Page 40 - Sports Illustrated KIDS Magazine (January - February 2020)

FUTILITY

PAGE

SAM
BY

One bad season doesn’t ROBERT BECK (LUCK); CHRISTIAN PETERSEN/GETTY IMAGES (MERCURY); JENNIFER POTTHEISER/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (GRINER); JOHN TLUMACKI/THE BOSTON GLOBE/GETTY IMAGES (RED SOX); ROBERT BECK (VALENTINE)

have to destroy a dynasty.

The Warriors have plenty of

models for taking a year off.

TANKING IN 2019–20

In their first five seasons under coach Steve Kerr,
the Warriors had a .785 winning percentage. This
year’s team . . . not so much. Coming into the season,
Golden State knew it would miss Klay Thompson,
out for the year after an ACL injury, as well as Kevin
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SI PREMEDIA: EZRA SHAW (CURRY, 2); KELLY DEFINA/GETTY IMAGES (BALL); BRIAN BAHR/GETTY IMAGES (SPURS); MANNY MILLAN (DUNCAN); JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (POPOVICH); DAVID E. KLUTHO (COLTS);
Durant, who left for Brooklyn in free agency. Maybe they
underestimated just how bad it would be. After suffering
double-digit losses in three of their four October
games, Steph Curry underwent a hand surgery that
requires months of recovery. Don’t be surprised
if the Warriors do well in the draft lottery, nab
a top prospect like LaMelo Ball (right), then
return to dominance in ’20–21. Here are
four teams that followed a similar blueprint.