SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors will play their next home game without fans because of the city’s ban on large events. That could change, but the NBA will monitor the situation closely.
When the Warriors move on the court, it’s like a Renaissance workshop watching Michelangelo chiseling David. Their modern art has a wonky air, yet it’s also fully human.
Schedule Changes
The NBA is adjusting its schedule. It will play 82 games over four months instead of five. There will be more road trips. And it will be harder for Golden State to get home-court advantage.
The Warriors were supposed to play the Denver Nuggets tonight at Ball Arena, but the game was postponed because the Nuggets couldn’t field eight healthy players. The team had three players — Jeff Green, Bones Hyland and Zeke Nnaji — enter health and safety protocols. And four other players — Aaron Gordon, Monte Morris, Austin Rivers and VlatkoCancar — were questionable.
The postponement didn’t sit well with the Warriors. Draymond Green tweeted that the move “doesn’t make much sense.” He also said it gives the Nuggets a “competitive advantage,” since they got to win when the Warriors were not at full strength. It’s hard to argue with that logic. The Warriors have a league-tying 15 back-to-back sets this season.
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Game Postponements
With COVID-19 cases continuing to surge worldwide, the NBA continues to be forced to take steps to ensure that games are played. On Thursday night, the Warriors’ game at Denver was postponed because the Nuggets did not have enough players available to play, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The Nuggets had three players — Jeff Green, Bones Hyland and Zeke Nnaji — enter the coronavirus protocols, and the team already has injured players including Monte Morris, Aaron Gordon, Austin Rivers and VlatkoCancar.
The Warriors are the league’s top team, but a pause in their schedule would hurt them. Draymond Green took to Twitter after the game was postponed and slammed the NBA for its handling of the pandemic. He also noted that he was disappointed by the decision. The Warriors are slated to play eight of their next nine games on the road. The only exception is the home game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 15.
Injuries
Regardless of how the Warriors’ injuries affect their postseason chances, they are going to play some tough games. The team has four In-Season tournament games and 15 back-to-back sets — including three home-and-home pairs against teams in the Warriors’ random group of five Western Conference rivals.
That schedule is going to put a strain on the Warriors’ veterans and youngsters. Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are carrying enormous amounts of wear-and-tear on their bodies. That’s to be expected when players go through a marathon season, but the Warriors need to find ways to maximize their vets while developing their younger players.
That was the message Warriors general manager Bob Myers had for Curry when the team’s game vs. the Denver Nuggets was postponed Thursday night because the Nuggets didn’t have the minimum number of eight healthy players to play. The Warriors and Nuggets will play March 7 at Ball Arena, which is one day after the Warriors’ scheduled All-Star break.
Rest
Draymond Green wasn’t happy about the Warriors having to cancel Thursday’s game. He said the NBA needs to “pick a side” and stop straddling the fence regarding rest rules.
As of late, the Warriors have been in a bit of a pickle with NBA commissioner Adam Silver. He has instituted new rules in an effort to reduce teams’ reliance on load management. But he has also said that he doesn’t want to micromanage how teams manage their rosters.
The Warriors have a number of games on their schedule that could be affected by the league’s updated rest rules. But it’s doubtful that those rules will affect Golden State nearly as much as the headlines and sports talkshow hysteria suggest. For example, the Warriors won’t be fined for resting Steph Curry or Draymond Green in a nationally televised game. But the Warriors will still have to find other ways to ensure that their stars can play a full 82-game schedule.
