I know how much some of you are going to hate this idea. Please just know that I am really not a bad person deep down, and if you got to know me I think you might even forgive me for this:
CHI receives: Chris Paul, Andrew Wiggins, Moses Moody
GSW receives: Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso, Torrey Craig
Chicago agrees because there's next to no market for LaVine, and this trade allows them to shed salary (once Paul is bought out) without going into the all-out rebuild they abhor. Both Wiggins and Moody should contribute immediately for them.
Once DNHQ fans stop vomiting, they reluctantly agree to give MDJ's big move a chance because it brings in a legit second scoring option as well as a defensive ace. There's a little bit of post-prime Iguodala in Caruso, and LaVine's shooting creates more opportunities for Kuminga to get on the floor. Craig is injured and may not play this year, but he can be flipped in another trade or become a relatively cheap option on the wing for next year.
Good trade and maybe Chi even bites if there’s no market for Lavine. Maybe wouldn’t even need to play Lavine, Caruso is the prize. Is it allowed under the new rules?
bulls are 100% not doing that, esp when the reports of Lavine and derozan came out that they were available, they also said they’re not looking to trade Caruso.
Pass. That contract of LaVine's is devastatingly bad (3 more years after this one, last year at $48 million!). And his numbers aren't that much better than Klay's, really.
LaVine brings better shooting (3% difference in TS%).
About an assist, half a rebound, and a point more per 36.
I'd rather have Klay back on a shorter, cheaper deal. I haven't seen LaVine this year, but I assume Klay is still a better defender.
Caruso would be great, but not worth the financial issue that LaVine's contract would create (probably would keep us over the second apron).
Pass. The 23-24 version of LaVine hasn't really any better than Moody and he costs a lot more. We can hope that he will revert to his career mean, but we can hope that Moody improves to LaVine's career means if we are going to rely on hope.
Given where CP3 and Wiggins are now, this is… not abjectly horrible… but [big sigh]… I’d still prefer to bet on CP and Wiggs getting back to their two way capabilities by the end of this year, and whoooo that LaVine contract…
Though, I’d prefer Wiggs for Hield instead… and the Pacers seem to have the cap space to absorb it straight up… and if Wiggs keeps coming around, and can stop missing bunnies, we’re good already, and he’s playable as a shooter/spacer WITH JK…
The CP3 news is brutal. Still have only had Curry/CP3/Draymond start (and finish) one game since the 6-2 beginning of the season. Those have been their top three guys this season, they don't seem particularly resilient to losing any of them. It's very possible that was the last game CP3 played as a Warrior too.
I’m all for standing on the approaches to CP3 Bridge and calmly burning burning burning it down. There are other roads, other crossings to Playoffs Nirvana. But let’s wait until we have real news about the injury, operation, and recovery potential. Then light the torches!
For entertainment purposes only (and SSS alert), by on court plus-minus it’s currently:
1. TJD +9.9
2. Podz +8.0
3. Payton +6.3
Dray is second to last on the team at -6.3, ahead of only Wiggs at -6.5 (though beyond the SSS noise, I suspect both Dray’s and Steph’s numbers have been dragged down by the underperformance of Klay and Wiggs).
I'm not sure CP has been a top three guy and Draymond by virtue of availability has certainly not been. But it is brutal news. I think the cynical but necessary thing is trade the guy now. His value is as an expiring contract and there are teams who want that. It's either that or keep him and hope that he comes back healthy, which is a lot to ask and maybe we get nothing in return. I think it's Podz's time. There are enough guards to do this. We managed without CP forever. He's been good but not miraculous and I'm not sure better overall than Podz. I'm OK with a guard rotation of Steph Klay Podz Moody and when he comes back GPII. I guess I'll take brief burst of CoJo magic, but only as the bitter pill one sometimes has to swallow.
The key question is if Podz can play PG with the current roster. So far the Warriors have resoundingly said no with their lineup choices, I haven't seen every game but from my memory there has been one possession all year where they let him do it (and it was a Podz turnover lol). Maybe this situation will force them to try it? I don't know.
Podz successfully going to the PG position would clear up a lot of issues on the team though imo. Until then I think we're getting a solid dosage of Cory Joseph. At least it's not Chiozza I guess.
Aren't we the positionless-basketball darlings of NBA history? The pace and space, keep it moving, not point god offense? The "Steph doesn't need to bring it up you do it Wiggins, then pass it to Draymond while Steph and Klay run around getting open types?"
Seems to me we need to put our best five out there and not worry if any of them is quite John Stockton. I thought when we've done that with CP it definitely slows the game down. Fewer turnovers, but less creative mayhem.
> Aren't we the positionless-basketball darlings of NBA history?
I wouldn't say it's a position thing as much as a role thing, in terms of play initiator/connector/finisher. Podz is for sure a connector, can he be a play initiator though? If not then I don't know if he can really be the primary ballhandler.
He played PG last night! With Steph and Klay spacing the floor/taking the Pistons’ best defenders… he even niftily found Curry in the corner for an open 3. But it’s also against the Pistons… and was an ATO. So… yeah, not a great datapoint in support of his ability to manage the non-Steph PG duties…
OK, but seriously. I thought Kerr mishandled the Kuminga situation once again in his response to the press. To be clear this is not the biggest issue ever nor my biggest complaint about Kerr, but I think it points to some tone-deaf coaching on his part. He was asked about Kuminga's discussion of his frustrations being in public (well, leaked, but OK). Kerr responded words that mean "It's fine to have a complaint but don't take it public, my door is open, let's have private communication and keep it within the team." That is a policy I support. BUT GUESS WHO AT THAT VERY MOMENT WAS VIOLATING IT? When Kerr was asked about Kuminga in the press conference, he could have said, "It's a private matter, I'm not going to comment on it," and moved on. EASILY. Does so all the time. Instead he goes into Kuminga being frustrated, how much they have an open door policy, and all that. So, in effect, KERR WENT PUBLIC with it. This not-so-subtle double standard is part of what is driving the young guys -- or at least Double Zero -- nuts.
Kerr, critically, said this after talking to JK about it in private. I disagree that this is problematic. At some point you have to tell the outside world something…
I agree that Kerr had to say something. But he could have said, "We've had a heart-to-heart, and I think we're on the same page. I believe in JK; he's already a contributor, and he can be a great player in this league."
Why do you have to tell the outside world something? Kerr is appropriately not telling us anything about Draymond, and I'm sure that there are many discussions that we are never part of. What is the purpose of airing it publicly?
Cuz modern sports journalism will take ambiguous non-responses and make up pot stirring BS and more noise. As long as you get aligned understanding in private, a public message/response on the subject is fine, and even good.
I just don't see it that way. By saying Draymond's stuff is private, Kerr has doused the flame of interest, not thrown gasoline on it. All he had to say was "JK and I have spoken, it went well. Next question."
Type “kerr draymond quote” into your search engine and you can find plenty of articles about his “viral” comments… he spoke openly and honestly, which doused the flames of speculation/reading tea leaves about Kerr’s and the team’s perspective. Same happening with this little JK firestorm. Kerr has said what he’s going to say, and he’ll tell people asking again that nothing has changed.
No, but if you include everyone in the 'ballhandler rotation' right now, it's Steph, Cojo and Podz, and Kerr wants two ballhandlers on the floor at all times.
Unless we want those three playing 32 minutes a game, and assume that none of them are ever going to miss time, we are very thin in the ballhandling department. If Draymond is getting back soon, then maybe, but even if he was made active today, I'm guessing he's got a week or two to get back in game shape.
So, I think we might need another ballhandler, temporarily.
edit: to be clear, I don't think that's what they'll do ... I think they'll try to struggle along with Saric/Klay/Moody/Kuminga as ballhandlers.
It'll probably be a lot of those two guard looks, yeah. But who is the guard they could sign that would be better than Joseph in that situation?
My guess is that Kerr doesn't want Curry as the only ballhandler because the defense can apply way too much pressure on him and tire him out, but that maybe he'd be willing to do it with Joseph who doesn't have anything to save his energy for. Last night they went with the single ballhandler look with Joseph when Moody came in the game, but only for a few minutes until Curry got back.
Also you could be right about Draymond but if he does take more than like 3-7 days to get back into game shape then that's pretty pathetic on his part tbh, this wasn't an injury.
It's less about being better than Cojo, than having another option if someone goes down. Whoever we get won't be as good as Cojo, obviously.
I mean Podz took one in the nuts last night ... we're one injury away from some real dislocation in how we play.
I would think the move could be to sign the SCW lead PG to a ten-day. They are familiar with the system. I would say bring Chiozza back, but he's not in the G-league ... he's in Europe.
Kendric Davis is CP3's size, quicker than he's ever been, 36% 3PT, and has a 5.6:2.1 AST/TO. Dubs can call him up from SCW any time. I'd love to at least give him a chance to see if his skills translate.
It's not what happened between last night and now, it's what happened between the moment CoJo appeared in the league and now. He's. Just. Not. Very. Good.
Hoping he's able to find a little touch on his three ball now that he's gonna get some run. For the season, he's 5/23, which is awful, but even worse when you consider he banked in two of those and got a lucky bounce on another one last night.
Yes, CJ can fill in and perhaps be more effective/comfortable given an opportunity for some consistent minutes. That said, watching Burks scoring and running his team in a backup role last night made me think about him doing the same again for the Dubs. Likely the Pistons are making Alex available leading up to the deadline, but don't know about salaries or what it might take to get him back (probably just wishful thinking under the circumstances). But as others have noted here before in speculating about trading for Burks/Bogdanovic, he provides some size at the position and played well in Kerr's system just a few years ago. Maybe alone he could be had at a reasonable cost?
I don't really understand what's going on here at DNHQ. Sometimes like in the Orlando game thread my posts got published, and I got likes for them. But then in the Denver game thread, especially toward the last fourth of the thread, none of my posts appeared. I'm not saying Duby Dub Dubs or any of the editors are -- I don't know. I'm just confused. I been putting in the posts every single day, trying to get better. But sometimes I just don't understand it.
This is the first site that ever took me in, so I thought we understood each other. And then I look, and TwoRingTest or some of the other veteran commenters have a bunch of posts and I don't have any. I'm a little sick of it.
No, it's not beef. It's just that I don't understand. If they want to send me to CowbellKingdom to post, then do that already. I'm not complaining. I just want to do what's best for the site. I'm blessed to post about the game of basketball but at the end of the day I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I'm losing faith in the organization.
Just so I'm clear on this: are you saying that your comments are never actually appearing? Or that .... wait a minute... [squints eyes] are we joking around here?
This is what bugs me the most. Duby has been around forever. Spent fifteen years posting. You should know how it is for all of us who are up and coming. We just want to contribute. To be understood. To not be subbed out for WigginsLover2024. Then you throw me under the bus for bringing up the issue when everyone knows you're supposed to be in charge of our communication going well. smh
I get the frustration. But those veteran posters have helped make DNHQ the premiere Warrior fan community. Duby is loyal to them and rightfully so.
Be patient. Keep posting. Think about how to help the veteran commenters to shine. You've got amazing gifts. Your time will come (though that might not be for a few years yet...).
I know, I know. I went and talked to Duby. He said that I need to be patient. That would be fine if the site was going well and everything, like in the old days. I don’t know. I’m just going to go out there each and every day and watch film and try to get better. But at the end of the day I have to believe in myself.
I saw a report that EA and Duby had “a productive conversation” about Duby enjoying this phase in their career instead of chasing likes and comment counts. Let’s wait and see how this plays out. This site’s not gonna win a blog championship without vintage 2022 DDD articles.
We're sending you and 100 recs to the Detroit Bad Boys SBNation site for the expiring contract of one of their older posters who hasn't been online for 7 years. Enjoy the new scenery!
When I try to make three points but fail, everyone talks about it and then we don't see my posts. But when anyone else including frankly you don't make three points, then that's somehow OK? Why?
I'm trying to rebound from this, I am. I've talked to Andre he had some good tips but at the end of the day I have to do what's best for myself and my family and the organization.
It could be worse. You could be parked at the end of the bench, unable even to write a post except for a minute or two a week. Think how moody you would be then!
Plus, of course, you would have been in Arkansas, and nobody should have to do that.
Look, it's not like you're not getting to post and I can see a world where your posts appear stickied for the rest of the season, but right now you still split infinitives and participate in pun subthreads. We think your great and you just have to see who is posting well on any given day.
OK but last year you told me not to foolishly split infinitives, and I've stopped. Then you told me not to participate in punk threads and I improved in that area, too. I just feel like the goal posts keep moving.
Well, if you want to be a star to have to play well on both ends of the keyboard. You're great at one on one typing but sometimes you get caught watching other post when you need to be crashing the thread.
I think we saw this lineup two separate times last night. Notable not only because it's Wiggins and Kuminga, but these guys could presumably play together for 2-3 more years. What'd people think?
I don’t recall any Kuminga Wiggs synergies last night. But I do remember nothing useful happening any time Wiggins came near the ball. He was utterly mediocre.
All we can do is dream of him returning to 2022 form. But I’m thinking more and more that was the anomaly and all his other sadly uninspiring performances are the norm.
Man, what on earth were him and JP doing together to ball out so much in 22? We all saw that clip in the locker room of "We gonna get a Bag" talk. Seems like they brought out the best in each other. Only way to find out is to trade Wiggs to WAS...
Nah, he’ll get his 3 ball back around sometime and he’ll be way more effective. The rest of his game is close to his old self now. None of it is at “peak Wiggins”, but we can expect he’ll get close.
Anyone else find the current state of the Draymond affair very odd? You have league sources a few days ago saying he is returning to the facility to start ramping up, but Kerr said he doesn't know anything about that. And no one still seems to know anything concrete about when the league will let him play.
I'm hoping they really are just being quiet to protect his privacy - maybe that was part of the deal, that it would be indefinite but no one was going to talk about it until he actually returned. I don't need to pry into the details, but I'd love to hear that the team has some idea when he'll be back, if nothing else, for a psychological boost if it is one week or two weeks that they need to survive with only CoJo as a second playmaker and no DG, GPII, or CP3.
If he isn't able to ride into town soon (and be effective without the extracurriculars), I'm not that confident they can stay in touch with even a play in spot. Hope they can prove me wrong with all this depth.
Odd? Not really. The league said indefinite, and that’s what we’re getting. For some reason (with no basis other than my mind) I figured he’d be out 25 games. That would mean returning on Feb. 7 against the 76ers.
The injury might keep him out past the Feb. 9 trade deadline. But it doesn’t figure to impact Paul’s value. The likelihood is that the teams who’d want him will be interested in his expiring contract, which can be used to cut future salary. The teams who could use Paul’s play don’t have the pieces to swing a deal for his contract.
If the Warriors do decide to trade him, the most likely scenario would be to a team looking to dump salary. That team could then work on a buyout, allowing Paul to be a free agent and sign where he wants.
The problem I still have with this scenario is that the Warriors are also looking to dump salary which is why they acquired CP3 in the first place; it got them out of JP's contract.
Warriors are not looking to dump salary, as much as looking for optionality in the future. If they just shed salary at the trade deadline, Steph needs to go to a contender at the same time. I have zero interest in watching martyr Steph play out the string on a team prioritizing for future financial situation over putting a contender on the floor.
Buddy Hield is on the trading block, per @JakeLFischer
If it's true - and please be true - whatever reason you think there is for not taking a shot on getting this guy, I genuinely do not wish to hear it. 😂
Doesn't solve our ballhandling or D problems and puts Moody back in jail, but please could the Warriors have 3 of the scariest 3p shooters in the league??
It should be an F1 anyway. JJJ does have his arm in a lock. Doesn't excuse the hit to the face, but I can't see the officials calling an F2 for that (unless it's Draymond).
this does not seem to be anywhere as violent as what Draymond does -sorry! He is simply releasing his hand and I dont like LeFlop!
Edited to say: at least from the angles on the clip. Maybe another view will show a deliberate hit, although it looks like hands are locked and one player is trying to get it out
He’s looking at Jackson, then his elbow snaps back in Jackson’s face. It’s not as bad as a headlock, but please… this is a deliberate smack to the face. And my point is more that the same exact action gets “assumed intent” attached to it with Dray.
Fuck the league, but I don't want any player to pick up an ejection for what Lebron did. Please start retroactively giving the instigator technical foul points and we'll see much less of it.
Yeah, it's too bad they don't have some way of reviewing the play so that they could tell exactly what happened, maybe even slow it down or look at it more than once. That would be super helpful.
It’s F’ing lame that LBJ wasn’t at minimum given a tech for this, and should have been ejected. But the league has been very clear that Draymond’s history in fact means that the rules for him are now different. Whether or not that’s fair, it’s a fact.
One of the lamer elements of NBA officiating is the advantageous calls LeBron gets. I’d like to see a game called in which fouls are called every time Steph is held.
No forfeit ... they let you bring a player who has fouled out off the bench, but as DFIB says, it's a tech every time that player commits a foul (in addition to the foul free throws).
Meanwhile, Jenkins gets the refs to review it by stomping onto the floor (getting a tech in the process) and the refs decide no fouls whatsoever. Prob decided they couldn’t call a foul on JJJ without giving LeBron a flagrant… so just let it go…
Some dudes aren’t just going to bait Dray by “getting under his skin”, they’re also going to put their crotch next to his leg, and flop on contact, get their face near his elbow, or pull his arm toward their face…
Now that everyone is going to be watching for Draymond-baiting, isn’t there a chance that it will shine a brighter spotlight on the instigators? The league can’t be issuing post-game fines and suspensions for every uncalled hook or push… or can they? Dray gets away with stuff too, LOL, but if he knew that the really nefarious cheating like that dangerous, pre-meditated Sabonis ankle-lock was going to be punished appropriately (i.e. very severely) then it might be easier for him to keep his cool in the moment. Flagrant cheating is just so infuriating. Seems like league could do more. What if coach-challenge was augmented to add a new challenge - specifically to review a play for an uncalled but really niggling, nasty, mean,….
Jonathan Kuminga and Steve Kerr met Friday. Kuminga said it "went well" and appears to have quieted his concerns. Kuminga on his standing with Kerr/Warriors: "I love it here."
Here are his full locker room comments after a season-high 36 minutes
For all the commotion after keeping JK on the bench against while the Dubs coughed up their big lead against the Nuggets, it should be noted that JK was on the floor while the Dubs coughed up their big lead against the Pistons.
Yeah, all the commotion with a loss to the defending champs... so JK played the 4th... as many wanted, and still many are not satisfied with the win over the lowly Pistons. Maybe not just about JK's minutes...
Kerr is not a perfect coach, but he has been really good with the interpersonal stuff with some difficult characters, so I will give him kudos for how he is dealing with this. I can imagine a lot of coaches would get upset about the player going to the media and get into a spat about it and make the situation worse.
In related news, notwithstanding the “reliability” of what they choose to report, both Shams and Woj strike me more than ever as sleazy fame-wh*res who will tweet pretty much anything for access and $$$. Basically everything they say needs to be viewed in the context of “who are they shilling for today?”
Every single thing they (or anyone else, really) puts on those social media feeds can best be understood as an advertisement: For themselves; for the NBA; for the various TV programs they appear on; for the whole auxiliary economy that surrounds them (including gambling). Which isn't necessarily to say their reporting is inaccurate, just that accuracy is a priority only insofar as it bolsters the 'brand.'
It's comparatively benign in the context of basketball, but I do feel like we suffer in all kinds of ways for our collective acceptance of the idea that someone is going to be selling us something every waking minute of our lives. That, as much as anything else (and there's plenty), is why I stay away from those sites.
New post: https://dubnationhq.com/p/reflecting-on-a-decade-of-excellence
I know how much some of you are going to hate this idea. Please just know that I am really not a bad person deep down, and if you got to know me I think you might even forgive me for this:
CHI receives: Chris Paul, Andrew Wiggins, Moses Moody
GSW receives: Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso, Torrey Craig
Chicago agrees because there's next to no market for LaVine, and this trade allows them to shed salary (once Paul is bought out) without going into the all-out rebuild they abhor. Both Wiggins and Moody should contribute immediately for them.
Once DNHQ fans stop vomiting, they reluctantly agree to give MDJ's big move a chance because it brings in a legit second scoring option as well as a defensive ace. There's a little bit of post-prime Iguodala in Caruso, and LaVine's shooting creates more opportunities for Kuminga to get on the floor. Craig is injured and may not play this year, but he can be flipped in another trade or become a relatively cheap option on the wing for next year.
I love Caruso, but no way Chicago does this.
If they can’t find a real taker for LaVine… but yeah, Chicago would ask to swap JK in there for Moody.
Good trade and maybe Chi even bites if there’s no market for Lavine. Maybe wouldn’t even need to play Lavine, Caruso is the prize. Is it allowed under the new rules?
There's no way we pay 40mil a year for Lavine to not play him just to get Caruso.
bulls are 100% not doing that, esp when the reports of Lavine and derozan came out that they were available, they also said they’re not looking to trade Caruso.
Pass. That contract of LaVine's is devastatingly bad (3 more years after this one, last year at $48 million!). And his numbers aren't that much better than Klay's, really.
LaVine brings better shooting (3% difference in TS%).
About an assist, half a rebound, and a point more per 36.
I'd rather have Klay back on a shorter, cheaper deal. I haven't seen LaVine this year, but I assume Klay is still a better defender.
Caruso would be great, but not worth the financial issue that LaVine's contract would create (probably would keep us over the second apron).
Pass. The 23-24 version of LaVine hasn't really any better than Moody and he costs a lot more. We can hope that he will revert to his career mean, but we can hope that Moody improves to LaVine's career means if we are going to rely on hope.
Sounds fine
I like it because we get Caruso
Then you must also like LaVine's 3 year contract which is insane.
Given where CP3 and Wiggins are now, this is… not abjectly horrible… but [big sigh]… I’d still prefer to bet on CP and Wiggs getting back to their two way capabilities by the end of this year, and whoooo that LaVine contract…
Though, I’d prefer Wiggs for Hield instead… and the Pacers seem to have the cap space to absorb it straight up… and if Wiggs keeps coming around, and can stop missing bunnies, we’re good already, and he’s playable as a shooter/spacer WITH JK…
It works but why not have them throw in Nembhard?
Just checked and Nembhard doesn't work.
Ooh yeah that one is interesting, too.
The CP3 news is brutal. Still have only had Curry/CP3/Draymond start (and finish) one game since the 6-2 beginning of the season. Those have been their top three guys this season, they don't seem particularly resilient to losing any of them. It's very possible that was the last game CP3 played as a Warrior too.
Hell of a season.
I’m all for standing on the approaches to CP3 Bridge and calmly burning burning burning it down. There are other roads, other crossings to Playoffs Nirvana. But let’s wait until we have real news about the injury, operation, and recovery potential. Then light the torches!
For entertainment purposes only (and SSS alert), by on court plus-minus it’s currently:
1. TJD +9.9
2. Podz +8.0
3. Payton +6.3
Dray is second to last on the team at -6.3, ahead of only Wiggs at -6.5 (though beyond the SSS noise, I suspect both Dray’s and Steph’s numbers have been dragged down by the underperformance of Klay and Wiggs).
I'm not sure CP has been a top three guy and Draymond by virtue of availability has certainly not been. But it is brutal news. I think the cynical but necessary thing is trade the guy now. His value is as an expiring contract and there are teams who want that. It's either that or keep him and hope that he comes back healthy, which is a lot to ask and maybe we get nothing in return. I think it's Podz's time. There are enough guards to do this. We managed without CP forever. He's been good but not miraculous and I'm not sure better overall than Podz. I'm OK with a guard rotation of Steph Klay Podz Moody and when he comes back GPII. I guess I'll take brief burst of CoJo magic, but only as the bitter pill one sometimes has to swallow.
The key question is if Podz can play PG with the current roster. So far the Warriors have resoundingly said no with their lineup choices, I haven't seen every game but from my memory there has been one possession all year where they let him do it (and it was a Podz turnover lol). Maybe this situation will force them to try it? I don't know.
Podz successfully going to the PG position would clear up a lot of issues on the team though imo. Until then I think we're getting a solid dosage of Cory Joseph. At least it's not Chiozza I guess.
Time to let go of the box
Interesting, though, that down the stretch the Dubs gave the ball to Podz on top to start their offense and let Steph work off-ball.
Aren't we the positionless-basketball darlings of NBA history? The pace and space, keep it moving, not point god offense? The "Steph doesn't need to bring it up you do it Wiggins, then pass it to Draymond while Steph and Klay run around getting open types?"
Seems to me we need to put our best five out there and not worry if any of them is quite John Stockton. I thought when we've done that with CP it definitely slows the game down. Fewer turnovers, but less creative mayhem.
If that is the case, we are below .500 which should tell you whatever they are doing is not working.
> Aren't we the positionless-basketball darlings of NBA history?
I wouldn't say it's a position thing as much as a role thing, in terms of play initiator/connector/finisher. Podz is for sure a connector, can he be a play initiator though? If not then I don't know if he can really be the primary ballhandler.
He played PG last night! With Steph and Klay spacing the floor/taking the Pistons’ best defenders… he even niftily found Curry in the corner for an open 3. But it’s also against the Pistons… and was an ATO. So… yeah, not a great datapoint in support of his ability to manage the non-Steph PG duties…
But can he play PG without Steph on the floor? That is the question. CJ can.
Exactly, PG with Curry on the floor is fake PG because realistically Curry is still the one initiating the offense, just off the ball.
Exactly.
When should we start making Free Cojo signs?
Ban warning ⚠️
If you think we're doing bad, this is how the Lakers looked last night in one of the possessions:
https://streamable.com/7iyd7y
Classic! When things go south......
For individual (non)excellence, here's my favorite Dillon Brooks play:
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/zxhuu0/highlight_dillon_brooks_with_the_finest_string_of/
That kind of made my day ... thanks.
Rob Pelinka looking on dispeptically is the cherry on top of that sweet, sweet sundae.
God, I love watching the LeBron Lakers struggle. Like a perfectly composed dish from a renowned chef that blends some of my favorite flavors
That was amazing
OK, but seriously. I thought Kerr mishandled the Kuminga situation once again in his response to the press. To be clear this is not the biggest issue ever nor my biggest complaint about Kerr, but I think it points to some tone-deaf coaching on his part. He was asked about Kuminga's discussion of his frustrations being in public (well, leaked, but OK). Kerr responded words that mean "It's fine to have a complaint but don't take it public, my door is open, let's have private communication and keep it within the team." That is a policy I support. BUT GUESS WHO AT THAT VERY MOMENT WAS VIOLATING IT? When Kerr was asked about Kuminga in the press conference, he could have said, "It's a private matter, I'm not going to comment on it," and moved on. EASILY. Does so all the time. Instead he goes into Kuminga being frustrated, how much they have an open door policy, and all that. So, in effect, KERR WENT PUBLIC with it. This not-so-subtle double standard is part of what is driving the young guys -- or at least Double Zero -- nuts.
Kerr, critically, said this after talking to JK about it in private. I disagree that this is problematic. At some point you have to tell the outside world something…
No, you don’t. A “No comment” would have sufficed and may just shut them up.
I agree that Kerr had to say something. But he could have said, "We've had a heart-to-heart, and I think we're on the same page. I believe in JK; he's already a contributor, and he can be a great player in this league."
Patriots
Why do you have to tell the outside world something? Kerr is appropriately not telling us anything about Draymond, and I'm sure that there are many discussions that we are never part of. What is the purpose of airing it publicly?
For the morons like us who hang on his every word.
Cuz modern sports journalism will take ambiguous non-responses and make up pot stirring BS and more noise. As long as you get aligned understanding in private, a public message/response on the subject is fine, and even good.
I just don't see it that way. By saying Draymond's stuff is private, Kerr has doused the flame of interest, not thrown gasoline on it. All he had to say was "JK and I have spoken, it went well. Next question."
Kerr spoke on the Dray stuff…
Type “kerr draymond quote” into your search engine and you can find plenty of articles about his “viral” comments… he spoke openly and honestly, which doused the flames of speculation/reading tea leaves about Kerr’s and the team’s perspective. Same happening with this little JK firestorm. Kerr has said what he’s going to say, and he’ll tell people asking again that nothing has changed.
Kerr is human too. The fanbase and media raked him over the coals the last week or so. He is bound to slip out some frustration at some point.
Truly "getting it" would mean "Not making the same mistake."
And also recognizing that his OG experience as a late 2nd round pick shouldn't really be all that close to someone selected in the lottery
Truuuuuueeee good point. It's not like he was ever going to, with optimal play, get MJ to the bench.
Hey, if he got that 3pt% up to 60% you never know.
And then Phil Jackson might have said, "We want to get some playing time for MJ -- he's earned it -- but I just can't play him and Kerr together..."
Abaddon made a great suggestion to my Wacky Races post that Lebron could me Muttley. And looking at the original lyrics it's obvious who Steph is!
Muttley, you snickering, floppy-eared hound
When courage is needed, you're never around
Those medals you wear on your moth-eaten chest
Should be there for bungling, at which you are best
So stop the pigeon
Stop the pigeon
Stop the pigeon
Stop the pigeon
Stop the pigeon
Stop the pigeon
Stop the pigeon
Howww?
Nab him
Jab him
Tab him
Grab him
Stop that pigeon now!
So, not to distract from Asher's masterpiece below, but do we pick up a guard on a 10-day?
I know Kerr has said we'll see more Moody, but the 'second ballhandler' problem remains.
Basically we're down to Podz and Saric as secondary ballhandlers (Saric is sneaky good at passing ... dribbling ... not so much).
What scares me is that Kerr may try Klay out in that role.
Klay. Is. Not. And. Never. Will. Be. A. Ballhandler. I hold my breath every time he dribbles the ball for more than five seconds.
Did something happen between last night and now to Cory Joseph?
No, but if you include everyone in the 'ballhandler rotation' right now, it's Steph, Cojo and Podz, and Kerr wants two ballhandlers on the floor at all times.
Unless we want those three playing 32 minutes a game, and assume that none of them are ever going to miss time, we are very thin in the ballhandling department. If Draymond is getting back soon, then maybe, but even if he was made active today, I'm guessing he's got a week or two to get back in game shape.
So, I think we might need another ballhandler, temporarily.
edit: to be clear, I don't think that's what they'll do ... I think they'll try to struggle along with Saric/Klay/Moody/Kuminga as ballhandlers.
It'll probably be a lot of those two guard looks, yeah. But who is the guard they could sign that would be better than Joseph in that situation?
My guess is that Kerr doesn't want Curry as the only ballhandler because the defense can apply way too much pressure on him and tire him out, but that maybe he'd be willing to do it with Joseph who doesn't have anything to save his energy for. Last night they went with the single ballhandler look with Joseph when Moody came in the game, but only for a few minutes until Curry got back.
Also you could be right about Draymond but if he does take more than like 3-7 days to get back into game shape then that's pretty pathetic on his part tbh, this wasn't an injury.
I expect they will want to see Dray in a practice and see that he’s ready for game speed more than any physical/conditioning worry
It's less about being better than Cojo, than having another option if someone goes down. Whoever we get won't be as good as Cojo, obviously.
I mean Podz took one in the nuts last night ... we're one injury away from some real dislocation in how we play.
I would think the move could be to sign the SCW lead PG to a ten-day. They are familiar with the system. I would say bring Chiozza back, but he's not in the G-league ... he's in Europe.
> It's less about being better than Cojo, than having another option if someone goes down.
I think in that scenario they'd probably wait until someone went down to add someone.
Kendric Davis is CP3's size, quicker than he's ever been, 36% 3PT, and has a 5.6:2.1 AST/TO. Dubs can call him up from SCW any time. I'd love to at least give him a chance to see if his skills translate.
I forgot about him. He was on our summer league team and training camp roster.
I'm not sure he could hold up at the NBA level, but it would be worth a 10 day to have him as an emergency option.
It's not what happened between last night and now, it's what happened between the moment CoJo appeared in the league and now. He's. Just. Not. Very. Good.
He's a replacement level player but why would a guard available on a 10 day contract not be a replacement level player?
He’s fine. If something were to happen to Steph or Podz, yeah we need more than CJ.
Hoping he's able to find a little touch on his three ball now that he's gonna get some run. For the season, he's 5/23, which is awful, but even worse when you consider he banked in two of those and got a lucky bounce on another one last night.
Yes, CJ can fill in and perhaps be more effective/comfortable given an opportunity for some consistent minutes. That said, watching Burks scoring and running his team in a backup role last night made me think about him doing the same again for the Dubs. Likely the Pistons are making Alex available leading up to the deadline, but don't know about salaries or what it might take to get him back (probably just wishful thinking under the circumstances). But as others have noted here before in speculating about trading for Burks/Bogdanovic, he provides some size at the position and played well in Kerr's system just a few years ago. Maybe alone he could be had at a reasonable cost?
I expect to see an announcement that Dray is back in the building today, and expect some timeline to return within a week or so…
I don't really understand what's going on here at DNHQ. Sometimes like in the Orlando game thread my posts got published, and I got likes for them. But then in the Denver game thread, especially toward the last fourth of the thread, none of my posts appeared. I'm not saying Duby Dub Dubs or any of the editors are -- I don't know. I'm just confused. I been putting in the posts every single day, trying to get better. But sometimes I just don't understand it.
This is the first site that ever took me in, so I thought we understood each other. And then I look, and TwoRingTest or some of the other veteran commenters have a bunch of posts and I don't have any. I'm a little sick of it.
No, it's not beef. It's just that I don't understand. If they want to send me to CowbellKingdom to post, then do that already. I'm not complaining. I just want to do what's best for the site. I'm blessed to post about the game of basketball but at the end of the day I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I'm losing faith in the organization.
Just so I'm clear on this: are you saying that your comments are never actually appearing? Or that .... wait a minute... [squints eyes] are we joking around here?
This is what bugs me the most. Duby has been around forever. Spent fifteen years posting. You should know how it is for all of us who are up and coming. We just want to contribute. To be understood. To not be subbed out for WigginsLover2024. Then you throw me under the bus for bringing up the issue when everyone knows you're supposed to be in charge of our communication going well. smh
I get the frustration. But those veteran posters have helped make DNHQ the premiere Warrior fan community. Duby is loyal to them and rightfully so.
Be patient. Keep posting. Think about how to help the veteran commenters to shine. You've got amazing gifts. Your time will come (though that might not be for a few years yet...).
Good Kuminga advice...
I know, I know. I went and talked to Duby. He said that I need to be patient. That would be fine if the site was going well and everything, like in the old days. I don’t know. I’m just going to go out there each and every day and watch film and try to get better. But at the end of the day I have to believe in myself.
I saw a report that EA and Duby had “a productive conversation” about Duby enjoying this phase in their career instead of chasing likes and comment counts. Let’s wait and see how this plays out. This site’s not gonna win a blog championship without vintage 2022 DDD articles.
I love productive conversations. They produce
I think you're kuming[a] around to the truth of things in the last part of your question.
I’m proud to be affiliated with you two right now.
“Kuminga round”
Kee-rap. It was right there
“Kerr app”
I bow at your feet.
I feel puny, but not punny.
Asher? Joking around? Well… I never!
We're sending you and 100 recs to the Detroit Bad Boys SBNation site for the expiring contract of one of their older posters who hasn't been online for 7 years. Enjoy the new scenery!
So ... this is why we don't see WisemanLover any more?!
Do you expect us to be clear? I know it's messing with your mind but trust that we are still a light years ahead forum!
They've been waiting for you to rebound ... from your love of Kuminga.
Also, if you can make three points in a submission, that will improve your chances.
But, remember, EA has an open doggie-door policy. You can always bring it up with him, as long as you bring kibble.
When I try to make three points but fail, everyone talks about it and then we don't see my posts. But when anyone else including frankly you don't make three points, then that's somehow OK? Why?
I'm trying to rebound from this, I am. I've talked to Andre he had some good tips but at the end of the day I have to do what's best for myself and my family and the organization.
It could be worse. You could be parked at the end of the bench, unable even to write a post except for a minute or two a week. Think how moody you would be then!
Plus, of course, you would have been in Arkansas, and nobody should have to do that.
CowbellKingdom only wants to send us washed older posters for you and they also demanded Sleepy and a couple E1Ps which we are not doing, so ...
Option Zero has no trade value… and don’t get me started on what Dream Shake is offering…
So you're asking me to just have patience while this keeps going on? For how long?
Look, it's not like you're not getting to post and I can see a world where your posts appear stickied for the rest of the season, but right now you still split infinitives and participate in pun subthreads. We think your great and you just have to see who is posting well on any given day.
OK but last year you told me not to foolishly split infinitives, and I've stopped. Then you told me not to participate in punk threads and I improved in that area, too. I just feel like the goal posts keep moving.
Well, if you want to be a star to have to play well on both ends of the keyboard. You're great at one on one typing but sometimes you get caught watching other post when you need to be crashing the thread.
Punk threads? This isn’t a Music Friday, ok?!?! You’re just not on the same thread as the rest of us!
Shave your handle and your posts might be noticed more
Curry-Podz-Wiggs-Kuminga-TJD
I think we saw this lineup two separate times last night. Notable not only because it's Wiggins and Kuminga, but these guys could presumably play together for 2-3 more years. What'd people think?
wiggins seems gone, both mentally and physically, at least thats what it seemed like last night.
He’s close, imo… his FT and midrange looks way better. Did you know he quietly shot 91% (28/31) on FT in December?
And the defense has, for the most part, been good. That contested rebound he got late last night was big.
We saw it, it was ok. They need to gel and Wiggins needs to be “good Wiggins” for it to work…
I don’t recall any Kuminga Wiggs synergies last night. But I do remember nothing useful happening any time Wiggins came near the ball. He was utterly mediocre.
I can’t watch Wiggins for 2-3 more years
All we can do is dream of him returning to 2022 form. But I’m thinking more and more that was the anomaly and all his other sadly uninspiring performances are the norm.
Man, what on earth were him and JP doing together to ball out so much in 22? We all saw that clip in the locker room of "We gonna get a Bag" talk. Seems like they brought out the best in each other. Only way to find out is to trade Wiggs to WAS...
Some players just play better in contract years
Nah, he’ll get his 3 ball back around sometime and he’ll be way more effective. The rest of his game is close to his old self now. None of it is at “peak Wiggins”, but we can expect he’ll get close.
Your optimism is almost contagious, except for the reality of facts on the ground (court). But wth I want to believe!
Facts on the ground: in December, Wiggins shot 90.9% from the line and 36.7% from 3.
Seconded.
The energy is there, the shooting is coming around. Canadian Rome wasn't built in a day. Overall I like the trend.
Anyone else find the current state of the Draymond affair very odd? You have league sources a few days ago saying he is returning to the facility to start ramping up, but Kerr said he doesn't know anything about that. And no one still seems to know anything concrete about when the league will let him play.
I'm hoping they really are just being quiet to protect his privacy - maybe that was part of the deal, that it would be indefinite but no one was going to talk about it until he actually returned. I don't need to pry into the details, but I'd love to hear that the team has some idea when he'll be back, if nothing else, for a psychological boost if it is one week or two weeks that they need to survive with only CoJo as a second playmaker and no DG, GPII, or CP3.
If he isn't able to ride into town soon (and be effective without the extracurriculars), I'm not that confident they can stay in touch with even a play in spot. Hope they can prove me wrong with all this depth.
Odd? Not really. The league said indefinite, and that’s what we’re getting. For some reason (with no basis other than my mind) I figured he’d be out 25 games. That would mean returning on Feb. 7 against the 76ers.
I guess this puts an end to the "trade CP3, JK, Moody, and picks for somebody" discussion.
From The Athletic article:
The injury might keep him out past the Feb. 9 trade deadline. But it doesn’t figure to impact Paul’s value. The likelihood is that the teams who’d want him will be interested in his expiring contract, which can be used to cut future salary. The teams who could use Paul’s play don’t have the pieces to swing a deal for his contract.
If the Warriors do decide to trade him, the most likely scenario would be to a team looking to dump salary. That team could then work on a buyout, allowing Paul to be a free agent and sign where he wants.
https://theathletic.com/5182700/2024/01/06/warriors-chris-paul-left-hand-fracture/
The problem I still have with this scenario is that the Warriors are also looking to dump salary which is why they acquired CP3 in the first place; it got them out of JP's contract.
Warriors are not looking to dump salary, as much as looking for optionality in the future. If they just shed salary at the trade deadline, Steph needs to go to a contender at the same time. I have zero interest in watching martyr Steph play out the string on a team prioritizing for future financial situation over putting a contender on the floor.
Not really, the majority of CP3's value was always as an matching/expiring contract.
CP3 as an outgoing asset at the trade deadline, yes.
@TheDunkCentral
Buddy Hield is on the trading block, per @JakeLFischer
If it's true - and please be true - whatever reason you think there is for not taking a shot on getting this guy, I genuinely do not wish to hear it. 😂
That's a match made in heaven.
Doesn't solve our ballhandling or D problems and puts Moody back in jail, but please could the Warriors have 3 of the scariest 3p shooters in the league??
3? Ohhhh, you meant Klay.
OT:
https://twitter.com/GrizzOnBally/status/1743493670265815472
Dray gets ejected/suspended for this, for sure… when you hear #draymondrules, this is what I’m talking about…
It should be an F1 anyway. JJJ does have his arm in a lock. Doesn't excuse the hit to the face, but I can't see the officials calling an F2 for that (unless it's Draymond).
This is what should have happened…
this does not seem to be anywhere as violent as what Draymond does -sorry! He is simply releasing his hand and I dont like LeFlop!
Edited to say: at least from the angles on the clip. Maybe another view will show a deliberate hit, although it looks like hands are locked and one player is trying to get it out
He’s looking at Jackson, then his elbow snaps back in Jackson’s face. It’s not as bad as a headlock, but please… this is a deliberate smack to the face. And my point is more that the same exact action gets “assumed intent” attached to it with Dray.
I agree with Dray being ejected in this case - but agree to disagree on it being a bad foul for anyone else in the league!
Fuck the league, but I don't want any player to pick up an ejection for what Lebron did. Please start retroactively giving the instigator technical foul points and we'll see much less of it.
"The referees did not see that..."
Yeah, it's too bad they don't have some way of reviewing the play so that they could tell exactly what happened, maybe even slow it down or look at it more than once. That would be super helpful.
They actually did review… and still saw no foul 😐 on either guy…
It’s F’ing lame that LBJ wasn’t at minimum given a tech for this, and should have been ejected. But the league has been very clear that Draymond’s history in fact means that the rules for him are now different. Whether or not that’s fair, it’s a fact.
And LeBrons history is washed clean each and every time… not saying LeBron’s ever choked a guy, of course
But he has choked himself 🤷🏽♂️
❤️🔥
One of the lamer elements of NBA officiating is the advantageous calls LeBron gets. I’d like to see a game called in which fouls are called every time Steph is held.
It would be a LONG game...
Only the first half. The second half would be pretty quick (do you have to forfeit if so many players foul out that you only have 4 left?)
No forfeit ... they let you bring a player who has fouled out off the bench, but as DFIB says, it's a tech every time that player commits a foul (in addition to the foul free throws).
No, it’s a technical foul every time a player with 6 fouls commits another. Nelson’s warriors had this problem once, lol
Jackson deserved it.
So did Sabonis
Sure… what’s your point?
Jenkins always looks like he's headed to the Capitol on January 6.
Meanwhile, Jenkins gets the refs to review it by stomping onto the floor (getting a tech in the process) and the refs decide no fouls whatsoever. Prob decided they couldn’t call a foul on JJJ without giving LeBron a flagrant… so just let it go…
Some dudes aren’t just going to bait Dray by “getting under his skin”, they’re also going to put their crotch next to his leg, and flop on contact, get their face near his elbow, or pull his arm toward their face…
Now that everyone is going to be watching for Draymond-baiting, isn’t there a chance that it will shine a brighter spotlight on the instigators? The league can’t be issuing post-game fines and suspensions for every uncalled hook or push… or can they? Dray gets away with stuff too, LOL, but if he knew that the really nefarious cheating like that dangerous, pre-meditated Sabonis ankle-lock was going to be punished appropriately (i.e. very severely) then it might be easier for him to keep his cool in the moment. Flagrant cheating is just so infuriating. Seems like league could do more. What if coach-challenge was augmented to add a new challenge - specifically to review a play for an uncalled but really niggling, nasty, mean,….
Slater threads:
Jonathan Kuminga and Steve Kerr met Friday. Kuminga said it "went well" and appears to have quieted his concerns. Kuminga on his standing with Kerr/Warriors: "I love it here."
Here are his full locker room comments after a season-high 36 minutes
https://www.threads.net/@anthony_slater/post/C1wLicUrksp
Color me skeptical tbh
For all the commotion after keeping JK on the bench against while the Dubs coughed up their big lead against the Nuggets, it should be noted that JK was on the floor while the Dubs coughed up their big lead against the Pistons.
Yeah, all the commotion with a loss to the defending champs... so JK played the 4th... as many wanted, and still many are not satisfied with the win over the lowly Pistons. Maybe not just about JK's minutes...
Kerr is not a perfect coach, but he has been really good with the interpersonal stuff with some difficult characters, so I will give him kudos for how he is dealing with this. I can imagine a lot of coaches would get upset about the player going to the media and get into a spat about it and make the situation worse.
I say elevate Kerr to a new position called player-happiness-coach and find someone else to take over the grind of in-game coaching
my dad & I are of the belief that Kenny Atkinson is not the right guy for the lead assistant spot
yes, me too. He took over the defensive coach position from Mike Brown and it has not been good in general.
Cough*NelsonWithWebber*Cough
Something stuck in your throat? Or are you doing a Carlisimo reference?
took me a second. I'll leave my DubnationHQ badge at the door.
Possibly related: the 36 minutes gave him an average of 27 over the last two games.
Welp, so much for yesterday’s episode of Tempest in a Teapot. Tune in next week…
In related news, notwithstanding the “reliability” of what they choose to report, both Shams and Woj strike me more than ever as sleazy fame-wh*res who will tweet pretty much anything for access and $$$. Basically everything they say needs to be viewed in the context of “who are they shilling for today?”
Every single thing they (or anyone else, really) puts on those social media feeds can best be understood as an advertisement: For themselves; for the NBA; for the various TV programs they appear on; for the whole auxiliary economy that surrounds them (including gambling). Which isn't necessarily to say their reporting is inaccurate, just that accuracy is a priority only insofar as it bolsters the 'brand.'
It's comparatively benign in the context of basketball, but I do feel like we suffer in all kinds of ways for our collective acceptance of the idea that someone is going to be selling us something every waking minute of our lives. That, as much as anything else (and there's plenty), is why I stay away from those sites.
Makes me appreciate guys like Slater a lot more.
Media success is driven by volume, which is driven by reporting on whatever BS will rile people up. Actually this was true 100 years ago, too.
Or you can try to be successful with quality and engagement with an audience. Like DNHQ 😄.
Regarding CP3, I can only say: "piove sul bagnato" :(