The Golden State warriors have had a weird season till now as they have looked good in some games and very below average in others. The Dubs are currently in seventh position in the Western Conference and with Stephen Curry sidelined due to injury, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have once again taken the mantle on them to perform and take this team as high as possible to the playoffs.
While many fans feel that the Warriors are a very strong unit and will fire when the time comes, others feel that it is the same old players doing it for the franchise and to fire forward they need players who can take them forward. According to some the Warriors dont have the new personnel to add that different dimension to their game.
The franchise thought that their free agent acquisitions and youngsters would be enough as they trusted in the abilities of the likes of James Wiseman, Moses Moody and Jonthan Kuminga. While Kuminga has been good in patches, the other two are far from a finished product. Overall their bench have been very disappointing with Curry or Klay doing the heavy lifting always for the last few seasons.
Recently in the Colin Cowherd podcast Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix suggested the name of Alex Caruso who is a very capable multi position defender and will be a great pick for the Warriors. He will plugthe gaps in defense even when they are rolling the bench players and with his experience he will bring great competitive spirit to the Warriors unit. However Mannix wants Wiseman to be traded in exchange and has his opinion on this entire thing.
“James Wiseman for Alex Caruso straight up works. Alex Caruso doesn’t have anywhere near the upside of James Wiseman but he is a 28-year-old multi-positional defender who shoots the three and has championship experience. This version of the Warriors needs that,” Mannix said on the podcast.
Mannix believes that someone like Carusois is required to take this team to a higher level. Despite his respect for Curry, Klay and Draymond, Mannix believes it will be tough for them to get past a quality Western Conference team from here on.
“They need Alex Caruso or something like that to get them to a championship level. If they don’t get that player, as much as I respect the Currys, Thompsons, Greens, the guys who have been there before, I don’t think they have enough to get past the upper-tier teams in the Western Conference,” he added.
James Wiseman who made the Warriors team management dream big has disappointed this season. The youngster was out with a knee injury last year and while his motivation should be sky high, it has been a major disappointment for the Warriors. He was even sent to the G-League to get back in stead after his injury. But he is yet to even show glimpses of his true potential. Wiseman surely is a big talent and will take time to get used to the level. But the Warriors cannot wait for the young center to mature as Curry, Klay and Draymond’s time is running out and it if their time to win now.
While Wiseman has always gone through injury concerns, Caruso is someone who is super reliable in all these areas a she has featured in 45 games for the Chicago Bulls this season and his versatility with his outside shooting and multiple position defending makes him indispensable for the Bulls. His 40.2% shooting from beyond the arc will add more trouble for the opponents whereas his defense will add a new dimension to this Warriors team.
While the proposition of the trade is a brilliant idea, it remains to be seen if the Warriors front office believes the same or not as the Dubs look to defend their title this season.
