The Golden State Warriors will enter the All-Star break with the best record in the NBA no longer in their hands. Wednesday’s 123-117 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers dislodged the Warriors on top of the Western Conference Standings and made their fiercest rivals this season, the Houston Rockets, the new league leader.
The Warriors now lost four of their last eight games, as they head into the NBA’s midseason festivities saddled with complacency issues and injuries to their key bench players.
Steve Kerr has tried an unconventional and sometimes controversial method by letting his players draw plays in the huddle to reach out with them, but it seems the Warriors need more than a coaching strategy to get it going.
Fending off the effects of wear and tear has always been a challenge for a team that has been in the finals for consecutive seasons.
The buyout picture
According to multiple sources, Golden State’s front-office would still like to bring some fresh legs that will energize their bench. With former All-Star Joe Johnson and veteran sniper Marco Belinelli now off the market, the Warriors are having a hard time finding a game-changer in an already dried up post-buyout market.
The market’s status quo could change in the coming days with the March 1 buyout deadline looming in the picture. Several buyout candidates could still be up for grabs for contenders like the Warriors, Rockets, Thunder and even the reloaded Cavaliers.
Los Angeles Lakers’ veterans Corey Brewer and Brook Lopez, Phoenix Suns’ Tyson Chandler and Atlanta Hawks’ Dewayne Dedmon (a prime target for the Warriors because of his size and floor-stretching ability) are just some of the names to watch out for.
Bosh eyes Warriors as potential landing spot
Chris Bosh has once again reiterated that he’s keeping his options open for a possible NBA comeback this season.
The former All-Star and two-time NBA champion said on ESPN’s First Take that his body feels great while he’s on medication. He also added that he’s working hard at the gym just to be in shape in the event he gets medically cleared to resume his NBA career. Bosh mentioned the Warriors, Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets and the Cavaliers as the teams that would pique his interest.
Bosh, 11-time NBA All-Star, has been out of the league the past two seasons because of blood clotting issues, which NBA doctors view as life-threatening. He and the Miami Heat had amicably parted ways last summer, agreeing to a special buyout in which the player pockets the remainder of his contract ($52MM over two years, majority covered by insurance) and the team gets cap relief as the contract waived is no longer counted against their payroll.