With ratings down, NBA flexes Warriors out of national TV slots

The Golden State Warriors, who entered Tuesday with an NBA-worst 4-18 record, haven't been much to look at through the first quarter of the season.

The league and its broadcast partners have evidently taken notice.

The NBA announced a pair of changes to its upcoming TV schedule, shifting the injury-plagued Dubs away from national audiences:

• Instead of ESPN showing the Warriors-Utah Jazz game on Friday, Dec. 13, the network will now carry the Los Angeles Clippers at Minnesota Timberwolves.
• Rather than showing Warriors-Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, Dec. 18, ESPN will broadcast the Boston Celtics at Dallas Mavericks.

Coming off five straight trips to the NBA Finals, a drop off was expected by the Warriors. After all, not only had Kevin Durant left for the Brooklyn Nets, but Klay Thompson would be spending most if not all of the season recovering from a torn ACL. The team also lost veteran rotation stalwarts DeMarcus Cousins, Andre Iguodala, and Shaun Livingston to free agency, trade, and retirement, respectively.

Nevertheless, the team still entered the year with three healthy stars - two-time MVP Stephen Curry, former Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green, and 2019 All-Star D'Angelo Russell, who was acquired as part of the Durant sign-and-trade. Some measure of watchability was thought to be guaranteed.

However, with Curry breaking his hand in the fourth game of the season and the Warriors' well of veteran role players now depleted, the team has turned in some clunkers on national television - particularly on ESPN broadcasts:

The NBA has seen its broadcast ratings dwindle at both the national and local levels, according to Sports Business Journals' John Ourand. Ratings on TNT broadcasts are down 23% while ESPN broadcasts have dropped by 20%. Locally, Warriors broadcasts on NBC Sports Bay Area are down a whopping 51%.