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The Golden State Warriors have been the NBA‘s model of stability for the past decade. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have been together since 2012. Steve Kerr joined them as coach in 2015. They’ve won four championships since, and while there have been minor incidents in the locker room and on the court in that time, Golden State has largely been able to work through its issues more effectively than any other team in basketball.
That harmony faced its greatest challenge ever at training camp, when Green punched teammate Jordan Poole in the face at a practice. Video of the punch went viral, and Green needed to step away from the team briefly as a result. This is the sort of incident that could fracture a locker room beyond repair, yet when the Warriors opened their season Tuesday night they throttled the Lakers, 123-109, in a blowout victory.
The infrastructure they’ve developed over the past decade helped them do that, and it all flows back to Curry’s leadership. In an interview with Showtime’s Rachel Nichols, Curry expounded on the light touch he employed to help bring the team back together.
“I’m trying to be a connector,” Curry said. “You realize what conversations need to be had. There’s a little bit of patience involved. You know, we’re all human beings and we all have emotions and we all have ways of coping with adversity. But my job is to maintain the joy, have perspective, but also the expectation that we can get through it. There were some hard days. There could be some hard days coming, you know, you just have to be able to deal with reality as it is. And that’s kind of my job as, you know, leader of the team.”
It’s too early to tell where things will go for the Warriors. Poole signed a four-year, $140 million contract extension before the season, but Green, who can become a free agent after the season, has not yet signed an extension. Money matters can be dangerous, even for veteran teams looking to win titles. But the Warriors have weathered plenty of Green-related incidents in the past. Curry’s presence as both a player and leader will make it easier to survive this one as well.
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