Warriors major and surprise vote of confidence comes with ominous warning
The Golden State Warriors might have suffered a blowout 20-point defeat at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, but that hasn't stopped them from rising to second in
Stephen Curry's heroics late in Thursday's stunning overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets has certainly a played a major role in the rise, with the Warriors having ranked eighth last week before back-to-back wins to open the season.
It's a major vote of confidence in what Golden State are building on the path to what they hope is a fifth championship in the last 11 seasons, but it also comes with an ominous warning based on their strong start 12 months ago.
Warriors have been here before early in the season
While the Warriors were ultimately forced through the play-in tournament to secure their playoff berth last season, few will forget their hot start that proved nothing but a false promise to what quickly followed as a brutal reality.
Golden State started 12-3 and were 10-2 when they held second spot in the power rankings in week five of last season. They ranked fourth in offense, fourth in defense and third in net rating at that point, utilizing a deep rotation to advantage before it all came crumbling down.
The Warriors would go 13-23 in their next 36 games before the Jimmy Butler trade, spiralling all the way down to 11th in the Western Conference and looking nothing like the team that was second in the power rankings less than three months earlier.
That's reason enough to warn against reading too much into power rankings at this point of the season, particularly for a veteran team like Golden State who are far more concerned with what happens come May and June.
However, there is reason for the Warriors to believe this rise to second in the power rankings is more sustainable than what we saw saw last season. Golden State have been simply elite since Butler's acquisition, and there's no reason that shouldn't remain the case so long as health and availability doesn't become an overriding concern.
Along with Butler, the Warriors also have a veteran stretch big in Al Horford who they didn't have 12 months ago, while the improvement in Jonathan Kuminga through three games has been both notable and important in their title chances.
So while last year's strong start does serve as a warning, there's no reason to believe that the Warriors can't continue the kind of form that's seen an early rise in the power rankings.
Eagles HC Nick Sirianni Opens Up About Trade Deadline Ahead of Bye Week
The Philadelphia Eagles head into their bye week with the defending Super Bowl champions sporting a 6-2 record while sitting comfortably in first place in the NFC East division standings. The closest to the Eagles in the division is the Dallas Cowboys at 3-4-1, which shows the lead Philadelphia has when they return for Week 10 on the road against the Green Bay Packers.
Even though the Eagles are in a good position to defend their title right now, as it may be a foregone conclusion that they win the division title and secure one of the top seeds in the NFC, Philadelphia is far from perfect and might try to shake things up ahead of the NFL trade deadline on Nov. 4.
Eagles’ Nick Sirianni Reveals Thoughts on NFL Trade Deadline
GettyHead coach Nick Sirianni of the Philadelphia Eagles speaks with GM Howie Roseman.
With the Eagles potentially making a move ahead of the NFL trade deadline, Philadelphia’s situation has become a hot topic across the league.
On Monday, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni spoke to the media and shared his thoughts on the trade deadline and how he’s always in “constant communication” with general manager Howie Roseman.
“Regardless of the scenario, whether we have a game, whether we have a short week with a trade deadline coming up, always constant communication with Howie [Roseman] about everything,” Sirianni said. “We find time to do the things that are necessary to help the team win, help the team get better, whatever it may be.
“Obviously, this week’s very important for us as far as our self-scout and identifying some different things, and always going to be a busy week. But I wouldn’t say because we don’t have a game this upcoming week, it’s any different, because you just find the time to do the things necessary to help get better and help the team win.”
With one week left until the buzzer sounds on the trade deadline, things could get interesting for Philadelphia, as the team’s brass assesses whether it is time to shake things up or stand pat.
All the attention right now is directed toward star wide receiver A.J. Brown, who appears to be still not happy with his role with the Eagles, which he has made abundantly clear in a very public fashion.
Will the Eagles Trade A.J. Brown?
With a week to go before the buzzer sounds on the NFL trade deadline, the consensus seems to be that the Eagles will not be trading the disgruntled Brown. He has made it clear on multiple occasions that he’s not happy with how he’s being used by the team from week to week, which has caused a distraction in the locker room and has been a constant storyline.
However, the team is sitting at 6-2 and well on its way to winning the NFC East division title and being a force to be reckoned with once again in the NFL playoffs. That said, Philadelphia does seem compelled to move Brown, but that could change quickly if the right trade call comes in before Nov. 4.
