What a wonderful article. It is SO much fun to relive Wiggins’ success and his pure joy as a Warrior. OT: The price of a ticket in Chicago for the Warriors-Bulls game on January 15th? $400 to $10,000 for lower level seats. What?????? I don’t know how I’m going to do it but somehow, some way, I vow to be inside the United Center on that Sunday afternoon!!!
Such a fun discussion. Wiggs deserves all the praise. He really showed up and was a difference maker in the championship run. I’m going to really enjoy cheering for him this season and enjoy every minute he’s in a dubs uniform effortlessly levitating his way to a rebound.
Already praying to the CBA gods. Please let us keep him
Short take: if we have to choose between he and Poole it's tough. He's a plus defender while guarding the best in the game. His offense is usually good, sometimes great. If his rebounding and general focus stays where it was in the playoffs, and ownership won't keep him and Poole, I think Poole is the odd man out. Wiggins is 27 and has the best 6 years of his career ahead, and he fits great with the old man core. Good thing we have another full season with both of them before we have to worry too much, and a great chance at another big gold trophy!
I think next season, the performanve of these players, the injuries to various players, as well as the deterioration of bodies, like Draymond’s , will answer many of these questions.
Post-injury Klay hasn't shown that he can defend Kawhi, PG13, Giannis, Luka, etc. Wiggins Island is a special thing that cannot be replaced by a MLE or vet-min wing. Is it as special as Poole's offensive destructive capabilities, perhaps not. I think the question though is: who is the best fit if the core players are retained going into their mid-thirties? Will a focus on non-core players picking up the slack on offense or defense be more important? I personally think a starting lineup of Curry/Klay/Wiggs/Dray/Center wins over a lineup involving Poole as a 25+ mpg player. If Moody can turn into a Wiggs Lite player, or if Kuminga shows he can meld into the lineup as a defensive stopper, I think it definitely changes the conversation. Who knows, maybe Wiseman emerges as a DPOY candidate (I can dream right). Those will be the things I watch out for this season.
Edit - I think like old man Nash, Curry will continue to dominate on offense and play around 30 mpg barring injuries. Surrounding him with big, versatile defenders is key to covering the slowness on defense that will apparently be rearing its ugly head in the next few years.
I think Poole’s playmaking/scoring is our only hope for keeping the motion offense humming if Steph’s not a b the floor. That’s always been our Achilles’ heel and it’s going to be increasingly important throughout Steph’s mid-30’s and beyond.
I was pretty harsh on Klay’s shot selection when he came back, but wasn’t expecting much defensively because lateral quickness was going to take while, but by the Boston series, I thought he was looking a lot like the old Klay on D
When I think about his defense this postseason I think about Klay absolutely stuffing multiple drives because Boston et al. seemed to think he'd lost a step on defense. Their mistake!
I agree. I love Poole, too, but I value defense over offense if pushed to choose.
My thinking is that those of us irrationally hoping to just keep everyone better hope for another ring this year because methinks that would go a long way towards convincing ownership that the juice is worth the squeeze (so to speak).
Well said Hookshot, and I agree we need to make the most of this dynasty year. Wiggins is the more complete player, and he's still improving! JP's exuberant personality would be sorely missed, but with a bit more elbow room for Wiggins, 20+% more Klay, the Vets, Moses, and the Rookies, we can knit together enough playmaking, ball handling, scoring, and assists to endure the initial growing pains and form a solid strategy.
What is unquie about Poole is that if the warriors are to keep motion offense alive beyond Steph, he's the key.
Kuminga and Wiseman would have to show tremendous growth to not steer the offense in an iso heavy direction.
Can management just go with the scorched earth approach and pay everyone? Lol, dubs would probably get 2-3 of the next 4 chips if they do so and health permits.
Wiggins and the Warriors were truly in a symbiotic relationship this past season where everyone benefitted from each other. Next year, I hope Wiggins and Lacob remember that when his contract is up.
* Wiggs was spending a LOT of time full-court pressing and wearing out his opponent. This is usually something you only see from reserve defensive specialists, not starters playing 35 minutes a game in the playoffs.
* When not counting early offense or late shot clock attempts, he was 9/19 from three in the Finals and 22 of 55 overall in the playoffs. (nba.com tracking stats)
You know, people always say that defending all 94 feet wears guys out, but it doesn't look like they're working that hard to be dribbling with purpose and going forward at 45 degree angles. But I guess that counts for something.
There's a pretty big difference in energy spent between casually dribbling upright versus being in a lower stance all the while being slightly bumped, having to change direction, etc.
These athletes have super-human conditioning so you're not going to see them gasping for air... but it's the same concept as making James Harden pound the ball in isolation for 3 quarters so he doesn't have his legs by the 4th.
I think it’s more mental. When you expect you’re going to get 40ft of relaxation time to set up the offense, but the there’s this guy in your grill not giving you space to communicate the offense, that’s going to get annoying fast
Couldn't be happier for Wiggins and the success he had this year. I wasn't excited when the Warriors traded for him, primarily due to perceived attitude issues. That lasted about one game, the first game he played for GSW against the Lakers when he had 24 points and 5 steals and guarded LeBron for the majority of the contest. And sure, one could say that he should have been expected to put up decent numbers as the best player on that iteration of the Warriors but he showed a level of effort that I never really saw from him when the Warriors would play with the Wolves. He won me over in his first couple of weeks with the team, when he seemed genuinely excited to be here even during a season where the Warriors were the worst team in the league.
His fit with the team is still underrated, IMO. We talk a lot about how the greatness of the Warriors' championship core is in part due to how seamlessly the big 3 of Steph-Klay-Dray complement each other, in their playing ability as well as their mentality. Andy showed this past season that he also fits just as seamlessly with those guys in both of those categories. He brings the athleticism and secondary scoring they lack at times as well as the low-key and unassuming attitude which allows him to either defer to his superstar teammates or to temporarily take the lead, whatever the situation requires. There's no mystery as to why he has become a favorite of the coaching staff as well as the players when you consider his physical and mental versatility. The dude is solid as a rock and he can flow like water.
I think Trogdor made a thought out and well-reasoned case as to why Andrew would be the odd man out when difficult contract decisions need to be made, but I still have a hard time seeing the Dubs not try very hard to keep Wiggins in the fold. He just fits this team too well. I hope we get to see that megawatt smile on the team photos of several more Warriors titles. He's been a joy to watch.
I also appreciate him getting the vaccine at the beginning of the season and not becoming a sideshow like Kyrie, even though he didn't want to take it. He didn't change his skeptical opinion towards the vaccine and he still wishes he hadn't gotten it according to a recent interview, and some may judge him on that. That's their prerogative but as far as I'm concerned, actions speak louder than words and when it came time to act, he set aside his own personal misgivings for the good of the team and their chances to compete for a title. Now there is a pro's pro.
Amen. I, too, was unhappy with the trade until I saw him play for us. But very quickly my expectations started turning around: on the Warriors, his much-maligned defense suddenly looked pretty solid. But could he sustain it, or was this just a honeymoon period before he regressed to his Minny form?
The fascinating thing is that he sustained it through the first half of the season, then had a significant lull following the all-star game where he looked… tired? Uninterested? Something like that, compared to how he was playing up to that point.
Then the game vs. Minnesota happened and the team called on him to step up. Hoo boy, did he. Sustained possibly by daily text messages from Steph with Wiggins' poster over KAT, he held up until the playoffs and then CRANKED IT UP ANOTHER NOTCH.
So, I think the criticism may have been accurate to the extent that Wiggins is a much better player when he's motivated. But unlike the T-Wolves, the Warriors organization knows how to motivate people. (I'm sure that realistically contending for championships is part of it, but there's certainly more than that to it.)
Props to the team for bringing the good vibes and props to Wiggins for thriving under the brightest lights. Now, here's to at least one more championship before we have to really worry about salary and contract concerns!
You basically laid out why if/when the Warriors can't sign everyone and have to let someone go, Wiggins should be the one not offered a new deal. I didn't agree with the conclusion you reached as I want the team to keep Wiggs and think that they will try to keep him if at all possible, but I thought the supporting evidence you presented made for a compelling argument in the face of a sizeable contingent of Warriors fans who don't think keeping Klay or Dray should be prioritized. I'm still hoping Magic Myers can figure out a way to keep everyone somehow.
Me too… they’ve talked about a $400M number, and stayed $60M under this year. They could have conceivably decided to try to average under $400 for these last three years before the new CBA kicks in after the 24/25 season and been prepping to go a little above for the 23/24 and 24/25 seasons to keep the team together… probably not, but I can dream, can’t I?
>I think Trogdor made a thought out and well-reasoned case as to why Andrew would be the odd man out when difficult contract decisions need to be made, but I still have a hard time seeing the Dubs not try very hard to keep Wiggins in the fold. He just fits this team too well. I hope we get to see that megawatt smile on the team photos of several more Warriors titles. He's been a joy to watch.
That post was a horror scenario. I pray to whatever basketball deity there is that the front office will not actually fall victim to that foolishness and keep Wiggins and simply do elsewhere what is best for the Warriors while getting under the $400m line.
> That lasted about one game, the first game he played for GSW against the Lakers
Same here! The fact that he bothered LeBron physically... and then he did the same to Kawhi... just made me go: OK I think we have something special here.
You got me there, I thought it was a secret technique that only the in-crowd knows. You know like grabbing, punching, and if you’re a really mean player, pumicing the other guy.
OT I just want everyone to know that I am going to continue doing my job for the next four years as I agreed to. I've decided that after I told everyone that my manager (whom I recommended for hire) sucks, yet he didn't get fired, maybe I'll just go back to work. Because it turns out -- get this! -- that if I don't work, I don't get paid. Maybe I should have complained more, or more publicly?? Was that my error?
I dunno. I think that this isn't that strange a fact. Wiggins is a very good small forward, the Warriors specifically needed a very good small forward after the Barnes and Durant departures, so they won. That makes sense to me. It was the various storylines about him all along that didn't make sense to me. He was Rookie of the Year. It was just the Minnesota Effect in subsequent years and the ROY expectations that made him seem somehow a lesser player. The year before they acquired him he was good for 22-5-4 on decent percentages. That's good. He may not have played defense energetically but he was on Minnesota, so, you know; and he's very athletic, so capable of playing good defense. Meanwhile, whom did he replace -- Glenn Robinson, Eric Paschall?
Wiggins has been a very good player from the outset of his career. A proven, valuable acquisition. I mean, it's not like the Warriors acquired Nico Mann -- OK, they did, but you know what I mean....
The other thing that was weird when the Dubs acquired Andrew was that we got a 1st round pick AND traded DeAngelo Russell, who had moments, but did not appear to play defense and created a logjam at shooting guard - and people thought it was a bad trade. There was no universe (well, except Minnesota, I guess) where this was a bad trade for the Dubs.
I'm really hoping Wiseman shines this year so we can enjoy it and imagine the alternate reality where we had to find playing time for the Splash Brothers, Poole, D-Lo, and LaMelo Ball.
I know! Russell has his moments but even whew we acquired him most observers were saying "he'll be there ten minutes, they just want to flip him." The fact that we flipped him for that haul???
Wiggs IS a very good small forward. But that was not the narrative when the Ws got him. I think it was the ROY expectations but more than that, the #1 pick in the draft and max contract expectations. He was expected to be the next Jordan, and that's a lot of burden to carry. So his 22-5-4 for a mediocre team felt like a huge letdown.
There were questions about his motivation -- some as recently as early in this last season. Everyone can see the talent and he would occasionally flash it in a way that both wowed people and made them wonder: Why doesn't he play like that all the time?
Some of the criticism was unfair and patently untrue -- like he's not very good at basketball. But even for those of us who wanted him to succeed, I think it's fair to say that the expectations were nowhere near what he just delivered in the playoffs. Holy cow...
I think it goes to show how much fan sentiment can torpedo a guy's value. Minnesota fans were so over the top in their disgust with him, and their public statements about having to add high picks just to dump him with that contract. They felt like they got off light to only have to give up one pick and get KAT's buddy in the process.
Yes, for sure agree that all this was so. What I guess I'm saying is that I get a lot of things wrong (I thought Smailagic had major potential) but that I wasn't at all in the camp that questioned him. It seemed to me at the time like the deal it became. Even a blind pig finds a truffle every now and then I guess...
What a crazy year for him. The All Star selection and "BamBam backlash," the series of lethal poster dunks he sprinkled about (mostly on KAT), his super steady play throughout, and then when it was needed most in the playoffs he turned the Wigg-nition key and the rest is history. So happy for him.
I see that Durant has decided to kiss and makeup with the Nets management, so the Nets starting lineup looks like Irving, Harris, Durant, Simmons, Claxton (I guess) at least for 1 year. It might be a good team if Simmons shows up, but not good enough to make me wish the Wiggins+future for Simmons trade had happened. I'm not seeing them as being better than the Celtics, Sixers, or Bucks.
What a wonderful article. It is SO much fun to relive Wiggins’ success and his pure joy as a Warrior. OT: The price of a ticket in Chicago for the Warriors-Bulls game on January 15th? $400 to $10,000 for lower level seats. What?????? I don’t know how I’m going to do it but somehow, some way, I vow to be inside the United Center on that Sunday afternoon!!!
Such a fun discussion. Wiggs deserves all the praise. He really showed up and was a difference maker in the championship run. I’m going to really enjoy cheering for him this season and enjoy every minute he’s in a dubs uniform effortlessly levitating his way to a rebound.
Already praying to the CBA gods. Please let us keep him
Nico Mannion 11 pts 9 ast against Ukraine yesterday.
Short take: if we have to choose between he and Poole it's tough. He's a plus defender while guarding the best in the game. His offense is usually good, sometimes great. If his rebounding and general focus stays where it was in the playoffs, and ownership won't keep him and Poole, I think Poole is the odd man out. Wiggins is 27 and has the best 6 years of his career ahead, and he fits great with the old man core. Good thing we have another full season with both of them before we have to worry too much, and a great chance at another big gold trophy!
I think next season, the performanve of these players, the injuries to various players, as well as the deterioration of bodies, like Draymond’s , will answer many of these questions.
If Wiggins goes, GSW has other wings who can shoot, defend and/or dunk on people in Klay, Moody and Kuminga…and perhaps Baldwin.
If Poole goes, we have no one who can play the Curry role when he’s not on the court and when he inevitably starts to fade.
It’s not an easy call, but Poole seems to be a rarer gem.
Post-injury Klay hasn't shown that he can defend Kawhi, PG13, Giannis, Luka, etc. Wiggins Island is a special thing that cannot be replaced by a MLE or vet-min wing. Is it as special as Poole's offensive destructive capabilities, perhaps not. I think the question though is: who is the best fit if the core players are retained going into their mid-thirties? Will a focus on non-core players picking up the slack on offense or defense be more important? I personally think a starting lineup of Curry/Klay/Wiggs/Dray/Center wins over a lineup involving Poole as a 25+ mpg player. If Moody can turn into a Wiggs Lite player, or if Kuminga shows he can meld into the lineup as a defensive stopper, I think it definitely changes the conversation. Who knows, maybe Wiseman emerges as a DPOY candidate (I can dream right). Those will be the things I watch out for this season.
Edit - I think like old man Nash, Curry will continue to dominate on offense and play around 30 mpg barring injuries. Surrounding him with big, versatile defenders is key to covering the slowness on defense that will apparently be rearing its ugly head in the next few years.
I think Poole’s playmaking/scoring is our only hope for keeping the motion offense humming if Steph’s not a b the floor. That’s always been our Achilles’ heel and it’s going to be increasingly important throughout Steph’s mid-30’s and beyond.
I was pretty harsh on Klay’s shot selection when he came back, but wasn’t expecting much defensively because lateral quickness was going to take while, but by the Boston series, I thought he was looking a lot like the old Klay on D
When I think about his defense this postseason I think about Klay absolutely stuffing multiple drives because Boston et al. seemed to think he'd lost a step on defense. Their mistake!
I agree. I love Poole, too, but I value defense over offense if pushed to choose.
My thinking is that those of us irrationally hoping to just keep everyone better hope for another ring this year because methinks that would go a long way towards convincing ownership that the juice is worth the squeeze (so to speak).
Well said Hookshot, and I agree we need to make the most of this dynasty year. Wiggins is the more complete player, and he's still improving! JP's exuberant personality would be sorely missed, but with a bit more elbow room for Wiggins, 20+% more Klay, the Vets, Moses, and the Rookies, we can knit together enough playmaking, ball handling, scoring, and assists to endure the initial growing pains and form a solid strategy.
Agree for the most part.
What is unquie about Poole is that if the warriors are to keep motion offense alive beyond Steph, he's the key.
Kuminga and Wiseman would have to show tremendous growth to not steer the offense in an iso heavy direction.
Can management just go with the scorched earth approach and pay everyone? Lol, dubs would probably get 2-3 of the next 4 chips if they do so and health permits.
Wiggins and the Warriors were truly in a symbiotic relationship this past season where everyone benefitted from each other. Next year, I hope Wiggins and Lacob remember that when his contract is up.
I have to also mention a couple things:
* Wiggs was spending a LOT of time full-court pressing and wearing out his opponent. This is usually something you only see from reserve defensive specialists, not starters playing 35 minutes a game in the playoffs.
* When not counting early offense or late shot clock attempts, he was 9/19 from three in the Finals and 22 of 55 overall in the playoffs. (nba.com tracking stats)
You know, people always say that defending all 94 feet wears guys out, but it doesn't look like they're working that hard to be dribbling with purpose and going forward at 45 degree angles. But I guess that counts for something.
There's a pretty big difference in energy spent between casually dribbling upright versus being in a lower stance all the while being slightly bumped, having to change direction, etc.
These athletes have super-human conditioning so you're not going to see them gasping for air... but it's the same concept as making James Harden pound the ball in isolation for 3 quarters so he doesn't have his legs by the 4th.
I think it’s more mental. When you expect you’re going to get 40ft of relaxation time to set up the offense, but the there’s this guy in your grill not giving you space to communicate the offense, that’s going to get annoying fast
Couldn't be happier for Wiggins and the success he had this year. I wasn't excited when the Warriors traded for him, primarily due to perceived attitude issues. That lasted about one game, the first game he played for GSW against the Lakers when he had 24 points and 5 steals and guarded LeBron for the majority of the contest. And sure, one could say that he should have been expected to put up decent numbers as the best player on that iteration of the Warriors but he showed a level of effort that I never really saw from him when the Warriors would play with the Wolves. He won me over in his first couple of weeks with the team, when he seemed genuinely excited to be here even during a season where the Warriors were the worst team in the league.
His fit with the team is still underrated, IMO. We talk a lot about how the greatness of the Warriors' championship core is in part due to how seamlessly the big 3 of Steph-Klay-Dray complement each other, in their playing ability as well as their mentality. Andy showed this past season that he also fits just as seamlessly with those guys in both of those categories. He brings the athleticism and secondary scoring they lack at times as well as the low-key and unassuming attitude which allows him to either defer to his superstar teammates or to temporarily take the lead, whatever the situation requires. There's no mystery as to why he has become a favorite of the coaching staff as well as the players when you consider his physical and mental versatility. The dude is solid as a rock and he can flow like water.
I think Trogdor made a thought out and well-reasoned case as to why Andrew would be the odd man out when difficult contract decisions need to be made, but I still have a hard time seeing the Dubs not try very hard to keep Wiggins in the fold. He just fits this team too well. I hope we get to see that megawatt smile on the team photos of several more Warriors titles. He's been a joy to watch.
I also appreciate him getting the vaccine at the beginning of the season and not becoming a sideshow like Kyrie, even though he didn't want to take it. He didn't change his skeptical opinion towards the vaccine and he still wishes he hadn't gotten it according to a recent interview, and some may judge him on that. That's their prerogative but as far as I'm concerned, actions speak louder than words and when it came time to act, he set aside his own personal misgivings for the good of the team and their chances to compete for a title. Now there is a pro's pro.
Amen. I, too, was unhappy with the trade until I saw him play for us. But very quickly my expectations started turning around: on the Warriors, his much-maligned defense suddenly looked pretty solid. But could he sustain it, or was this just a honeymoon period before he regressed to his Minny form?
The fascinating thing is that he sustained it through the first half of the season, then had a significant lull following the all-star game where he looked… tired? Uninterested? Something like that, compared to how he was playing up to that point.
Then the game vs. Minnesota happened and the team called on him to step up. Hoo boy, did he. Sustained possibly by daily text messages from Steph with Wiggins' poster over KAT, he held up until the playoffs and then CRANKED IT UP ANOTHER NOTCH.
So, I think the criticism may have been accurate to the extent that Wiggins is a much better player when he's motivated. But unlike the T-Wolves, the Warriors organization knows how to motivate people. (I'm sure that realistically contending for championships is part of it, but there's certainly more than that to it.)
Props to the team for bringing the good vibes and props to Wiggins for thriving under the brightest lights. Now, here's to at least one more championship before we have to really worry about salary and contract concerns!
Thanks for the kind words! Would you mind reminding me what my argument was? Lol, I don't actually remember what I said at the moment.
You basically laid out why if/when the Warriors can't sign everyone and have to let someone go, Wiggins should be the one not offered a new deal. I didn't agree with the conclusion you reached as I want the team to keep Wiggs and think that they will try to keep him if at all possible, but I thought the supporting evidence you presented made for a compelling argument in the face of a sizeable contingent of Warriors fans who don't think keeping Klay or Dray should be prioritized. I'm still hoping Magic Myers can figure out a way to keep everyone somehow.
Let's keep em all! That's certainly my hope too.
Me too… they’ve talked about a $400M number, and stayed $60M under this year. They could have conceivably decided to try to average under $400 for these last three years before the new CBA kicks in after the 24/25 season and been prepping to go a little above for the 23/24 and 24/25 seasons to keep the team together… probably not, but I can dream, can’t I?
>I think Trogdor made a thought out and well-reasoned case as to why Andrew would be the odd man out when difficult contract decisions need to be made, but I still have a hard time seeing the Dubs not try very hard to keep Wiggins in the fold. He just fits this team too well. I hope we get to see that megawatt smile on the team photos of several more Warriors titles. He's been a joy to watch.
That post was a horror scenario. I pray to whatever basketball deity there is that the front office will not actually fall victim to that foolishness and keep Wiggins and simply do elsewhere what is best for the Warriors while getting under the $400m line.
I fear that "elsewhere" means either Klay or Dray are going to be gone. I don't want it to be Kuminga or Poole.
> That lasted about one game, the first game he played for GSW against the Lakers
Same here! The fact that he bothered LeBron physically... and then he did the same to Kawhi... just made me go: OK I think we have something special here.
He is "solid as a rock and can flow like water"---This is a perfect way to describe him.
So, he's lava.
He's been known to pumice people.
You got me there, I thought it was a secret technique that only the in-crowd knows. You know like grabbing, punching, and if you’re a really mean player, pumicing the other guy.
💜
And erupted into a star in the playoffs
Left Iceland one day after the current eruption….erupted
Waiting for somebody to make a joke about how he's usually unnoticeable and only occasionally shows up for a eruption
I tried one, above
Andrew... he's so hot right now.
Is that a Zoolander reference?
OT I just want everyone to know that I am going to continue doing my job for the next four years as I agreed to. I've decided that after I told everyone that my manager (whom I recommended for hire) sucks, yet he didn't get fired, maybe I'll just go back to work. Because it turns out -- get this! -- that if I don't work, I don't get paid. Maybe I should have complained more, or more publicly?? Was that my error?
There's a pretty good chance you'll be traded at the copy deadline anyway.
Your error was leaving (what you didn't realize was) your dream job at a place many would love to spend the rest of the careers.
"Your" error was poor judgment. Sadly, I'm not sure what can cure that other than life experience.
The acquisition of Andrew Wiggins was critical for the Golden State Warriors as they won their fourth championship in eight years.
Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction.
I dunno. I think that this isn't that strange a fact. Wiggins is a very good small forward, the Warriors specifically needed a very good small forward after the Barnes and Durant departures, so they won. That makes sense to me. It was the various storylines about him all along that didn't make sense to me. He was Rookie of the Year. It was just the Minnesota Effect in subsequent years and the ROY expectations that made him seem somehow a lesser player. The year before they acquired him he was good for 22-5-4 on decent percentages. That's good. He may not have played defense energetically but he was on Minnesota, so, you know; and he's very athletic, so capable of playing good defense. Meanwhile, whom did he replace -- Glenn Robinson, Eric Paschall?
Wiggins has been a very good player from the outset of his career. A proven, valuable acquisition. I mean, it's not like the Warriors acquired Nico Mann -- OK, they did, but you know what I mean....
The other thing that was weird when the Dubs acquired Andrew was that we got a 1st round pick AND traded DeAngelo Russell, who had moments, but did not appear to play defense and created a logjam at shooting guard - and people thought it was a bad trade. There was no universe (well, except Minnesota, I guess) where this was a bad trade for the Dubs.
I'm really hoping Wiseman shines this year so we can enjoy it and imagine the alternate reality where we had to find playing time for the Splash Brothers, Poole, D-Lo, and LaMelo Ball.
I know! Russell has his moments but even whew we acquired him most observers were saying "he'll be there ten minutes, they just want to flip him." The fact that we flipped him for that haul???
Wiggs IS a very good small forward. But that was not the narrative when the Ws got him. I think it was the ROY expectations but more than that, the #1 pick in the draft and max contract expectations. He was expected to be the next Jordan, and that's a lot of burden to carry. So his 22-5-4 for a mediocre team felt like a huge letdown.
There were questions about his motivation -- some as recently as early in this last season. Everyone can see the talent and he would occasionally flash it in a way that both wowed people and made them wonder: Why doesn't he play like that all the time?
Some of the criticism was unfair and patently untrue -- like he's not very good at basketball. But even for those of us who wanted him to succeed, I think it's fair to say that the expectations were nowhere near what he just delivered in the playoffs. Holy cow...
I think it goes to show how much fan sentiment can torpedo a guy's value. Minnesota fans were so over the top in their disgust with him, and their public statements about having to add high picks just to dump him with that contract. They felt like they got off light to only have to give up one pick and get KAT's buddy in the process.
Yes, for sure agree that all this was so. What I guess I'm saying is that I get a lot of things wrong (I thought Smailagic had major potential) but that I wasn't at all in the camp that questioned him. It seemed to me at the time like the deal it became. Even a blind pig finds a truffle every now and then I guess...
Smiley ain't done yet. Just you wait until he and Nico are running the 1-5 PNR. There will be blood!
Albanian Junior League beware!
My empty soul is now overflowing with goldbloodedness… this should hold me over till training camp
What a crazy year for him. The All Star selection and "BamBam backlash," the series of lethal poster dunks he sprinkled about (mostly on KAT), his super steady play throughout, and then when it was needed most in the playoffs he turned the Wigg-nition key and the rest is history. So happy for him.
Wigg-nition. Have a kudo.
Daniel: And that’s why we should trade him along with James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody for Ben Simmons!
===============================
I like how you’re thinking, Daniel. Wiggins trade value couldn’t be any higher.
Awesome summary. Truth!
Wiggins should be Kuminga’s model for contributing on both ends.
Stellar defense, great rebounding, shooting that comes and goes, but works very well within the Warriors offense, no ego, and a million volt smile.
I so hope we can find a way to keep him. He's been my favorite Dub practically since he stepped off of the plane.
And I'm still loving the view...
I see that Durant has decided to kiss and makeup with the Nets management, so the Nets starting lineup looks like Irving, Harris, Durant, Simmons, Claxton (I guess) at least for 1 year. It might be a good team if Simmons shows up, but not good enough to make me wish the Wiggins+future for Simmons trade had happened. I'm not seeing them as being better than the Celtics, Sixers, or Bucks.
The Epitaph of an Era: "If Simmons Shows Up"
Can I change it to: "If Simmons Shows Up Ever" just so we can have the acronym ISSUE?
Ben "The Issue" Simmons. I love it.