The Warriors lost superstar Kevin Durant to the Brooklyn Nets

Golden State will likely start with Curry, Russell, Green, Cauley-Stein and Robinson III

Klay Thompson will be out for most of the year with an ACL injury. The Warriors will likely have the weakest defensive backcourt in the league without him

After 47-years in Oakland, the Warriors will move their home games 11-miles across the bay

Surprisingly the Warriors have the 19th highest all-time NBA regular season record win-loss percentage at .485%

End of a Dynasty?

It’s bizarre that the Warriors are a dark horse and not considered a true contender in 2020. That’s because Kevin Durant is now at the Nets and Klay Thompson is battling an ACL injury likely to keep him out for most of the upcoming season.

Let’s not forget that the Warriors are reigning and five-times straight Western Conference champions as well as 2015, 2017 and 2018 NBA Champions.

D’Angelo Russell was added in the off-season via a sign-and-trade. In 81 games last season with the Nets he assisted in 41.3% of his team’s points when in the game and averaged 21.1ppg. He’ll have Steph Curry and Draymond Green by his side this season and not Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie.

The Warriors don’t have two all-out superstars to rely on this season but Russell and Curry will be complimented alongside Draymond Green who will be heavily relied on in offence. Without Thompson for most of the season the Warriors will likely have one of the weakest backcourts defensively in the league.

Likely Golden State Warriors starting lineup for the 2019-20 season.

Leaving Oakland

The Warriors will play their home games away from Oakland for the first time since 1971. There’s no precedent of such a move within a franchise and the Warriors may be losing its soul.

The Oracle Arena is, or was, one of the most loudest and intimidating of place to play and was dubbed as the ‘Roaracle’.

The bright California Golden Yellow shirts that would surround the arena would act as if it was reflecting sun beaming down, and adding to the intense environment that the Oracle was.

Decibel levels would constantly hit 100db+, about the same level as a power saw. Physical pain to the ear starts at 125db.

Thanks in part to its design, its low roof and concrete surfaces resulted in ricocheting sounds creating the ‘Roaracle’, something the Warriors will hope will be replicated across the bay at Chase Centre.

The move from Oakland to San Francisco hasn’t been met without controversy.

Mistaken Identity?

With the team moving it’s playing headquarters half an hour away from Oracle Arena to the San Francisco Bay Area, the franchise have state they’re changing buildings and not the team.

Many Oakland fans feel betrayed by this claiming the move is motivated by money with a move to an affluent neighbourhood.

They also argue that leaving for the upscale San Francisco leaves behind predominantly African-American fans to be replaced by IPO-motivated, ‘rich-kid’ white fans.

More importantly the team is going through an identity crisis. The off-season changes has meant that the Super Team, Super-Villains and Champions monikers are a thing of the past.

The roster may have changed and the Warriors are after a new identify. The Western Conference is stacked with new superstars in Anthony Davis, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.

You’d be a fool to write off this franchise though. Golden State seem to always just find a way.