The defection of Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson's injury, the forced trade of Andre Iguodala and the retirement of Shaun Livingston meant that this was always going to be a transition season.

The recent injuries to remaining superstars Steph Curry and Draymond Green, as well as developing centre Kevon Looney, rubbed salt into the wounds. From here, it's just a matter of how far do the Warriors fall.

Sometimes it takes something stark to bring into focus just how far the mighty have fallen. Yesterday, the Warriors starting lineup in their loss to the Charlotte Hornets was: Ky Bowman, Jordan Poole, Willie Cauley-Stein, Glenn Robinson III and Eric Paschall. Compare that to exactly 12 months prior, a win versus Minnesota: Curry, Thompson, Durant, Green and Damian Jones (one of these things is not like the others).

Despite the tempered outlook, this was not what the NBA world expected.

Many believed we'd see a return to the Nuclear Steph of mid this decade. That without having to share with KD (or Klay) Steph would morph back into the flame throwing sniper that revolutionised the way the sport is played.

It was thought that a fit Draymond Green would be able bring his playoff game for the full 82 game regular season. That D'Angelo Russell (out with an ankle tweak last weekend) would thrive in the Warriors egalitarian offense, relishing in the space that Curry provides. That Kevon Looney would continue to make giant strides with the added responsibilities he'd inherit.

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What we have instead is a line-up that would embarrass many an expansion squad. We have the Warriors haters finally feeling emboldened to pop their heads up and bask in glorious schadenfreude at Golden State's expense.

But maybe we were all too quick to just assume that Steph & Dray would make everything alright.

Maybe coach Steve Kerr was right when he said that 'This is not a one-off. This is the reality'.

With their full lineup (sans Looney), the Warriors stunk it up right from the jump, losing their first two games in horrific fashion to the Clippers and Thunder. That lead to the always-honest-to-a-fault Green saying, 'We (redacted) suck right now.'

He's right, too. The Warriors are ranked 29th in net rating, after coming in second last season. Their defense (quietly the reason this team was so devastatingly effective) is utterly atrocious. Ranking dead last in points conceded per 100 possessions.

It's not like there is a lot of room for GM Bob Myers to manoeuvre his team through the storm, either. At present, the Warriors are hard capped, meaning they cannot add any more salary, so chasing a star at the expense of a draft pick or prospect is out of the question.

They have around $118 million of that cap allocated to Curry, Green, Thompson & Russell. There has been long rumoured interest in D'Lo from the Timberwolves. The Dubs cap situation makes it difficult, though.

They know there isn't an available player, with the requisite salary figure, that would make them better, although keep an eye on Washington. If Russell doesn't work out and John Wall has any setbacks, would Beal for Russell and some picks be on the table?

So it's safe to say that this season is a write off. After the success that they've had, surely the Warriors and their fans will be able to weather the storm, knowing that they'll load up again next season.

But what if that doesn't happen? Curry will be 32 years old at the start of next season, with a litany of injuries that are sure to catch up with the slightly built guard at some point.

Green will be 30 and isn't exactly known for his conditioning; Thompson will also be 30 and coming off an ACL. Suddenly, you're looking at one of the oldest cores in the Association.

Without a slew of highly touted youngsters coming through, the Warriors are relying in retreads like this years free agent pick ups Alec Burks and Willie Cauley-Stein.

Players of that ilk might help the team stay in contention for a few more years, but there will come a time when the Warriors have to pay the piper.

But despite all the doom and gloom over San Francisco Bay, there are - believe it or not – reasons to be optimistic about Golden State.

As outlined earlier, we all know that this season was going to see a regression from the Warriors. Injuries were always going to see to that. Much like in Brooklyn, there has been inflated expectations purely because of the names involved.

But break it down, and both teams are not the sum of their parts. The Nets essentially swapped Russell out for Kyrie Irving. Yes, they've added Durant, but he's of course red-shirted. Taurean Prince, starting in his stead, is no Kevin Durant.

In Golden State, Durant is of course gone, but so is Thompson. As good a player as Russell is at one end of the court, he's awful at the other. Klay's insane  offensive bursts sometimes mask the fact that he is an elite wing defender. Replacing him with Russell is a large reason that the Warriors defense has cratered.

Throwing the season away means that the team isn't pressured to rush Klay back from his ACL tear. The last time the Warriors brought someone back half fit, it didn't turn out so well. Giving Thompson a full season to recuperate can only help reduce the risk of re-injury.

Likewise, the team can schedule a lot more rest for Green and – when he returns – Curry. This season can essentially be a free hit for those two as far as games played and time on the court.

That's before we even take into account the rest the veterans will have from (likely) not having to push through the play-off grind. These guys are not spring chickens any more. Giving them a lighter season should extend the back end of their primes.

That leads to another important point: missing the playoffs.

As part of the Durant/Russell sign and trade, the Warriors sent a protected 2020 first to Brooklyn. Should the Warriors pick fall between 1 and 20, they'll keep the pick and it reverts to a pair of 2025 second rounders.

A top 10 selection will be a godsend to a team that hasn't picked any higher than 28th since taking Harrison Barnes at #7 way back in 2012. Yes, the team are going to develop youngsters this season, but gaining a high pedigree prospect is so rare for a team with as much recent success as the Warriors.

Sometimes you need a bit of luck, like a long forgotten trade or, in startlingly similar circumstances to the 1997 Spurs, a little bit of bad luck, turned good.

Finally, throwing away the season means that there is little reason rationale for keeping D'Angelo Russell. Offensively, he's part Steph, part Klay, making him both a wonderful player and redundant when both are fit and firing.

He's also a 23 year old all-star on a long term contract, who has already shown he can be the centrepiece of an effective NBA offense. With the 2020 free agent market looking a little thin, teams looking to make a splash will take a long look at D'Lo.

This opens up so many avenues for the Golden State front office. Do they dump him for cap space and picks? Do they try to acquire another star? Do they trade for competent veteran depth to replace Livingston, Iguodala, David West, et al?

Warriors fans, this season is not going to be easy. Nobody doubts that now. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and no, it's not Kawhi Leonard coming to grind you into dust.

The Warriors have options, and with it, a path to regaining their recent glories. They just have to take a hit along the way.

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