Lowell Cohn: Warriors must define, reach their goals

The Warriors open their season Tuesday night against the San Antonio Spurs. And that means the talk ends, the endless talk of preseason in basketball. The Warriors need to show what they have. And they need to answer these five questions.

First Question: What are their goals for the upcoming season?

Their primary goal is to win the championships they won two seasons ago and blew last season. That goal is as basic as breathing.

There are subsidiary goals. The Warriors want to use a 10-man rotation. Large number that one. Can they put together good combinations of players to justify a 10-man rotation? They need to make sure enough guys get enough shots to keep them happy. The NBA is an ego-driven league. Players constantly talk about “my game.” Sometimes, you feel my game is more important than our game.

Another goal. Keep the players fresh for the postseason so they don’t collapse as they collapsed last postseason. Monumental collapse in the Finals.

Another goal. Don’t concern themselves with setting a single-season record for wins as they did last season - 73. Off the point. The sheer effort of pursuing that mirage hurt the Warriors when it counted in the playoffs.

The Warriors need enough wins to secure the first seed in every playoff series. That is the primary goal next to winning the championship. A record for regular-season wins is pure silliness.

Second Question: How long will it take the Warriors to establish their team as a team?

It will take as long as it takes. The Warriors are currently not the team they need to be. Forget their cute preseason. Meaningless. Right now, the Warriors are a collection of four superstars - drum roll here - and their buddies, the supporting cast.

The Warriors coaches I speak to, including Steve Kerr, say the Warriors “are a work in progress.” Meaning don’t expect too much too soon. Meaning this is a different kind of team from what you’ve seen before. Meaning the players are learning about Kevin Durant and he’s learning about them.

And because center Andrew Bogut now plays in Dallas, the Warriors do not have a rim protector on defense. Say what you will about Bogut - hurt too often, especially in the playoffs, does not seem to love basketball - he is better than any center the Warriors have. Me, I would have deleted Andre Iguodala from the team. Not Bogut, who may be irreplaceable.

You may disagree, sure. But on this we agree. The Warriors are in the process of creating a team. And that can be a thrilling and glorious process, and it can be risky.

Third Question: Can Steve Kerr return to championship form?

This is a touchy subject. Because Kerr was ill the first half of last season and could not coach. No blame directed at him. Good god, no. But when he came back, he did not have the control he needed.

My opinion that one.

Interim coach Luke Walton is a laidback guy who didn’t want to create division on the team. He let the players take the lead - more than they deserved. That went double for Draymond Green. More on him in a moment.

When Kerr came back, Walton already had established the vibe. And Kerr didn’t want to mess up a good thing. So he was not as assertive as before. As assertive as the team required.

He lost control of the Finals. Sat there stupefied in Game 7 when the Warriors did not muster the passion to successfully defend their title in their house. It was the failure of the team. It also was Kerr’s failure. I apologize for writing that because he is a fine man. But truth is truth. Kerr has to up his game.

Fourth Question: Can Draymond Green keep from losing his mind?

He lost his mind in the playoffs and after the season. No need to go into all that, although the photo he sent across the internet of his whatsis is an all-timer.

We know he got into it in the locker room with Kerr last season. That’s the one we know about. There may be more. He seems out of control. Even in Friday night’s preseason game, he was screaming at officials, losing all sense of proportion. In a real game, the officials would have thrown him out.

I think he has a fragile ego. I think it bothers him losing shots to Durant. He’s asked to do all the defensive dirty work with Bogut gone, and now he’s denied shots. What’s an ego to do?

I am told he’s a good guy. He needs to be a good guy on the court. He’s in a tough spot. His main virtue - call it his passion - also is his main flaw. If his life turns out badly, you would call this a tragic conflict. Like Macbeth. Although I don’t think Green’s going to murder the king.

Fifth question: Are the Warriors cowards?

This refers to what is being called The Coward Quote. Ethan Strauss of ESPN wrote an article about Green - it’s great and you should read it. Strauss quotes an unnamed team source saying the Warriors could have proved themselves in Game 5 of the Finals, the game in which Green was suspended. But “they played like a bunch of “(cowards).”

Because the word cowards was in parenthesis, I’m thinking the real word was even more rude. Klay Thompson went nuts at a recent practice about The Coward Quote saying the speaker should have identified himself.

Not how it works, Klay.

Seems Thompson was upset because the speaker hit a nerve. Look, I don’t think the Warriors played like cowards. And I think Green got a raw deal with that suspension, although he should have known he was in trouble and, yes, he should have let?LeBron James walk over his head and vowed to revenge himself at a less volatile time.

Although, the Warriors did not play like cowards, they did not play well in Games 5, 6 and 7. They need to play well in the Finals this season - if they get that far. They sure need to answer the key five questions. That would be a start.

For more on the world of sports in general and the Bay Area in particular, go to the Cohn Zohn at cohn.blogs.pressdemocrat.com. You can reach Staff Columnist Lowell Cohn at lowell.cohn@pressdemocrat.com.