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Only Antawn Jamison (#7) days left until training camp! (or training camp eve?). That's right, only one week to go until we can get some news about actual on the court activity, well, give or take a day. Antawn wore 7 during his rookie year before switching to 33 for the rest of his Warriors tenure.

Antawn was drafted #4 by the Raptors, and then immediately traded to the Warriors for cash and Vince Carter, whom the Dubs had drafted #5. Antawn and Vince were college teammates at UNC and good friends. As I understand it, the Raptors GM knew that the Dubs wanted Antawn, and he would have liked either player, so by picking Antawn and making the trade he was able to get the player he wanted at a lower cost (since the rookie salary slot for a fifth pick is less than for a fourth) along with cash.

Antawn was yet another one of those good players on a bad Warriors team - he was a star player from '98 until 2003 when he was traded again. During that stretch they won 21, 19, 17, 21, and 38 games. That's 78 games in his first 4 years, just a few more than the total number of wins in the 2015-16 season.

Despite his good play, they decided they needed to replace some shooting when Gilbert Arenas and Earl Boykins left in free agency, so they structured a nine player trade with the Mavs to essentially trade Antawn for Nick Van Exel. They also wanted to free up playing time for Mike Dunleavy Jr., who was entering his second year (https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Warriors-deal-Jamison-Golden-State-lands-Van-2595475.php). Nick wasn't that thrilled about going to the Dubs, and only lasted a year (https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Van-Exel-accepts-his-fate-as-a-Warrior-2584314.php).

Antawn is one of two hall-eligible players to have scored 20,000 points that is not in the Hall of Fame. The other 30 that are eligible are all in, maybe it's time to start a campaign. Sadly, probably playing for those bad 2000's Dubs team hurts his case in the view of some voters.

Here are highlights from his duel with Kobe, where they both scored 51 in a double overtime Dubs victory:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbFR8sXz_gc

This was the game after he had scored 51 against Seattle in regulation but in a game the Warriors lost, which pretty much sums up his Warriors experience.

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> That's 78 games in his first 4 years, just a few more than the total number of wins in the 2015-16 season.

Nitpick; the Warriors won 88 games in 2015-2016. Oh for that 89th win...

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Ah, good point, so 10 games more in that one year than in the 4 years during the dark ages.

And yeah, one more would have been nice

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Wait. When is media day?

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Sep 26, 2023·edited Sep 26, 2023

I think it is Tuesday, Oct. 3rd, but the team site still says training camp starts on Monday the 2nd. So, I'm not sure what exactly is planned for Monday if anything. From the IG post someone linked to, it looks like a bunch of players are already there at Chase working out, so what really is the start of camp anyway?

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OT..compare this to Chase fans.

https://bleacherreport.com/user_post/a6136fd7-53f2-4913-97d0-9101545c58c3

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It's crazy what happens when tickets are affordable for not just tech yuppies

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You said it, I didn’t :)

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And this was WNBA.

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Gold Blooded | NBA Feature Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ig8QvVDvESU

This is the whole previously NBA App exclusive documentary about the 21-22 championship.

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Only Monta Ellis (#8) days left until training camp! (or training camp eve?)

Monta was drafted directly out of high school as the 40th pick in the 2005 draft, back when the NBA allowed that, but was already age 20 when drafted. Interesting contrast to today where many top players reclassify and graduate high school a year early, so they become draft eligible a year out of high school still at age 19 or even 18 like JK. (https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/24174879/reclassification-fast-tracks-prospects-college-nba-draft)

He had a decent rookie season, and helped the 2007 "We Believe" Warriors get back to the playoffs in his second year for the first time since 1993. But, that early promise didn't turn into sustained success, as he never made it back to the playoffs with the Dubs, with Jason Richardson getting traded in the off-season to the Bobcats for the rights to draft pick Brandan Wright, and Baron leaving a year later.

Monta's career took a detour when he injured his ankle in a moped accident in the 2008 offseason, which was a violation of the brand new 6 year $66M deal that he had just signed. Making things worse, he initially lied about the circumstances, saying he had injured it in a pick-up game. The team suspended him for 30 games without pay, which was about the number of games he needed for rehab, so they basically avoided paying him while he was recovering. Nellie and GM Chris Mullin were not in favor of suspending him, but Chris Cohan thought he deserved it, especially for not being upfront about what happened. (https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=3638098)

Here's a short Kawakami blog post about it, interesting to get his take from the time, and Tim still sounded like Tim.

https://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2008/09/06/newsbreaker-cct-reports-monta-ellis-has-admitted-to-warriors-he-lied-about-cause-of-injury/

After they drafted Curry, Monta flat out said at media day it wasn't going go work (https://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2009/09/28/monta-ellis-on-pairing-with-stephen-curry-we-cant-not-going-to-win-that-way), including the quote:

"You can’t put two small guys out there and try to play the 1 and the 2 when you’ve got big 2 guards in the league. You just can’t do it. OK, yes, we’re going to move up and down fast, but eventually the game is going to slow down. You can’t do it."

After a few years of rumors, he was finally traded in 2012:

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1077689-nba-trade-rumors-warriors-must-move-monta-ellis-to-bring-in-new-identity

https://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2011/05/31/trade-monta-ellis-jerry-west-just-might-be-the-guy-to-do-it/

https://www.mercurynews.com/2012/03/13/tim-kawakami-trading-monta-ellis-was-the-bold-move-the-golden-state-warriors-had-to-make/

Anyway, the Warriors finally managed to make a trade that did work out for them.

Monta went on to play for 5 more years in Milwaukee, Dallas, and Indy. He never made an all-star game, and had only limited success in the playoffs, losing in the first round five times.

Here are a few highlights from his time in Oakland:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6NXHGhc3pc

and a longer segment on the We Believe Warriors, co-starring "Roaracle"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVQUel1Ssq8

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Are training camps usually televised on NBCS Bay Area?

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No, but they typically start up the shows that are like the post game shows, so we'll get 30 min or so coverage which might have a clip or two from an open section of practice. And, we're that much closer to pre season games that help fill the time.

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When you refresh DNHQ the next day and get saddeed to see there is no new post... but then check the comments and realise "Oh yeah, the daily jersey countdown from DubsNerd! Let's geddit oown!" :) I never saw Monta play but I could imagine if him and DayDay were on the same team, things would have been leaked on a weekly basis.

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I think Monte wouldn’t have annoyed Draymond like Poole did.

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Yeah, well, the third time Monta dove for a steal and compromised the defense, Green would have been all over him.

Monta was probably a worse defender than Poole. Went after steals numbers, and really didn't seem to care that it left the team playing 4 on 5.

But, yeah, Poole has a special talent for needling people. One of the things I loved about him.

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I think Draymond would’ve had better luck convincing Monta to avoid dumb plays than convincing Poole to care about defense.

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Monte's motor was never in question.

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Another “what could have been” guy… on one hand, he didn’t have a 3ball at all, on the other hand, he was dynamic and good in the midrange. Wonder what he would have done if he grew up 10 years later.

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I feel like he may have played in the optimal era (and team?) for his skillet. No defense, very inefficient volume scorer... unless growing up 10 years later would have made him a lot better at 3's, the end result may have been him playing a lot less than he did. Imagine Westbrook, but without the passing or rebounding, and you have Monta. I loved the guy.

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The factoid I remember from the trade... Monta supposedly had the 4th shortest wingspan in the league at the time.

First time I recall hearing the inverse of the usual description.

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Ape Factor vs T-Rex Factor

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I mean, it's not really news, but, from the ESPN article on Giannis' situation:

Which other teams are keeping a close eye on the Antetokounmpo situation?

A few preliminary teams, who at the very least, will be watching this situation closely, could include the New Orleans Pelicans, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors, according to Zach Lowe and Ramona Shelburne during a recent episode of the Lowe Post podcast.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/38439222/giannis-antetokounmpo-milwaukee-bucks-contract-extension-questions

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Maybe if we still had draft picks.

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Sep 24, 2023·edited Sep 24, 2023

I can't really see it. It would probably be a two year rental of Giannis. If he's willing to move on from Milwaukee, what would he do on the Dubs in two years, with Steph and Dray either retired or in decline, and the team gutted of assets?

I'd say we probably have a better chance at a title just by letting Kuminga and Moody grow into their game (they've only been in the league two years).

Plus, Giannis' recent comments about keeping his options open seem more like he's putting pressure on Milwaukee to sign Holiday to an extension.

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Sep 24, 2023·edited Sep 24, 2023

Nevermind. Giannis is prolly never coming while MDJ is GM:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3IPV4stOaQI

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deletedSep 24, 2023·edited Sep 24, 2023
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I was thinking Giannis might still harbor feelings against MDJ. But honestly, it was an eternity ago, and Giannis doesn't seem like the kind of player to hold onto a grudge that long.

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Sep 24, 2023·edited Sep 24, 2023

I don't think Giannis is going anywhere but if he was, it would be to someplace like OKC which has a decent young core in place with Giddy, SGA, Jalen Williams, and Holmgren and a ton of draft picks that they can't use. Put Giannis in there at PF and that is a team that can compete for championships for the rest of his contract. [For example, Olidipo, Betrans, Dort, and 4 1st round picks from the next couple of years might get it done but only if the Bucks think there is no way Giannis is staying]

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I guess I'm glad that the Warriors are included the list of teams keeping an eye on the situation, but who would they have to part with to be able to have Giannis? It seems impossible without completely revamping the team. Would we really want to do that?

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CP3 and Wiggins and whatever youngsters/picks gets it done, and makes another superteam

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There would have to be an absolute pile of other moving parts I imagine, but if the warriors somehow got Giannis to SF and only lost Wiggins(whose job Giannis would be coming for) and CP3(the presumed short-timer anyhow) and spare parts, the league would loose their minds.

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And Looney, Moody, and Kuminga and a bunch of unprotected picks… but you’re right, it’s not great return for Milwaukee.

TBH, I don’t think we have many attractive assets for a rebuilding team… Wiggins is young enough and on a decent enough contract that you could convince yourself that he’s a piece of your future, which makes him way more attractive than Klay or Dray…

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In a year or two, a starting unit of Steph, Dray, Klay, Loon, Giannis, supplemented by 10 Austin Rivers / Biyombo vet min types is not a team that has realistic title aspirations. You have to play the big guns a lot to even get to playoffs since the 2nd unit will suck, and once there, will get run off the floor by OKC and the like.

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I think a Curry/Giannis combo undoubtedly has strong title aspirations

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Or you would attract ring chasing vets the way the Lakers have with LeBron and AD the last few years and the combination of Steph/Giannis would devastate the league. Sure, OKC is going to be good, no doubt about it, but there's no reason to think that in two years they would be favored to beat a Steph/Giannis led team.

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Agreed. That’d be a fleecing.

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Only Andre Iguodala (#9) days left until training camp! (or training camp eve?)

Is Andre retired? The stealth 15th roster spot? Stay tuned to his podcast, Point Forward (https://www.youtube.com/c/PointForwardPodcast) to find out.

While Bogut may have been the first piece of the dynasty not drafted by the Warriors, Andre marked an important turning point as the first big free agent that wanted to sign here. Back in the dark days, either the Warriors would get entirely snubbed by any free agent, or would just be used as a way to drive up their price before going to another team. Andre's third place Nuggets lost to the Dubs in six games in the first round of the 2013 playoffs, and he saw enough to decide that they were the future of the league. Well, some claim he decided that during the series, and was working as a mole for Mark Jackson (https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/george-karl-continues-to-imply-andre-iguodala-was-mark-jacksons-mole-in-2013-warriors-nuggets-playoff-series). But, the claim doesn't seem to be that Andre was throwing the game, or tipping off their plays or strategy, but rather that he was the source of the rumor that the Nuggets were deliberately trying to hurt Steph, in which case I think Andre comes out looking like the better person. But, we'll probably never know the full story.

Denver had lost Danilo Gallinari in April (current buyout crush from some fans), but the Dubs lost David Lee in game 1, so that kinda evened out. Still, the Dubs were a huge underdog, but they pulled off another playoff upset behind a young Steph's shooting.

“I just wanted to enjoy playing basketball,” Iguodala said. “I just saw the way the guys played. They had fun playing the game. You could really tell they just enjoyed playing basketball.”

He said he had gotten “worn down from the nonsense that comes with the game” until going against the Warriors in that playoff series.

“I fell in love with the game again,” Iguodala said.

Since his signing, the Dubs have not had too much trouble signing players (except, JaVale McGee?) including maybe the biggest FA signing ever when they added KD.

Andre was key to their 5 finals trips the first go-round, and is one of the core members with 4 rings, and though he didn't contribute much on court for the latest championship, he reportedly was still pretty key behind the scenes. Also, recall that Andre was traded to Memphis make room for the sign-and-trade that ended up being Wiggins and JK, so that was another way he indirectly contributed to the fourth ring.

He had one year under Mark Jackson, getting to the playoffs where they lost in the first round to the Lob City Clippers with our favorite player CP3, before the FO made the bold move of replacing Jackson with the unproven rookie coach Steve Kerr. Steve's first move was to ask Andre to come off the bench. "Since entering the NBA, Iguodala had played in 806 games as a starter without entering a game as a reserve, a league high over that span "(http://web.archive.org/web/20150619021100/https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/iguodalas-willingness-off-bench-helps-key-warriors-31582532)

"Depth is great as long as guys are willing to sacrifice, and it's not easy to sacrifice in the NBA because careers are at stake, money is at stake, egos," Kerr said. "That's, I think, what separates a lot of the really good teams and teams like ours who have made deep championship runs. When you're in The Finals, you don't get that far without that kind of sacrifice."

It's something that has not gone unnoticed by the younger players who have the beneficiaries of the sacrifices made by former All-Stars like Iguodala and Lee.

"For them to kind of take that a backseat and let us young guys grow and develop in this league, that means a lot," Barnes said. "We could easily be in a situation where they say, 'Look we're the vets. You guys are young players, you guys will have your time. This is about us.' But they didn't. They were entirely selfless and that's allowed us to grow."

Not that this is relevant for anything going on with this year's team or anything.

Despite coming off the bench for the whole season, Andre re-joined the starting line-up in the finals thanks to Nick U'Ren, and famously went on to win Finals MVP.

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/the-mystery-man-behind-the-plan-that-helped-the-warriors-win-game-4-of-the-nba-finals-080509364.html

"I don't think it was that gutsy because they were kicking our ass," Kerr told Yahoo Sports. "We were running in mud."

This was the start of the "death lineup", followed by nearly a decade of trying to find a catchy name for each new iteration of the small line-up.

Here are some highlights from the 2015 finals:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkLUeF1yFnA

And more importantly, some defensive highlights, where he made LeBron work for his points

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRIyil9jteU

Most likely, he his off to his next life of being a VC and earning back all the money he lost in bitcoin. But, we'll still get to hear his thoughts on his podcast and others.

Finally, here he is with Evan Turner on Old Man and the Three (JJ Redick):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkpPPxJbUIQ

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Re: Is Andre retired ... he talked about the Warriors as 'they' in a recent podcast, so I'm pretty sure the answer is yes.

Great player, perhaps not a Hall of Famer, weird dude (razzed rookies unmercifully). No question that he deserves a statue outside of Chase, though.

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Him just looking down, staring at his hands for eternity would be awesome

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Andre is retired whether he wants to be or not. I don't see him getting another NBA contract at almost 40 years old when he only could play eight games last year.

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Thanks for the trip down memory lane and links! One thing to add that I think is often overlooked is the importance of the David Lee signing. He was never going to bring a championship but he improved the team and (by all accounts I've seen) was a GREAT teammate who helped in the early stages of building the culture. I remember telling the kids that the person they should model themselves after was the one who when injured (after catching someone's mouth with his elbow and getting it infected) would see his teammates off for their roadtrip without him, meeting them at the team bus and bringing zucchini bread. The little acts add up.

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There is no Warriors dynasty without Andre Iguodala

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Oh and what a difference Connor Benn without the steroids lol. Orozco taking his punches

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Zhang vs Fury?

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Late to this comment but I would have bet Zhang, I think he should have got the W in their last fight too but Joyce had better name recognition

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Joe should compile his breakdowns and turn it into a basketball learning course with a spiffy name

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Explain One Viray

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I tried thinking of something clever, but all I got is the “Give and Joe”.

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"X's & Joe's"

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Sep 23, 2023·edited Sep 23, 2023

Day 1 free of the Dwight-mare.

Our long* national tragedy is over.

*several days

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Sep 23, 2023·edited Sep 23, 2023Liked by Eric Apricot

Not sure if this has been posted around here or not, but I am curious what folks like Joe and Apricot think about this defense and its potential in the NBA as a defensive scheme for certain players https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA5C-43ifbA

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I'm still wrapping my head around the banked-in free throws. This season needs to start soon!

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author

Interesting stuff. I always appreciate new ideas. I remember the idea from before used against the Harden Moreyball Rockets, but that was defense on the side of the shooter.

Stray quick thoughts:

- couldn’t you set the screen anyway and have the shooter sidestep in front of it

- the usual question about really good midrange jump shooters

- it feels like you’d be asking for fouls on the contests-from-behind

- isn’t it asking for trouble to let a shooter step into a 3 pointer away from you?

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Imo, it’s deliberately putting your team in rotation… your under the basket zone guy is going to be under such heavy attack that he won’t be in good rebounding position a lot of the time too.

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Now this is some Sun Tzu Ball!

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On a side note, I just watched Jerry West's interview on the Paul George Podcast and it was fascinating. Here are some interesting highlights from the interview . . .

On Steph Curry (he was one of two players with the other being Giannis that he'd want to play with)

"When you watch him now, at one time I didn't think he was a good defender. I think he's a terrific defender (now).”

"Steph is just a fantastic player, he's a better all around player than everyone gives him credit for"

He also talked quite a bit about the archetypes of players which are being developed in the league (6'7 - 6'9) who all have the same basic versatile skillset which will allow for very fascinating coaching. He criticized people (presumable coaches/scouts/journalists) who can't keep up with how the NBA is changing.

“Please don’t be old fashioned, its okay to have old fashioned ways about you but its a modern world, grow up and do things in a way that will allow for you to succeed”

Also, here are just some quotes of Jerry West from the interview which showcase his mentality of life which I found personally inspiring:

“Once you’re afraid to fail, you’ll fail”

"I've often thought, what would I like people to think about me (when I pass), he was good guy and he cared"

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Sep 22, 2023·edited Sep 22, 2023Author

That quote “Once you’re afraid to fail, you’ll fail” is even more meaningful in the context that Jerry West has had lifelong depression and horrible self-esteem issues. I can imagine him pumping himself up with that quote every day.

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That last quote makes me understand a bit more why he was so sensitive about his portrayal in Winning Time.

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It's one of the tangents that made the series Winning Time so watchable.

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They made him into a caricature and I he was rightfully mad about it

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Funny as hell.......

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Absolutely, it was funny as hell without a doubt and Winning Time is an enjoyable watch. At the same time, I can understand someone being mad that in the mind of many people, he'll primarily be remembered through the caricature that existed in that show.

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He's still the Logo

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Better father-son duo?

_ Steph Curry and his daddy, Del Curry?

_ Chris Paul and his daddy, Steph Curry?

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Poor taste

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Nah. Poor taste woulda been “Lebron and Delonte west”

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Huh? “Who’s your daddy?” has been part of trash talk for as long as I can remember.

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I love how Draymond and the other vets all “signed off” on Dwight, but he wasn’t signed. Makes you wonder if they were all, “We love Dwight!” publicly but, “ Oh hell no!” privately?

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"signed off" probably meant that they were not vehemently opposed to playing with Dwight if the FO/coaching thought he was the best choice. Apparently they didn't see anything convincing on that front. Maybe also waiting to see if Lillard trade has any casualties they may be interested in.

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Agreed. I just assumed Dumas' unnamed source (https://twitter.com/Money23Green/status/1704666006696960078) was Dwight's representation and his reps were creatively stretching a lack of objections as "signing off." It's a far cry from when Draymond and Boogie released a video together when the Dubs signed the latter in '18.

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The vets also signed off on the Avery Bradley signing, and front office said NAH YOU’LL HAVE GP2 AND YOU’LL LIKE IT

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…and they did

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Klaymem, praise Threesus

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Sep 22, 2023·edited Sep 22, 2023

GP2 is such a unique case that I wouldn't use it as a standard.

I'll be annoyed if a lack of size limits the team this year when it's for the 14th roster spot with a open 15th spot as well.

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It will also be annoying if the Dubs lack sufficient farting this season with Dwight Howard right there.

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He clearly has the talent. But would he be selfish, farting at his own pleasure rather than when the team needs it? Would he be okay with not farting for 3-4 games in a row if Kerr decides to look elsewhere, or would he pout? Would he start to feel entitled when it was clear that he was the team's leading farter?

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It just comes down to a simple fact: The team wants to win, but signing Dwight Howard is committing to stinking up the joint.

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Sep 22, 2023·edited Sep 22, 2023

That would be annoying … but would it not be equally annoying to be limited by a lack of shooting, or a lack of wing depth, or a lack of youth/athleticism, or any number of other issues that could limit them?

In any case, I’d assume their goal is to fill the 14th spot with the player they feel gives them the best shot at a ‘chip: and that Dwight wasn’t that guy.

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Sep 22, 2023·edited Sep 22, 2023

It would. Reality, us fans lack the critical information to adequately make these kind of evaluations. I'm making the assumption that Dwight was good for 10 minutes a game which could be a terrible take.

I'll also add that this is a fan website and it's just a comment about how I feel.

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Sep 22, 2023Liked by Eric Apricot

Hard times coming to your town? Stay alert, don't let them get you down - because there's only Tim Hardaway (#10) days left until training camp!

Tim was the third and final piece of the Run TMC trio that thrilled Warriors fans for two short seasons from '89 to '91, until Nellie traded Mitch to the Kings for rookie Billy Owens, because he was "under pressure to get bigger". Hmm, concerns about the Dubs being too small?

While only 6' tall, Tim developed a killer cross-over known as, uh, "the killer cross-over", but also as the UTEP two-step, after his college Univ of Texas El Paso. He stayed with the Dubs until 1996 when he was traded to Miami for Kevin Willis and Bimbo Coles, and he went on to have great success there, but never reached the NBA finals.

Tim reached 5,000 points and 2,500 assists faster than any other NBA player except Oscar Robertson, getting there in 262 games. In both '91-'92 and '92-'93 he averaged 20 points and 10 assists a game. He also won a gold medal at the 2000 Olympics. His #10 was retired by Miami, and he entered the Hall of Fame last year.

Here's a few minutes of Tim breaking ankles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d12JgBPoDw

Here is Basketball Time Machine with some interviews of players on why he was so hard to guard:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEhMtFmM80g

Despite only being around for two years, the allure of Run TMC endures. In case you don't know, the name was based on the first initials of Tim, Mitch, and Chris, and was a take-off of the name of a popular rap group Run DMC. You can still buy a Run TMC shirt or hat, and reportedly there is a documentary on them in the works. They played an up-tempo, high scoring style, which gets an entry in Wikipedia as "Nellie Ball", after coach Don Nelson.

The Run TMC team lead the league in offense their first year, and kicked off year two by beating Denver 162-158 in the opening game, which is still the highest scoring game in regulation (no overtime). At the time, the trio was the second highest combined season scoring average trio where each player averaged 20 or more points (which knocks out high scoring "trios" like Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, and Just A. Guy, or Wilt and any 2 teammates). That trio average has since been surpassed three times by Steph, Klay, and KD - those guys were pretty potent too.

Run TMC made the playoffs in their second year as a seven seed, and upset the Spurs in David Robinson's second season.

Here's a Warriors Oral History:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob3Kx8UgmD4

How they changed the NBA:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZsT0GYTVoI&t=8s

And a two-part interview series with Ahmad Rashad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHZbFHa4ydc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOoxY1N5BEw

It's like that, and that's the way it is.

A few bonus #10 players for today: GM Mike Dunleavy rocked #10 his rookie year, and it was also worn by Manute Bol, Mookie Blaylock, David Lee, Jacob Evans, Dragan Bender, Brad Wanamaker, and Ty Jerome, among others.

Note: According to the Warriors' team site, training camp starts Oct 2nd (https://www.nba.com/warriors/news/warriors-2023-preseason-schedule-20230802). But most other sites like The Athletic and NBCSBA say it starts Oct 3rd. So, who knows?

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I endorse this message.

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This is a great post. Just sayin' ...

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Glad you enjoyed it, since you are clearly a knowledgeable fan!

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"high scoring "trios" like Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, and Just A. Guy, or Wilt and any 2 teammates" Comment Within a Post For The Week 🏆

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Sep 23, 2023·edited Sep 23, 2023

Nope, nope, and nope. Lakers 1969-70: Elgin Baylor 24.0 ppg, Jerry West 31.2 ppg, Happy Hairston 20.6 ppg. Technically also Wilt 27.3 ppg but he only played 12 games. Or maybe you prefer 1968-69: Wilt 20.5 (in 81 gms), Baylor 24.8, West 25.9. Or perhaps you like 1967-68: Baylor 26, West 26.3, Archie Clark 19.9 (so the trio average way more than 20). Oh yeah... that's with no three point shot.

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Thanks for the feedback, and first, I was really just having fun with it, but in the interest of accuracy, I think there were 2 issues with the stat. One, I didn't explain the criteria that well, and two, I cribbed this from Wikipedia, where they mischaracterized the actual criteria from the original article. Lesson here - always go to original sources if possible when doing research! And, yes, this does get into the obscure stats territory of: best trio where none of the players were between 6' 4" and 6' 6" and not counting any games played on a Tuesday.

That said, the original criteria was an attempt to look at balanced trios by only counting teams where the season scoring average of all 3 was within 10 points. Based on that, at the time, Run TMC's 72.5 combined average was the second best "balanced" trio. So, that is why they didn't count the '69 - '70 Lakers (Jerry's 31.2 was more than 10 points more than Happy's 20.6, and I think yeah, they didn't count Wilt because of the small number of games), but I would agree that one probably should count, since 20.6 is a pretty good contribution. But, this was really a comment on the early '60s Jerry and Elgin, which had 86.3 points from West (30.8), Baylor (38.3), and LaRusso (17.2) in '61-'62, and 79.1 points from Baylor (34.0), West(27.1), and Dick Barnett (18.0) in '62-'63.

Regarding the Wilt comment, that was about Philadelphia Wilt, not LA Wilt. If you look at the '61-'62 Warriors when Wilt averaged 50.5 points a game, I counted 13 permutations of two other players that got over 22.0 points, putting the trio total over Run TMC's 72.5, so we were also disqualifying all of those. Wilt trios also average 75.8 points in '60-'61, 74.9 points in '59-'60, and 74.7 points in '62-'63.

Finally, the '67-'68 Lakers would count based on the criteria, but they had a combined average of 72.2, which is good, but doesn't beat Tim, Mitch, and Chris.

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Gold Blooded: Episode 1 - Reunited and Reignited (FULL EPISODE) | NBA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2becNPt2Xeg

I believe this is the series that was previously exclusive to the NBA App detailing the Warriors' run to the 2022 championship.

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Sep 22, 2023Liked by Eric Apricot

> The decision-makers clearly don’t believe an extra big man is as dire a need as many suggest. They had other traditional centers in the facility this summer. Tony Bradley and Dewayne Dedmon were among them. Howard was certainly the option that the veterans were most vocal about. Green and Paul will always crave another lob threat. Howard, now 37, was once elite in that area. JaVale McGee was considered before he chose a guaranteed contract with the Sacramento Kings. There’s an argument that that is what this roster is most missing. But it appears the front office is instead prioritizing extra wings for camp (and still finalizing exactly who that’ll be) with the 14th roster spot still vacant. — Slater

https://theathletic.com/4889964/2023/09/22/warriors-dwight-howard-free-agency/

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While I wouldn't have been upset by a DH signing, I am pleased with the news that they are prioritizing wings. Seems better, especially considering the potential they have in TJD and UG.

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Sounds like they didn't offer McGee a guaranteed contract.

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Sep 22, 2023·edited Sep 22, 2023

Yes, but it specified that McGee went to Sac being the decision making step. Basically, the FO thought about offering a contract, didn't make up its mind, but JaVale made up his mind first. McGee also expressed that there wasn't enough PT @ GS.

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Good addition, didn't see the McGee comments.

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Sep 22, 2023·edited Sep 22, 2023

So many islands, so little time:

Wiggs, Kuminga, Moody, TJD, Lester, Podz, Usman 'Wilt' Garuba, Gui.

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I am having problems trusting my judgement in this regard. As y'all will recall, I had a very nice sports bar on Wiseman Island, driven by green renewable energy, only to have JW fail to fit in here and get dealt. I had a sweet sandwich popup happening on PBJ Island, and he got dealt before I could develop it into a regular shop. I do have a nice little cottage with a view on Kuminga Island but it's not a major investment, though maybe this season I could feel better about it. I don't have confidence in Garuba, Podz, or Lester at this stage, and Gui isn't even on the big club, so I am not invested in them.

However, I am negotiating for a very promising property on TJD Island, and I might make a move there. I could even open a new bar. I'm just afraid of jinxing him.

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Don't even get me started on Wiseman Island. I go back there every once in a while just to sulk. I can't even see Haliburton Hill off on the horizon anymore. I guess that's a good thing.

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I'm buying a pretty large spread on Destiny Usman Island, as prices are pretty cheap at the moment :)

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Since he's on a two-way, probably best to rent or do the time-share

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Never buy a timeshare.

I think it's good to buy on Usman Island. Prices are very inexpensive, so it's not a huge cash outlay, and if he takes off, you can look like a genius.

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I think two-ways are kinda like a rent-to-own deal.

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Kuminga Island is the biggest and foremost, baby. Been on there since 2021. Have a beautiful little tropical hut with fruit trees and coconuts near the beach.

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Just have to wait long enough for the newly planted trees to produce fruit

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