Missed last night's game, and it sounds like one of his best of the year -- at least that's a LOT of points. But I've been concerned about Klay forcing things by dribbling, driving, and taking too many tough shots. If he reverts to run off screens, catch and shoot Klay, I'll breathe a sigh of relief.
I do think he needs to mesh better with Poole and Wiggins.
Mavericks vs. Jazz tomorrow. Who do we want to root for? I'll go with Jazz. They've got a harder schedule remaining compared to the Mavericks, so it'll be harder for them to keep the #4 spot.
Dallas has the tiebreaker already against us. If we drop to 4, it would likely be Dallas doing it. The we are looking at Utah or Denver Rd 1. I'd say that scenario is about 50/50 at this point.
Is this a way for the Warriors to gain an edge at getting an angle on his brother Marc? Would Marc really suit up against his old team Memphis in the second round? Stay tuned to this same station, this same time next week. BANG- POW- WHAM
Da-nananananananananana-na-nu-nah-nah BIG MAN!!!!!!!
Pau said on JJ Redick's podcast that it was a very casual introductory quasi-assistant-coach thing. He has hung up the cleats, but the organization and he are exploring if there is a role for him assisting without sweating.
I'd venture to say that if he's not in the top 75, he's not necessarily a "lock for the Hall of Fame." Not saying that he won't be elected, just saying that his election is a not a "lock."
> Pau spoke about some work he has been doing with the Golden State Warriors.
>
> When speaking on veteran leadership, locker room presence, and overall mentorship, Pau Gasol said, "Young guys can benefit from your knowledge and can benefit from your experience, and you can help them grow and help them in their journey.
I was just coming in here to comment about this and to ask: Y’all think Penny Hardaway regrets not taking that Magic job? If half these violations are confirmed, he’ll probably never coach at the collegiate level again. I obviously think he’s let go here soon
The Suns and Memphis are in a different class than the Dubs. The makeup of their teams have covered all the bases. No weaknesses for either. We cannot say that about the Warriors. It's not that we cannot beat these teams but it willl only happen once in a while because we do not play with a lot of consistency and we are very reliant psychologically on Steph and Draymond. Our poor play was said to rest on the absence of Dray when he was injured. Now, it is on Steph. I say it is on the support players and the stats back this up. The Warriors have not built a complete team, yet that competes in all phases of the game. Inconsistent shooting, inconsistent defense, small lineups that don't match up. And aging does have a factor of its own. Shall we move on to Kerr's inability to adjust his rotations for maximum results? I'm not sure what that would be, but more to the point, he doesn't seem to know what that would be. That only leaves the quality of the play we are getting from our team. We have some great pieces and we have some holes. I would think the fix comes from the GM when they address these deficiencies.
I am a little nervous playing the grizzles but the suns I have no doubt we will win, I think the suns will get dogged by us, the bucks nets Sixers and maybe even wolves, nuggets and mavs. I dont know what it is but my intuition tells me the suns is phonies (just like the jazz) until they prove themselves and win a chip
Suns are very consistent. They deserve the credit for maintaining 1st place. They are nothing like the Jazz. Even you must see that. We can say the same thing about the Warriors being a phoney and we would have enough evidence to support that, but not the Suns. However, any team can falter and the pressure of the playoffs can do that, but I don't see the Suns faltering until they meet their Eastern counterparts, Brooklyn, Boston, Milwaukee, or Philadelphia. Those 4 teams could take it all, especially Boston who are playing great defense. Until the Warriors get healthy, nothing can be concluded except more struggle, methinks.
The Suns have been in a different class than any one of the rest of the NBA this season ... yet the Warriors have beaten them twice. Memphis has been a tough matchup for them. Yes the Warriors have not been consistent. They have also been playing (waiting) for the playoffs since their unexpectedly great start. No one really knows how any of these teams, or the other decent Western Conference ones, will be playing then. The regular season is long... probably too long... and soon the most important games will start. It will be good to see what the Warriors can accomplish, and how they will do whatever they do.
I think Wiggins+Poole+Kuminga all played well together in Miami against a top defense. Poole+Wiggins seem to function synergistically. Sometimes it seems Wiggins is being keyholed as either Mr. Passive or Mr. Could/Should. Everyone recognizes the Curry/ Draymond synergy. Maybe Wiggins needs more of a dash-partner or function in a successful dash/slash trio rather than the current reduced, less challenging (so he is OK as a 3rd option) role?
Kyrie "I've been pinching myself" since news of ban on unvaccinated players has been lifted in NY. Personally, I would not pinch myself, it sounds painful and potentially dangerous. When you factor in all the places that hands get to, all the traveling, that's just a lot of unknowns about any pinch. I'm not saying what anyone else should do here, I'm just a man trying to take care of myself and my family; I'm just voicing for the voiceless some concerns that I need to do my own research on, that have no validity, but if I keep looking I just might find some.
I go for the vaccine rather than pinching myself as it really wasn't all that painful. I was hoping that as in the comic books the RNA would combine with my own DNA to give me super powers, but so far, no luck. Well, no luck other than not getting COVID, but that's pretty lame as super powers go.
This was last comment on last thread before this one. So I copied over to new thread just in case anyone else is avoiding more important things in their personal lives! haha
Deep Looney thoughts. The Dray/Looney split has finally arrived, and its about time. My argument for the split was for defensive reasons. I have always believed one of those guys should be on the floor at all times because they are our 2 best interior defenders. Slater made the observation that once Steph is back, the Dubs may start Green/Looney if they are up against one of the dominant big men. I think that's a mistake, but here is why.
The main reason for starting Loon w/Green vs the Big Guys is to save Green from the early game wear and tear guarding the 5. Looney fairs no better than anyone else in the league trying to guard the dominant bigs, that's why they are dominant. All he is doing in this case is clocking in at the 5 to take the first 6 minutes of punishment handed out by the opponent's 5.
But what is Looney's true superpower? What made him a legend around these parts? Harden. Looney's real post season value is in his uncanny ability to lock up or deter perimeter scorers. Anyone can collect fouls and get dunked on by KAT. But not everyone can gap wings the way Looney does.
I would start a game with JK, OPJ or Beli at the 5, doesn't really matter which. The last thing you want is Loon picking up 2 early fouls in the first 5 minutes of a game. I want to INVITE the opposing team to start the game going inside and often. I want KAT, Jokic, Ayton too expend energy right out of the gate. I want the opponent thinking they can feast inside on 2s. Let them. So, Beli goes to the bench with 2 fouls at the 5 minute mark and KAT has 8 points in the paint. That's a good thing.
In order to get through these Bigs, with our limited (small) lineup, we have to throw everything at them. You don't start the game with Dray at the 5. You sacrifice some pawns first. Then you bring in Looney, then you close with Green. As the game goes on, the Big tires and you put increasingly better defenders on him.
Just my opinion. When Loon/Green share the floor, their best defense has Green in the middle and Loon gapping wings. And we need that late in games and without our guys being in foul trouble. The 5th slot in the starting lineup is fodder. They are the heroic soldiers about to get posterized for the sake of the team.
Keeping Looney out of the starting lineup isn't a demotion. It's self preservation. Its a necessity if the Dubs are going to win a protracted war against a bevy of bigs.
A decent take. But I think Loon does have the ability to disrupt some of those bigs and cause a few missed shots inside. Someone like Iggy could work on KAT as he plays a lot outside plus Iggy has a wicked strip game for th post moves, but otherwise I’m probably still rolling with Loon/Dray. JK is still working his NBA C man strength and Beli is always a fraction late so both tend to lack impact against the dominant bigs.
Absolutely not discounting Looney's work inside. We need him in the game when it matters and I am a firm believer that games aren't won or lost in the first 6 minutes. Also, you never know how the officials are going to officiate from game to game. So let Beli or JTA or OPJ do some early reconnaissance. Looney could sub in at the 5-6 minute mark and already have an idea about what kind of whistles the refs are blowing instead of finding out the hard way. man, am I avoiding work today!!!
I just read all the comments. Here's my 2 cents: Klay's chucking and bad shot selection has been perfect since his return. During his forced rest from basketball, his ego told him he was Michael Jordan, not Game 6 Klay. He needed to purge those false memories with reality checks. Playing more minutes was critical. So was trying and failing to be MJ. Klay will be non-stop, better-than-ever Superstar Game 6 Klay when the playoffs arrive. The game six "switch" will be on more consistently.
VIs-a-vis Klay's defense, it has looked much better to me lately. Don't have stats to back it up.
From a process standpoint, all is well. Kerr and his coaching staff have deftly created conditions for team/player success and failure - with the intent of showing the consequences of lack of effort and intention on defense and the benefit of passing up a good for a great shot (no, Draymond, passing up the bunny for a missed DLee failed 3-point shot was not an example of this concept). All that's needed now - Draymond has to get in game shape, Curry has to rest and heal, Moody and Kuminga need more exposure, GPII and OPJ have to stay healthy.
I’ll admit it, the “Klay needed to fail at being Michael Jordan to realize he isn’t Michael Jordan and squash his delusions of grandeur” is a take I hadn’t considered. 😁
“The Last Dance” premiered in 2020, so maybe he watched while laid up that and thought, “Shiiiiiiiiiiit, I could do all that.”
The thing about Klay is he makes over half the good shots he takes (many of which are threes), and he misses 3/4 of the bad shots he takes.
Even in the Atlanta game where he was generally solid, he started taking bad shots in the third quarter when we were falling apart.
If he could just avoid taking those mid shot-clock drifting leaners and hand-in-the-face "it's my turn" prayers he'd be playing at all star level offensively.
Missed last night's game, and it sounds like one of his best of the year -- at least that's a LOT of points. But I've been concerned about Klay forcing things by dribbling, driving, and taking too many tough shots. If he reverts to run off screens, catch and shoot Klay, I'll breathe a sigh of relief.
I do think he needs to mesh better with Poole and Wiggins.
Mavericks vs. Jazz tomorrow. Who do we want to root for? I'll go with Jazz. They've got a harder schedule remaining compared to the Mavericks, so it'll be harder for them to keep the #4 spot.
Dallas has the tiebreaker already against us. If we drop to 4, it would likely be Dallas doing it. The we are looking at Utah or Denver Rd 1. I'd say that scenario is about 50/50 at this point.
> Pau Gasol Exploring Role With Golden State Warriors
So, we got Gasol... kinda... maybe? Haha
https://www.si.com/nba/warriors/news/pau-gasol-exploring-role-with-golden-state-warriors
Is this a way for the Warriors to gain an edge at getting an angle on his brother Marc? Would Marc really suit up against his old team Memphis in the second round? Stay tuned to this same station, this same time next week. BANG- POW- WHAM
Da-nananananananananana-na-nu-nah-nah BIG MAN!!!!!!!
Pau said on JJ Redick's podcast that it was a very casual introductory quasi-assistant-coach thing. He has hung up the cleats, but the organization and he are exploring if there is a role for him assisting without sweating.
No way. The writer also described Gasol as a "lock for the Hall of Fame." That would surprise me.
Two championships with the Lakers as the number two next to Kobe? He absolutely is a lock
Well he didn't impress those who chose the NBA's Top 75. Perhaps his international record will help prop him up.
Some HoFers also not in Top 75: TMac, Mutombo, Yao
I'd venture to say that if he's not in the top 75, he's not necessarily a "lock for the Hall of Fame." Not saying that he won't be elected, just saying that his election is a not a "lock."
So Pau Gasol eh? A nice addition to Milosevic and Zaza. Now all we need are actual active big men on the roster for them to coach and mentor.
Not coming on as a player haha...
> Pau spoke about some work he has been doing with the Golden State Warriors.
>
> When speaking on veteran leadership, locker room presence, and overall mentorship, Pau Gasol said, "Young guys can benefit from your knowledge and can benefit from your experience, and you can help them grow and help them in their journey.
Another big man mentor…hmmm
Nuggets beat the Thunder and retain the #6 spot of the West. They are now 1 game ahead of the Wolves and 1.5 games behind the Jazz and the Mavericks.
Bulls beat the Cavaliers and keep the #5 spot of the East.
News on the Penny Hardaway/Memphis scandal, involving Wiseman’s recruitment: https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/memphis-and-coach-penny-hardaway-facing-several-major-allegations-of-violating-ncaa-rules/
A lot of things for Wiseman to handle at age 18-19, now more knee problems. I feel genuinely sorry for him.
I was just coming in here to comment about this and to ask: Y’all think Penny Hardaway regrets not taking that Magic job? If half these violations are confirmed, he’ll probably never coach at the collegiate level again. I obviously think he’s let go here soon
Nets beat the Heat 110-92 and Grizzlies beat the Bucks 127-102. Top 4 of the East is now:
1. 76ers (46-27)
2. Heat (47-28)
3. Celtics (46-28)
4. Bucks (46-28)
Oh my. Heat's getting crushed by the Nets.
Good for the Warriors, same with the Grizzlies beating the Bucks.
Nets up 96-68 against the Heat. Can anyone explain why the Heat's struggling a lot lately?
Jim Barnett? What’d he do?
First Fitz, now opposing coaches. The man is a menace.
The Suns and Memphis are in a different class than the Dubs. The makeup of their teams have covered all the bases. No weaknesses for either. We cannot say that about the Warriors. It's not that we cannot beat these teams but it willl only happen once in a while because we do not play with a lot of consistency and we are very reliant psychologically on Steph and Draymond. Our poor play was said to rest on the absence of Dray when he was injured. Now, it is on Steph. I say it is on the support players and the stats back this up. The Warriors have not built a complete team, yet that competes in all phases of the game. Inconsistent shooting, inconsistent defense, small lineups that don't match up. And aging does have a factor of its own. Shall we move on to Kerr's inability to adjust his rotations for maximum results? I'm not sure what that would be, but more to the point, he doesn't seem to know what that would be. That only leaves the quality of the play we are getting from our team. We have some great pieces and we have some holes. I would think the fix comes from the GM when they address these deficiencies.
I am a little nervous playing the grizzles but the suns I have no doubt we will win, I think the suns will get dogged by us, the bucks nets Sixers and maybe even wolves, nuggets and mavs. I dont know what it is but my intuition tells me the suns is phonies (just like the jazz) until they prove themselves and win a chip
Suns are very consistent. They deserve the credit for maintaining 1st place. They are nothing like the Jazz. Even you must see that. We can say the same thing about the Warriors being a phoney and we would have enough evidence to support that, but not the Suns. However, any team can falter and the pressure of the playoffs can do that, but I don't see the Suns faltering until they meet their Eastern counterparts, Brooklyn, Boston, Milwaukee, or Philadelphia. Those 4 teams could take it all, especially Boston who are playing great defense. Until the Warriors get healthy, nothing can be concluded except more struggle, methinks.
If only we mortgaged our future for Sabonis, then I'm sure we'd be right there with the Suns and Grizz /s
> Shall we move on to Kerr's inability to adjust his rotations for maximum results
What was your preseason W-L prediction for the Warriors?
The Suns have been in a different class than any one of the rest of the NBA this season ... yet the Warriors have beaten them twice. Memphis has been a tough matchup for them. Yes the Warriors have not been consistent. They have also been playing (waiting) for the playoffs since their unexpectedly great start. No one really knows how any of these teams, or the other decent Western Conference ones, will be playing then. The regular season is long... probably too long... and soon the most important games will start. It will be good to see what the Warriors can accomplish, and how they will do whatever they do.
Yep, we’ve entered the “Spurs” years of our dynasty where we’re trying to prop up an aging core with a talented youth movement.
That doesn’t always look pretty during the regular season. But we have as good a chance as anyone once the playoffs start. It’ll be fun to watch.
We'll see if they can turn it back on. I'm skeptical. But if they can, no one will be happier than I. :-D
This is a perfect gif scjw, we’ll done
Nets up 67-46 against the Heat at halftime.
Grizzlies up 59-46 against the Bucks at halftime.
Important games tonight: Grizzlies vs. Bucks, Heat vs. Nets, and Cavaliers vs. Bulls.
-If the Bucks win, they'll be tied with the Heat in the Eastern Conference until the results of the Heat vs. Nets game.
-If the Heat beat the Nets, they'll stay on top of the East. Otherwise, they'll be tied with the 76ers.
-If the Cavaliers win, they'll be tied with the Bulls.
There's also the Nuggets vs. Thunder, but I think Nuggets will win that one easily. So there's no point in watching it.
If saying "bench Klay" wakes him up, yeah, bench him, and bench Wiggins ( for real) , he worth less than a bag of stale doritos
I think Wiggins+Poole+Kuminga all played well together in Miami against a top defense. Poole+Wiggins seem to function synergistically. Sometimes it seems Wiggins is being keyholed as either Mr. Passive or Mr. Could/Should. Everyone recognizes the Curry/ Draymond synergy. Maybe Wiggins needs more of a dash-partner or function in a successful dash/slash trio rather than the current reduced, less challenging (so he is OK as a 3rd option) role?
Kyrie "I've been pinching myself" since news of ban on unvaccinated players has been lifted in NY. Personally, I would not pinch myself, it sounds painful and potentially dangerous. When you factor in all the places that hands get to, all the traveling, that's just a lot of unknowns about any pinch. I'm not saying what anyone else should do here, I'm just a man trying to take care of myself and my family; I'm just voicing for the voiceless some concerns that I need to do my own research on, that have no validity, but if I keep looking I just might find some.
The list of Kyrie DNP types gets longer:
DNP - ETR (Earth Too Round)
DNP - CVI (Covid Vaccine Idiot)
DNP - SF (Sage Fumes)
DNP - PC (Pinch Contusion)
DNP - BC (Boston Celtic)
I'm sure I'm missing a few.
Hey, I like sage fumes, you take that back
I go for the vaccine rather than pinching myself as it really wasn't all that painful. I was hoping that as in the comic books the RNA would combine with my own DNA to give me super powers, but so far, no luck. Well, no luck other than not getting COVID, but that's pretty lame as super powers go.
True, but your 5G service is better than ever...
Oh, Snap!
This was last comment on last thread before this one. So I copied over to new thread just in case anyone else is avoiding more important things in their personal lives! haha
Deep Looney thoughts. The Dray/Looney split has finally arrived, and its about time. My argument for the split was for defensive reasons. I have always believed one of those guys should be on the floor at all times because they are our 2 best interior defenders. Slater made the observation that once Steph is back, the Dubs may start Green/Looney if they are up against one of the dominant big men. I think that's a mistake, but here is why.
The main reason for starting Loon w/Green vs the Big Guys is to save Green from the early game wear and tear guarding the 5. Looney fairs no better than anyone else in the league trying to guard the dominant bigs, that's why they are dominant. All he is doing in this case is clocking in at the 5 to take the first 6 minutes of punishment handed out by the opponent's 5.
But what is Looney's true superpower? What made him a legend around these parts? Harden. Looney's real post season value is in his uncanny ability to lock up or deter perimeter scorers. Anyone can collect fouls and get dunked on by KAT. But not everyone can gap wings the way Looney does.
I would start a game with JK, OPJ or Beli at the 5, doesn't really matter which. The last thing you want is Loon picking up 2 early fouls in the first 5 minutes of a game. I want to INVITE the opposing team to start the game going inside and often. I want KAT, Jokic, Ayton too expend energy right out of the gate. I want the opponent thinking they can feast inside on 2s. Let them. So, Beli goes to the bench with 2 fouls at the 5 minute mark and KAT has 8 points in the paint. That's a good thing.
In order to get through these Bigs, with our limited (small) lineup, we have to throw everything at them. You don't start the game with Dray at the 5. You sacrifice some pawns first. Then you bring in Looney, then you close with Green. As the game goes on, the Big tires and you put increasingly better defenders on him.
Just my opinion. When Loon/Green share the floor, their best defense has Green in the middle and Loon gapping wings. And we need that late in games and without our guys being in foul trouble. The 5th slot in the starting lineup is fodder. They are the heroic soldiers about to get posterized for the sake of the team.
Keeping Looney out of the starting lineup isn't a demotion. It's self preservation. Its a necessity if the Dubs are going to win a protracted war against a bevy of bigs.
Another thing, Loon is a far better offensive rebounder than Dray.
A decent take. But I think Loon does have the ability to disrupt some of those bigs and cause a few missed shots inside. Someone like Iggy could work on KAT as he plays a lot outside plus Iggy has a wicked strip game for th post moves, but otherwise I’m probably still rolling with Loon/Dray. JK is still working his NBA C man strength and Beli is always a fraction late so both tend to lack impact against the dominant bigs.
Absolutely not discounting Looney's work inside. We need him in the game when it matters and I am a firm believer that games aren't won or lost in the first 6 minutes. Also, you never know how the officials are going to officiate from game to game. So let Beli or JTA or OPJ do some early reconnaissance. Looney could sub in at the 5-6 minute mark and already have an idea about what kind of whistles the refs are blowing instead of finding out the hard way. man, am I avoiding work today!!!
Ah ok this makes more sense. Yay for avoiding work 😀
I just read all the comments. Here's my 2 cents: Klay's chucking and bad shot selection has been perfect since his return. During his forced rest from basketball, his ego told him he was Michael Jordan, not Game 6 Klay. He needed to purge those false memories with reality checks. Playing more minutes was critical. So was trying and failing to be MJ. Klay will be non-stop, better-than-ever Superstar Game 6 Klay when the playoffs arrive. The game six "switch" will be on more consistently.
VIs-a-vis Klay's defense, it has looked much better to me lately. Don't have stats to back it up.
From a process standpoint, all is well. Kerr and his coaching staff have deftly created conditions for team/player success and failure - with the intent of showing the consequences of lack of effort and intention on defense and the benefit of passing up a good for a great shot (no, Draymond, passing up the bunny for a missed DLee failed 3-point shot was not an example of this concept). All that's needed now - Draymond has to get in game shape, Curry has to rest and heal, Moody and Kuminga need more exposure, GPII and OPJ have to stay healthy.
I’ll admit it, the “Klay needed to fail at being Michael Jordan to realize he isn’t Michael Jordan and squash his delusions of grandeur” is a take I hadn’t considered. 😁
“The Last Dance” premiered in 2020, so maybe he watched while laid up that and thought, “Shiiiiiiiiiiit, I could do all that.”
Except for the part about taking off from the free throw line and dunking. I don't think Klay ever thought he could do that.
The thing about Klay is he makes over half the good shots he takes (many of which are threes), and he misses 3/4 of the bad shots he takes.
Even in the Atlanta game where he was generally solid, he started taking bad shots in the third quarter when we were falling apart.
If he could just avoid taking those mid shot-clock drifting leaners and hand-in-the-face "it's my turn" prayers he'd be playing at all star level offensively.