Hmmmm? Close friend or brother-in-law? Let's just ask Curry who he wants to part ways with?! That wrinkle aside, given Klay is rehabbing, carrying both Baze and Lee isn't going to hurt you. As players, they a little duplicative. Lee, a more efficient scorer, better shot selection, Baze, the edge defensively, goof ball, wrecking ball, solid vet. Both can give you starter minutes at the 2 or 3 if needed, both know the system inside out, both great locker room guys. If making improvements to the roster, the 2 guard is the last position you would look at. The key is whether or not Warriors pencil Poole in as their back-up point guard. If he is slotted there, then there is room on the roster for Baze and Lee. If we add some vet point guard (repeating the Wanamaker failed experiment), then Poole will need to get his minutes at the 2. If you keep Baze, it will be as a small forward where he would pull minutes when Wiggs not on the floor. The Poole-Baze second unit lineups at the 1-2 were very successful and this pairing makes Lee the 5th Guard on your depth chart which makes a little more sense. Not to mention, if Poole-Baze at the 1-2, then JTA slots in at the small forward which is a better position for him as well.
Poole Baze JTA playing the 1-2-3 (better size, all better players at these positions) sounds a lot better than them playing the 2-3-4 alongside some aging veteran point guard.
We keep recycling the same names but we might make more extensive changes. If memory serves, Myers noted how complicated this could be a few weeks ago. Sure, we'll keep JTA because he fits so well in Kerr's system. My bet is we keep Poole. But will we keep two first round picks, and if so, do we get a wing or guard out of that who can contribute off the bench as a rookie? Will we keep Paschal or trade him? Do we use the MLE for Chriss or another big or...? Can we get a veteran backup PG or combo guard who is better than Wanamaker? Any combo of Lee, Baze, Nico, Smiley, and Mulder could be gone—or not. And of course there's the possibility of trades. We can make guesses now but not educated guesses.
There is a very non-complicated, unsexy, bad for radio path which the Warriors could take.
PG: Curry, Poole (he should be on the court all non-Curry minutes), GP II (easy get, local fan fave, defensive on-ball menace, great tool to have in the tool box)
2G: Klay, Baze (can log extra minutes at the 3), D Lee
Maybe Nico & Jessup chilling in Santa Cruz on the 2 ways.
SF: Wiggs, JTA, #14 pick (maybe Wagner, Kispert, Z WIlliams)
PF: Green, Paschall, #6-#9 Pick (Scottie Barnes or J Johnson)
C: Wiseman, Looney, Chriss (bring him back, this trio would make a great center rotation with all having a variety of skills for Kerr to use in different situations.)
The problem, people say, is that you can't have 2 new rookies on the team. I look at it this way. How about replacing Smiley and Mulder with Barnes and Wagner on the roster. Is that not a massive upgrade to have 2 guys on the end of the bench who could become top notch NBA players. And let's not forget, we would be adding Klay, Chriss and GP II to the team that finished the season 15-5. So you are significantly better just by being healthy AND you have 3 guys on the bench all with vast potential. Let's not forget the improvement Poole showed in just one year. If we took the path of least resistance, simple FA signings of folks who already know the system and drafting well, DEVELOPING, then this roster would have incredible potential over the remainder of the core's careers and after. It's boring, I know, but would you rather sacrifice the future for a 1 or 2 year run, or settle on a second round playoff next year, but be primed for title runs for the next 6 years. I'm down with the latter.
The problem with this method is you very well might be capped at second round playoff exits the next 2 years and then none of the draft picks become the superstar you need for title runs the next 6 years.
Unfortunately, Steph's late prime might be our only chance at a title, period. Winning titles are really flipping hard. We weren't particularly close for a 40 year period. Even if you get a Dame Lillard type star, that's barely enough to get you to a conference finals. And finding a guy like that is incredibly unlikely. Not going all-in while we have literally the best Warrior that any of us might see in our lifetimes is silly.
For every Poole, there's a couple Paschalls who actually lose value year 1 to year 2. We owe Steph, Dray, and Klay going for it, not trying to shoot the gap. I like Damion and Baze and if there's not an opportunity to upgrade them, I'd have them back. But running the same team back with two additional rookies is a failure of an offseason straight-up.
Certainly, their is risk in any approach. You can get a superstar and it just isn't the right fit. Will the Clippers ever figure it out? Time will tell. What I would argue against is the idea that 'we need to go all in for Steph' and that = mortgaging the future for another superstar. I think 'going all in for Steph' could also mean giving him (and us) the best chance to win as long as he is lacing them up. I'm assuming min 5 years with maybe a year or 2 tacked on if the team is in good shape. I doubt he will want to add any more twilight years if the Warriors are running out another G League team.
Also, I think we get a little Steph obsessed, like it all has to be about him and I believe Steph would be the first to say that it isn't. I still believe that the Steph-Klay-Dray trio, along with the off-ball motion offense, remains one of the greatest forces on the basketball court. I'm a strength in numbers guy who remembers winning 73 games with H Barnes averaging only 11 a game. Oubre is hands down a better player than JTA, but in the Warriors system, JTA is a knight in shining armor. Like the movie "Miracle", I don't believe the Warriors have to stack up all the best players to win. They need 'the right' players, ones that can fit in and compliment our core - which still gives opposing coaches night sweats.
So, it's my faith in the core, an offensive system that still confounds teams and a defense built around Draymond (not to mention a pretty solid year from Wiggs) that leads me to believe that they can get back to Championship form without making wholesale changes. Like the Monkeys, I'm a Believer and I think, with Klay out for 2 years, everyone forgot who these guys were together. Either way, I trust Bob and Steve to make the best of it.
Yeah, that's what I meant by recycling the same names. I'm not convinced we can simply add Klay (who might not be ready to start the season or could be on restricted minutes) and a couple of draft picks and run it back. Let's wait and see who is available in free agency (and maybe a trade) that we might actually get. We might find a gem in the draft, too; look at how far Haliburton fell.
Since the Warriors are 'cap-minded', I would choose JTA over Bazemore. More upside, better athleticism. If we only go by the stretch run at the end of this season with Baze playing for Oubre, we don't get a complete picture. Baze has to play at full force every moment to achieve any kind of respectability. Fouls and TO's accumulate. We will add two draft additions, probably. One will be a SF, Kispert or Wagner, I believe. Jessup is very likely to be on the roster. Only in a pinch would I add Baze, a good guy, as well as DLee and Chriss. A guy like Chriss would be more necessary than Baze or DLee, IMO.
If a cap decision, Chriss over Baze I accept. We need to complete the center rotation and that is the higher priority. But I see Baze as a better player at the 2G where his length is a real problem, although he can play starter minutes at SF capably if needed. What we didn't see until late in the year when Lee went down was the 2 man combo of Poole/Baze at the 2nd unit guard positions. When adding any combination of 2 of Wiggs/JTA/Looney, these 4 man lineups were all 20+ over 100 possessions in a decent sample size. By losing Wanamaker, Oubre and Lee late, they were forced into a second unit lineup that not only held their own, but often time padded the score in those vital non-Curry minutes. Given that Klay will be on a minutes restriction, we can't discount the need for quality & extended backup and starter minutes (when Klay DNPs) at the 2. Mulder is undersized, Jessup realistically a year away, and I'm definitely not excited about Lee starting at the 2. So does that mean we are looking for a backup vet 2 who will play on the cheap and who we can be sure can fit into the Warriors system? If so, that actually sounds like Baze. I would be fine with our TPMLE being split between Chriss & Baze, thus settling the center and 2G positions and building on the late season second unit success with Poole/Baze & company.
JTA is already under contract, so he’s a given on next year’s roster. They won’t be “choosing” between him and Bazemore or anyone else.
Colonel Jessup could potentially obviate Bazemore or Lee, but right now we have no idea if he’s even an NBA player. He may have the inside track on one of the two-way contracts, but that’s about all we can say for him at this point. The chances of his being more productive player than Bazemore or DLee as soon as next season are very slim.
The only team that's way better than them right now is the Jazz. I think we can run the Suns, Mavs, Nuggets and Blazers off the floor with our smallball lineups. LAC are probably better, but who knows with that team.
Would've also beaten the AD and KCP-less Lakers. And the Grizz of course lol.
It would have been the complete opposite of the other years where the real finals were the matchups in the west. I think the only west team that has a chance in the finals is the jazz.
Yeah, the West seems vulnerable now with LeBron/AD being old/chronically hurt, us being old and injured and the Harden Rockets dissolving. The East seems really strong for the foreseeable future with the Bucks (provided they get a coach with a functioning brain) and the Sixers who are both young teams and should be good for the long haul. Then you have the Nets who might well be the GOAT offensive team (and barring catastrophe, will stay together for a couple of years at least), plus up and coming teams like the Hawks and the Celtics who have young franchise cornerstones.
A lot of the East is set up for current and long-term success. In the West, only the Suns, Nuggets, Mavs (due to Luka solely lol) and maybe the Pels (don't trust their FO) and the Jazz (only Mitchell is young, Gobert is in the middle of his prime and the role players are old) are set up for long-term success, and none of those teams (apart from the Suns and the Jazz) are close to a championship. Even the Suns and the Jazz aren't that great compared to the powerhouses of prior years (like the dynasty Warriors, Harden-Paul Rockets, Kawhi Spurs etc).
Jun 11, 2021Liked by punk basketball, Daniel Hardee
On our team, he was second in 3P%, third in plus-minus and best defensive rating (not counting GPII)... all at 20 minutes a night. Pretty good for a guy coming off the bench at a very minimal cost. So, yea, sign me up for more please... (just foul less so I can stop pulling out my hair please)
I'm down for return of the Bazegent as the ultimate X factor. He's good for the team spirit. I have a feeling he'll end up staying for a similar amount but just longer years so he can retire in the Bay.
OT: Watching the 2019 Finals again and it refueled my bitterness for the Raptors. The 2016 collapse was historic but the Toronto finals punched us in the gut two times in the same series. Too bad they won't be good enough to return to the big stage for a rematch.
It's honestly mind-boggling how close that series was despite everything. Just imagine, we were giving major minutes to so many fringe NBA players - Quinn Cook, Alfonzo McKinnie, DeMarcus Cousins (post-injuries), close to retirement Shaun Livingston, close to washed Andre Iguodala. Add in the fact that KD was missing for basically the entire series, Klay missed substantial portions of the series, and Looney also being injured for quite some time and that's a recipe for disaster.
And doing so against a pretty loaded team, especially defensively. They had Vanvleet and Lowry to pester guards, Siakam, Kawhi, Green and Powell on the wings and Gasol/Ibaka as a big duo.
That series being a Steph 3 from a G7 is an underrated achievement for the dynasty.
Bring back Bazemore. He fits the team better than Oubre. On offense, if he sits in the corner and shoot the 3, then he is fine. Anything more than that, then it is an adventure with him.
However, the Dubs will be lucky to get him or any veteran to come here. Dubs are in salary cap hell. Many teams can offer him more money to play elsewhere. Dubs will only end up with a person that no one else really wants or someone who is willing to take less money to play on a team that did not make the playoffs this year.
Klay, Wiggins, JTA, Damion Lee, likely one of the first round picks (Kispert?), another veteran...you want to fill up your wing rotation with guys who are better than Kent Bazemore if you want to be a contender.
But the dude knows how to play. That's why his minutes came out as plus. He can shoot, pass, dribble, defend. Not anything at a particularly high level, but good enough to make the Warriors system go. He can be a useful end of bench guy who can play spot minutes and fill in very reasonably if someone is hurt.
To me that adds up to a guy you try really hard to get at the minimum so you can have the lower cap slot, but go up to the non-bird. Sounds like he wants to be here and it'll be hard to find someone better, for cheaper.
He’s made $76 million in his career, so should be set. Seems like he’s at that point where being happy and on a competitive team is more important to him than making $15 million/year again.
I’d like him back, but don’t think we need him back, so wouldn’t use any of the MLE on him. As I said all season, I like Bazemore, but don’t like him taking minutes from Lee, who I expect won’t get Covid next season and who I trust more to take care of the ball and not commit a dumb foul.
It might also depend on what our draft looks like. If we end up with 1 or 2 NBA-ready wings, there could be a roster crunch.
I don't think there is any question that the Warriors would like Bazemore back at less than $3m for 3 years, but I'm not sure that's the best offer he will get. He was only a small step down from Oubre, and Oubre is expecting a deal upwards of $15m. Of course there is the age to take into factor. Bazemore would be 35 at the end of a 3 year deal.
Baze was just on a minimum contract last year. He's in a weird zone. He's good enough to be in a rotation, but has no upside, and shouldn't be a starter. So bad teams would rather give minutes to guys that might develop into something more. Most good teams would rather try and give cap space or an exception to someone better.
I have little enthusiasm for Bazemore but he's adequate. Oubre is more talented and athletic and has the potential to be far better. But Baze fits better in Kerr's system, knows how to play with Steph, and is more affordable.
You think we could get the flip side discount on "points get paid" with Baze?
Plus, he does fly under the radar more than Oubre. Not just the lack of scoring/PPG but his turnovers and fouling. If the team mostly stays the course, and Oubre walks, I don't know what better combo of affordable/available vet wing is out there
Hmmmm? Close friend or brother-in-law? Let's just ask Curry who he wants to part ways with?! That wrinkle aside, given Klay is rehabbing, carrying both Baze and Lee isn't going to hurt you. As players, they a little duplicative. Lee, a more efficient scorer, better shot selection, Baze, the edge defensively, goof ball, wrecking ball, solid vet. Both can give you starter minutes at the 2 or 3 if needed, both know the system inside out, both great locker room guys. If making improvements to the roster, the 2 guard is the last position you would look at. The key is whether or not Warriors pencil Poole in as their back-up point guard. If he is slotted there, then there is room on the roster for Baze and Lee. If we add some vet point guard (repeating the Wanamaker failed experiment), then Poole will need to get his minutes at the 2. If you keep Baze, it will be as a small forward where he would pull minutes when Wiggs not on the floor. The Poole-Baze second unit lineups at the 1-2 were very successful and this pairing makes Lee the 5th Guard on your depth chart which makes a little more sense. Not to mention, if Poole-Baze at the 1-2, then JTA slots in at the small forward which is a better position for him as well.
Poole Baze JTA playing the 1-2-3 (better size, all better players at these positions) sounds a lot better than them playing the 2-3-4 alongside some aging veteran point guard.
We keep recycling the same names but we might make more extensive changes. If memory serves, Myers noted how complicated this could be a few weeks ago. Sure, we'll keep JTA because he fits so well in Kerr's system. My bet is we keep Poole. But will we keep two first round picks, and if so, do we get a wing or guard out of that who can contribute off the bench as a rookie? Will we keep Paschal or trade him? Do we use the MLE for Chriss or another big or...? Can we get a veteran backup PG or combo guard who is better than Wanamaker? Any combo of Lee, Baze, Nico, Smiley, and Mulder could be gone—or not. And of course there's the possibility of trades. We can make guesses now but not educated guesses.
There is a very non-complicated, unsexy, bad for radio path which the Warriors could take.
PG: Curry, Poole (he should be on the court all non-Curry minutes), GP II (easy get, local fan fave, defensive on-ball menace, great tool to have in the tool box)
2G: Klay, Baze (can log extra minutes at the 3), D Lee
Maybe Nico & Jessup chilling in Santa Cruz on the 2 ways.
SF: Wiggs, JTA, #14 pick (maybe Wagner, Kispert, Z WIlliams)
PF: Green, Paschall, #6-#9 Pick (Scottie Barnes or J Johnson)
C: Wiseman, Looney, Chriss (bring him back, this trio would make a great center rotation with all having a variety of skills for Kerr to use in different situations.)
The problem, people say, is that you can't have 2 new rookies on the team. I look at it this way. How about replacing Smiley and Mulder with Barnes and Wagner on the roster. Is that not a massive upgrade to have 2 guys on the end of the bench who could become top notch NBA players. And let's not forget, we would be adding Klay, Chriss and GP II to the team that finished the season 15-5. So you are significantly better just by being healthy AND you have 3 guys on the bench all with vast potential. Let's not forget the improvement Poole showed in just one year. If we took the path of least resistance, simple FA signings of folks who already know the system and drafting well, DEVELOPING, then this roster would have incredible potential over the remainder of the core's careers and after. It's boring, I know, but would you rather sacrifice the future for a 1 or 2 year run, or settle on a second round playoff next year, but be primed for title runs for the next 6 years. I'm down with the latter.
The problem with this method is you very well might be capped at second round playoff exits the next 2 years and then none of the draft picks become the superstar you need for title runs the next 6 years.
Unfortunately, Steph's late prime might be our only chance at a title, period. Winning titles are really flipping hard. We weren't particularly close for a 40 year period. Even if you get a Dame Lillard type star, that's barely enough to get you to a conference finals. And finding a guy like that is incredibly unlikely. Not going all-in while we have literally the best Warrior that any of us might see in our lifetimes is silly.
For every Poole, there's a couple Paschalls who actually lose value year 1 to year 2. We owe Steph, Dray, and Klay going for it, not trying to shoot the gap. I like Damion and Baze and if there's not an opportunity to upgrade them, I'd have them back. But running the same team back with two additional rookies is a failure of an offseason straight-up.
Certainly, their is risk in any approach. You can get a superstar and it just isn't the right fit. Will the Clippers ever figure it out? Time will tell. What I would argue against is the idea that 'we need to go all in for Steph' and that = mortgaging the future for another superstar. I think 'going all in for Steph' could also mean giving him (and us) the best chance to win as long as he is lacing them up. I'm assuming min 5 years with maybe a year or 2 tacked on if the team is in good shape. I doubt he will want to add any more twilight years if the Warriors are running out another G League team.
Also, I think we get a little Steph obsessed, like it all has to be about him and I believe Steph would be the first to say that it isn't. I still believe that the Steph-Klay-Dray trio, along with the off-ball motion offense, remains one of the greatest forces on the basketball court. I'm a strength in numbers guy who remembers winning 73 games with H Barnes averaging only 11 a game. Oubre is hands down a better player than JTA, but in the Warriors system, JTA is a knight in shining armor. Like the movie "Miracle", I don't believe the Warriors have to stack up all the best players to win. They need 'the right' players, ones that can fit in and compliment our core - which still gives opposing coaches night sweats.
So, it's my faith in the core, an offensive system that still confounds teams and a defense built around Draymond (not to mention a pretty solid year from Wiggs) that leads me to believe that they can get back to Championship form without making wholesale changes. Like the Monkeys, I'm a Believer and I think, with Klay out for 2 years, everyone forgot who these guys were together. Either way, I trust Bob and Steve to make the best of it.
Yeah, that's what I meant by recycling the same names. I'm not convinced we can simply add Klay (who might not be ready to start the season or could be on restricted minutes) and a couple of draft picks and run it back. Let's wait and see who is available in free agency (and maybe a trade) that we might actually get. We might find a gem in the draft, too; look at how far Haliburton fell.
Since the Warriors are 'cap-minded', I would choose JTA over Bazemore. More upside, better athleticism. If we only go by the stretch run at the end of this season with Baze playing for Oubre, we don't get a complete picture. Baze has to play at full force every moment to achieve any kind of respectability. Fouls and TO's accumulate. We will add two draft additions, probably. One will be a SF, Kispert or Wagner, I believe. Jessup is very likely to be on the roster. Only in a pinch would I add Baze, a good guy, as well as DLee and Chriss. A guy like Chriss would be more necessary than Baze or DLee, IMO.
If a cap decision, Chriss over Baze I accept. We need to complete the center rotation and that is the higher priority. But I see Baze as a better player at the 2G where his length is a real problem, although he can play starter minutes at SF capably if needed. What we didn't see until late in the year when Lee went down was the 2 man combo of Poole/Baze at the 2nd unit guard positions. When adding any combination of 2 of Wiggs/JTA/Looney, these 4 man lineups were all 20+ over 100 possessions in a decent sample size. By losing Wanamaker, Oubre and Lee late, they were forced into a second unit lineup that not only held their own, but often time padded the score in those vital non-Curry minutes. Given that Klay will be on a minutes restriction, we can't discount the need for quality & extended backup and starter minutes (when Klay DNPs) at the 2. Mulder is undersized, Jessup realistically a year away, and I'm definitely not excited about Lee starting at the 2. So does that mean we are looking for a backup vet 2 who will play on the cheap and who we can be sure can fit into the Warriors system? If so, that actually sounds like Baze. I would be fine with our TPMLE being split between Chriss & Baze, thus settling the center and 2G positions and building on the late season second unit success with Poole/Baze & company.
JTA is already under contract, so he’s a given on next year’s roster. They won’t be “choosing” between him and Bazemore or anyone else.
Colonel Jessup could potentially obviate Bazemore or Lee, but right now we have no idea if he’s even an NBA player. He may have the inside track on one of the two-way contracts, but that’s about all we can say for him at this point. The chances of his being more productive player than Bazemore or DLee as soon as next season are very slim.
I'm not even sure the Warriors sign Jessup to 2-way as they can just let him continue to develop in the NBL on somebody else's dime.
Suns in 5?6?
4
Healthy warriors would have done serious damage in the playoffs this year
The only team that's way better than them right now is the Jazz. I think we can run the Suns, Mavs, Nuggets and Blazers off the floor with our smallball lineups. LAC are probably better, but who knows with that team.
Would've also beaten the AD and KCP-less Lakers. And the Grizz of course lol.
It would have been the complete opposite of the other years where the real finals were the matchups in the west. I think the only west team that has a chance in the finals is the jazz.
Yeah, the West seems vulnerable now with LeBron/AD being old/chronically hurt, us being old and injured and the Harden Rockets dissolving. The East seems really strong for the foreseeable future with the Bucks (provided they get a coach with a functioning brain) and the Sixers who are both young teams and should be good for the long haul. Then you have the Nets who might well be the GOAT offensive team (and barring catastrophe, will stay together for a couple of years at least), plus up and coming teams like the Hawks and the Celtics who have young franchise cornerstones.
A lot of the East is set up for current and long-term success. In the West, only the Suns, Nuggets, Mavs (due to Luka solely lol) and maybe the Pels (don't trust their FO) and the Jazz (only Mitchell is young, Gobert is in the middle of his prime and the role players are old) are set up for long-term success, and none of those teams (apart from the Suns and the Jazz) are close to a championship. Even the Suns and the Jazz aren't that great compared to the powerhouses of prior years (like the dynasty Warriors, Harden-Paul Rockets, Kawhi Spurs etc).
Even without klay
Bring him back! If he'll accept 3yr < 3mil. Hoping they can figure out something that works for both sides.
Agreed! His he’s energy is awesome and contagious. As you mentioned price point can’t be in the MLE range, we are going to need those.
On our team, he was second in 3P%, third in plus-minus and best defensive rating (not counting GPII)... all at 20 minutes a night. Pretty good for a guy coming off the bench at a very minimal cost. So, yea, sign me up for more please... (just foul less so I can stop pulling out my hair please)
I'm down for return of the Bazegent as the ultimate X factor. He's good for the team spirit. I have a feeling he'll end up staying for a similar amount but just longer years so he can retire in the Bay.
OT: Watching the 2019 Finals again and it refueled my bitterness for the Raptors. The 2016 collapse was historic but the Toronto finals punched us in the gut two times in the same series. Too bad they won't be good enough to return to the big stage for a rematch.
It's honestly mind-boggling how close that series was despite everything. Just imagine, we were giving major minutes to so many fringe NBA players - Quinn Cook, Alfonzo McKinnie, DeMarcus Cousins (post-injuries), close to retirement Shaun Livingston, close to washed Andre Iguodala. Add in the fact that KD was missing for basically the entire series, Klay missed substantial portions of the series, and Looney also being injured for quite some time and that's a recipe for disaster.
And doing so against a pretty loaded team, especially defensively. They had Vanvleet and Lowry to pester guards, Siakam, Kawhi, Green and Powell on the wings and Gasol/Ibaka as a big duo.
That series being a Steph 3 from a G7 is an underrated achievement for the dynasty.
> OT: Watching the 2019 Finals again
......................................................... why?
Ugh.
To accept it. To this day I've never seen game highlights of game 7 of the 2016 finals that's not shown on the TOP 10 plays
**** Danny Green
Bring back Bazemore. He fits the team better than Oubre. On offense, if he sits in the corner and shoot the 3, then he is fine. Anything more than that, then it is an adventure with him.
However, the Dubs will be lucky to get him or any veteran to come here. Dubs are in salary cap hell. Many teams can offer him more money to play elsewhere. Dubs will only end up with a person that no one else really wants or someone who is willing to take less money to play on a team that did not make the playoffs this year.
We will definitely get some vets over here to chase a ring with klay back, these teams in the playoffs are looking weak
He brings intensity. Does anyone remember when the Dubs played in the Shark Tank? They really stank then.
He fits the team chemistry, weaponizes joy. Yes
Klay, Wiggins, JTA, Damion Lee, likely one of the first round picks (Kispert?), another veteran...you want to fill up your wing rotation with guys who are better than Kent Bazemore if you want to be a contender.
But the dude knows how to play. That's why his minutes came out as plus. He can shoot, pass, dribble, defend. Not anything at a particularly high level, but good enough to make the Warriors system go. He can be a useful end of bench guy who can play spot minutes and fill in very reasonably if someone is hurt.
To me that adds up to a guy you try really hard to get at the minimum so you can have the lower cap slot, but go up to the non-bird. Sounds like he wants to be here and it'll be hard to find someone better, for cheaper.
He’s made $76 million in his career, so should be set. Seems like he’s at that point where being happy and on a competitive team is more important to him than making $15 million/year again.
I’d like him back, but don’t think we need him back, so wouldn’t use any of the MLE on him. As I said all season, I like Bazemore, but don’t like him taking minutes from Lee, who I expect won’t get Covid next season and who I trust more to take care of the ball and not commit a dumb foul.
It might also depend on what our draft looks like. If we end up with 1 or 2 NBA-ready wings, there could be a roster crunch.
I don't think there is any question that the Warriors would like Bazemore back at less than $3m for 3 years, but I'm not sure that's the best offer he will get. He was only a small step down from Oubre, and Oubre is expecting a deal upwards of $15m. Of course there is the age to take into factor. Bazemore would be 35 at the end of a 3 year deal.
Baze was just on a minimum contract last year. He's in a weird zone. He's good enough to be in a rotation, but has no upside, and shouldn't be a starter. So bad teams would rather give minutes to guys that might develop into something more. Most good teams would rather try and give cap space or an exception to someone better.
I have little enthusiasm for Bazemore but he's adequate. Oubre is more talented and athletic and has the potential to be far better. But Baze fits better in Kerr's system, knows how to play with Steph, and is more affordable.
I agree!
You think we could get the flip side discount on "points get paid" with Baze?
Plus, he does fly under the radar more than Oubre. Not just the lack of scoring/PPG but his turnovers and fouling. If the team mostly stays the course, and Oubre walks, I don't know what better combo of affordable/available vet wing is out there
I disagree!