The Warriors' 2019-20 season officially came to an end last Thursday, but in reality, it ended well before that.
Free-agent departures, offseason trades and injuries put the Warriors in an unfamiliar position. After seven straight NBA playoff appearances and five straight trips to the NBA Finals, the Warriors were thrust into a rebuilding year. Some have called it a "gap year."
On March 10, the Warriors officially were eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Two days later, the season was put on pause due to the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
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When the NBA resumes the season in late July, the Warriors won't be part of the contingent of teams in Orlando, Fla.
"It doesn't feel good to not be invited to the party, even though it's a different kind of one," general manager Bob Myers told NBC Sports Bay Area's Logan Murdock on Monday. "We didn't deserve it though. We had the worst record, so I think it's about what we can do to prepare for next year."
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Realistically, the Warriors didn't have anything to play for if they had been asked to go to Orlando. But there were things Myers would have wanted to see from his team, which might have helped in the evaluation process heading into a very important offseason.
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"I guess similar to what we would have done had we had been able to finish our last 17 games," Myers said. "Which would have been, hopefully a healthy Steph [Curry] playing with [Andrew] Wiggins. Seeing what that looked like with Draymond [Green]."
Now Myers and the Warriors likely will have to wait until December when the 2020-21 NBA season is expected to start.
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With a healthy Curry and Klay Thompson, and some tinkering with the roster, Myers and the Warriors hope to be back in contention for an NBA title next season.
If the Warriors can climb back to the top of the mountain, this really will be considered their "gap year."
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