With the Golden State Warriors' loss to the Los Angeles Lakers Friday night, the Warriors have finally fell in a Western Conference playoff series for the first time under Steve Kerr. In a season they made the playoffs, they are headed home before June for the first time since 2014.The Warriors also failed to win a road playoff game for the first time under Kerr.Both are testaments to their long and storied run of greatness: four titles, five conference championships, two MVPs for Steph Curry, the greatest regular-season record in league history and reshaping how people thought about basketball.The question now, understandably, is what's next?I'm of two minds on the subject, so we're going to engage in a little internal dialogue.ME: OK, so the Athletic has already published the post-mortem on the Warriors, and none of it is that surprising. You should read the whole thing, but here are the key points:
- There's significant interest in retaining Draymond Green on a multi-year deal. Green has a player option for this summer.
- There's a lot of concern that Bob Myers will not be in charge of basketball operations, potentially by his own choice. Myers leaving would influence Green's decision.
- It would also influence Klay Thompson's decision on whether to sign an extension under what's assumed to be a pay reduction in future seasons.
- Jordan Poole is the guy no one is sure will return on the players' side.
So, it sounds very much like all parties want to run it back, with the possible exception of Myers. But the team is extr emely cap-strapped and facing even harsher penalties financially under the new CBA.Whether it's moving Poole for some random solid veteran or veteran combination, moving Kevon Looney – who may have legitimately been the third-best Warrior in these playoffs – trading Jonathan Kuminga to try and retool the bench, or other moves, it's clear there's no “end of an era” happening unless negotiations turn sideways.And that's understandable. The Warriors had a down year. I was on their preseason win total under based on the hangover from the championship and the fact they went to Asia during the preseason.Teams that have overseas preseason trips tend to hit their unders if the win total is above 50. (The Bucks were an exception this year.)The Warriors couldn't win road games, almost to an inexplicable, mystical degree. They were the worst defending champion in NBA history in terms of road record.It was a bad year for teams on the road in general in the West, but the Warr iors went well beyond.They mired in mediocrity until a late-season push; Curry, Green and Andrew Wiggins all missed time.In the playoffs, they faced a young, fast Kings team that pushed them to their limit, and the result was playing every other day for two weeks. It wore them out.But next year, they can retool and maybe manage minutes better, get better performances from the stars, better health and finish with a better seed to allow them to receive an easier path in the postseason.There's no reason to overreact.
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