It is hard to say something like this when it happens to „us“, but I think this is the least significant full-season injury, that an All-star level player suffered, I have ever seen in the NBA. It has a lesser impact than Embiid, Tim Hardaway, Amare or anyone else who had a season-long injury, that I can recall.
Even with GH available this year, we were one of the teams in the East trying to challenge a favored Cleveland team in the ECF (trying to come closer than what happened in the last year's ass whooping). Championship no. 18 this year, was not realistic in any script.
Offcourse, GH has to come back 100% healthy for this to be true. Current reports say he should be back in full health after the rehabilitation.
Are we worried that we might win 46 instead of 53 games? I don't love it, but it's not a big deal. Instead of being 2nd in the East we end up 6th? Ok, move on. Or that we might win one/none playoff series instead of one/two? I wouldn't be happy, but it doesn't move the needle longterm. The goal is still to win the 18th championship and to contend for years. DA knows it, that's why he blew the whole thing this summer. Wyc knows it, that's why he OKd it. We as fans are aware of this and despite GH going down, nothing drastically changed.
Short term some, longterm - nothing.
- Still developing chemistry, one player more or less
- Still teaching 19/20-year-old kids
- Still updating Kyries software
- Still waiting for GSW to empty the clip
- Still waiting for AD to become available