Warriors owner Joe Lacob set the record straight one more time for those wondering about Golden State's supposed "two-timeline" plan.
"There’s no such thing as the two timelines," Lacob told the Bay Area News Group (h/t The Mercury News' Madeline Kenney). "There never was and still isn’t and never will be. There’s only one timeline, and the timeline is every year to put the best product on the floor, to have the best team, to compete the best you can to win a championship."
The alleged plan -- which consisted of developing Golden State's youth while building around its core of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green -- worked in the 2021-22 NBA season as the team won its fourth title in eight seasons.
Their star veteran players led the way, and young players such as Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody all played a part in the championship run.
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But the plan came crashing down last season as the Warriors traded their former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman, 22, to the Detroit Pistons as part of a four-team trade, which brought 30-year-old Gary Payton II back to the Bay.
Five months later, as their 2022-23 title defense fell short, Golden State traded rising young guard Poole to the Washington Wizards for veteran point guard Chris Paul, who is 14 years older than Poole.
It became perfectly clear where the Warriors stand. They aren't focused on their future, they want to win now.
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"We had to change something,” Lacob said. "While it’s a short-term move, Chris Paul is a fabulous Hall of Famer who will I think certainly help our second unit, help our first unit if he plays there, wherever he plays, he’s a tremendous guy."
While Paul's role with the Warriors still is to be determined, Lacob isn't worried about the future Hall of Famer's fit with the team.
"That’s up to the coaches," Lacob said. "I’m sure they’re talking about it, but who knows? He might start, he might not. … The point is to get a lot of talent out there and to see [what happens]. Who starts doesn’t really matter anyway, it’s who finishes the game."
So there you have it, Dub Nation. The once-successful two-timeline plan is nothing but a myth. And now, Lacob and the Warriors are focused on the present and winning a fifth ring with their core.
