The Final Twenty-Two

Week Seventeen Ends With a Demoralizing loss and More Questions Than Answers:

The Dubs drop a heartbreaker at the buzzer (116-117) as Denver Nuggets Monte Morris hits a clutch three sending the Warriors (42-17) into the break with one Win for their last five games.

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With Green injured and Wiseman remaining a question mark, the time for Steve Kerr to developer options has run out. The focus must be on how they got here. The depth of a playoff run depends on restoring the stability and confidence displayed during the beginning of the 2021 schedule. Hampered by player management restrictions of Thompson, Porter Jr., Iguodala, and the incorporation of Wiseman and Green into the rotation are the issues confronting Kerr as the Dubs exit the break for the final twenty-two.

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The schedule will not be kind to the Warriors to complete the regular season as the team from the bay will have thirteen on the road (16-11) and nine at home (26-6). The Road Warriors will have to face Portland, Minnesota, Dallas, Los Angeles Lakers, and Denver coming out of the break before Green and Wiseman are likely to return. Both are projected to return as early as March 8th (home), LA Clippers, or as late as the 16th (home) against the Boston Celtics, barring any setbacks in their rehabilitation process.

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Kerr will look to shorten his rotation with well-defined players' rolls and rotational minutes. The leadership of Curry, Thompson, and Iguodala has now become critical with the absence of Green and Wiseman. Wiggins and Poole again must regain the aggression of their game, on display, at the beginning of the Schedule. Kuminga will need to continue earning the trust of Kerr and his staff as the rookie develops into a rotational playoff option." Strength in Numbers" is an ill-conceived concept if the numbers do not fit the matchups or the players are not available who do.