Really looking to see the team's performance on Friday as an indicator of improvement from their last debacle in Memphis. Memphis will be on a home SEGABABA too, while the Dubs will be well rested.
The next night, Atlanta will also be on a SEGABABA, so no rest advantage for either team. It really does feel like a big opportunity to get some momentum going.
That's my thinking too... they still played a game the night before, but didn't have to travel, and were thus able to focus more on their recovery activities.
So is counting down the Freak during free throws a thing in general or just a more or less one off to the end of that game? I watched the last 2.9 seconds or whatever in total.
The hype is gathering steam y’all. Time to be a blatant Homer. Feb is gonna be steamroll month, 12-2 for the month, putting them in the play-in. In March, they’ll fight and claim the sixth seed, but in April, Steph will get a random minor injury, letting him get his two weeks extra rest before the playoffs begin. JK and Dray will lead this resurgent team to play .550 ball without Steph and hold on to the sixth, and the freshly rested Steph/JK led Dubs will go on another playoff run for the ages.
Currently 6 games back of the Suns & Kings for the 5/6 seed. If we go 12-2 in Feb, while the Kings go 6-4, we'd be 3 games back. There are, of course, other teams to leapfrog too... but point being: It's not crazy... the Warriors just need to play well and get some luck (e.g. Philly missing hella guys, Utah making "future facing" trades before we play them twice) and can get back into the mix.
Some more praise for JK's recent run, from the Chron:
Green helps build Kuminga’s confidence away from the court and his scoring profile on it, pulling opposing centers away from the basket to declutter the paint for dribble penetration. In five games since Green’s return from suspension, Kuminga leads the Warriors with 7.6 drives to the basket per game compared to 4.8 in his first 38.
He’s finishing at the basket more effectively too, converting drives in the past five games at a team-high clip of 76.9% compared to 51% in his first 38 games.
I have two hot takes floating around in my brain, but I'm not sure which one I actually believe. Curious about what y'all think:
Hot Take #1: The league did the Warriors dirty by suspending Dray for so long over an accidental whack to the face. Sure, there's his track record, but nothing about the incident itself merits such a penalty. The cohesion that the Dubs have shown since he's come back suggests that they could have been better earlier, and now they're in such a big hole that they might not even make the play-in.
Hot Take #2: The league did the Warriors a favor by suspending Dray when the Dubs front office wouldn't - he's been more focused and effective since him came back. It's a bummer that he had to miss so much time, but Wiggs and JK weren't really ready to step up until now anyway, so we've gotta appreciate post-suspension Dray and hope the team has enough time and injury luck to make a run.
#1 There shouldn’t be varying levels of punishment depending on the player who did the act. Most players would get a flagrant 1 max if they did what Draymond did, and he got suspended 15 games. That’s obscene and contributed heavily to the hole we’ve dug ourselves.
I disagree. Draymond got off very light with the Gobert headlock. That should have cost him a far longer suspension. The elbow to Nurkic's head came after that, so I think it WAS fair to give him a heavier penalty.
For comparison on the headlock, Ben Simmons put KAT in a headlock while on top of him on the floor and was suspended 0 games. 5 was not getting off light.
Also it was not an elbow to the head it was an open-palm slap to the face.
Nah, just because the league decided it aired in it's prior decision doesn't mean over punishment is fair. I wouldn't be in the right to overcharge someone the next time they came into my store just because I misjudged the price a previous time, or at least that's the form of my logic.
That said, I do think he needed something like "do this or you're fully banished" as the point where he realizes how badly he's messed up. So it needed to happen, but I don't think that dignifies the league reacting like it did.
Well, I'm leaning #2, but I still was surprised that the player's union didn't make more of a fuss, even if it could be justified in this case, doesn't seem like the CBA should allow for such an arbitrary suspension. Is this now setting a precedent? Does the next repeat offender get a similar suspension or was this a one off?
In last 5 games, five man lineups who have played 24 min or more total, net rating is
Steph+Klay+Wiggs+JK+Dray = 43.4 (league highest) - 39 min total played
Steph+Podz+Wiggs+JK+Dray =23.1 (league wide ranked 8th) - 41min total played
In 4 man lineups with 48 mins or more,
Steph-Dray-Wiggs-Podz is 41.8 (league high).
Now that starting lineup is coming together, our bench has fallen off. Hopefully infusion of returning injured player will change that and we can go on a run.
However here is the wrinkle - Steph is on track to play 76 games. That seems unsustainable. He has not cracked 65 in any of the last five seasons. Keeping fingers crossed and praying to BB gods.
Without CP3, MM, and GP2, and added a struggling Loon, it’s not surprising to see the bench struggling… it’s… Podz, Šarić, Loon, TJD, and CoJo… not a murderers row by any stretch of the imagination.
Jason Timpf is super high on JK and so am I. He's got ways to go but I do believe in his ceiling and it's looking more and more realistic every time he steps on the floor.
Timpf is NOW super high on Kuminga. He spent six months trading him on a daily basis. He continually claimed that there was no way Kuminga could possibly be good enough now to maximize Steph's window, that Kerr knew what he was doing and fans didn't, that Kuminga was pouting and immature and that stuff doesn't lead to winning basketball, on and on. It doesn't take a basketball oracle to watch Kuminga's January and go oh hey wait he's good.
Clippers were 8-10 after losing to the Dubs on 11/30, (and about to be 8-11 on a 22 point deficit just after halftime), and have gone on a 23-5 run since…
You have a number of great writing qualities Daniel, but man do I appreciate how distinct your writing personality is in these articles! I immediately know who this comes from, and that's not easy to do. Also surprised Curry didn't mention CMC considering he's still one of my friend's favorite Panthers (and seemed to be pretty widely liked from those teams), but I'm sure an athlete's relationship to other sports is a little different than our own.
What's the timeline on GP2 and CP3? Do you all think that CP3 will be an improvement when he returns or not? There was a point where the 2nd unit under his control was better than the starters. What does everyone think about if CP3 will be a plus or minus? We all know GP2 will be a big defensive help.
A'ja Wilson on Las Vegas Aces "superteam," her MVP snub & WNBA Mt. Rushmore | Draymond Green Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3JSRbR5Y6I
Really looking to see the team's performance on Friday as an indicator of improvement from their last debacle in Memphis. Memphis will be on a home SEGABABA too, while the Dubs will be well rested.
The next night, Atlanta will also be on a SEGABABA, so no rest advantage for either team. It really does feel like a big opportunity to get some momentum going.
Isn’t there an advantage to being at home on B2B vs. on the road? I’d think sleeping in your own bed and not traveling is a bit of an advantage.
That's my thinking too... they still played a game the night before, but didn't have to travel, and were thus able to focus more on their recovery activities.
So is counting down the Freak during free throws a thing in general or just a more or less one off to the end of that game? I watched the last 2.9 seconds or whatever in total.
Strangely LP working just fine in Barcelona.
Elsewhere, doc rivers era not off to a good start - bucks lose to the blazers spoiling Dames homecoming - 119-116 final score
Not a great start to Doc's tenure at Milwaukee
Feels so surreal seeing a DNHQ member get to interview our heroes. Damn this AI technology is cool.
But seriously Hardee, that's an amazing milestone. And I'm going to share your story of getting inspired to write to my grade 4 Class tomorrow 🤓
Hahah Allen Iverson technology for the win
The hype is gathering steam y’all. Time to be a blatant Homer. Feb is gonna be steamroll month, 12-2 for the month, putting them in the play-in. In March, they’ll fight and claim the sixth seed, but in April, Steph will get a random minor injury, letting him get his two weeks extra rest before the playoffs begin. JK and Dray will lead this resurgent team to play .550 ball without Steph and hold on to the sixth, and the freshly rested Steph/JK led Dubs will go on another playoff run for the ages.
Currently 6 games back of the Suns & Kings for the 5/6 seed. If we go 12-2 in Feb, while the Kings go 6-4, we'd be 3 games back. There are, of course, other teams to leapfrog too... but point being: It's not crazy... the Warriors just need to play well and get some luck (e.g. Philly missing hella guys, Utah making "future facing" trades before we play them twice) and can get back into the mix.
A 12-2 month might snag us the 6 seed even, I’d be here for it.
I doubt it. I think it gets the Dubs in the 7-8 range
#leapyears!
Some more praise for JK's recent run, from the Chron:
Green helps build Kuminga’s confidence away from the court and his scoring profile on it, pulling opposing centers away from the basket to declutter the paint for dribble penetration. In five games since Green’s return from suspension, Kuminga leads the Warriors with 7.6 drives to the basket per game compared to 4.8 in his first 38.
He’s finishing at the basket more effectively too, converting drives in the past five games at a team-high clip of 76.9% compared to 51% in his first 38 games.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/warriors/article/warriors-jonathan-kuminga-surging-draymond-18638935.php
I have two hot takes floating around in my brain, but I'm not sure which one I actually believe. Curious about what y'all think:
Hot Take #1: The league did the Warriors dirty by suspending Dray for so long over an accidental whack to the face. Sure, there's his track record, but nothing about the incident itself merits such a penalty. The cohesion that the Dubs have shown since he's come back suggests that they could have been better earlier, and now they're in such a big hole that they might not even make the play-in.
Hot Take #2: The league did the Warriors a favor by suspending Dray when the Dubs front office wouldn't - he's been more focused and effective since him came back. It's a bummer that he had to miss so much time, but Wiggs and JK weren't really ready to step up until now anyway, so we've gotta appreciate post-suspension Dray and hope the team has enough time and injury luck to make a run.
<insert "Why not both?" meme here>
#2 just so I don't have to put up with Draymond's shit.
#1 There shouldn’t be varying levels of punishment depending on the player who did the act. Most players would get a flagrant 1 max if they did what Draymond did, and he got suspended 15 games. That’s obscene and contributed heavily to the hole we’ve dug ourselves.
I disagree. Draymond got off very light with the Gobert headlock. That should have cost him a far longer suspension. The elbow to Nurkic's head came after that, so I think it WAS fair to give him a heavier penalty.
For comparison on the headlock, Ben Simmons put KAT in a headlock while on top of him on the floor and was suspended 0 games. 5 was not getting off light.
Also it was not an elbow to the head it was an open-palm slap to the face.
Nah, just because the league decided it aired in it's prior decision doesn't mean over punishment is fair. I wouldn't be in the right to overcharge someone the next time they came into my store just because I misjudged the price a previous time, or at least that's the form of my logic.
That said, I do think he needed something like "do this or you're fully banished" as the point where he realizes how badly he's messed up. So it needed to happen, but I don't think that dignifies the league reacting like it did.
#2
#2
There are lots of reasonable explanations for why this team seems to barely be coming together.
Def in camp #2.
Well, I'm leaning #2, but I still was surprised that the player's union didn't make more of a fuss, even if it could be justified in this case, doesn't seem like the CBA should allow for such an arbitrary suspension. Is this now setting a precedent? Does the next repeat offender get a similar suspension or was this a one off?
Award winning writer talking about the bowels of chase center🤣😹
And all the movement down there!
In last 5 games, five man lineups who have played 24 min or more total, net rating is
Steph+Klay+Wiggs+JK+Dray = 43.4 (league highest) - 39 min total played
Steph+Podz+Wiggs+JK+Dray =23.1 (league wide ranked 8th) - 41min total played
In 4 man lineups with 48 mins or more,
Steph-Dray-Wiggs-Podz is 41.8 (league high).
Now that starting lineup is coming together, our bench has fallen off. Hopefully infusion of returning injured player will change that and we can go on a run.
However here is the wrinkle - Steph is on track to play 76 games. That seems unsustainable. He has not cracked 65 in any of the last five seasons. Keeping fingers crossed and praying to BB gods.
Without CP3, MM, and GP2, and added a struggling Loon, it’s not surprising to see the bench struggling… it’s… Podz, Šarić, Loon, TJD, and CoJo… not a murderers row by any stretch of the imagination.
And Lester, yeah, that is not a strong group.
Don't forget Gui, who's actually rostered over Lester, lol
Jason Timpf is super high on JK and so am I. He's got ways to go but I do believe in his ceiling and it's looking more and more realistic every time he steps on the floor.
Timpf is NOW super high on Kuminga. He spent six months trading him on a daily basis. He continually claimed that there was no way Kuminga could possibly be good enough now to maximize Steph's window, that Kerr knew what he was doing and fans didn't, that Kuminga was pouting and immature and that stuff doesn't lead to winning basketball, on and on. It doesn't take a basketball oracle to watch Kuminga's January and go oh hey wait he's good.
This. Timpf repeatedly advocated for TRADING JK. Nice to have him on the bandwagon finally (there's still room), but he's no Asher...
Meaning he knows his basketball, and I don’t. Seriously, I learn a lot about ball from him but he’s never going to out Kuminga me
Nah. Meaning you're the best, and he's not. After all, you're at DNHQ...
How do we know he isn't....???????
Maybe that's how he figures stuff out, by lurking here.
Nah, my real take is that Timpf would make a really good coach, and a really lousy GM. He should stick to what he's good at.
So looking forward to seeing him in playoff games. He absolutely won't wilt in the playoffs but he might lose focus trying to do to much.
If he can continue to play within and succeed then we know he's gonna be a 16 gamer.
Daniel hobnobbing with rich and famous and still giving us fun pieces to read.
We are indeed blessed.
Daniel - does this mean you have press pass and will be there at every presser?
I'll only be there when the Warriors need me the most *Bat signal*
I’ve tried to ask Daniel, but he won’t take my calls unless I’m an NBA All-Star
Clippers were 8-10 after losing to the Dubs on 11/30, (and about to be 8-11 on a 22 point deficit just after halftime), and have gone on a 23-5 run since…
You have a number of great writing qualities Daniel, but man do I appreciate how distinct your writing personality is in these articles! I immediately know who this comes from, and that's not easy to do. Also surprised Curry didn't mention CMC considering he's still one of my friend's favorite Panthers (and seemed to be pretty widely liked from those teams), but I'm sure an athlete's relationship to other sports is a little different than our own.
Thank you Chem!! I really appreciate that. And yeah CMC is a monsterrr
What's the timeline on GP2 and CP3? Do you all think that CP3 will be an improvement when he returns or not? There was a point where the 2nd unit under his control was better than the starters. What does everyone think about if CP3 will be a plus or minus? We all know GP2 will be a big defensive help.