I wonder about Draymond's, "if Steph and Klay aren't playing" comment. Is he implying they're still not healthy enough to play? Or that they would choose to opt out of a second bubble for other reasons? Or maybe it was just meant to be a gesture of respect insomuch as it acknowledges that the Warriors as they actually played this past season earned their place among the Delete Eight?
Personally, I would absolutely love to watch a recovered/rebuilding Warriors dynasty squad completely thrash the other 7 worst teams in the NBA. I'm sure the other teams would manage some competitive games and the Warriors wouldn't be literally unstoppable but I can only imagine that Steph, Klay, Dray and company would feel like Harlem Globetrotters if their entire schedule was against teams like Chicago and Cleveland.
It would probably alternate between awesome and disheartening to watch the team get bored of picking on bad teams and then have to wake up and face the fact that even the worst NBA teams are actually full of world-class athletes who can and will perform at a high level *sometimes*. It would be like an entire season of trap games.
I think a lot of what would make it worthwhile is setting the stakes appropriately. What are they playing for? The real NBA season is the highest level of basketball competition in the world. The Summer League, despite sharing a name and organizational structure with NBA, is not the same league. That matters. A whole lot of guys who've been at the top of the mountain (and reasonably believe they deserve a chance to get back there) are not going to be thrilled about being effectively demoted to the B league.
So, if they want it to work, the "second bubble" needs to matter. It needs to have some impact on the top level of competition. Unless you're going to change the structure of the first Bubble games at this late stage, or you're talking about changing up the coming season, you don't have a lot of options for the Second Bubble to be anything but a lazy consolation prize. And Dray is rightfully calling that out. As of right now it sounds like they want to combine the level of competition in the G-league with the stakes of the all-star game.
There's an important difference between "playing" for the fun of it, and the "work" needed to perform basketball at the highest level. Especially for the players who went to the finals 5 years straight, they *understand* the level of work needed to be at that level. And it's just not reasonable to demand that level of work while offering a reward that just means so much less. ("Congrats! You're at least the 23rd-best team in the world!")
Boy, that escalated quickly. I just came here to say that I love Day-Day and everything he brings to the table, good and bad. I hope he's been able to get his body right, and I look forward to him showing out next season. He's an essential part of the Warriors championship DNA.
Man, if Looney really is fully recovered, that’s so huge. With him as part of the short rotation, it takes some of the pressure off them to hit home runs with the draft, the MLE and the trade exemption. Steph, Klay, Draymond, Wiggins, Chriss, Paschall and a fully operational Looney should much easier to build around.
It also means that if they really like a big (I’m guessing they like Onyeka Okongwu as a player and a fit), they can go after him and not feel like they have to trade the pick.
Wtf is this garbage you’re spewing. Nobody gives awful about what Draybum aka mr triple single thinks or says. His ugly ass will be traded within a couple months. Book it.
I wonder about Draymond's, "if Steph and Klay aren't playing" comment. Is he implying they're still not healthy enough to play? Or that they would choose to opt out of a second bubble for other reasons? Or maybe it was just meant to be a gesture of respect insomuch as it acknowledges that the Warriors as they actually played this past season earned their place among the Delete Eight?
Personally, I would absolutely love to watch a recovered/rebuilding Warriors dynasty squad completely thrash the other 7 worst teams in the NBA. I'm sure the other teams would manage some competitive games and the Warriors wouldn't be literally unstoppable but I can only imagine that Steph, Klay, Dray and company would feel like Harlem Globetrotters if their entire schedule was against teams like Chicago and Cleveland.
It would probably alternate between awesome and disheartening to watch the team get bored of picking on bad teams and then have to wake up and face the fact that even the worst NBA teams are actually full of world-class athletes who can and will perform at a high level *sometimes*. It would be like an entire season of trap games.
I think a lot of what would make it worthwhile is setting the stakes appropriately. What are they playing for? The real NBA season is the highest level of basketball competition in the world. The Summer League, despite sharing a name and organizational structure with NBA, is not the same league. That matters. A whole lot of guys who've been at the top of the mountain (and reasonably believe they deserve a chance to get back there) are not going to be thrilled about being effectively demoted to the B league.
So, if they want it to work, the "second bubble" needs to matter. It needs to have some impact on the top level of competition. Unless you're going to change the structure of the first Bubble games at this late stage, or you're talking about changing up the coming season, you don't have a lot of options for the Second Bubble to be anything but a lazy consolation prize. And Dray is rightfully calling that out. As of right now it sounds like they want to combine the level of competition in the G-league with the stakes of the all-star game.
There's an important difference between "playing" for the fun of it, and the "work" needed to perform basketball at the highest level. Especially for the players who went to the finals 5 years straight, they *understand* the level of work needed to be at that level. And it's just not reasonable to demand that level of work while offering a reward that just means so much less. ("Congrats! You're at least the 23rd-best team in the world!")
Boy, that escalated quickly. I just came here to say that I love Day-Day and everything he brings to the table, good and bad. I hope he's been able to get his body right, and I look forward to him showing out next season. He's an essential part of the Warriors championship DNA.
"AND ONE!!!!"
Shoutout to the 99% of you who comment respectfully. I really enjoy reading your stuff, and appreciate you. It makes working on this site worthwhile.
Man, if Looney really is fully recovered, that’s so huge. With him as part of the short rotation, it takes some of the pressure off them to hit home runs with the draft, the MLE and the trade exemption. Steph, Klay, Draymond, Wiggins, Chriss, Paschall and a fully operational Looney should much easier to build around.
It also means that if they really like a big (I’m guessing they like Onyeka Okongwu as a player and a fit), they can go after him and not feel like they have to trade the pick.
Is it just me, or is Charles Barkley looking more and more like RuPaul (out of drag) every day? https://www.biography.com/personality/rupaul
Wtf is this garbage you’re spewing. Nobody gives awful about what Draybum aka mr triple single thinks or says. His ugly ass will be traded within a couple months. Book it.