Why I Dug Into This Mess in the First Place
Kept seeing folks online argue about the Warriors dynasty, saying everything magically clicked overnight. That kinda bugged me. Started scratching my head, thinking back – wasn’t that 2012 team kinda… rough? Wanted the real story, not just highlight reels. Pulled up my laptop one rainy Tuesday night, fired up the browser, and dove headfirst into that confusing season.
Trying to Make Sense of Old Stats
First thing I did? Hit up the NBA stats archive. Had to squint at those old tables. Numbers screamed a big problem: defense was like a screen door on a submarine. Points allowed? Sky-high. Rebounding? Non-existent. Felt like scrolling through a disaster report. Found this one stat: opponents shot almost 47% against them that year. That’s handing out buckets like candy!
The locker room vibes looked toxic too. Rookie Klay Thompson finding his feet, David Lee trying to be the offensive engine, and oh man, the Monta Ellis vs Stephen Curry thing felt like a slow-motion car crash everyone saw coming but couldn’t stop. Read old articles and beat writers kept mentioning how everyone seemed unsure who the leader was.
Figuring Out How That Roster Got Built
Had to trace back the mess. Remembered they drafted Curry in ’09, but he was all ankles back then. The big move? Trading fan favorite Monta Ellis mid-season that very 2012 year for Andrew Bogut, who immediately got hurt. What was the plan there? Seemed like the front office was throwing darts blindfolded.
Here’s the trash fire roster chaos I pieced together:
- Backcourt logjam: Curry, Ellis, Klay, Nate Robinson, Charles Jenkins. Too many cooks!
- Kwame Brown starting at center one game? Seriously? Felt like a prank.
- Dorell Wright regressing hard after one good year.
- Zero reliable bench scoring. Some nights it was just Curry chucking prayers.
Putting the Ugly Picture Together
So after hours digging, it hit me. The Warriors back then were stuck in the worst kind of basketball purgatory:
Not outright awful enough to guarantee a top draft pick to land that transformational talent. But definitely not good enough – miles off playoff caliber. It was just… nothing. Rudderless. Playing outdated “score first, ask questions later” basketball while the league passed them by. Making panic trades like shipping Ellis for an injured Bogut summed up the desperation.
The real kicker? Even with Curry and Klay on board, nobody – and I mean nobody – could have guessed what happened next. Hindsight makes it look obvious. But back then? That 2012 team felt like proof Golden State might be cursed forever. Funny how wrong we all were, huh?
