Kawakami has an article in the athletic quoting Bob Myers about spending big dollars to win, “But again, not to no end, not to a $400 million payroll or something of that nature.” This along with Patrick Murray’s articles makes me think we are not going to just resign Oubre, add our draft picks and try again next year. I get it, bit it’s hard for me to understand how we can compete for a title next year without Oubre or somebody that good coming off the bench. Our current top 4 contracts are just so big, yet the team they make is not quite good enough. I hope these guys see a way through that I don’t.
If they really want, they can engineer a sign and trade with the team that gets Oubre in which they give up a second rounder to create a trade exception. That preserves the salary spot at least. Don't know if the ownership is willing to spend it.
What's nice is he's been at that % multiple times this season, and we even have an explanation for why it would have dipped (the exhaustion/lingering injuries at the end of the first half). But yeah it's harder to move later in the season, a 5% jump coming into the second half is pretty impressive, he must be shooting something like 15% than he was before the break.
Yea, I'm convinced it's mostly fatigue. Fatigue builds up over time without proper rest. It also affects neurological performance (eg. shooting accuracy) as much as it does muscle performance (eg. less explosiveness).
Wiggs was going crazy to start the year... flying all over the place and clamping down on defense like his life depended on it... 1.5 blocks per game, etc. It wasn't sustainable especially with the compacted schedule, and by the all-star break, it went down to 1.1 per game and he was shooting his worst percentages of the season.
After the break, I don't think it's a coincidence that he's only averaging 0.4 blocks per game and shooting better (79% from FT!). He got much needed rest and is still playing solid D but perhaps being more conscious that he can't over exert himself.
(Somewhat related, doesn't Steph always have a really good game coming back from injury?)
The TLDR; (ton of good links in that article too if ppl are into that stuff)
> Basketball athletes playing at a professional or collegiate level participate in demanding pre-seasons to prepare for long playing seasons often coupled with extensive travel schedules. Ultimately this may result in an accumulation of perceptual and/or performance fatigue which could lead to a decrease in playing performance.
Earlier in the season I was speculating that part of Wiggins' reputation as being lackluster and inconsistent and his record of playing among the most NBA minutes of any player in the league were related (i.e. fatigue) so it's vindicating to see more evidence that I was right. ;)
Yeah, maybe he needs some load management days throughout the season to bring out his peak form.
I don’t get the concern-trolling and begging-the-question with regards to Wiggins’ conditioning. Even by the high standards of elite NBA athletes, Wiggs is quite plainly an absolute freak of physical fitness, conditioning, and durability. There are plenty of areas in which to knock him if one is so include (rebounding, passing, FT shooting, e.g.) Even a casual glance should tell you conditioning is not one of them.
You’re begging the question again. Who said “he can only play 20 games before needing a break and having a steep crash in efficiency”?
The points about fatigue that others have raised here apply to all athletes. I don’t think anyone is suggesting that they apply more to Wiggins than to the average elite athlete.
I'm just basing that on the combination of it looks like his shooting started to drop around 20 games into the season, and every time kerr was asked about it, he said wiggins was just tired.
First 20 games of the season he shot 40% from 3. The next 17 till all star break, he shot 28%.
Probably just a hot streak. His other shooting percentages (mid-range and FT%) don't seem to indicate he's become a better shooter suddenly. I think his 3p% will drop back down to 35-36% in the long term.
Of course, there's a minor chance that he's become a Bruce Bowen or Jaylen Brown type of guy who sucks at the line but makes 3s but I doubt that's the case considering his mid-range shooting.
I agree it's a hot streak (well I mean of course it is, he's shooting like 50% from 3) but if it goes down I'm sure we'll just hear about him being tired again. If he just keeps the mid ranges to a minimum I'm happy
He shot 76% from the stripe in each of his first three NBA seasons, so it’s not impossible to imagine there’s a good (75-80%) FT shooter in there somewhere, waiting to be released with some minor adjustments to his free throw routine.
Yeah but it's simplistic to think it's some 100% controllable thing. For Wiggins specifically, adding "top defensive player" to his game has to take some amount of energy over a season that he'd never experienced before, in addition to whatever new demands the Warriors' very different offensive system has over the TWolves. So I agree that if he was getting generally worn down, and he's going to try to do all the same things for a full season, he needs to work on his conditioning. But I also think that type of work can take more than one season to build, and in addition it's impossible to know how your body holds up over a 5 month challenge until you've actually tried it.
Beyond that, for every player, injuries add up and stick around over a season and even over the years, even injuries we don't hear about.
But from the Warriors point of view would be a stupid trade so no surprise nothing came of it. It's not lie the Nets have good draft picks to sweeten the pot.
If you go and look at Wiseman's high school (and minimal college) highlights, you see him doing the things he did last night - catching lobs, putting back misses, running the floor in transition, shooting over smaller players, and very occasionally scoring off a PNR. You know what you don't see? You don't see him posting up anybody and only rarely creating his own shot. It shouldn't surprise anybody that jumping from high school to the NBA, with no summer league, training camp, or pre-season, that he can't do it now. Nor should it be a surprise that he hasn't mastered one of the leagues more complicated offensive schemes. Presumably he will work on that stuff during the off season. Seriously, if Thompson, and everybody else for that matter, comes back healthy next year, this team could be a monster again, regardless of what happens in the draft. And that's before Justinian Jessup irrationally turns out to be Kyle Korver with better defense.
I am slow to bite on the Jessup and mustard hot dog. I like the potential but he is at least a couple years away in my opinion from providing serious contributions to this team.
I don’t know. He’s almost 23, played four seasons of college ball and shot over 40% on 3’S. In his 1st season in the NBL, he shot over 43% on 3’s. He might be a Kyle Korver-type player right now. Yes, it’s not the NBA but he’s tall enough and his release is quick enough that he should be able to get his shot off and stretch defenses for 10-15 minutes a game. Obviously, how much that’s worth will depend on his defense, but he’s long and fundamentally about as sound as a young player can be coming into the league.
That's my thinking as well. Jordan Poole also had a reputation as a shooter in college which he didn't live up to his rookie season, but unlike Jessup, he was only 20 years old with 1 year of college. Oddly enough, Jesssup was o-4 on his 3s in his last game, but came up with 10 rebounds but no free throws. In fact there were only 11 FT's for both teams combined. I guess Australian refs are firm believers is just letting them play.
That reminds me, the Warriors have two roster spots right now. Any bets on whether Jessup fills one of them before the end of the season? (Typically the NBL regular season ends in February, but due to COVID the it has games currently scheduled thorugh Apr. 26.)
I would bet no Jessup, because he’d have to learn the schemes and only play a little garbage time. His minutes could be given to Poole or Mulder/Lee instead.
And it would only be a few games unless they grab him before the end of the NBL season. I agree, they're already using all the development minutes they can on Wise/Poole/Mannion. They probably wait for training camp.
One of the things that repeatedly impresses me with this team is how much better they seem to play following a practice, even going back to when it was mostly veterans getting big minutes. Now that's a testament to the coaching staff!
May be there is a sliver lining there. EP hasn't been right physically since after first 10 games. May be in 2-3 weeks break he will have fully healed. OR he is doing a McCaw and wants buyout and go another team - although not sure which will have need for him.
Meh. The entire media including Rapaport shit on KD, essentially calling him a coward for coming to the Warriors, calling him weak, and then characterized him as a sensitive individual who can't take criticism when he clapped back.
Thats not even taking into account the constant social media mob of trolls who attacked him for nearly three years non stop saying far worse. Its like an unspoken rule among athletes that you're not really supposed to respond to media very much and fans (not at all).
And in general, I agree with that, shit can mess with your mind. However, KD took the opposite path and consistently responds which I think is stupid but it is what it is.
As for this particular argument with Rappaport, honestly fuck him. He didn't mind bringing up peoples wives when he was insulting KFC Sports. While I personally would never treat someone like this, just because treating others with kindness falls under my own personal moral framework, watching Rappaport cry about it reeks of hypocrisy to me.
The way that I see it, maybe Rappaport shouldn't insult KD on twitter if he doesn't want a response. In the eternal words of the great philosopher Eminem . . .
"As we grow as men, we learn to let shit go, but then again
There's only so much bullshit we can really stand
We all got reps to uphold when someone steps on our toes
It's no exception, it goes for every man"
Wow, I didn't realize this was going to take this long.
I don't think that thread casts either one of these gentlemen in a favorable light. What is Rapaport even known for? And KD -- can we assume that the language is an indicator that the Bible studies during his Warrior years didn't really take?
Wow. I don't hang out on Twitter so I didn't know about this until now. It's hard to imagine a more worthless, childish waste of time, including all of the comments from the peanut gallery. I was waiting for "my Dad is going to beat up your Dad."
I know right? What is even happening here? Brain does not fully compute.
Anyway, they both look awful. KD obviously looks terrible and the talk shows will be all over it tomorrow. And Rappaport looks weak as heck for putting this stuff out in the public *now* after all this time, for what seems like no other reason than to garner clickbait and attention for himself.
Kawakami has an article in the athletic quoting Bob Myers about spending big dollars to win, “But again, not to no end, not to a $400 million payroll or something of that nature.” This along with Patrick Murray’s articles makes me think we are not going to just resign Oubre, add our draft picks and try again next year. I get it, bit it’s hard for me to understand how we can compete for a title next year without Oubre or somebody that good coming off the bench. Our current top 4 contracts are just so big, yet the team they make is not quite good enough. I hope these guys see a way through that I don’t.
Having that extra cap space that Oubre takes up just goes away then right?
If they really want, they can engineer a sign and trade with the team that gets Oubre in which they give up a second rounder to create a trade exception. That preserves the salary spot at least. Don't know if the ownership is willing to spend it.
OT Possible new home for Cousins.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31172151/la-clippers-demarcus-cousins-talk-10-day-contract
Wiggins last 9 games has increased his season 3 point percent by 5% lol
What's nice is he's been at that % multiple times this season, and we even have an explanation for why it would have dipped (the exhaustion/lingering injuries at the end of the first half). But yeah it's harder to move later in the season, a 5% jump coming into the second half is pretty impressive, he must be shooting something like 15% than he was before the break.
Yea, I'm convinced it's mostly fatigue. Fatigue builds up over time without proper rest. It also affects neurological performance (eg. shooting accuracy) as much as it does muscle performance (eg. less explosiveness).
Wiggs was going crazy to start the year... flying all over the place and clamping down on defense like his life depended on it... 1.5 blocks per game, etc. It wasn't sustainable especially with the compacted schedule, and by the all-star break, it went down to 1.1 per game and he was shooting his worst percentages of the season.
After the break, I don't think it's a coincidence that he's only averaging 0.4 blocks per game and shooting better (79% from FT!). He got much needed rest and is still playing solid D but perhaps being more conscious that he can't over exert himself.
(Somewhat related, doesn't Steph always have a really good game coming back from injury?)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5969183/
The TLDR; (ton of good links in that article too if ppl are into that stuff)
> Basketball athletes playing at a professional or collegiate level participate in demanding pre-seasons to prepare for long playing seasons often coupled with extensive travel schedules. Ultimately this may result in an accumulation of perceptual and/or performance fatigue which could lead to a decrease in playing performance.
Earlier in the season I was speculating that part of Wiggins' reputation as being lackluster and inconsistent and his record of playing among the most NBA minutes of any player in the league were related (i.e. fatigue) so it's vindicating to see more evidence that I was right. ;)
Yeah, maybe he needs some load management days throughout the season to bring out his peak form.
Or just play a few less minutes per game.
If his drop in play really is because of him being tired, he's got to work on his conditioning
That Curry slacker should work on his conditioning too then since he’s not able to play 48 minutes a game, right?
/eye roll
Don't see how that's close to what I said
I don’t get the concern-trolling and begging-the-question with regards to Wiggins’ conditioning. Even by the high standards of elite NBA athletes, Wiggs is quite plainly an absolute freak of physical fitness, conditioning, and durability. There are plenty of areas in which to knock him if one is so include (rebounding, passing, FT shooting, e.g.) Even a casual glance should tell you conditioning is not one of them.
If he can only play 20 games before needing a break and having a steep crash in efficiency how is that not valid criticism?
You’re begging the question again. Who said “he can only play 20 games before needing a break and having a steep crash in efficiency”?
The points about fatigue that others have raised here apply to all athletes. I don’t think anyone is suggesting that they apply more to Wiggins than to the average elite athlete.
I'm just basing that on the combination of it looks like his shooting started to drop around 20 games into the season, and every time kerr was asked about it, he said wiggins was just tired.
First 20 games of the season he shot 40% from 3. The next 17 till all star break, he shot 28%.
*so inclined
Probably just a hot streak. His other shooting percentages (mid-range and FT%) don't seem to indicate he's become a better shooter suddenly. I think his 3p% will drop back down to 35-36% in the long term.
Of course, there's a minor chance that he's become a Bruce Bowen or Jaylen Brown type of guy who sucks at the line but makes 3s but I doubt that's the case considering his mid-range shooting.
I agree it's a hot streak (well I mean of course it is, he's shooting like 50% from 3) but if it goes down I'm sure we'll just hear about him being tired again. If he just keeps the mid ranges to a minimum I'm happy
He's also making 80% of his FTs during March, so he hasn't been "sucking at the line" recently.
On a 10 game sample lol.
He shot 76% from the stripe in each of his first three NBA seasons, so it’s not impossible to imagine there’s a good (75-80%) FT shooter in there somewhere, waiting to be released with some minor adjustments to his free throw routine.
12 games
Yeah but it's simplistic to think it's some 100% controllable thing. For Wiggins specifically, adding "top defensive player" to his game has to take some amount of energy over a season that he'd never experienced before, in addition to whatever new demands the Warriors' very different offensive system has over the TWolves. So I agree that if he was getting generally worn down, and he's going to try to do all the same things for a full season, he needs to work on his conditioning. But I also think that type of work can take more than one season to build, and in addition it's impossible to know how your body holds up over a 5 month challenge until you've actually tried it.
Beyond that, for every player, injuries add up and stick around over a season and even over the years, even injuries we don't hear about.
Hmm looks like the Spencer Dinwiddie for Oubre rumors was legit after all.
But from the Warriors point of view would be a stupid trade so no surprise nothing came of it. It's not lie the Nets have good draft picks to sweeten the pot.
Looking at Dinwiddie’s stats leaves me wondering what is desirable about him?
He dominates all those scrubs in those summer pick up games you can find on youtube :)
Once had decent offense, but word is that he's lost a step since the injury.
😬😬😬😬
If you go and look at Wiseman's high school (and minimal college) highlights, you see him doing the things he did last night - catching lobs, putting back misses, running the floor in transition, shooting over smaller players, and very occasionally scoring off a PNR. You know what you don't see? You don't see him posting up anybody and only rarely creating his own shot. It shouldn't surprise anybody that jumping from high school to the NBA, with no summer league, training camp, or pre-season, that he can't do it now. Nor should it be a surprise that he hasn't mastered one of the leagues more complicated offensive schemes. Presumably he will work on that stuff during the off season. Seriously, if Thompson, and everybody else for that matter, comes back healthy next year, this team could be a monster again, regardless of what happens in the draft. And that's before Justinian Jessup irrationally turns out to be Kyle Korver with better defense.
First, Kyle Korver with better defense is a helluva player.
Second, I don't think it's irrational at all to see that as Jumpin' Jessup's upside. I continue to think of him as Klay Lite.
I am slow to bite on the Jessup and mustard hot dog. I like the potential but he is at least a couple years away in my opinion from providing serious contributions to this team.
I don’t know. He’s almost 23, played four seasons of college ball and shot over 40% on 3’S. In his 1st season in the NBL, he shot over 43% on 3’s. He might be a Kyle Korver-type player right now. Yes, it’s not the NBA but he’s tall enough and his release is quick enough that he should be able to get his shot off and stretch defenses for 10-15 minutes a game. Obviously, how much that’s worth will depend on his defense, but he’s long and fundamentally about as sound as a young player can be coming into the league.
That's my thinking as well. Jordan Poole also had a reputation as a shooter in college which he didn't live up to his rookie season, but unlike Jessup, he was only 20 years old with 1 year of college. Oddly enough, Jesssup was o-4 on his 3s in his last game, but came up with 10 rebounds but no free throws. In fact there were only 11 FT's for both teams combined. I guess Australian refs are firm believers is just letting them play.
That reminds me, the Warriors have two roster spots right now. Any bets on whether Jessup fills one of them before the end of the season? (Typically the NBL regular season ends in February, but due to COVID the it has games currently scheduled thorugh Apr. 26.)
I would bet no Jessup, because he’d have to learn the schemes and only play a little garbage time. His minutes could be given to Poole or Mulder/Lee instead.
And it would only be a few games unless they grab him before the end of the NBL season. I agree, they're already using all the development minutes they can on Wise/Poole/Mannion. They probably wait for training camp.
Does anyone know whether there's a plan for a summer league this year? That would be a chance to take an early look at Jessup too.
One of the things that repeatedly impresses me with this team is how much better they seem to play following a practice, even going back to when it was mostly veterans getting big minutes. Now that's a testament to the coaching staff!
Reposting this from another thread. Here's how the Warriors stats look like after playing all of the games in March:
Offense:
13 in points scored (112.7)
21 in points in paint (45.7)
6 in fastbreak points!!!!!!!!!! (14.5)
22 in offensive efficiency
16 in shooting % (46.3%)
14 in three point % (37.0%)
15 in two point % (53.1%)
30 in off. rebound % (17.2%)
26 in def. rebound % (76.3%)
30 in total rebound % (47.2%)
13 in opponent blocks (4.7)
15 in opponent steals (7.4)
1 in assists!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (27.6)
23 in turnovers (14.7)
Defense:
23 in points allowed (113.6)
12 in opponent points in paint (46.5)
21 in opponent fastbreak points (12.9)
8 in defensive efficiency!!!!!!
5 in opponent shooting % !!!!!!!!!!!! (45.3%)
15 in opponent three point % (36.9%)
3 in opponent two point % !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (50.6%)
16 in blocks (4.9)
10 in steals!! (8.0)
9 in opponent assists!!! (24.0)
5 in opponent turnovers!!!!!!!!!!!! (15.4)
What a positive article and great to show some love to the coaching staff! Lots of good stuff to build on.
Is it just me, or does Wiseman kind of make himself smaller with the way he closes out on jumpshooters?
I think he doesn't want to overcommit and/or foul.
Thanks for the entertaining write-ups!
What a difference having a real supermax player on the court makes. Hopefully Klay gives a full max contract boost next year too.
JTA's takes are good takes
May be there is a sliver lining there. EP hasn't been right physically since after first 10 games. May be in 2-3 weeks break he will have fully healed. OR he is doing a McCaw and wants buyout and go another team - although not sure which will have need for him.
Even in the first 10 games, he didn’t look right to me, but I might be biased because of the “came to camp out of shape” stories.
Nets might not need him but if he secures a buyout they'll probably bring him on anyways
*with 2-3 weeks break.
Meh. The entire media including Rapaport shit on KD, essentially calling him a coward for coming to the Warriors, calling him weak, and then characterized him as a sensitive individual who can't take criticism when he clapped back.
Thats not even taking into account the constant social media mob of trolls who attacked him for nearly three years non stop saying far worse. Its like an unspoken rule among athletes that you're not really supposed to respond to media very much and fans (not at all).
And in general, I agree with that, shit can mess with your mind. However, KD took the opposite path and consistently responds which I think is stupid but it is what it is.
As for this particular argument with Rappaport, honestly fuck him. He didn't mind bringing up peoples wives when he was insulting KFC Sports. While I personally would never treat someone like this, just because treating others with kindness falls under my own personal moral framework, watching Rappaport cry about it reeks of hypocrisy to me.
The way that I see it, maybe Rappaport shouldn't insult KD on twitter if he doesn't want a response. In the eternal words of the great philosopher Eminem . . .
"As we grow as men, we learn to let shit go, but then again
There's only so much bullshit we can really stand
We all got reps to uphold when someone steps on our toes
It's no exception, it goes for every man"
Wow, I didn't realize this was going to take this long.
I don't think that thread casts either one of these gentlemen in a favorable light. What is Rapaport even known for? And KD -- can we assume that the language is an indicator that the Bible studies during his Warrior years didn't really take?
Wow. I don't hang out on Twitter so I didn't know about this until now. It's hard to imagine a more worthless, childish waste of time, including all of the comments from the peanut gallery. I was waiting for "my Dad is going to beat up your Dad."
I know right? What is even happening here? Brain does not fully compute.
Anyway, they both look awful. KD obviously looks terrible and the talk shows will be all over it tomorrow. And Rappaport looks weak as heck for putting this stuff out in the public *now* after all this time, for what seems like no other reason than to garner clickbait and attention for himself.