The Golden State Warriors still believe they can compete with any team the league, but one thing stands in their way: their health.
Injuries have been a frequent opponent in recent years, and last season was no exception: Season-ending injuries to Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody. Stephen Curry missed a chunk of time just before and after the All-Star break.
Health is everything for the Warriors, who are running it back – along with the addition of 2026 draft picks Yaxel Lendeborg and LaJae Jones.
General manager Mike Dunleavy said in an Aug. 11 virtual call with media members there were "a myriad of reasons" why the roster returns familiar faces and expressed confidence for next season.
"I think in terms of coming back this year with a similar group, I think the two areas I discussed were obviously the injuries, which you can control some, (some) you can't," Dunleavy said. "Then some internal improvement stuff which we we need to be better. We need to be better taking care of the basketball. We need to be better executing. We need some better game plan stuff. So I think we looked at it in terms of how do we put the best, most talented roster out there, and it ended up being bringing back a lot of the guys that that we believe in, (that) we like, and we just need them to be healthy."
For what it's worth, Dunleavy was high on the last year's team, which finished with a 37-45 record before the Warriors' season ended in the play-In tournament.
"We did believe in the roster going to the season," he said. "Then (if) you told me at the beginning of the season we were going to add (Kristaps) Porzingis (in February) to that group, and the year before we went to the, you know, Western Conference semifinals and our best player was hurt for four of the games? We felt really good about the team."
After missing out this offseason on big swings for LeBron James or Jaylen Brown, Dunleavy concluded he didn't want to disrupt the team's continuity.
"I wanted to be careful about just switching things up to switch things up, and then you end up with maybe lesser players, not as good of a team, not as good of potential, and that's, I think, that's where you can go wrong," he said.
Golden State Warriors championship expectations
The Warriors' expectation are to reach the playoffs, and even make a deep run. There's not a team in the league they feel they can't matchup against.
"I think from our standpoint going into the year, I think you go down and ask every coach and player on the team. I mean, we fully expect to be in the playoffs. I mean, that would be an expectation and a goal," Dunleavy said. "I think we feel like if we get in the playoffs, we would be a tough out. We would be a tough out with Steve (Kerr) coaching, Steph, Draymond (Green), Jimmy, or the team we have, and whatever we can do. It's hard for me to say exactly what our team will be come come April, but you know, if we have our cornerstone pieces are healthy, and Steve Kerr is our coach, our goal is to get into the playoffs and see what happens."
Kerr once used the phrase "fading dynasty" to describe the state of the Warriors. Aging, yes. But franchise won four NBA titles in an eight-year span with those "cornerstone pieces" – Curry and Green, coached by Kerr.
Their presence alone gives Dunleavy, the team and their fans hope that they're not done yet. Dunleavy denounces the doubters. He sees a path back to top of the mountain.
"I see a path because you have Steph Curry, Steve Kerr is a proven championship coach. We've got really good players. We need to get healthy. We need to stay healthy, and then we need to evaluate and see where we're at and if we need to get better. I know we can get better. So there's a path. It may not be clear to a lot of people, but there's a path," he said.
Warriors road to getting healthy
The first step on that path is getting everyone back. The Warriors open the season on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 21. They will make their 14th consecutive Christmas Day appearance when they host the Denver Nuggets on Friday, Dec. 25.
Dunleavy expects to open the season without Butler and Moody as they return from season-ending injuries they sustained last campaign.
Dunleavy said there is no timeline for their return but they are doing well in rehabbing from their injuries.
"Yeah, guys are in a good spot with the rehabs. They're doing well," he said. "We haven't even gotten to the point of kind of readiness, availability, when they may be back. We just know, like night one, Oct. 21 against the Lakers, those guys won't be available. And they won't be available in the in the near term after that. So we're prepared for it, and we look forward to getting them back when we can. But we haven't even nailed down a timeline yet."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: GM Mike Dunleavy says Warriors can compete with any team if healthy
