The Golden State Warriors enter Friday’s matchup with the New York Knicks with a 6-9 record. A disappointing start for the defending champions, to put it mildly.
The starting lineup isn’t to blame. Stephen Curry is playing arguably the best basketball of his career. He, along with Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney, are holding the team up. The Warriors' starting lineup has a plus-21.1 net rating (per Cleaning the Glass), the second-best five-man unit with over 200 possessions played.
So what gives?
Golden State’s two-timeline plan is getting in the way of its most important timeline: to contend for as long as Curry is in a Warriors jersey.