Golden State Warriors

Kevin Durant enlisted one of his good buddies to keep his spirits high during his Achilles recovery on Tuesday night  ... hitting up an L.A. hot spot together for a night on the town.

Oh, yeah ... and that friend is Drake!!!

Of course, KD is still working to get back on the court following the devastating injury he suffered in Game 5 of the NBA Finals last season ... and it's been going VERY well -- the dude is already dunking in pick-up games again!!

The Brooklyn Nets superstar stayed busy while his team was in town to play the LA Lakers ... hitting up The Nice Guy in West Hollywood for a good time.

FYI -- Drake and KD are solid buds despite their teams going against each other in the Finals last season ... and Drizzy was very emotional in the crowd when Durant went down with the injury.

On top of that, Aubrey loves to name-drop Durant in his songs ... so the meet-up ain't all that surprising.

Draymond Green is coming at Charles Barkley's neck ... firing back at the Hall of Famer's criticism by saying Chuck's simply not qualified to comment on his game because he never won a 'ship!!!

Of course, Draymond and Chuck pretty much hate each other ... and Barkley has stopped at nothing to make fun of Green for averaging a "triple-single."

Green was asked about the criticism at Warriors practice Friday ... and oooooh boy, did he go off.

"Barkley should stop before I take his job, though." Green said. "I can do that well, too."

"If he keep talking, I'll take it soon. Sooner than he thinks. He probably should be quiet."

"He also can't talk basketball with me either. Not smart enough, not qualified. No rings, can't sit at this table."

DAMN, DRAYMOND!!!

Look, it's true -- Barkley never won a title, but that doesn't mean he's not one of the greatest players in the history of the game.

Remember what Robert Horry (who has 7 rings) told us -- "idiots" use rings to determine greatness. Just putting that out there.

The Western Conference needs to enjoy Golden State's off-year while it can ... 'cause Tim Hardaway tells TMZ Sports the Warriors will be right back in the Finals -- with help from their "perfect piece!!"

It's been a rough patch, to say the least, for the Dubs, who have been without Steph Curry and Klay Thompson for most of the season.

But there's a new guy in town after shipping D'Angelo Russell to Minnesota for Andrew Wiggins ... and the ex-Warrior says it was a great move for when the 2 stars get back on the court!!

"I think it was," Hardaway says. "Andrew Wiggins is gonna be real nice with them. Yes, he is."

"Perfect piece, no question!"

But is Wiggins enough to get Golden State back in the Finals?? Hardaway thinks so!!

Ja Morant might still be a rookie, but he's a seasoned vet in TALKIN' TRASH ... 'cause he just clapped back at Steph Curry for getting involved in his beef with Andre Iguodala with an epic troll job!!!

To get y'all up to speed ... 36-year-old Iggy is currently a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, but it was understood he'd be traded to a contender of his choice before Thursday's trade deadline.

The situation has current Grizzlies players pissed, with Dillon Brooks saying "I can't wait 'til we find a way to trade him so we can play him and show him really what Memphis is about."

Ja echoed Brooks' comments ... and Curry went to Instagram to defend his ex-teammate by posting a pic of Andre holding the NBA championship trophy along with a "shut up" emoji.

20-year-old Morant didn't back down though ... clapping right back with a pic of Kevin Durant, insinuating the Warriors wouldn't have all those rings if it weren't for KD.

As entertaining as it would be for Morant to go out and just start disrespectin' the Dubs dynasty, the young hooper made it VERY clear he's a fan of Curry's game ... and was just keeping it real.

Charles Barkley's incessant attack on Draymond Green has entered 2020 ... with Chuck straight-up roasting the Warriors star for "averaging that triple-single."

A bit of a history lesson -- Barkley absolutely LOVES to insult Day Day with a burning passion ... it's so real that he once said he wanted to "punch him in the face so bad."

The 2 ended up squashing that beef (kinda) back in 2018 ... but the Hall of Famer decided to bring life back into their drama by calling out Green's stat line during Thursday night's "Inside the NBA."

“Draymond don’t talk as much since he averaging that triple-single," Barkley said.

FYI -- Green's stat line so far this season is 8 points, 6 rebounds and 5.6 assists.

Shaq and the guys rightfully lost it ... with everyone on the desk laughing.

Steph Curry's alleged recruiting pitch to Giannis has NOBODY in Milwaukee concerned ... so says the Bucks owner's daughter, who tells TMZ Sports Antetokounmpo is loyal!

If you missed it ... Curry went viral after cameras appeared to catch the Warriors superstar trying to recruit Giannis to Golden State after their game on Jan. 8.

If ya watch the video ... it's pretty clear, Curry says "let's do it. Come on, man."

Of course, Steph has played off the tampering allegations by saying he was actually recruiting Giannis to play video games!!

But, when we got Wes Edens' daughter, model Mallory Edens, out at the California Strong celeb softball game earlier this week ... she sure seemed like she wasn't buyin' Curry's explanation.

"I don't think Giannis plays video games," she told us.

So, is there any worry Curry's pitch might actually work? Mallory doesn't seem to think so, saying, "Life is good in Milwaukee right now. They're winning. I think everyone's happy."

Just 'cause Steph Curry and Draymond Green can't play together right now doesn't mean they can't date together ... the Warriors superstars teamed up for a double date night with their wife and finacee!!

The Dubs are in town to play the Clippers on Friday ... and their 2 superstars kicked off their trip with a night on the town at Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills.

Of course, Steph has been sidelined with a broken left hand since October ... but has slowly worked his way to getting back to practice with the team.

Steph and Ayesha -- who have been married since 2011 and have 3 kids together -- met up with engaged Draymond and Hazel Renee on Thursday night. Maybe they were discussing marriage advice??

While the wedding date for Green and Hazel hasn't been made public, Draymond has said they planned the big day around the Tokyo Olympics ... so the wedding bells may be coming soon.

"Wake your ass up! ... Wake the f**k up!!!"

Steve Kerr went BALLISTIC on a ref during the Warriors' game against the Sacramento Kings on Monday night -- and the whole profanity-laced rant was caught on a hot mic!!!

The blowup all started near the end of the first half ... when Kerr argued a Kings layup shouldn't have counted because there was a foul before the basket.

The GSW head coach received a technical foul for chirpin' the refs ... and then he decided to get his money's worth -- going BANANAS on the zebras.

The transcript? "Wake your ass up! Wake your ass up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake the f**k up!"

Kerr eventually cooled down and was escorted off the floor ... but his speech clearly didn't fire up his squad -- 'cause the Dubs ended up losing 111-98.

Of course, it's been a pretty miserable year for Kerr and the Warriors outside of Thursday's loss ... they've won just 9 games this season without superstars Klay Thompson and Steph Curry.

NBA champ Festus Ezeli might be one of the most positive dudes on the planet ... 'cause he's spin zoning the Warriors' awful season into an actual GOOD thing!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the ex-Dub at LAX about his old team stumbling out of the gates this season ... and he says despite being 3-17 and dead last in the West, there are things to be excited about.

... just maybe not for a while.

"I actually think that this year is the best thing that can happen to the Warriors," Ezeli says. "They’re rebuilding. They have a chance to work on their bench."

"So I feel like, with this year, they can use it to get those guys to get some game time, to get confidence, to get better and come back healthy next year."

Of course, this year has felt like a bit of a mulligan for the Warriors -- Klay Thompson AND Steph Curry are sidelined with injuries ... leaving everything up to Draymond Green and D'Angelo Russell.

Not ideal.

But, Festus says it's not all over for Golden State as long as they still keep that core intact.

Golden State has sucked so far this season ... but Baron Davis tells TMZ Sports it's way too early to put a dagger in the Warriors just yet.

Steph Curry and co. have clearly felt the absence of Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson through 2 games ... losing to the Clippers and Thunder by a combines 47 points.

In fact, Draymond Green summed up his evaluation of the team after Sunday night's loss, saying "we f**king suck right now."

But, Davis -- who played for the Dubs from 2004-2008 -- says all talk of a dethroning is premature.

"I wouldn't count them out ... it's too early," Davis told us at Petite Taqueria in West Hollywood.

"Always judge a team after the first 20 games. After 20 games, you'll know where everybody stand and where they going."

FYI -- the team's biggest free agency acquisition, D'Angelo Russell, had just 6 points in the Warriors' loss to Oklahoma City after getting ejected in the 3rd quarter.

Head coach Steve Kerr has also said there's a chance Klay doesn't come back from his ACL injury this season ... so things aren't looking great at the moment.

Charles Barkley ain't afraid to tell an NBA star his team is trash -- and Thursday night, he delivered a truth bomb right to Klay Thompson ... and the footage is hilarious.

Klay was joining the guys on TNT's "Inside the NBA" during halftime of the Warriors vs. Clippers game ... where Golden State was getting smacked around by L.A.

Of course, Klay is still out recovering from the torn ACL he suffered during the NBA Finals ... but he told the guys, he's still optimistic the Warriors can get back to dominating the league.

The issue ...  without Klay and Kevin Durant (who left for Brooklyn), Barkley thinks the team is in big trouble.

"Our window to win another championship I think is open for the next 5, 6 years," Klay said.

"Number 1, I hope you get back soon but you're just wrong," Barkley shot back.

"I think their window's shut. I don't think they can score enough."

Barkley also amended a prediction he made before the game -- "I was wrong before the game. I said [the Warriors] were gonna be the 7, 8 seed. They're not gonna make the playoffs."

Kenny Smith asked, "You know after one half of basketball?!"

Barkley responded -- "Yes."

Klay tried to defend his squad and said he has faith in the young player on the Warriors, but it was clear Barkley wasn't convinced.

By the way, the Warriors lost 141 to 122 in their first home game in their new arena.

"He’s still a great player, not a hall of famer yet, though."

That's Michael Jordan talking about ... get this ... STEPH CURRY!!!

His Airness made the statement on Tuesday's "Today" show -- when he was backing an old claim that the 4 dudes he would select in a pickup game would be Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson and James Worthy.

When Craig Melvin asked if Steph Curry should be offended that he isn't on MJ's list, Jordan replied ... "I hope not. He's still a great player. Not a Hall of Famer yet, though."

Of course, Curry is a LOCK for the Hall of Fame -- 3x NBA champ, 2x MVP, 6x NBA All-Star ... and he's widely considered one of (if not) the greatest shooter of all time.

Guessing Curry won't take this too seriously ...

During the interview, Jordan also revealed he no longer plays pickup basketball because he's afraid his hyper-competitive nature will kick in and "it will take over."

Melvin says MJ is concerned that he would compete TOO HARD and end up hurting himself.

Steve Kerr still isn't ready to talk about China -- shutting down our photog when we asked the Golden State Warriors coach about the NBA's drama in Asia on his way out of dinner with Steph Curry.

Of course, Kerr initially shut down China questions last week -- saying he didn't know enough about the situation with China and Hong Kong to opine in the wake of the Daryl Morey tweets.

Morey essentially created an international incident by tweeting out support for Hong Kong -- which led to the Chinese government blackballing the Houston Rockets and putting the country's relationship with the NBA in jeopardy.

Since then, President Donald Trump verbally attacked Kerr ... saying the usually outspoken coach was "like a little boy" when asked about China -- claiming Kerr "was so scared to even be answering" a question about the topic.

Fast forward to Sunday night when Kerr and Curry hit up Mastro's Steakhouse in Beverly Hills -- not exactly a low-key hangout -- where our guy asked Kerr if he finally felt "well-versed" enough to talk about the biggest issue in pro sports.

But, Kerr shut it down. He was nice and friendly but made it clear he's still not ready to have a public conversation about China.

Michelle Wie got hitched to an NBA legend's son over the weekend ... exchanging vows with Jonnie West at a star-studded ceremony in L.A.!!!

The golf superstar and Warriors Director of Basketball Operations -- who got engaged back in March -- tied the knot in front of their closest family and friends, including tennis pro Genie Bouchard and fellow golfer Danielle Kang.

"MR. AND MRS. WEST Y’ALL!!!!," Michelle said in an Instagram post. "I love you HUSBAND with every living thing in my body and I didn’t think I could love you any more, but then I saw you at the end of the aisle and my heart exploded."

Best part of the whole shindig??? Wie's dad straight-up GETTING it on the dance floor at the reception.

Kevin Durant wants to make it crystal clear his old team deserves ZERO blame for his NBA Finals injury ... saying the Warriors didn't mishandle his calf injury and no one forced him to play.

KD is finally addressing the ruptured Achilles he suffered during game 5 against the Toronto Raptors ... saying Golden State didn't pressure him to come back early from a calf strain he sustained earlier in the playoffs.

“Hell, no. How can you blame [the Warriors]? Hell, no,” Durant told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

"Nobody never said a word to me during rehab as I was coming back ... Right when the series started, I targeted Game 5."

"Hell, nah. It just happened. It’s basketball. Sh*t happens. Nobody was responsible for it. It was just the game. We just need to move on from that sh*t because I’m going to be back playing.”

There ya go, critics ... straight from KD's mouth.

Durant also addressed the claims that Raps fans were applauding his injury ... saying he was in a daze and didn't hear anything, but added, "It will probably be the last time they will be in the Finals."

Of course ... the 30-year-old is slowly recovering from the injury ... and TMZ Sports even spotted him walking without crutches last week.

As for his decision to leave the Dubs for Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets ... KD's reason is very simple.