In August, the Warriors officially waived Will Bynum. Bynum, signed by the Warriors in the summer of 2005 as an undrafted player, had been the team's third point guard for the past few seasons. At 183 cm tall and weighing 85 kg, Bynum's most memorable moment for Warriors fans was undoubtedly that flying kick he delivered to Tony Parker in the Western Conference Semifinals, all for Zack's sake.
For the new season, with the Warriors' guard rotation overflowing, Bynum was destined to be let go. However, Bynum, finding a new path, was barely a free agent when the Minnesota Timberwolves offered him a four-year contract worth approximately $12 million. The Wolves saw value in Bynum's experience as a two-time champion. Plus, with Ricky Rubio temporarily unable to join the NBA, they desperately needed a point guard to fill out their roster. So, as he was leaving, Bynum didn't forget to gripe to Zack over the phone, "Oh no, now I'm really being exiled to Minnesota!"
Bynum would become a part of the Wolves in the new season. And Yi Jianlian, who has consistently been a source of great hope for fans in recent years, would likely be the biggest beneficiary. This is because in Zack's previous life, when Bynum played for the Guangdong team, he was Yi Jianlian's teammate. On the court, their chemistry was so good that domestic media even wrote, "The strongest Guangdong team is born, Yi is inseparable from Bynum!"
With Bynum waived, the Warriors' 15-man roster for the new season was pretty much set:
Centers: Brown, Foyle.
Power Forwards: Zack, Murphy, McRoberts.
Small Forwards: Wallace, Hill, Barnes.
Shooting Guards: Bell, Dunleavy, Morrow, Green.
Point Guards: Nash, Jack, Curry.
While it might seem like the center position was thin, with only Brown and Foyle (who was already transitioning into a coaching role), Zack would often play center, and Murphy could also step in at the five when needed. So, the Warriors' interior rotation for the new season was still robust.
Team head coach Mike Malone, back from his vacation, was teary-eyed when he saw the new season's roster: "It's been almost two years since I've had such a stacked team to work with!" For the past two years, the injury-plagued Warriors hadn't had a single day with a fully healthy roster.
During his vacation, Malone had indeed reflected on himself. But the more he reflected, the more he felt it was just bad luck. After all, having key players suffer major injuries one after another would be a headache for any coach. Of course, Malone didn't come away from his reflection empty-handed. He realized that Phil Jackson, whom he had always looked down upon, actually had some tricks up his sleeve when it came to managing the injury risks of star players.
Was "the Zen Master" truly a useless coach? The answer is clearly no. If Jackson were useless, wouldn't his past defeated opponents have to be described as utterly incompetent? In fact, as a coach who had led teams to establish dynasties three times, Jackson was not only adept at managing players' psychology, but he also understood how to control the injury risks of star players.
Especially during his time with the Lakers. Comparing Kobe's playing time in the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons, and again in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons, you'd notice that after every back-to-back championship, Jackson would intentionally reduce Kobe's playing time in the following season. Additionally, after each championship, Jackson wouldn't overly complain even if players indulged too much during the offseason. Because for a championship-contending team, they need to play at least a hundred high-intensity games each year to win a title. So, Jackson would even deliberately let players enjoy their offseason and then gradually help them regain form through games once the regular season started. Although this often led to the Lakers losing some seemingly absurd games, Malone believed that if he wanted to create a Warriors dynasty with Zack, Jackson's coaching philosophy was worth learning from.
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In September, Zack brought Curry and Green, whom he had been "grilling" for nearly two months, to the Warriors' preseason training camp. In the locker room, looking at the empty lockers, Zack felt a pang of melancholy, realizing that, with the exception of a few, his teammates had almost completely changed without him noticing.
"Stephen, you can use this locker from now on." Zack pointed down at a locker slightly towards the middle for Curry.
Seeing this, after Zack left, Curry curiously turned to Dunleavy, who had been with the Warriors for many years. "Does this locker have any special meaning?"
Hearing that, Dunleavy's expression also became wistful. "It belonged to an old friend."
"An old friend?"
"He's gone."
"..."
Turning to Curry, Dunleavy said, "Ever since this locker became empty, the Messiah never allowed anyone else to touch it. But now he's given it to you, Stephen. You can't let him down."
At that moment, Curry's feelings were incredibly complex. Although death wasn't as taboo in other countries, Curry felt that if this locker was so special, why would Zack give it to him? And what baffled Curry even more was... he had already decided to wear jersey number 12 for his rookie season, but on the first day of camp, team general manager Chris Mullin told him he could choose the number 30 jersey that Zack used to wear.
"The Messiah said it's a jersey with special significance for the entire Bay Area," Mullin said meaningfully. "But he knows that jersey also holds extraordinary meaning for you personally, so if you want to wear number 30 next season, he would be very happy for you to inherit it."
For the past two months, Curry, who had been constantly getting yelled at or "beaten" by Zack, couldn't believe that the usually unfeeling GOAT would be so understanding. However, because the number 30 jersey indeed held extraordinary significance for the entire Curry family, after mustering his courage, Curry unhesitatingly told Mullin, "I want to wear number 30."
As is well known, Dell Curry wore number 30 during his time in the league. Therefore, in the eyes of Curry, who always admired his father, the number 30 jersey was not only a tribute to his father but also a continuation of the Curry family spirit and the belief that fueled his basketball journey.
However... this number 30 jersey, so meaningful to Curry personally, also held exceptional significance for the Warriors. It symbolized the championship trophy Zack brought back to the team after thirty-one years, and the glory Zack had built with the Warriors in the past. So, even if Zack agreed for Curry to inherit this jersey, Curry, wanting to wear it, still had to have immense courage.
"Good luck," Mullin told Curry.
Then, Curry seized the opportunity to ask, "By the way, whose locker was that the Messiah assigned me?"
"Baron Davis," Mullin replied.
Curry was puzzled. "But why did everyone say the owner of that locker is gone?"
"Because Baron's basketball life was destroyed by harsh reality," Mullin said. "He came to Oakland in that cold winter four years ago, but he personally ended his basketball life in that glorious summer a year ago."
Curry still found Mullin's explanation difficult to understand. After all, every NBA team has its unique corporate culture. Curry knew he would need time to integrate into this team. But overall, Curry's experience on the first day of camp was quite good. Whether it was old man Hill, whose smile could warm you like a spring breeze, or Nash, who patiently taught him ball-handling and passing skills, Curry learned a lot from them.
And while the GOAT's personality was indeed terrible... when the GOAT displayed his myriad basketball skills on the court, seemingly omnipotent, Curry's young heart was deeply shaken. In the past few years, the former NBA top pick who had already shed the "bust" label seemed like a mere toy in front of the GOAT. Before, Curry had only seen the GOAT in full power on television; it was only now that he realized the GOAT had never been serious with him or Green for even a moment over the past two months.
And then... the moment the GOAT tormented Brown, Curry noticed that all his teammates around him were, without exception, looking at the GOAT with fanatical adoration. "He's back!" Dunleavy exclaimed with tears in his eyes. "He's finally back!"
Upon witnessing Zack's excellent form after his recovery, Nash seemed to have instantly shed ten years. Hill, who had originally planned to retire, even stayed after practice to work on his corner threes with whatever energy he had left. And Brown, who had been tormented by Zack for a full hour, didn't feel sad for a moment about the one-sided domination; instead, he said with pleasant surprise, "The broken sword has been reforged, and the King will lead us straight to Mordor with Andúril in hand!"
Wallace, who had been incredibly lost last season, had now found meaning in giving his all for this team. Veterans Foyle and Jack, along with Morrow, excitedly hugged each other. Barnes and Murphy kept cheering "Long live!" from the sidelines. Morrow and McRoberts immediately took on the important task of massaging Zack's legs and shoulders after practice.
When even Green wisely rushed to hand Zack a sports drink, Curry finally understood in a daze why everyone said: The GOAT is everything to the Warriors.
Perhaps the Warriors weren't Curry's most desired team before the draft. But at this moment, Curry admitted that joining a championship-contending team with a group of ambitious teammates in his rookie season indeed made his formerly resistant heart begin to pound involuntarily.
After the first day of practice, head coach Malone picked up a pen and wrote on the whiteboard: "Our theme this season is 'Burn-It-All-Down' – to prove to all our opponents that we are still an unstoppable team!"
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After several days of combined practice, Curry gained a clearer understanding of the GOAT's abilities. Aside from occasionally finishing last in the team's three-point shooting contests, his various basketball skills, in the eyes of young Curry, were nothing short of divine. If he wanted to, he could effortlessly pass the ball to any teammate, no matter where they were on the court. In intrasquad scrimmages, every teammate guarding him became a mere plaything.
Curry often tried hard to recall watching Michael Jordan play as a child, comparing Jordan to Zack in his mind. Then, Curry concluded that the new GOAT, in some aspects, had likely surpassed the old GOAT. For example, the new GOAT's immense improvement to the entire team through his playmaking and orchestration.
Curry was curious... if Jordan and Zack, in their respective primes, were to play a game, what would that look like? Curry felt it would be a evenly matched contest. However, their teammates would probably suffer immensely. After all, while the new GOAT would dominate the old GOAT's teammates, the old GOAT would surely toy with the new GOAT's teammates as well.
Anthony Lester, a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, was granted access to the Warriors' preseason training this year. Excited by Zack's impressive form in training camp, Lester wrote: "I am absolutely certain that the Messiah will return at 100%! He is ready to continue his domination of the basketball world!"
However... two weeks later, the day before the Warriors' Media Day, ESPN's experts still only ranked the Warriors fourth in their pre-season power rankings, behind the Lakers, Celtics, and SuperSonics. ESPN's explanation was that Nash, who had never proven himself in the playoffs, would turn 36 in February. "While Steve was indeed an NBA MVP, as a veteran, we cannot know if Steve can maintain his level of play year after year."
Furthermore, Wallace, Zack's other key assistant, was generally regarded only as a near-star forward in people's past impressions. "Gerald is a great fit for the Warriors in many aspects, but compared to the assistants around Kobe, Tim Duncan, or 'Big Yao,' Gerald's star quality is still slightly lacking."
As for Stephen Curry, the second overall pick the Warriors acquired via trade this summer? "The Warriors only traded for such a high pick to select Stephen because they believed he fit their playing style. Moreover, as the second overall pick in a weak draft class, can Stephen truly become an indispensable part of this Warriors team immediately? At least in our opinion, the Warriors, having lost Jason Richardson, are not as strong as in previous years."
In the eyes of ESPN's experts, the only commendable aspect of this Warriors team was that they possessed a group of strong "championship puzzle pieces." But in the NBA, why are championship puzzle pieces just that? Don't they never truly determine a team's fate? In short, ESPN did not doubt Zack's king-like return in the new season. But they were not optimistic about the Warriors' championship prospects.
It's worth noting that, apart from the indignant Warriors fans, public opinion largely aligned with ESPN. Zack might still be Zack. But the Warriors might not be the same Warriors.
On Media Day, Zack noticed that both Nash and Wallace were harboring a grudge about the outside comments. Nash, who had essentially wasted a year waiting for Zack's return last season, now had his biggest desire set on winning a championship with this Warriors team. Yet, in ESPN's evaluation, Nash was portrayed as the one holding them back. This undoubtedly filled Nash, who already had a build-up of resentment, with a strong motivation to prove himself. Nash hoped to silence the media with his performance.
Wallace, who wasn't much of a talker, hoped to grow into a legitimate star forward alongside Zack. Zack hadn't expected ESPN's report to stimulate his two main assistants so strongly. Feeling the team's morale was high, Zack no longer hesitated, directly stating on Media Day: "A championship will be our only goal this new season."
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After Media Day, the Warriors achieved a 4-2 record in their six preseason games for the new season. Curry, gradually integrating into the team, performed well in the preseason, shooting an impressive 60% from three-point range. However, Curry, who chose to wear the Warriors' number 30 jersey, inevitably became a target for Warriors fans and Bay Area media looking for flaws. After all, the original owner of that jersey was the new GOAT of the basketball world. On the court, every offensive and defensive possession by Curry, who dared to inherit the number 30 jersey, would be unconsciously magnified.
But compared to the stereotyped image of Curry, the more Zack "grilled" this young nephew of his during their daily interactions, the more he discovered that Curry's resilience far exceeded his imagination. Therefore, Zack wasn't at all worried that Curry would be crushed by this pressure.
However... compared to Curry, Danny Green's preseason performance could still only be described as abysmal. Zack knew very well that in this upcoming season, Green would mostly be warming the bench. Because there was no more time for Green to adjust and prepare.
The NBA's opening night for the new season would tip off on October 27th. As the most anticipated of the four games on opening night, the Warriors would travel to face the Lakers on the road, where they would witness the Lakers' championship banner raising ceremony and ring ceremony. For the Warriors players who had won two championships with Zack, this was undoubtedly a great humiliation.
While the league's intention in scheduling the Warriors to play the Lakers away was likely to help the GOAT regain his feel for the game quickly in the "blessed land" of Los Angeles, and to continue hyping the rivalry between the GOAT and Kobe to garner viewership, when the once-dominant Warriors players were to attend the regular season opener as spectators... On the day they departed for Los Angeles, without Zack even needing to give a pep talk, the entire Warriors team had already quietly reached a consensus.
"If the league wants us to be villains, then we'll be villains," Dunleavy said after the team arrived in Los Angeles. "We have to ruin the Angelenos' night!"
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