Waiting for it to all come together, semi-healthy Warriors hit the road

Mostly back, but still messy - Golden State takes on the Spurs at a really big arena for some reason

The Golden State Warriors are starting the second half of the regular season with a lot of key players returning - as well as a lot of questions unresolved. Led by a core of champions, Golden State has earned some benefit of the doubt, but the clock is ticking in the wide open West. Time to focus up and work it out!

Tonight, the Warriors hit the road with Andrew Wiggins and Steph Curry fully cleared. It’s another record-breaking game this evening as the team will head to San Antonio to take on the Spurs at Alamodome, a massive football stadium that will host a single NBA game tonight for some reason - and break the record for attendance.

On the injury front, aside from the players already back in action, it’s good to see that Jonathan Kuminga is on the mend too. He’s back on the practice court, but ruled out for tonight… with the rest of the team not far behind? Could this be it? Could the Warriors finally get healthy?

Warriors PR @WarriorsPR

Warriors injury updates:

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GAME DETAILS

WHO: Golden State Warriors (20-21) at San Antonio Spurs (13-29)

WHEN: Friday, January 13th, 2023 // 4:30pm PDT

WATCH: ESPN

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Reform like Voltron - Warriors hoping to coalesce… finally

There’s a rhythm to these NBA seasons that seems to be particular to each year. Last season, Curry divided it up into thirds: survive until Klay Thompson comes back, reintegrate Klay, and then the final push into the playoffs. This season? It’s been a mess. After a promising preseason, the wheels sort of fell off once the games started to matter.

The injuries and roster construction decisions have combined into a storm that has swept the defending champs into the muddy waters of the Western Conference middle class. Or maybe it’s just “mid.”

But there’s an institutional muscle memory here. An inertia of sorts that will hopefully begin to gain traction and pull this team back to the forefront.

Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater

What’s it like for a shooter playing in a football dome? Klay Thompson: “Pretty easy. Rim is still 10 feet. Like Gene Hackman said.” Steph Curry: “Doesn’t take that long to calibrate.”

Curry and Wiggins came back for the last game against the Phoenix Suns, Andre Iguodala played too - and yet the team got waxed.

(though definitely check out Daniel Hardee’s excellent treatise on our old pal Damion Lee)

There’s a lot going wrong for Golden State these days. But this is how all the greatest hero stories start off.

Looking ahead, it’s no easy road for the Warriors. But then again, when it all comes together for this squad, it’s shouldn’t matter too much who is on the other side of the court.

fakelogic @fakelogic

Kind of a rough stretch. Spurs should be an easier win, but then... --Road back-to-back w/ both early starts --Another road back-to-back vs tougher teams --Nets (w/o KD) --Grizzlies Round 2

There’s always the option to pull the parachute cord. Golden State has a fully stocked pantry to play with here. Whether it be a trade of a veteran, a bundle of young guns and draft picks, or (heaven forbid) one of the core, the trade market is certainly a possibility.

But all indications are that the Warriors front office is willing to bet that this works out. They haven’t managed to field the real roster just yet - but they’re getting there. With Iguodala back, Kuminga close to returning, and Curry and Wiggins healthy, they’re approaching full firepower. Of course Wiseman and JMG still remain out until further notice, but the main cogs are in place and ready to knock the rust off.

Music Friday (and some ramblings)

Woo! Friday! For some lucky folks, this is even a three day weekend. But today’s music Friday section is a little bittersweet. The band that I consider to be on the punk rock Mount Rushmore is calling it quits. Maybe there will be a reunion tour or two, but NOFX is officially shutting down after a Summer tour. That tour will come through San Francisco and is going on sale at 10am today. Grab tickets here. Seriously.

My dear reader, I gotta level with you. I’m running on fumes. Life has a way of stretching you a little too thin sometimes and it’s those times that I find myself leaning more heavily on what keeps me going - while also sometimes walking away from other things that I enjoy but can’t prioritize. That song above is something I think about a lot as I grind away on this labor of love that is DNHQ.

So, it’s Thursday night as I write this. Kids are getting ready for bed as I type away in my little back corner. I’ve still got to do some work for my day job before putting the computers away and switching to leisure screen video game time.

All that is to say thank you. This space means a lot to me.

Prediction

The Warriors are going to win.