I don't follow baseball, and if I did I'm sure I wouldn't be a Dodgers fan, but I have to tip my hat to what Ohtani is doing. If you are even less baseball literate than I am, he just got to 50 HRs and 50 stolen bases in the same season (now at 51-51). From the Athletic:
Only two other players in MLB history (Barry Bonds and Brady Anderson) had hit both 50 home runs and stolen 50 bases in any season of their careers, much less the same one.
At some point in the day, on ESPN app saw that Ohtani got to 50 steals. I thought, interesting, will be some pressure to see if he can get the final 2 HRs in the last 10-ish games. End of the day, check the app again to see he got 3 HRs later in the same day. Welp...
Screw the Dodgers. And the Giants. Long live the A's. Until they leave, then baseball may cease to exist. Except no one else will notice.
I don't think it would unlock anything tbh, when he shot 41% he was taking 1.9 threes per 36. He has to be able to shoot well enough to change how the other team defends him behind the arc which means upping his volume a lot, and I don't think that is really a possibility for him given how slow and drawn out his 3 point stroke is. He is what he is at this point, and that's a good player who can perhaps unlock some lineups with his size+ballhandling/passing combo but not as a shooter.
The difference between 30% & 41% for a player taking 1.9 threes/36 and playing 25MPG ends up being worth ~0.15ppg. That's not that much, and as you point out, it wouldn't really unlock things unless he gets defended differently... but it's also not nothing.
So, you're saying we have the #1 & #2 ranked "small ball centers"? And we can duty cycling them and avoid the "overdoing Draymond at center" problem while playing small ball as much as Kerr wants? I'll take it!
Oh such a tease. Imagine if everyone could have an expert coach working with them every day to fine tune their technique and help drive work improvement. Everyone. Baristas. Cab drivers. PowerPoint creators. But maybe the economics only work for guys making $millions.
Probably a more interesting point than you had in mind. AI and immersive 3d computer graphics, and pervasive sensors are probably going to make stuff like this feasible (robo-barista showing them how it's done in real-time, and being able to critique performance).
Not sure it's a good thing, but the cost of training should be going down over the next decade or so.
As I've posted a few times, I am currently in the process of trying to move to Spain.
I am thinking about recording the experience of moving in a blog/website. Probably 2/3 of it will be travel focused (in Spain, mostly), and 1/3 posts about the logistics of making the move.
Substack would seem to fit the bill reasonably well. I can post photos in stories, it looks like there is a way to whitelist commenters (I would want the content to be visible to all, but commenters limited to folks I know and approve).
I almost certainly will not want to post videos, nor am I interested in making money off of it (can't, really ... the Spanish visa I'm going for does not allow work of any kind).
Any opinions on platforms (particularly Substack) that anyone wants to share? Non-proprietary, low-maintenance alternatives?
So freaking Jelly. Wife and I have talked about moving abroad but a). Feel kinda guilty about moving to a place with lower cost of living and displacing the locals b). We are very family/parent oriented and sadly, my wifes parents are very staunch Midwestern Conservatives (not quite MAGA-ish though) who will never move away so we have no choice but to stick it out until we bury them and c). Two middle school girls who are not as adventurous unless it involves an all inclusive resort.
Enjoy for me though as I cry driving past Cracker Barrel and Bob Evans daily
I've been in Idaho five years. I've done my MAGA-Koolaid-drinking state time.
I hear you about driving up prices, though. I feel guilty about that, since it's a real problem in Spain. But, not enough to stop me from trying I guess (which makes me a bit of a hypocrite).
Good luck to you. A good friend of mine was looking into moving to Italy (It's where she's from) and in going through the process over the last few years was talked out of it because they would never accept her and treat her as an immigrant. Most of Europe has become very anti-immigrant and anti-American. Hope it's not like that where you're going.
And this is odd to me as an American couple I know had to move to Germany last year because he got stationed over there and they were welcomed with open arms and even celebrated our silly little Thanksgiving holiday with there neighbours.
I think there are just certain hot spots to avoid, like Venice, Barcelona, and Lisbon, where local displacement is leading to widespread resentment. Otherwise, any anti-immigrant sentiments are likely confined to poor migrants and refugees from the global South and East, and to a certain type of obnoxious tourists from UK and Germany.
Seems like a good guess. Top 3 contributor on 4 championships, highly ranked in several playoff and finals categories, several notable NBA records... he should be on there.
New Light Years vid has Sam talking with Eric Weiss, a former scout who has worked with Travis Schlenk in a pretty interesting. He talks about teams’ scouting process. They also break down the roster and how minutes crunches can affect locker room dynamics. There’s also particular talk about Wiseman, Moody, Jimmy Butler, Kuminga and Podz.
My wife noticed before I did that (nearly) every time he tries to have a take of his own, Sam will disagree and then Andy will say, “Yeah, you’re right.” Since she pointed that out, it’s uncanny how often it happens.
There was a sweet pass in there, and the step back 3 was nice. Shooting 3s off of any kind of movement is an area where he seems like he’s made a big improvement since his rookie season
He was doing it in his rookie season in the G-League when he was given some offensive freedom (e.g: https://youtu.be/C_ZS7gV4-cs?t=67 ), but it's been three seasons of the NBA Warriors treating him like an afterthought. I'm just hoping he finds an organization that is actually interested in exploring his potential this season, one way or another.
1. Watching some of the Nash clips, I can see the Podz comparisons. Not saying he’s a shoe-n HOFer, but the the creativity is reminiscent. Podz also brings a bit more size that allows him to play more physically, as we saw with his rebounding, defense and screen-setting. I’m becoming increasingly convinced that MDJ was correct in making him virtually untouchable.
2. I still wish Gasol could have played with Steve Kerr. The Kerr-Pau combination would have been explosive.
With the additions of Melton (ranked 5th among guard defensive disruptors in the NBA and 10th overall, 9th best PG/SG defender and 42nd overall) and Anderson (2nd best PF defender in the league and 11th overall, 2nd best PF defensive disruptor and 16th overall), the Warriors can now shift focus to easing Curry’s offensive load.
I propose a Wiggins/GP2/Moody/(filler) trade for Zach LaVine. Here’s why: Firstly, GP2 is redundant with Melton, who is also a great defender but offers superior spacing. Secondly, Wiggins/Moody need to be traded to match salaries. Thankfully, Kuminga can easily fill Wiggins role and Moody's backup SG/SF minutes will be filled by Lavine/Heild.
So how does the fit work? LaVine battled injuries last year, but we’d be betting on him returning to form—averaging 25+ ppg on 60+ TS% like he did in the prior three seasons. Playing alongside Curry and Draymond in a system that suits his strengths should boost his efficiency even further. Curry and LaVine would anchor the offense, while Kuminga and Hield could slot into more comfortable 3rd and 4th option roles. Defensively, Draymond, Looney, Melton, Anderson would solidify that end of the floor. I'm willing to bet that Kuminga (with less offensive responsibility) would also rise to the occasion.
Overall, now we have a well balanced/constructed squad. What do y'all think?
I hear you about the greater downside if Lavine doesn't return to form given his contract. With that being said, lets assume that both Wiggins AND Lavine return to form.
Between the two of them, Lavine's return to form as a highly efficient volume scorer (25 ppg on 60+TS%) is far more valuable on this roster given our lack of offense and copious amounts of defensive players. Curry/Lavine could carry us to an elite offense while Dray/Melton/Anderson/Looney can carry us to a top defense.
On the other hand, Wiggin's return to form would have him as a 17 ppg scorer with great defense. We'd have that great defense, but Wiggins is not good enough as the N.2 option to lead us to an elite offense. Furthermore, Wiggins remaining on the squad results in limited minutes for Kuminga OR Anderson which would not be optimal for our chances imho. Between the two return to forms, Lavine just makes more sense for our squad.
Interesting. I realize we have a lack of shooting. I'm less convinced we have a lack of scoring ... I want to see how we do for a few weeks. Also, I tend to value defense more in general, I guess.
Wiggs at his best supplies a good balance of both, to me. When he's on, you can pencil him in for 15 a game and good on-ball defense.
And, let's say Wiggs goes. Who else among the starters is going to be the on-ball defender? It could be Kuminga, but he also had an off year on that side of the ball last year, and I don't really get the sense he's committed to on-ball defense.
You're swapping Lavine in for Melton. Lavine's not going to be the answer. Steph can't do it. So, I think you're relying an awful lot on Dray to clean up mistakes with Lavine in the lineup (unless I'm wrong about Kuminga).
Their "return to forms" are much different though. Wiggins top dubs seasons are like 56% true shooting, 17 pts per game. LaVines top season is 63% TS on 27 pts per game. And multiple others with 60%+ TS and 24+ pts per game. Of course that's just offense, and Wiggs has done some good things on defense (though has also been terrible at D at other times in his career). Honestly I can't say I pay any attention to LaVine so I don't have much of an opinion. But he has had some super elite offensive seasons.
Anyway, I guess my point is, although both super athletic, 28 year old ex-Timberwolves who may have been dubbed the worst contract in the NBA at points in their respective careers, they do not necessarily seem to be equivalent players. Doubt the Dubs will be trading for him though.
LaVine with Steph is not a backcourt defense I want to see. Trying to win by scoring a bunch while giving up a bunch at the other end is not a formula for playoff success for the most part. We also lose length, which is not great for this team. There are good reasons the Bulls have not been able to unload LaVine, starting with that fat contract. I don't want to take contract that on for a one-way player either, even one who scores like LaVine.
If we have Good Wiggs — both players returning to form was the premise here — he is welcome to Anderson's minutes, although I think Slo Mo will find minutes for some matchups regardless.
A wild card is whether JK's shooting has improved because if it has, and if we have Good Wiggs, they could yet make it work together.
"LaVine with Steph is not a backcourt defense I want to see. Trying to win by scoring a bunch while giving up a bunch at the other end is not a formula for playoff success for the most part."
I don't disagree, but flip that to the exact OPPOSITE perspective. Steph with Podz/Melton/Heild is not an backcourt offense I want to see. Trying to win by defending a bunch while not scoring at the other end is not a formula for playoff success for the most part.
Defense doesn't win championships, BALANCED teams who are good at both defense/offense do. While Lavine's addition certainely weakens us defensively, that negative is minimized by Draymond/Anderson/Melton/Looney who are great defensive players. On the other hand, Lavine's addition would significantly address a big weakness of our team which is our lack of a second option.
Honestly, if you hadn't been around here a long time, I'd think you were just trolling for responses. This is not a good idea, but it's ok, since I'm confident the FO would never entertain it, I'm not very triggered about it.
I mean TBF to Arash that trade would make it easier for Steve to build a solid rotation without leaving guys out that should play. GP2 and Melton is redundant I agree with that completely. The only thing is that Lavine's contract is such a huge turnoff. Also this trade would require us going all in on JK being able to play the 3 full time which he still has to prove he can
Not if that rotation included LaVine. Also, I don't care if players get left out. This isn't CYO. GP2 doesn't get on the court I expect him to be a professional about it and I'm confident he will. (I love GP2 and, if healthy, I expect him to be a contributor, I'm just using him as an example to make a point)
That being said I do think we could improve with the right consolidation trade, but this isn't it. I honestly think Wiggins alone even in his mediocre last year form is better than LaVine and i haven't even addressed the $$ yet (though others have)
Edit: I WAS trying to be fair to Arash and that's why I gave him the benefit of doubt for a long time poster and just disagreed with the idea, but I added the point about trolling just to emphasize how bad an idea I think it is (as, I suspect, does the team)
Of course we would. If we had Damian Lillard backing up Steph Curry, I'd call that redundant and immediately push for a trade that can net us players in different positions whose impact isn't as limited because of positional logjam/offensive similarites.
Of course having another great defender is nice, but I think the point is that if (a healthy) Melton is coming off the bench and providing elite on-ball defense while giving the team more offensively with his scoring and playmaking, Kerr is probably always gonna go with him.
With the current roster’s logjam at the 2/3, GP2 definitely seems like the odd man out, minutes-wise.
Until Melton is injured... I'm expecting those guys to be available for a combined 100 games or so... maybe 110 if their minutes are reduced due to being a bit redundant.
Redundancies are absolutely useful in case of injury. However, I'd rather have a stronger overall team with thinner depth in case of injury THAN a weaker overall team with stronger depth.
A game changer whose game relies heavily on athleticism heading into his 30s and his body is showing signs of breaking down. GP2 was a certified dawg for us in the title run and will forever be considered a Warrior Legend in my eyes but I fear his best days are behind him. Melton can take over his role just fine.
While I hear you about Lavine's contract, assuming health, I'd be willing to swallow it given he'll be a high efficiency 25+ ppg scorer who is adequate defensively and fills a desperate need for a secondary scorer at an open position (Podz is a better fit at PG)
As for JK moving to small forward, it's absolutely a risk but currently we have a logjam at the PF position with Dray/Anderson/Kuminga. While we could experiment with Anderson at the C position, history has shown that he doesn't perform well there and it would just create a logjam at the C position (Dray/TJD/Looney/Kyle). Getting rid of Wiggins and replacing him with Kuminga just solves so many problems roster construction-wise for us.
With Curry/Lavine/Hield on the squad, the spacing problems of having Kuminga at SF will be minimized. With Curry/Lavine/Dray/Anderson/Podz on the squad, the ball handling/passing problems with Kuminga at SF will also be minimized.
All good points. Last time Steph had a (motivated) 2nd option that could consistently create for himself we were a pretty damn good team so I am definitely intrigued. Plus his contract fits with Steph and Dray's timeline as well. We can go all in on the Steph/Lavine/Dray core + friends run until 2026 and start over when all of their contracts expire
I grew up the son of a factory worker two miles from ESPN's campus and only ever dreamed of making a living as a sportswriter. Thirty-seven years ago, the Hartford Courant gave me my first byline and I never stopped
chasing the thrill of it all. This craft transformed my life, but I've decided to retire from ESPN and the news industry. I understand the commitment required in my role and it's an investment that I'm no longer driven to make. Time isn't in endless supply
and I want to spend mine in ways that are more personally meaningful. I leave with overwhelming gratitude for countless mentors and colleagues, subjects and stories, readers and viewers. No one has benefitted more than
me from the belief, trust and generosity of others. The past seven years at ESPN have been a particular privilege. I'm appreciative of the company's leadership - especially Jimmy Pitaro and Cristina Daglas - for the understanding and acceptance of my decision to
make a life change. After all these years reporting on everyone's teams, I'm headed back to my own.
Realistically, none of these NBA newsbreakers do anything of value. They just tell us stuff we would have found out eventually anyway through different channels.
Although if Woj leaves, the vacuum will probably be filled with less reliable NBA newsbreakers which will be kinda annoying.
Adrian Wojnarowski, Senior NBA Insider for ESPN, is retiring from his award-winning journalism career and returning to his alma mater as general manager for the St. Bonaventure men's basketball program
I wonder how much Shams contributed to pushing Woj out. It must be a 24/7 thing chasing down rumors, even without a guy who is a direct competitor. Brutal life to lead.
Loving the series so far, no real quibbles. Would be nice to have the full list somewhere in one place with ranking points, maybe in the index article?
I have quibbles but the series has followed a formula, and this is where the formula leads. I think it's attempting an impossible task, and I don't necessarily agree with some rankings, but if you're going to attempt the impossible, it's a good attempt.
I find this list unappealing to me. I am glad others enjoy it but somehow I find the numbers meaningless and wouldn’t know how to compare different skills. Even my favorite warrior- manute , Tim hardaway Chris Mullin Steph curry draymond green, Andre Iguadala- can’t really rank them
I don't follow baseball, and if I did I'm sure I wouldn't be a Dodgers fan, but I have to tip my hat to what Ohtani is doing. If you are even less baseball literate than I am, he just got to 50 HRs and 50 stolen bases in the same season (now at 51-51). From the Athletic:
Only two other players in MLB history (Barry Bonds and Brady Anderson) had hit both 50 home runs and stolen 50 bases in any season of their careers, much less the same one.
That's some dominant play there.
At some point in the day, on ESPN app saw that Ohtani got to 50 steals. I thought, interesting, will be some pressure to see if he can get the final 2 HRs in the last 10-ish games. End of the day, check the app again to see he got 3 HRs later in the same day. Welp...
Screw the Dodgers. And the Giants. Long live the A's. Until they leave, then baseball may cease to exist. Except no one else will notice.
And those other two were not recovering from a season ending injury/surgery as a starting pitcher...
GREATEST GAME EVER?!? Shohei Ohtani goes 6-FOR-6 with 3 HOMERS, 2 SB and 10 RBI! (Joins 50/50 club!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jYfC4YYXIw
Ohtani is awe-inspiring.
But that weird contract he signed is both impressive and BS. And I’m still rooting for the Dodgers’ downfall.
Have the Dubs run anything like this for Steph (or anyone)?
https://youtu.be/7NJ4JtA96-s?t=201 (heads up: bballbreakdown vid)
Kind of nifty hand-off play with a couple of screens involved. It feels familiar but not really...
First real OFFSEASON WORKOUT tape that's got me a little tantalised... esp JK...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAZ__9ObvAs
If SloMo can regain his 41% 3pt shooting stroke, that would unlock all sorts of cool shit.
I don't think it would unlock anything tbh, when he shot 41% he was taking 1.9 threes per 36. He has to be able to shoot well enough to change how the other team defends him behind the arc which means upping his volume a lot, and I don't think that is really a possibility for him given how slow and drawn out his 3 point stroke is. He is what he is at this point, and that's a good player who can perhaps unlock some lineups with his size+ballhandling/passing combo but not as a shooter.
The difference between 30% & 41% for a player taking 1.9 threes/36 and playing 25MPG ends up being worth ~0.15ppg. That's not that much, and as you point out, it wouldn't really unlock things unless he gets defended differently... but it's also not nothing.
Slo Mo the perfect small ball Center sans Draymond.
I mean, but have actual Draymond.
And GP2.
So, you're saying we have the #1 & #2 ranked "small ball centers"? And we can duty cycling them and avoid the "overdoing Draymond at center" problem while playing small ball as much as Kerr wants? I'll take it!
That yoga move Kevon was doing ... yikes. I want to check into the ER just thinking about trying it.
Oh such a tease. Imagine if everyone could have an expert coach working with them every day to fine tune their technique and help drive work improvement. Everyone. Baristas. Cab drivers. PowerPoint creators. But maybe the economics only work for guys making $millions.
The comment posting coach I just hired is expensive, but it’ll be worth if I can eke out a 10% increase in likes.
Probably a more interesting point than you had in mind. AI and immersive 3d computer graphics, and pervasive sensors are probably going to make stuff like this feasible (robo-barista showing them how it's done in real-time, and being able to critique performance).
Not sure it's a good thing, but the cost of training should be going down over the next decade or so.
Where is my robo-shooting-coach on amazon/alibaba? I'm waiting, c'mon big-tech-corp, deliver! I'll pay extra for soccer and ping pong modules.
Oh. Yes, for sure that’s what I intended. Thanks for clarifying how smart I am 😎.
Goldarn Deep Thought Warrior.
Yeah until the hardware robot barista takes their jobs.
exactly.
Very OT:
As I've posted a few times, I am currently in the process of trying to move to Spain.
I am thinking about recording the experience of moving in a blog/website. Probably 2/3 of it will be travel focused (in Spain, mostly), and 1/3 posts about the logistics of making the move.
Substack would seem to fit the bill reasonably well. I can post photos in stories, it looks like there is a way to whitelist commenters (I would want the content to be visible to all, but commenters limited to folks I know and approve).
I almost certainly will not want to post videos, nor am I interested in making money off of it (can't, really ... the Spanish visa I'm going for does not allow work of any kind).
Any opinions on platforms (particularly Substack) that anyone wants to share? Non-proprietary, low-maintenance alternatives?
So freaking Jelly. Wife and I have talked about moving abroad but a). Feel kinda guilty about moving to a place with lower cost of living and displacing the locals b). We are very family/parent oriented and sadly, my wifes parents are very staunch Midwestern Conservatives (not quite MAGA-ish though) who will never move away so we have no choice but to stick it out until we bury them and c). Two middle school girls who are not as adventurous unless it involves an all inclusive resort.
Enjoy for me though as I cry driving past Cracker Barrel and Bob Evans daily
I've been in Idaho five years. I've done my MAGA-Koolaid-drinking state time.
I hear you about driving up prices, though. I feel guilty about that, since it's a real problem in Spain. But, not enough to stop me from trying I guess (which makes me a bit of a hypocrite).
Good luck to you. A good friend of mine was looking into moving to Italy (It's where she's from) and in going through the process over the last few years was talked out of it because they would never accept her and treat her as an immigrant. Most of Europe has become very anti-immigrant and anti-American. Hope it's not like that where you're going.
And this is odd to me as an American couple I know had to move to Germany last year because he got stationed over there and they were welcomed with open arms and even celebrated our silly little Thanksgiving holiday with there neighbours.
Hope your experience is more like the later.
Most of Europe has become very anti - American.....
Mamma mia che stronzata
I think there are just certain hot spots to avoid, like Venice, Barcelona, and Lisbon, where local displacement is leading to widespread resentment. Otherwise, any anti-immigrant sentiments are likely confined to poor migrants and refugees from the global South and East, and to a certain type of obnoxious tourists from UK and Germany.
PruebaDosAnillos
Hah. I like it.
Got to work a famous Spanish-speaking computational genius pun in there somehow...
Be sure to share whatever you set up. Would love to follow your journey.
Oh, yeah ... I will. This place is friends I haven't met yet, I figure.
I met duby dub dubs once 😂 haha, but if we're not friends who haven't met we would be reddit!
This isn't looking good for Klay unless I missed him listed previously.
Klay? Do I know a Klay? Who?
Jonathan Klayminga.
This metric is geared toward putting guys like Klay up higher... he's coming soon... my guess is ~25th.
Seems like a good guess. Top 3 contributor on 4 championships, highly ranked in several playoff and finals categories, several notable NBA records... he should be on there.
New Light Years vid has Sam talking with Eric Weiss, a former scout who has worked with Travis Schlenk in a pretty interesting. He talks about teams’ scouting process. They also break down the roster and how minutes crunches can affect locker room dynamics. There’s also particular talk about Wiseman, Moody, Jimmy Butler, Kuminga and Podz.
https://www.youtube.com/live/RRCSTiZvGc8?si=jnKivqVuTar2irFm
Am I so desperate for Warriors content that I will listen to Light Years? Begrudgingly, yes... sigh.
I find it a lot more worth my time when it’s just Sam and anyone besides A.L., and this one is a perfect example.
When Sam has that Lakers fan Aaron, its good although Andy Liu speaks to the irrational side of my fandom. Hes a more formal ‘Spaces’ type of talker.
My wife noticed before I did that (nearly) every time he tries to have a take of his own, Sam will disagree and then Andy will say, “Yeah, you’re right.” Since she pointed that out, it’s uncanny how often it happens.
Yeah... you're right.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQLRjbfsp9M
Moody scrimmaging with Trae Young, Chet Holmgren
There was a sweet pass in there, and the step back 3 was nice. Shooting 3s off of any kind of movement is an area where he seems like he’s made a big improvement since his rookie season
He was doing it in his rookie season in the G-League when he was given some offensive freedom (e.g: https://youtu.be/C_ZS7gV4-cs?t=67 ), but it's been three seasons of the NBA Warriors treating him like an afterthought. I'm just hoping he finds an organization that is actually interested in exploring his potential this season, one way or another.
A lot of aggressive shots there... really hope this is the year where he pops.
I am not setting myself up for disappointment and fully expect him to be traded at some point :-(
Expect the same and for him to become a player every contender team needs to fill out their roster
oof someone get this dude a gimbal stabilizer
Moody and Kyle are going to be compete for best hairline/forehead on the team.
Two thoughts:
1. Watching some of the Nash clips, I can see the Podz comparisons. Not saying he’s a shoe-n HOFer, but the the creativity is reminiscent. Podz also brings a bit more size that allows him to play more physically, as we saw with his rebounding, defense and screen-setting. I’m becoming increasingly convinced that MDJ was correct in making him virtually untouchable.
2. I still wish Gasol could have played with Steve Kerr. The Kerr-Pau combination would have been explosive.
Nash might have been the second best shooter of all time had it not been as frowned upon for PGs to shoot more in his era
3P% for college career:
Nash 40.1%
Podz 42.4%
3P% for college career:
Steve Nash 40.1%
Sam Merrill 42%
FT% for college career
Steve Nash 86.7%
Sam Merrill 89.1%
Nash IS the second best shooter of all time.
He didn't shoot enough for that distinction imo, his career rate of 3.7 three pointers per 36 is literally Kuminga's career rate.
With the additions of Melton (ranked 5th among guard defensive disruptors in the NBA and 10th overall, 9th best PG/SG defender and 42nd overall) and Anderson (2nd best PF defender in the league and 11th overall, 2nd best PF defensive disruptor and 16th overall), the Warriors can now shift focus to easing Curry’s offensive load.
I propose a Wiggins/GP2/Moody/(filler) trade for Zach LaVine. Here’s why: Firstly, GP2 is redundant with Melton, who is also a great defender but offers superior spacing. Secondly, Wiggins/Moody need to be traded to match salaries. Thankfully, Kuminga can easily fill Wiggins role and Moody's backup SG/SF minutes will be filled by Lavine/Heild.
So how does the fit work? LaVine battled injuries last year, but we’d be betting on him returning to form—averaging 25+ ppg on 60+ TS% like he did in the prior three seasons. Playing alongside Curry and Draymond in a system that suits his strengths should boost his efficiency even further. Curry and LaVine would anchor the offense, while Kuminga and Hield could slot into more comfortable 3rd and 4th option roles. Defensively, Draymond, Looney, Melton, Anderson would solidify that end of the floor. I'm willing to bet that Kuminga (with less offensive responsibility) would also rise to the occasion.
Overall, now we have a well balanced/constructed squad. What do y'all think?
Melton would play the 2 next to Steph, and LaVine plays the 2.
Can’t play em in the same line-up, and their deficiencies remain when placed on different line-ups.
How then does Melton compensate for LaVine’s defensive deficiencies? And vice versa?
It seems like your bet with this trade is that it's more likely that LaVine will return to form than Wiggs.
I'd rather bet on Wiggs, TBH. And, it's a much less scary bet ... Wiggs makes $27 mil a yr next year, Lavine $43 mil (same years on both contracts).
I hear you about the greater downside if Lavine doesn't return to form given his contract. With that being said, lets assume that both Wiggins AND Lavine return to form.
Between the two of them, Lavine's return to form as a highly efficient volume scorer (25 ppg on 60+TS%) is far more valuable on this roster given our lack of offense and copious amounts of defensive players. Curry/Lavine could carry us to an elite offense while Dray/Melton/Anderson/Looney can carry us to a top defense.
On the other hand, Wiggin's return to form would have him as a 17 ppg scorer with great defense. We'd have that great defense, but Wiggins is not good enough as the N.2 option to lead us to an elite offense. Furthermore, Wiggins remaining on the squad results in limited minutes for Kuminga OR Anderson which would not be optimal for our chances imho. Between the two return to forms, Lavine just makes more sense for our squad.
Interesting. I realize we have a lack of shooting. I'm less convinced we have a lack of scoring ... I want to see how we do for a few weeks. Also, I tend to value defense more in general, I guess.
Wiggs at his best supplies a good balance of both, to me. When he's on, you can pencil him in for 15 a game and good on-ball defense.
And, let's say Wiggs goes. Who else among the starters is going to be the on-ball defender? It could be Kuminga, but he also had an off year on that side of the ball last year, and I don't really get the sense he's committed to on-ball defense.
You're swapping Lavine in for Melton. Lavine's not going to be the answer. Steph can't do it. So, I think you're relying an awful lot on Dray to clean up mistakes with Lavine in the lineup (unless I'm wrong about Kuminga).
Their "return to forms" are much different though. Wiggins top dubs seasons are like 56% true shooting, 17 pts per game. LaVines top season is 63% TS on 27 pts per game. And multiple others with 60%+ TS and 24+ pts per game. Of course that's just offense, and Wiggs has done some good things on defense (though has also been terrible at D at other times in his career). Honestly I can't say I pay any attention to LaVine so I don't have much of an opinion. But he has had some super elite offensive seasons.
Anyway, I guess my point is, although both super athletic, 28 year old ex-Timberwolves who may have been dubbed the worst contract in the NBA at points in their respective careers, they do not necessarily seem to be equivalent players. Doubt the Dubs will be trading for him though.
LaVine with Steph is not a backcourt defense I want to see. Trying to win by scoring a bunch while giving up a bunch at the other end is not a formula for playoff success for the most part. We also lose length, which is not great for this team. There are good reasons the Bulls have not been able to unload LaVine, starting with that fat contract. I don't want to take contract that on for a one-way player either, even one who scores like LaVine.
If we have Good Wiggs — both players returning to form was the premise here — he is welcome to Anderson's minutes, although I think Slo Mo will find minutes for some matchups regardless.
A wild card is whether JK's shooting has improved because if it has, and if we have Good Wiggs, they could yet make it work together.
So overall, I am not into LaVine or this deal.
"LaVine with Steph is not a backcourt defense I want to see. Trying to win by scoring a bunch while giving up a bunch at the other end is not a formula for playoff success for the most part."
I don't disagree, but flip that to the exact OPPOSITE perspective. Steph with Podz/Melton/Heild is not an backcourt offense I want to see. Trying to win by defending a bunch while not scoring at the other end is not a formula for playoff success for the most part.
Defense doesn't win championships, BALANCED teams who are good at both defense/offense do. While Lavine's addition certainely weakens us defensively, that negative is minimized by Draymond/Anderson/Melton/Looney who are great defensive players. On the other hand, Lavine's addition would significantly address a big weakness of our team which is our lack of a second option.
Would this deal create enough cap space to sign Post and others to all the roster spots a 4 players-for-1 would create?
Honestly, if you hadn't been around here a long time, I'd think you were just trolling for responses. This is not a good idea, but it's ok, since I'm confident the FO would never entertain it, I'm not very triggered about it.
I mean TBF to Arash that trade would make it easier for Steve to build a solid rotation without leaving guys out that should play. GP2 and Melton is redundant I agree with that completely. The only thing is that Lavine's contract is such a huge turnoff. Also this trade would require us going all in on JK being able to play the 3 full time which he still has to prove he can
Not if that rotation included LaVine. Also, I don't care if players get left out. This isn't CYO. GP2 doesn't get on the court I expect him to be a professional about it and I'm confident he will. (I love GP2 and, if healthy, I expect him to be a contributor, I'm just using him as an example to make a point)
That being said I do think we could improve with the right consolidation trade, but this isn't it. I honestly think Wiggins alone even in his mediocre last year form is better than LaVine and i haven't even addressed the $$ yet (though others have)
Edit: I WAS trying to be fair to Arash and that's why I gave him the benefit of doubt for a long time poster and just disagreed with the idea, but I added the point about trolling just to emphasize how bad an idea I think it is (as, I suspect, does the team)
I’m in this line. My biggest concern with Lavine is the contract.
Hard for me to call 2 great defenders redundant. We never all 2 great offensive players redundant. Gary is a game changer. That’s a very good thing
Of course we would. If we had Damian Lillard backing up Steph Curry, I'd call that redundant and immediately push for a trade that can net us players in different positions whose impact isn't as limited because of positional logjam/offensive similarites.
Of course having another great defender is nice, but I think the point is that if (a healthy) Melton is coming off the bench and providing elite on-ball defense while giving the team more offensively with his scoring and playmaking, Kerr is probably always gonna go with him.
With the current roster’s logjam at the 2/3, GP2 definitely seems like the odd man out, minutes-wise.
Until Melton is injured... I'm expecting those guys to be available for a combined 100 games or so... maybe 110 if their minutes are reduced due to being a bit redundant.
Redundancies are absolutely useful in case of injury. However, I'd rather have a stronger overall team with thinner depth in case of injury THAN a weaker overall team with stronger depth.
A game changer whose game relies heavily on athleticism heading into his 30s and his body is showing signs of breaking down. GP2 was a certified dawg for us in the title run and will forever be considered a Warrior Legend in my eyes but I fear his best days are behind him. Melton can take over his role just fine.
While I hear you about Lavine's contract, assuming health, I'd be willing to swallow it given he'll be a high efficiency 25+ ppg scorer who is adequate defensively and fills a desperate need for a secondary scorer at an open position (Podz is a better fit at PG)
As for JK moving to small forward, it's absolutely a risk but currently we have a logjam at the PF position with Dray/Anderson/Kuminga. While we could experiment with Anderson at the C position, history has shown that he doesn't perform well there and it would just create a logjam at the C position (Dray/TJD/Looney/Kyle). Getting rid of Wiggins and replacing him with Kuminga just solves so many problems roster construction-wise for us.
With Curry/Lavine/Hield on the squad, the spacing problems of having Kuminga at SF will be minimized. With Curry/Lavine/Dray/Anderson/Podz on the squad, the ball handling/passing problems with Kuminga at SF will also be minimized.
All good points. Last time Steph had a (motivated) 2nd option that could consistently create for himself we were a pretty damn good team so I am definitely intrigued. Plus his contract fits with Steph and Dray's timeline as well. We can go all in on the Steph/Lavine/Dray core + friends run until 2026 and start over when all of their contracts expire
I think Woj just Wojbombed his own retirement.
[[
I grew up the son of a factory worker two miles from ESPN's campus and only ever dreamed of making a living as a sportswriter. Thirty-seven years ago, the Hartford Courant gave me my first byline and I never stopped
chasing the thrill of it all. This craft transformed my life, but I've decided to retire from ESPN and the news industry. I understand the commitment required in my role and it's an investment that I'm no longer driven to make. Time isn't in endless supply
and I want to spend mine in ways that are more personally meaningful. I leave with overwhelming gratitude for countless mentors and colleagues, subjects and stories, readers and viewers. No one has benefitted more than
me from the belief, trust and generosity of others. The past seven years at ESPN have been a particular privilege. I'm appreciative of the company's leadership - especially Jimmy Pitaro and Cristina Daglas - for the understanding and acceptance of my decision to
make a life change. After all these years reporting on everyone's teams, I'm headed back to my own.
]]
https://www.threads.net/@wojespn/post/DAD-vtyx1kA/?xmt=AQGzumuYiSTYesLtlK3hLVWWlKHLrcQi9PWovAguKsiHxQ
Realistically, none of these NBA newsbreakers do anything of value. They just tell us stuff we would have found out eventually anyway through different channels.
Although if Woj leaves, the vacuum will probably be filled with less reliable NBA newsbreakers which will be kinda annoying.
The ultimate flex would have been for Shams to have broken the news.
Aha,
[[
Adrian Wojnarowski, Senior NBA Insider for ESPN, is retiring from his award-winning journalism career and returning to his alma mater as general manager for the St. Bonaventure men's basketball program
]]
https://gobonnies.com/news/2024/9/18/mens-basketball-wojnarowski-91-retires-from-espn-to-accept-gm-role-with-bonnies-basketball-program.aspx
Hopefully we can find a replacement in the draft
I wonder how much Shams contributed to pushing Woj out. It must be a 24/7 thing chasing down rumors, even without a guy who is a direct competitor. Brutal life to lead.
Loving the series so far, no real quibbles. Would be nice to have the full list somewhere in one place with ranking points, maybe in the index article?
I have quibbles but the series has followed a formula, and this is where the formula leads. I think it's attempting an impossible task, and I don't necessarily agree with some rankings, but if you're going to attempt the impossible, it's a good attempt.
I find this list unappealing to me. I am glad others enjoy it but somehow I find the numbers meaningless and wouldn’t know how to compare different skills. Even my favorite warrior- manute , Tim hardaway Chris Mullin Steph curry draymond green, Andre Iguadala- can’t really rank them