Meng consciously or unintentionally mentioned that he can no longer express his views in the team as before, but must control his mouth and speak cautiously, which shows that the locker room culture that the Warriors once proud of has been destroyed.
Poole, who destroyed the team's environment, played too rubbish in the playoffs last season, averaging 10.3 points per game and shooting 25.4% from three-point range, compared with 2022 (17 points per game, 39% three-point shooting) is like a different person, the 4-year 140 million contract he renewed will start next season, and the Warriors can't bear the "tea brother" toss, both inside and outside the court.
It is said that the new general manager of the Warriors, Dunlevi Jr. turned out to be a scout, it was he who discovered Poole and suggested that the Warriors use the first-round pick to choose, Poole's outstanding performance in the 2022 championship season made Dunlevi Jr.'s status soar in the team, but a year later he was swollen in the face, Dunlevi Jr. quickly cut the mess and sent it away directly, as an insider, he knows better than the outside world about the negative impact of Poole on the team.
Paul's contract has two years left, the 2024-25 season is non-guaranteed, Klay's contract expires in 2024, if the Warriors want, a year later can be untied on salary, considering that the "second local tycoon line" in the new collective bargaining agreement will be implemented in the summer of 2024, Dunleavy Jr.'s current operation is expected to allow the Warriors to avoid an economic crisis a year later.
In terms of tactical value, under the premise of good health, Paul may be more qualified for the role of the second team offensive developer than Poole, his blocking execution, mid-range small play, and sophisticated counterposition defense, more stable than the time-stricken Poole, and Curry can reduce each other's burden, and Paul has the peculiar attribute of "raising the ceiling of the team in the first year of joining", going to the Clippers in the first year to break the team's dilemma of missing the playoffs for five consecutive years, and almost overturning the universe in the playoffs in the first year of the Rockets, Go to the Thunder to bring the rebuild team into the playoffs, go to the Suns directly to the Finals, if this attribute can continue, the Warriors who played the second round last season will at least start in the Western Conference next season.
Of course, we can't rely on metaphysics, and metaphysics is not beneficial to Paul, he can show high and low in each team is also quite mysterious, and every time the key node of the championship is likely to be injured, as if with the championship "not to wear the sky", so if Paul is allowed to choose, metaphysics is not enough.
As far as the content of the game is concerned, Paul's blocking and dismantling and misplaced playing style is not very compatible with the Warriors' passing system, but at Paul's experience level, it is not difficult to adapt to the team, and the compatibility between him and the Warriors is still fundamentally different from the style of play that Wei Shao and the Lakers. In addition, Cole has always liked to put a more traditional ball carrier on the field during the rotation period, such as the former Iguodala and Livingston.
Paul and Curry's teaming up is a belated combination, once the league's No. 1 point guard, finally partnered with the all-time No. 1 shooter, although late but still a little excited, but does this mean that the Warriors are closer to a championship than last season?
Now Paul does not have to compare with his peak, even compared with the 2021-22 season has a significant decline in combat effectiveness, due to age and injury caused by the decline in athleticism, Paul's rush to the basket has slipped to a career low, only 2.5% of last season's shots were completed within 3 feet of the basket, his shooting area is mainly in the middle range, and this stunt also shows a decline in efficiency, shooting 52% in the 2021-22 season, and 47.7% in the 2022-23 season, although it is not low, But considering that Paul's caution in shooting was not high, the striking power became more and more limited.
The Warriors brought in Paul to bring in him with a second lineup, but who do they have on their second lineup? If DiVincenzo can't stay (with high probability), it's still doubtful how much rookie can bring (the Warriors have been a mess in terms of rookie development in recent years), and the second team is left with Kuminga, Payton Jr. and Moody, and the Warriors may be able to take advantage of the fact that the "second line" has not yet been started, and improve the rotation through the luxury tax middle class, but the ceiling is not as high as DiVincenzo.
The Warriors probably won't expect Paul to take the second team to the level of suppressing opponents, don't dig holes like Poole led the team to play rotation time last season. Cole is expected to use Paul to close the finale, Paul + Curry + Klay + Wiggins + Dream (if renewed) This lineup will appear, which is the way Cole is used to using troops, and the new version dies five small.
If it was placed five years ago, this five-small lineup was at least a simple version of the Cosmic Braves, but now Paul is old, Klay can't go back after two major injuries, the new five-small body size is magnified, the tallest of the five is Wiggins, the other four are under two meters, Paul is less than one meter eighty-five, this size condition is in the West, not to mention playing the tall and mighty Nuggets in the front court, and playing again with the Lakers last season, it may still be enough to choke.
The fundamental problem of the Warriors is not in the backcourt, but in the front court, Jokic and thick eyebrows are the two blockades in the West, and the Warriors don't want to win the championship if they can't break it.
Since the outside world can see the lack of size, Dunleavy Jr. knows better, but it is difficult for a clever woman to cook without rice, and the Warriors' current salary conditions do not have the opportunity to introduce high-quality big men, and can only look forward to whether management can replicate the operation of introducing Otto Porter, adding a player with height, defense, and three-point shooting to the front line, if so, the Warriors may be able to go further in the playoffs.
The Warriors' operation this time is to get rid of Poole, who has been identified by them as negative equity, if Klay and Chase Dream do not pay a high price, the Warriors may extend their contract to 2026, and then synchronize with Curry's contract, which is both a consideration of emotional revenue and a core stability non-injury factor record that will not plummet.
As for Paul, he fought this year with the Warriors, and the fight won him and the team were happy.
If he didn't win, Paul got used to it.