The Golden State Warriors are in action on Tuesday as they begin their championship defense against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. The team should be going into the game on a high, but they have recently dealt with major drama. Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole became one of the biggest stories of the last month, if not the biggest, and it has been a distraction for the team ahead of opening night.
Things seem to be better after Draymond took a bit of a sabbatical from the team, Poole spoke about how he’s only focused on more rings and banners. And in their final pre-season game, Draymond was seen dapping Poole up as well. But despite all of this, questions will remain about whether everything is truly resolved, and everyone will be watching the Warriors for signs of dysfunction. But some also think everything will be okay.
Jeff Van Gundy Thinks The Golden State Warriors Will Be Just Fine Despite Recent Drama
Jeff Van Gundy has been around the league for a long time, and he knows what it’s like in the locker room. And speaking about the situation on the Lowe Post podcast, he expressed his belief that everything would be just fine. He cited several reasons for his assertion, including the leadership and personalities of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
“Their two best players, Curry and Thompson, are absolute rays of sunshine. Jordan Poole just got paid. Wiggins, he’s just a happy-go-lucky type. I don’t think it’s gonna have a negative impact.
“Plus, Green plays a game that’s easy to play with. It’s not like he’s taking a lot of shots, he’s a giver on the floor. He’s gonna defend and he’s gonna play terrific help defense and on offense. He’s gonna screen and he’s gonna pass.”
These are some great points from Van Gundy, Curry’s leadership has already been spoken about as an important factor in helping the Warriors navigate the situation. Klay Thompson has also shared his belief that time and a reminder of their championship victory on ring night will go a long way in healing any lingering resentment.
The wonderful thing about sports is that winning can fix everything. And with the Warriors currently quite healthy and settled, they are likely to win a lot of games this season. If that starts on opening night against the Lakers, the narrative will surely start becoming old news very soon.
