Warriors' Lacob 'Won't Even Respond' to Tanking Talk After Steph Curry's Injury

Golden State Warriors majority owner Joe Lacob said he "won't even respond" to questions about tanking the rest of the 2019-20 NBA season after superstar point guard Stephen Curry suffered a broken left hand in Wednesday's 121-110 loss to the Phoenix Suns. 

Lacob told ESPN's Nick Friedell he's hopeful the Dubs' young reserves can step up to fill the massive void.

"I saw it happen," he said. "So obviously sad. It's not good. But sort of a silver lining maybe, because some of our young players are going to get an opportunity to play. So I like our young players a heck of a lot. So I think it's a silver lining. Ironically, I'm an optimist, so we'll see what happens."

He eventually expanded on his anti-tank stance, per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.

"It is against every single thing I and we stand for," Lacob said. "We will fight like hell. Develop our young guys. Learn to win. You don't get better by trying to lose. Our entire organization is about winning. And we will win. Some bumps in the road, perhaps. But we will never accept losing."

Although the Warriors haven't provided a timetable for Curry's return, any type of extended absence will be a major blow to the team's playoff hopes in a loaded Western Conference.

Between the two-time NBA MVP's broken hand, Klay Thompson's torn ACL and Kevin Durant's departure in the offseason to join the Brooklyn Nets, a previously dominant Golden State squad is now suddenly lacking the high-end talent necessary to win consistently.

In addition, backup point guard Jacob Evans was ruled out for at least three weeks with an adductor strain prior to Wednesday's game against the Suns, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

The Warriors struggled out of the gate even with Curry in the lineup. They've posted a 1-3 record through four games and are allowing 126.3 points per game, the third-worst mark in the league.

All of those factors mean the 2019-20 campaign becoming a lost year for the Dubs is a distinct possibility. And, if that's the case, losing as many games as possible to improve their lottery position for the 2020 NBA draft is a potentially fruitful endgame.

Golden State still has some high-profile players in D'Angelo Russell and Draymond Green, but Russell lacks the offensive efficiency of Curry, Thompson and Durant, while Green faded last year and may no longer be the terrific two-way weapon he was at his peak.

Adding a top prospect from next year's draft class to the mix could help the Warriors avoid an extended downswing and push them back into the title picture. That would be dependent on the NBA readiness of the player and Thompson's successful return from his ACL injury, though.

For now, Lacob doesn't want to have that talk and will instead hope the likes of Jordan Poole and Ky Bowman can keep Golden State afloat until Curry is cleared to return.