NBA Rumors: Green, Russell Injuries Pushing Dubs Towards Imminent Tanking Season

The Golden State Warriors will need to make decisions soon as to how they will treat this season. Starting the season with plenty of uncertainty, the Dubs suffered more blows with main cogs suffering injuries. The latest ones to go down were Draymond Green and D’Angelo Russell.

According to The Athletic, Green will be missing some games due after sustaining a finger injury. The 29-year-old sprained his left index finger in their game against the San Antonio Spurs. According to head coach Steve Kerr, Green will be missing some games.

Steve Kerr said Draymond Green will miss the next few games, at least. Torn ligament in his left index finger. Not a long term absence, though.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) November 2, 2019

"Ligament action. But it is what it is. ... I don't know [about Saturday]; we'll see. It's pretty sore. I couldn't grip the ball the whole entire [game], probably since the second quarter. Which is why I was making a lot of one-handed, right-handed passes and dribbling left with my right hand. I couldn't really grip the ball, so we'll see. Hopefully, it will calm down a little bit overnight, but who knows?" said Green in an interview with ESPN.

Green’s injury came days after Curry broke his left hand against the Phoenix Suns. Now, the Warriors also saw D’Angelo Russell taken down with an ankle injury. He tweaked his ankle also against the Spurs on Friday, The Athletic reported. There is no official word on how long DLO would sit out and when he could return.

D'Angelo Russell will not play tonight. Tweaked his ankle last night.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) November 2, 2019

As things stand now, the Warriors may be unrecognizable. Green, Curry and Kevon Looney are notable names on the injured list right now. Most of the players suiting up in succeeding games will be virtual unknowns. Could this signal tanking season for the Dubs? Even if they don’t it seems that getting to the playoffs will be near impossible.

Losing is one thing while tanking is another. The Warriors could opt to take the tanking route, something other NBA teams did last season. Though it may not be in their character, expect coach Steve Kerr to try and give lesser-known players a chance. The Dubs may not force the issue and rush their injured stars back to action. Aside from Green and Curry, Klay Thompson is also recovering from an ACL injury. With less pressure, the Dubs may approach the current NBA season but with lowered expectations.