There are a lot of unknowns about how this team will perform, many of them related to the puzzling results the team had last year. There are lots of explanations and guesses for why things went bad last season—the punch, Klay coming back out of shape, the youngsters not being ready, Kerr having a short leash for guys, Mike Brown's departure—and it's not yet clear we've assembled the ingredients to do better, but it feels like the possibility is there.
My biggest concern is, as always, injuries. Last year we had pretty good injury luck: Steph, Klay, Draymond, and Looney played a combined 85% of all possible games between them. Wiggins' absence wasn't an injury but may as well have been; still, if you factor in his and Poole's availability, our top 6 players were there 81% of the regular season and essentially the whole playoffs. With the dudes being older and CP3 in place of Poole it's pretty much a guarantee that we'll have less availability of our best players this season.
Another thing that bears consideration is whether the team will be fun again. Winning makes a big difference there of course, but will trading out goofy faces guy Poole for longtime rival and known nut-puncher Paul really improve chemistry? Between him, known face-puncher Green, and rookie Podziemski already having a bit of a reputation for being demanding of his teammates, it feels like we've assembled kind of a volatile mix of dudes who have strong feelings about winning and how to do it. It's good that we know they aren't going to be complacent, but things could be really tense when games are in question or don't go their way. I suppose we could avoid this problem but simply not losing games; I'm hoping they'll try that one.
But, insofar as you can get by looking at a roster, some highlights, and a bunch of statistical profiles, I like the look of this team and wouldn't put them below top 5 championship contenders before the season starts.
It's going to be a crazy season, though, especially in California... IMO all four California teams feel poised to be contenders (maybe excluding the Clippers?? because they're somehow always less than the sum of their parts?) and then you have the defending champ Nuggets who you probably have to consider the favorites again until proven otherwise, the wild-card collection of talent that is Phoenix, and perennial up-and-comers Memphis and New Orleans. Out east, I dunno what's going on but it looks like there are still about 4 contenders and a lot of teams stuck in neutral. Hey, at least we (probably?) don't have to worry about the Texas teams this year.
What was the feeling like after the 2021 season? For me personally, I called a championship during preseason, But i remember many here were 'ye of little faith'. I think we're gonna be doing the Spursian every other year championship type runs till we get number 6
Here's hoping the joy returns. Dunleavy has assembled a reasonable roster to make the run. Of course, it will take some injury luck, as it always does, and maybe more so with our age. But that's why they play the games.
I agree that Denver has to be the favorite. I don't believe in the Clippers (their best guys are injury-prone), Phoenix (talk about a talented group that hasn't proven the chemistry works), Memphis (a dysfunctional organization without its star for half a year and a new mix of guys to figure out), or New Orleans (not bullish on Zion). Sacramento ought to be in there somewhere. Lakers too, though their best guys are also injury-prone. Someone unexpected will make the leap.
Yep, my thoughts too. I'm curious which Western Conference team(s) will actually outrank at least one or two of the contenders I mentioned. The Mavs and T-Wolves should be decent at least, and they each have one great player, but uninspiring overall team composition.
So we have our team together now, can’t wait for the season to start. Thanks to you all for keeping track of the trades and rumors and the SL. This might help my uninformed European me to know at least something about the new players when the season starts.
New DubsTalk. Monte and Dalton discuss Corey Joseph (will take care of the ball and make smart decisions), as well as Gui, Podz, LQ, and TJD. (Recorded pre-Saric and the summer league game. https://youtu.be/5QtyXa2iMRo
One thing new to me: They were talking about the size he added and that apparently Gui added 3” to his vert by the middle of last season.
I watched some highlights and he makes a lot of Jokic esque 1 handed passes, especially without holding the ball. I could see Kerr starting him at the 5 occasionally depending on the matchup. Short arms but pretty stout. I would like to see us add an athletic 5 on a 2 way, just as an option to throw out there but I think the roster is pretty set now!
yeah Boots is obviously on a different level than Villa but this fight is showing he can get hit. I think that's one of the things that stops him from being on Spence or Crawford's level, yet. But that kid is special.
That might be one step too far removed from his name for a good pun, but that's an awesome reference. I didn't even get it until I read it the second time.
> He’s 6-10, so he’ll be the tallest Warrior on this year’s roster.
Until the Mavs release JaVale ...
Seriously, though I would think the W's will hold off on the 14th spot for a while to see who shakes loose. JaVale, Gallinari etc. I suspect JTA or maybe that euro wing Olinde (who I am kinda interested in just due to his length) will be available whenever they want.
Edit: Just watched some more Olinde highlights. He's exactly the kind of risk the Warriors should take with the 14th spot. Lonnng athletic wing with multiple skills. If what he can do in the euro leagues could translate he's a prototypical Warrior wing.
wasn't familiar with Olinde so thanks for putting him on the radar. The highlights looked good, lengthy, fluid athlete that looks the part of 3nD. Good cutter. Didn't see much passing.
without knowing the context, I'm not sure how to judge his stats. For a potential defensive wing, he doesn't have a ton of "stocks" though of course counting stats are not that useful at judging defense. As for 3-point shooting, there's not a lot of volume to judge (last season: 39% on 64 attempts; last five seasons: 36% on 156 attempts). For context, JTA 'good' shooting season he hit 40% of his 92 3PA, so his percentage was subject to low volume. Again, I don't know the context of his stats, so I'd have to defer to people who can scout.
> Seriously, though I would think the W's will hold off on the 14th spot for a while to see who shakes loose. JaVale, Gallinari etc.
Agreed. OKC might waive Rudy Gay as well. Haven't read anything about that but pretty sure they have too many players on their roster and Gay doesn't fit the timeline just like JMG didn't last summer.
My ranking of players mentioned above for that final spot:
1) Gallinari
2) Gay
3) JTA
4) Javale
I liked having Javale on the team but I don't think this last spot is going to get a lot of minutes, and Gallinari and Gay just seem more useful. JTA is a sentimental favorite. I just don't know enough about Olinde. Maybe he'd be great. Maybe he'd be unhappy. Maybe I'd like chimichurri if I could eat garlic. I'll most likely never know.
> Because he’s defended as a non-shooter. Sacramento had Alex Len not guarding JK at all, which is basically why he lost playing time.
Another example of Mike Brown out-coaching Kerr. Brown knew that if he laid off JK, Kerr would rather sit him than free the young gun to take the shot. By this maneuver Brown forced a good defender off the floor. It turned out not to be enough for the Kings to win the series, but it probably contributed to Dubs' team fatigue in the next round.
Dispute. Pretty sure he lost playing time because he looked lost out there, as Kerr has said. It's true that he was left open, but numbers don't lie. He was much higher percentage second half of last season but I don't have it in front of me.
We can argue about the precise reasons he was benched, but my rewatch of his minutes vs SAC showed that Len did not guard him at all on the perimeter.
You can argue all you want about whether JK is a great shooter (and I would love for him to rain threes on fools for leaving him), I’m saying that SAC treated him like a non-shooter and that’s why I’m calling him a non-shooter until any team in the NBA guards him on the perimeter.
Exactly… if he keeps up the “37% on wide open ‘prove it’ 3s”, teams will adjust slightly, but he’s not a “37% despite that we’re trying to keep him from even attempting one” shooter like Malik Beasley.
I don't think we've seen whether or not he can be a high percentage shooter when guarded or at high volume. You're arguing he can't yet, and that's possible, but it's also possible that he already can be and isn't allowed to. Let's find out.
The only reason that would happen is that they've seen what happens when he shoots a lot in practice and it's not pretty.
I think the idea that Kerr's staff would discourage him from using a tool is a little silly. If Kuminga had shown in practice that he could shoot, they would be putting him in positions to where he could shoot.
Why wouldn't they? Forcing teams to guard him on the perimeter would completely unlock his game. Once he got a good enough dribble to get by his man on the first step, he'd be getting past guys, and forcing rotations ... that's exactly what you want from a slasher.
It's always the case that the coaches have much more information than we do.
Found this REALLY interesting video from 2 years ago by a Suns podcaster guy talking about Saric’s transformation from PF to passing-genius center. Lots of footage and you can’t help but think what a great fit he’ll be in GSW’s offense. Also spends some time talking about his defense, which isn’t too bad.
Do we know that no one offered him more than a minimum? I wouldn’t assume that. He could very well have had 4 or $5m offers that he turned down for the upside of what he can secure after a year in the GSW guaranteed long term contract program.
He’s better than Jamychal Green. I don’t think there’s much debate or nuance to that. Percentages play out similar but Green got a lot of corner 3’s. Saric can space above the break. Much better scorer and passer.
Median outcome is Bjelly, who was older and coming off a much worse season prior to coming to Warriors. They’re not exact matches because Saric is a better scorer and Bjelly is a little better defender but these are very similar players in ability.
Stretch outcome is a Porter level impact with Bjellys game. He’s a very talented player. He might be able to hang in a playoff series because he’s a more talented scorer then your typical stretch big. His last healthy season he played in a lot of Phoenixs best lineups for a 2 seed that went to finals. Last two seasons Per 36 he’s been 17p/9r/3a with 45/37/84 splits.
If the knee is good I don’t see much reason to not be fully excited about him.
I think he’s upside is Bjelly, with a little bit of Bogut/Zaza in him. With his bigger base, he looks a noticeably stronger /solid than Bjelly and able to bang a bit more.
I think his ability to score is higher and that raises his ceiling. He’s got a scorers mentality and isn’t afraid to beat up a good matchup. He’s gonna have a lot of nights where he’s in the 15-20 point range and this team can use another guy who can create offense beyond just solid team ball
We’ve missed that Mo Speights David West hungry front court scorer type
Speights/West scoring would be just what the doctor ordered. Bjeli had some handicaps but had outstanding BBIQ. No athleticism at all. I look forward to seeing Saric play.
The nice thing about those guys (and Saric as well) is that they didn't even need to shoot a lot of threes to stretch the floor a bit. Just being proficient in the mid-range game is helpful for spacing vs. a non-shooter you can sag off from wherever he is on the court.
I also just likes scorers mentality. Saric has a nice mix of passing and screening that fits in the Warriors style but if he gets a scoring opportunity he can take it.
David West played a lot with KD and racked assists but if he got a good shot he’s still fucking David West. The mentality to punish a defense for giving that to him
Yeah great point. I think Saric still has some of that scoring mentality from when he was the primary scorer during his time in the Turkish and Euro Leauges or when he was the Adriatic League MVP.
Yeah, he’s had it in the NBA too. Never been a 35 mpg 15-20 guy but he’s been in double digits PPG in the mid 20 mpg for most of his career.
In the NBA he’s never been the night to night lead dog, but he’s been in a lot of lineups where he’s the 2nd or 3rd option and where they run plays for him to get buckets.
Even if he plays well in the regular season but gets limited time in the post season, it's probably still a win. Odds are a team is scheming him out of the rotation which means they are playing smaller shorter rotation, which the dubs will take all day.
No one on the roster teams scheme that way last season.
My opinion is that if they’re adding games on top of the regular season it’s silly and just another cash grab for the NBA. Also that it increases the chance for injuries. We already have a problem with load management in the NBA and now you want to pile more risk on to the players?
It’s like they’re trying to be club soccer without realizing any of the problems that come with it
Edit: did not realize it would be part of the 82-game schedule.
I'm reserving judgment because I need some answers. Two big questions I have are: 1)Will these games count in the W-L record? 2)If not, how do franchise players feel about risking injury in meaningless games that some players (on, say, teams that haven't won anything before) will be seriously trying to win (unlike the All-Star game, which is basically a love-fest)?
Jul 9, 2023·edited Jul 9, 2023Liked by Eric Apricot
Re: "Ring or Bust" - which a fault for everyone downplaying the regular season.
Despite its end, one thing I always loved about the 2016 season was they cared about every single game. And because they cared, it made every game in the season a must-see event. You just knew you were going to have a good time watching the best executed basketball by the best team putting their best foot forward every night. Diehard or casual, it was a big tent. I get that it makes sense to save the tank for the post-season, but all the same, I miss feeling like I've missed out if I was 5 minutes late to watch a random game in February.
I think we all know we’re supposed to prefer the rings, and of course they are super important. But the fact that so many Warriors fans prefer the 2015-16 team to the 2017-2019 KD years means to me that there’s a lot more to sports than rings.
In soccer the "Cup" tournaments separate from the League Championships often give a few different teams chances to win something in the last weeks of the season.
I don't know how much the fans will care, but for the players (especially rookies/minimum guys), the prospect of getting $500k bonus is probably pretty nice. So I imagine at least the final games will be more competitive/exciting than your standard regular season game.
Considering Steph makes over $650,000 per regular season game and probably wouldn’t roll out of bed, Kerr should let the kids, 2-ways and minimum guys take center stage since they’ll want it more.
Sounds like the kind of thing everyone will groan about and call cringe until the games are actually happening and then… no way do I want to lose to the damned Kings
There are a lot of unknowns about how this team will perform, many of them related to the puzzling results the team had last year. There are lots of explanations and guesses for why things went bad last season—the punch, Klay coming back out of shape, the youngsters not being ready, Kerr having a short leash for guys, Mike Brown's departure—and it's not yet clear we've assembled the ingredients to do better, but it feels like the possibility is there.
My biggest concern is, as always, injuries. Last year we had pretty good injury luck: Steph, Klay, Draymond, and Looney played a combined 85% of all possible games between them. Wiggins' absence wasn't an injury but may as well have been; still, if you factor in his and Poole's availability, our top 6 players were there 81% of the regular season and essentially the whole playoffs. With the dudes being older and CP3 in place of Poole it's pretty much a guarantee that we'll have less availability of our best players this season.
Another thing that bears consideration is whether the team will be fun again. Winning makes a big difference there of course, but will trading out goofy faces guy Poole for longtime rival and known nut-puncher Paul really improve chemistry? Between him, known face-puncher Green, and rookie Podziemski already having a bit of a reputation for being demanding of his teammates, it feels like we've assembled kind of a volatile mix of dudes who have strong feelings about winning and how to do it. It's good that we know they aren't going to be complacent, but things could be really tense when games are in question or don't go their way. I suppose we could avoid this problem but simply not losing games; I'm hoping they'll try that one.
But, insofar as you can get by looking at a roster, some highlights, and a bunch of statistical profiles, I like the look of this team and wouldn't put them below top 5 championship contenders before the season starts.
It's going to be a crazy season, though, especially in California... IMO all four California teams feel poised to be contenders (maybe excluding the Clippers?? because they're somehow always less than the sum of their parts?) and then you have the defending champ Nuggets who you probably have to consider the favorites again until proven otherwise, the wild-card collection of talent that is Phoenix, and perennial up-and-comers Memphis and New Orleans. Out east, I dunno what's going on but it looks like there are still about 4 contenders and a lot of teams stuck in neutral. Hey, at least we (probably?) don't have to worry about the Texas teams this year.
What was the feeling like after the 2021 season? For me personally, I called a championship during preseason, But i remember many here were 'ye of little faith'. I think we're gonna be doing the Spursian every other year championship type runs till we get number 6
Here's hoping the joy returns. Dunleavy has assembled a reasonable roster to make the run. Of course, it will take some injury luck, as it always does, and maybe more so with our age. But that's why they play the games.
I agree that Denver has to be the favorite. I don't believe in the Clippers (their best guys are injury-prone), Phoenix (talk about a talented group that hasn't proven the chemistry works), Memphis (a dysfunctional organization without its star for half a year and a new mix of guys to figure out), or New Orleans (not bullish on Zion). Sacramento ought to be in there somewhere. Lakers too, though their best guys are also injury-prone. Someone unexpected will make the leap.
Yep, my thoughts too. I'm curious which Western Conference team(s) will actually outrank at least one or two of the contenders I mentioned. The Mavs and T-Wolves should be decent at least, and they each have one great player, but uninspiring overall team composition.
Our Leader has spoken
Stephen Curry talks Warriors trading for Chris Paul + NBA’s in-season tournament | SportsCenter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e46UVEDUUaA
" I'm told Paul was a vocal fan of the Šarić"
So CP3 is already getting pulled into brain trust? I see you MDJ - you are one clever GM.
MDJ grade so far? I think A.
Let's see how that goes when Dray and CP3 (inevitably) disagree.
So we have our team together now, can’t wait for the season to start. Thanks to you all for keeping track of the trades and rumors and the SL. This might help my uninformed European me to know at least something about the new players when the season starts.
For all the deviants here who love watching assists more than scoring, here are some Saric passing highlights: https://youtu.be/yXtZIL15Fcc
One of my fave all time supporting cast players during the dynasty was David West and his passing. I think we’re in for a fun season!
Thanks for that! Getting more excited about this signing!
New DubsTalk. Monte and Dalton discuss Corey Joseph (will take care of the ball and make smart decisions), as well as Gui, Podz, LQ, and TJD. (Recorded pre-Saric and the summer league game. https://youtu.be/5QtyXa2iMRo
One thing new to me: They were talking about the size he added and that apparently Gui added 3” to his vert by the middle of last season.
Is Gui the "he" in this situation?
Edit: I listened, it is. Pretty cool!
Sorry. I edited it for clarity.
I watched some highlights and he makes a lot of Jokic esque 1 handed passes, especially without holding the ball. I could see Kerr starting him at the 5 occasionally depending on the matchup. Short arms but pretty stout. I would like to see us add an athletic 5 on a 2 way, just as an option to throw out there but I think the roster is pretty set now!
So if Jokic is 'the Joker', does that make Saric 'the Sharer'?
"the Soaker" - as in raining 3's and passes lol
It does now!
Ennis about to pack him. Wow.
Boots Ennis is so surgical. This has been a reallh entertaining fight cause Villa has landed a couple of heavy shots
yeah Boots is obviously on a different level than Villa but this fight is showing he can get hit. I think that's one of the things that stops him from being on Spence or Crawford's level, yet. But that kid is special.
Sean Porter level?
I think Porter is a good baseline for him, but I think he can end up better than that. He's only 26
What a TKO
Saric “the Shaker”
Cream Shake
That might be one step too far removed from his name for a good pun, but that's an awesome reference. I didn't even get it until I read it the second time.
I love the comments in the article and this comment section. Golden.
> He’s 6-10, so he’ll be the tallest Warrior on this year’s roster.
Until the Mavs release JaVale ...
Seriously, though I would think the W's will hold off on the 14th spot for a while to see who shakes loose. JaVale, Gallinari etc. I suspect JTA or maybe that euro wing Olinde (who I am kinda interested in just due to his length) will be available whenever they want.
Edit: Just watched some more Olinde highlights. He's exactly the kind of risk the Warriors should take with the 14th spot. Lonnng athletic wing with multiple skills. If what he can do in the euro leagues could translate he's a prototypical Warrior wing.
wasn't familiar with Olinde so thanks for putting him on the radar. The highlights looked good, lengthy, fluid athlete that looks the part of 3nD. Good cutter. Didn't see much passing.
without knowing the context, I'm not sure how to judge his stats. For a potential defensive wing, he doesn't have a ton of "stocks" though of course counting stats are not that useful at judging defense. As for 3-point shooting, there's not a lot of volume to judge (last season: 39% on 64 attempts; last five seasons: 36% on 156 attempts). For context, JTA 'good' shooting season he hit 40% of his 92 3PA, so his percentage was subject to low volume. Again, I don't know the context of his stats, so I'd have to defer to people who can scout.
Maybe he'd be game for a 2-way?
Need to eyeball TDJ.
Not sure if McGee is the same player he used to be several years ago. He looked awful with the Mavs.
> Seriously, though I would think the W's will hold off on the 14th spot for a while to see who shakes loose. JaVale, Gallinari etc.
Agreed. OKC might waive Rudy Gay as well. Haven't read anything about that but pretty sure they have too many players on their roster and Gay doesn't fit the timeline just like JMG didn't last summer.
My ranking of players mentioned above for that final spot:
1) Gallinari
2) Gay
3) JTA
4) Javale
I liked having Javale on the team but I don't think this last spot is going to get a lot of minutes, and Gallinari and Gay just seem more useful. JTA is a sentimental favorite. I just don't know enough about Olinde. Maybe he'd be great. Maybe he'd be unhappy. Maybe I'd like chimichurri if I could eat garlic. I'll most likely never know.
Thanks. I will watch. And yeah, bulk not currently his thing ...
I heart you, Lester, I want you on my team.
Yo Apricot why ya gotta call out Kuminga as a non-shooter out there? What 3pm % do you need to see? Same career 3pm% as Saric.
Because he’s defended as a non-shooter. Sacramento had Alex Len not guarding JK at all, which is basically why he lost playing time.
> Because he’s defended as a non-shooter. Sacramento had Alex Len not guarding JK at all, which is basically why he lost playing time.
Another example of Mike Brown out-coaching Kerr. Brown knew that if he laid off JK, Kerr would rather sit him than free the young gun to take the shot. By this maneuver Brown forced a good defender off the floor. It turned out not to be enough for the Kings to win the series, but it probably contributed to Dubs' team fatigue in the next round.
Dispute. Pretty sure he lost playing time because he looked lost out there, as Kerr has said. It's true that he was left open, but numbers don't lie. He was much higher percentage second half of last season but I don't have it in front of me.
We can argue about the precise reasons he was benched, but my rewatch of his minutes vs SAC showed that Len did not guard him at all on the perimeter.
You can argue all you want about whether JK is a great shooter (and I would love for him to rain threes on fools for leaving him), I’m saying that SAC treated him like a non-shooter and that’s why I’m calling him a non-shooter until any team in the NBA guards him on the perimeter.
Exactly… if he keeps up the “37% on wide open ‘prove it’ 3s”, teams will adjust slightly, but he’s not a “37% despite that we’re trying to keep him from even attempting one” shooter like Malik Beasley.
I don't think we've seen whether or not he can be a high percentage shooter when guarded or at high volume. You're arguing he can't yet, and that's possible, but it's also possible that he already can be and isn't allowed to. Let's find out.
> it's also possible that he already can be and isn't allowed to
If it were possible he'd already be doing it.
Not if the coach let's him know its to the bench if he tries.
The only reason that would happen is that they've seen what happens when he shoots a lot in practice and it's not pretty.
I think the idea that Kerr's staff would discourage him from using a tool is a little silly. If Kuminga had shown in practice that he could shoot, they would be putting him in positions to where he could shoot.
Why wouldn't they? Forcing teams to guard him on the perimeter would completely unlock his game. Once he got a good enough dribble to get by his man on the first step, he'd be getting past guys, and forcing rotations ... that's exactly what you want from a slasher.
It's always the case that the coaches have much more information than we do.
Opposing teams treat him like a non-shooter.
On an extremely small volume.
To illustrate, Kuminga made four more threes on four less attempts than his rookie year and he jumped from 33% to 37%.
Or even this past season, if he made 4 more threes, he would've been ~40%
So, we were close to arguing about whether JK is a better shooter than Klay?
Found this REALLY interesting video from 2 years ago by a Suns podcaster guy talking about Saric’s transformation from PF to passing-genius center. Lots of footage and you can’t help but think what a great fit he’ll be in GSW’s offense. Also spends some time talking about his defense, which isn’t too bad.
All in all a great scouting report https://youtu.be/rvOFZQN_9Ro
Some of those passes! 🤤
Oooooh, I’ll add it to the article!
Gold Cup (US men's soccer):
Panama is eviscerating Qatar. 4-0 and 25 minutes plus to go.
Quick personal rebuttal on the reality check.
Do we know that no one offered him more than a minimum? I wouldn’t assume that. He could very well have had 4 or $5m offers that he turned down for the upside of what he can secure after a year in the GSW guaranteed long term contract program.
He’s better than Jamychal Green. I don’t think there’s much debate or nuance to that. Percentages play out similar but Green got a lot of corner 3’s. Saric can space above the break. Much better scorer and passer.
Median outcome is Bjelly, who was older and coming off a much worse season prior to coming to Warriors. They’re not exact matches because Saric is a better scorer and Bjelly is a little better defender but these are very similar players in ability.
Stretch outcome is a Porter level impact with Bjellys game. He’s a very talented player. He might be able to hang in a playoff series because he’s a more talented scorer then your typical stretch big. His last healthy season he played in a lot of Phoenixs best lineups for a 2 seed that went to finals. Last two seasons Per 36 he’s been 17p/9r/3a with 45/37/84 splits.
If the knee is good I don’t see much reason to not be fully excited about him.
I think he’s upside is Bjelly, with a little bit of Bogut/Zaza in him. With his bigger base, he looks a noticeably stronger /solid than Bjelly and able to bang a bit more.
I think his ability to score is higher and that raises his ceiling. He’s got a scorers mentality and isn’t afraid to beat up a good matchup. He’s gonna have a lot of nights where he’s in the 15-20 point range and this team can use another guy who can create offense beyond just solid team ball
We’ve missed that Mo Speights David West hungry front court scorer type
Speights/West scoring would be just what the doctor ordered. Bjeli had some handicaps but had outstanding BBIQ. No athleticism at all. I look forward to seeing Saric play.
The nice thing about those guys (and Saric as well) is that they didn't even need to shoot a lot of threes to stretch the floor a bit. Just being proficient in the mid-range game is helpful for spacing vs. a non-shooter you can sag off from wherever he is on the court.
I also just likes scorers mentality. Saric has a nice mix of passing and screening that fits in the Warriors style but if he gets a scoring opportunity he can take it.
David West played a lot with KD and racked assists but if he got a good shot he’s still fucking David West. The mentality to punish a defense for giving that to him
Yeah great point. I think Saric still has some of that scoring mentality from when he was the primary scorer during his time in the Turkish and Euro Leauges or when he was the Adriatic League MVP.
Yeah, he’s had it in the NBA too. Never been a 35 mpg 15-20 guy but he’s been in double digits PPG in the mid 20 mpg for most of his career.
In the NBA he’s never been the night to night lead dog, but he’s been in a lot of lineups where he’s the 2nd or 3rd option and where they run plays for him to get buckets.
Croatian basketball players are usually not too shy...
a lot of experience and history of success for them
Really want Looney to build out that 15 footer…
I’ll take 10-15! 15-20 would be amazing…
I’ll bet he averages like 10 but has those bursts where he takes advantage of a matchup or scheme and pops for 20
Even if he plays well in the regular season but gets limited time in the post season, it's probably still a win. Odds are a team is scheming him out of the rotation which means they are playing smaller shorter rotation, which the dubs will take all day.
No one on the roster teams scheme that way last season.
Stretch bigs are typically valuable regular season inning eaters that are matchup dependent in the playoffs
FYI that in-season tournament. I’m all for more things for fans to cheer about. The Ring or Bust culture is horrible.
**
NBA In-season tournament groups Western Conference groups:
Group A: Memphis, PHX, Lakers, Utah, Portland
Group B: Denver, LAC, Pelicans, Mavs, Houston
Group C: Kings, Warriors, Thunder, Wolves, Spurs
https://twitter.com/_Andrew_Lopez/status/1677826941540515841
People don't even know why they don't like the in season tournament, they just think they aren't supposed to like it.
My opinion is that if they’re adding games on top of the regular season it’s silly and just another cash grab for the NBA. Also that it increases the chance for injuries. We already have a problem with load management in the NBA and now you want to pile more risk on to the players?
It’s like they’re trying to be club soccer without realizing any of the problems that come with it
Edit: did not realize it would be part of the 82-game schedule.
I'm reserving judgment because I need some answers. Two big questions I have are: 1)Will these games count in the W-L record? 2)If not, how do franchise players feel about risking injury in meaningless games that some players (on, say, teams that haven't won anything before) will be seriously trying to win (unlike the All-Star game, which is basically a love-fest)?
it should be a Division Cup imo, that would be super fun
Re: "Ring or Bust" - which a fault for everyone downplaying the regular season.
Despite its end, one thing I always loved about the 2016 season was they cared about every single game. And because they cared, it made every game in the season a must-see event. You just knew you were going to have a good time watching the best executed basketball by the best team putting their best foot forward every night. Diehard or casual, it was a big tent. I get that it makes sense to save the tank for the post-season, but all the same, I miss feeling like I've missed out if I was 5 minutes late to watch a random game in February.
I think we all know we’re supposed to prefer the rings, and of course they are super important. But the fact that so many Warriors fans prefer the 2015-16 team to the 2017-2019 KD years means to me that there’s a lot more to sports than rings.
"The Ring or Bust culture is horrible."
I agree with this.
In soccer the "Cup" tournaments separate from the League Championships often give a few different teams chances to win something in the last weeks of the season.
I don't know how much the fans will care, but for the players (especially rookies/minimum guys), the prospect of getting $500k bonus is probably pretty nice. So I imagine at least the final games will be more competitive/exciting than your standard regular season game.
Considering Steph makes over $650,000 per regular season game and probably wouldn’t roll out of bed, Kerr should let the kids, 2-ways and minimum guys take center stage since they’ll want it more.
From my understanding, they'll still count as normal games so we'll need to win for future seeding at minimum.
He’d do it for his teammates, for whom $500k is much more impactful
Sounds like the kind of thing everyone will groan about and call cringe until the games are actually happening and then… no way do I want to lose to the damned Kings
I believe they will all be normal regular season games with normal travel except for the last game(s).