The Warriors Have Botched Handoffs Before. This One Runs Through Curry
Golden State has a long record of rough handoffs between eras, and this one has a better chance because Curry is still good enough to oversee it.
From the Chamberlain trade to the breakup of Run TMC, the Warriors have often lost the thread between one core and the next. Tonight's Cup game against the 4-1 Lakers is another test of whether Yaxel Lendeborg can take on more while Stephen Curry is still playing at full volume.
How the old handoffs went
This franchise has rarely moved from one era to the next gently. Two years after Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 against the Knicks, the Warriors lost the 1964 Finals, traded him to Philadelphia for Connie Dierking, Lee Shaffer, Paul Neumann and $150,000, and finished 17-63. Rick Barry left for the ABA's Oakland Oaks in 1967-68 and did not come back until 1972. A rift with Don Nelson broke up the roster that had Chris Webber, Rookie of the Year in 1993-94. Gilbert Arenas left after 2002-03. Each break left the next group to start over.
The 2013 night is the better model
Thirteen years ago tonight, Golden State beat the Lakers 125-94 at home. That was a season before Kerr arrived and two seasons before Curry, Klay Thompson and Green won the 2015 title. That core grew up together, and nobody had to force a transfer of power. The 1984 game on this date, a 144-110 loss in Los Angeles, fell in the 1978 to 1987 stretch. In those years the team kept adding names like Bernard King and Robert Parish, but it never built anything lasting around them.
Why Lendeborg's turn looks different
The Athletic described this week as Lendeborg taking over the future once assigned to Jonathan Kuminga. What sets this handoff apart from the old ones is timing. Lendeborg, a 24-year-old rookie, had 31 points and 12 rebounds in the 134-114 rout at Denver. He was cleared from a foot listing two days later, and that same night Curry scored 44 in a 119-114 escape at Minnesota. The two-game streak came from the oldest and the youngest parts of the roster at once.
What tonight should show
The Lakers arrive with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and they beat this team by 22 nine days ago. Tonight is not about whether Curry can win a game on his own. Minnesota showed he still can. The test is whether Kerr's movement offense can run through Lendeborg for long stretches, with Green organizing and Gui Santos possibly back from a left knee issue, so that Curry does not have to. Every earlier handoff happened after the star was already gone. This one can happen with Curry still on the floor, and that window will not stay open long.
Who is out for the Warriors against the Lakers?
Jimmy Butler III, Moses Moody and Porzingis are listed out. Butler's estimated return is January 2, and Moody and Porzingis are estimated for December 1, while Gui Santos has a left knee issue with an estimated return of October 30.
How have the Warriors done against the Lakers on October 30?
Golden State beat the Lakers 125-94 at home on October 30, 2013, and lost 144-110 in Los Angeles on the same date in 1984. Tonight's game is an Emirates NBA Cup game at Chase Center.
