Dub Nation HQ Comments of the Week & Open Thread

The first week of preseason through the eyes of the inventive and weird people of HQ

Poole best comp as… Steph??

• Asher B. (11 ♡):

  In search of a Poole comp? Well, we're looking for a guy who is a great shot, keeps the ball moving in the Warriors offense, willing passer, can catch and shoot, create off the dribble or finish at the rim, but pretty short and not that athletic, so defense will be a challenge.

  Ladies and gswdawgs: Stephen Effin' Curry.

  HOLD ON A SEC. I didn't say he was *as good* as Steph. No one ever is. This is a comp. A particular type. He's not a Steph clone, he's just in that lane. But if you're thinking he'll be due max money it'll be because he's become elite. And what elite player would you compare him to? He's not junior Giannis, he's not junior Kawhi, he's not junior Durant, LeBron, Tatum. He's not junior Klay because Klay's much more catch and shoot and much better on defense. Steph, or maybe Lillard.

• Being (12 ♡):

  I don't think this is by accident. Poole gets drafted by GS as a hybrid G with handles and 3 pt shooting. Who is he gonna model his game after? Who is he gonna watch tape of and study? Who is he gonna ask for advice from?

• Dan goutz (9 ♡):

  Was about to say this! He truly is learning from the best at what he does

• belilaugh (6 ♡):

  He actually might be the best comparison, which is wild. Poole's passing separates him from a lot of microwave scorers and his development as an off ball threat and movement shooter separate him even more.

Undefeated Warriors knock off the Lakers…

There were some disturbing trends in terms of big man defense however...

• Captain Jack (14 ♡):

  just left open practice, some notes:

  -GP2 didn’t really shoot the 3 ball that much

  -porter missed like two shots the whole scrimmage

  -looney looked like he just got out of bed

  -chase center has a really cool exterior but doesn’t feel like the home of the warriors

  to me

  -moody looked like he belonged

• Janet (11 ♡):

  I loved watching Moody shrug off Dwight Howard’s attempts to rattle him.

• sabrinasez (9 ♡):

  Poole is just the beginning of the Warriors Max contract problems. Hopefully.

• Goofus (7 ♡):

  Remember back in the day, when we were young and naive, and thinking how Wiggins was going go be a great tertiary scoring option behind Steph and Klay?

  Now, I find myself searching the internet to make sure I’m spelling “quaternary” correctly.

Gamethread: No Wiggins or Kuminga…

I just have to write something here or it spits a bunch of article... looks weird

• GlueAndBold (18 ♡):

  I like the symmetry of

  W: Warriors

  L: Lakers

• Alex (14 ♡):

  "Hey guys, we've got the first player in modern warriors history not named Steph or Klay who has committed to mastering the shooter routes of Kerr's motion offense, runs them as fast and relentlessly as those guys, and has expanded his range to deep 3pt territory. Oh, and he's got a good handle and is weirdly good finishing at the rim. Every time we play him he seems to change the look of the whole offense. Oh and he just turned 22 and already has a bunch of clutch gene shooting moments in his career. ."

  "Let's trade him for tall dumb Draymond."

  "Sounds great!"

  -Hopefully not Bob

• The Sword Of The Morning (13 ♡):

  If we're trading Poole, we better get a slam-dunk star (think Paul George level). We have a starter level player with all-star potential earning basically no money for the next 2 years, then we have his rights for his next contract.

  And that's without considering that Poole is a guy who continuously works to get better. You don't trade that for guys like 2021 Ben Simmons.

• BKisforSF (13 ♡):

  Watching SportsCenter and they just announced that Westbrook had seven turnovers and two points in 17 minutes and I’m still laughing 3 minutes later

• Captain Jack (13 ♡):

  I like Moody and not just because of his shooting. He's showing moments of great awareness out there

  I know it's preseason but I want this W and F**K the Lakers

• Goofus (10 ♡):

  I’m starting to agree with Duby’s “B” grade. Myers clearly should’ve made more of an effort to surround a generational talent like Jordan Poole with a better supporting cast. His championship window is closing!

• Airgetlam (9 ♡):

  Giants and Warriors win, both at home in SF, against the grosser LA teams, on a Friday night?

  There are gonna be a LOT of local kids whose birthday is 9 months from tonight.

• belilaugh (8 ♡):

  Went to the game. Felt like a proud father watching Moody lol. Lakers have so many vets that Moody actually got game experience against NBA players, even though he was mostly guarding Reaves. Made a few mistakes defensively, but I also give him credit for trying to body up Dwight on the boards because Wiseman was not having any part of that last season lol. Who knows where Moody's defense ends up and it probably won't be good enough this season regardless, but if he develops into a POA defender then he'll be a great fit with Poole.

  I would love to watch Bjelica and Carmelo compete against each other in a 100m dash.

  I got so mad every time Bazemore had the ball. Fuck that traitor.

Dubs host Lakers; Kuminga out …

Wiggins possibly resting; but Curry and others are good to go

• Goofus (12 ♡):

  The Lakers are so old, they’ve entered into a endorsement deal with Depends and are changing their name to “The Leakers”

• Whether Belilaugh changes his name is between him and me. It’s really Nemanja business.

• BKisforSF (9 ♡):

  It’s amazing to me that anyone who watches basketball, who presumably would’ve had the 2019 finals switched on, would argue that Klay wasn’t a star, let alone good. It’s beyond dim

• crusty quips (8 ♡):

  "Poole is a success story obviously but it did take a couple of years and he was an older prospect"

  Poole turned 20 on the day before he was drafted, do you call that an older prospect? To me an older prospect is one of these guys like Chris Duarte who many were enamored about during this year's draft; he's 24 now and was 24 on draft night. Another older prospect is Mitchell, who was 22 (now 23) when he was drafted. Poole is younger than both of those guys and was drafted over 2 years ago.

Warriors march towards undefeated (pre)season…

Golden State's rebuild is being revealed before our very eyes.

• Abaddon (18 ♡):

  >Let's not get too cocky just yet

  You understand this is a Daniel Hardee piece, right?

  BRING IT ON.

• crusty quips (15 ♡):

  I'm not as concerned about the defense as some people seem to be. Firstly, it's preseason, and no one plays D very hard in preseason due to a healthy fear of a pointless injury. Second, the rotation minutes for the first couple of games are in no way indicative of the minutes distribution in the regular season because... preseason is preseason. Third, older guys like Andre and Draymond will likely take a few weeks to round into full-season shape, and I don't think most were expecting those guys to come out of the gates being defensive dynamos on day 1. Finally, the new guys (although they already fit like a glove on offense) need to get more used to the defensive rotations. I expect Bjelica in particular to be noticeably better on that front as the regular season starts to take shape; he's not going to be a defensive destroyer but he's a smart player who had positive (though nothing special) defensive numbers at both Min and Sac. I don't think the Warriors will have a top-5 defense again but a top-10 defense is well within this team's realistic achievable goals.

• Duby Dub Dubs (12 ♡):

  KLAY THOMPSON DUNK ALERT!!

Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater

Klay Thompson doing some off the dribble work with Jordan Poole post practice. Klay even dunked twice. Showing some pretty good burst as he eases his way back.

• Dilly (9 ♡):

  If KD didn't know what he was getting into when he went with Kyrie...

  We all make bad choices in life. Unless the Nets find a way to move his buddy, he's stuck with this one.

• g8tgod (9 ♡):

  That Jordan Poole rookie vid is striking; he was really slight back then. I'm swept up in all of the optimism, but I can't help but hope for great things for this guy. He's doing more than keeping Klay's seat warm...

• Captain Jack (9 ♡):

  Let's be real Kyrie was only going to play in half of the Net's games anyways regardless of the vaccine issues lol

• MySarunas (9 ♡):

  Nice writeup as always, Daniel.

  Small correction - Poole's rookie season was two years ago, not three. (Giving us an extra year of him.) I remember watching him at my first game at Chase and just shaking my head. His development has been really special.

• bobbita (8 ♡):

  Bradley trying to suck up lol

Kerith Burke @KerithBurke

Avery Bradley said "no offense" to the other NBA teams he's been with, but Golden State is "one of the best organizations in the NBA from top to bottom."

• Avery Bradley said "no offense" to the other NBA teams he's been with, but Golden State is "one of the best organizations in the NBA from top to bottom."

Post game party thread: Dubs start slow…

Poole looks legit, and so too do these Warriors!

• void (12 ♡):

  Was just thinking how awesome it is that Kuminga/Wiseman/Moody have Poole as role model and mentor. Of course it's great to have experienced mentors like Steph/Dray/Iggy too, but to have someone who's clawed their way from near irrelevance to be in such an exciting position has got to be so motivating. And the way he did it too, always accepting his role and working hard, being a seemingly great teammate and playing with joy... Exciting blueprint for these new guys!!

• vignette17 (5 ♡):

  A few thoughts. Firstly, Poole wasn't as lights out from 3 in this one, but still looked like the best player on the court. He got blocked a couple of times and he was still aggressive. He did drive into trouble once or twice too. But on the positive side he drew contact and still had the chance to make some layups, kept moving without the ball. The player he most reminded me of was Steph. And that's incredible.

  I really, really hope Kerr sticks with having one or the other out there at all times. And once they're all healthy, a bench lineup of Poole, Klay, Wiggins, OPJ, Bjelly seems like they will definitely be able to score in the non-Steph minutes. Sub in JTA, Iggy for defense as needed. There's just so many intriguing combos I want to see.

  Moody looked interesting for a couple of minutes. I do want to see Kuminga, Moody, and Wiseman with vets surrounding them every once in a while. I loved seeing the couple of minutes with OPJ and Bjelly, Kuminga, JTA. Literally every lineup combo with the top 14 guys has a fascinating wrinkle. It's the Chiozza, Bradley, Bell minutes that get sloppy. And there just won't be much of that in the regular season.

  Man, I'm excited. I really, really like this squad.

Small ball Warriors host Jokic…

Preseason game two offers Golden State an early chance to see if they can cover one of the league's best big men

• crusty quips (19 ♡):

  Some more recent comments from the inestimable #9

  "I stored a lot of things in the (tool belt) that I thought was full," Iguodala said with a laugh. "I thought I've seen everything but being there I saw some things where I was like ‘I’m stealing that, I’m stealing that, I’m stealing that,’ and ‘thank you' on the way out … Those things are going to translate to a lot of success and a lot of wins here, along with what was already put in place."

  “I’m going to make sure Bob [Myers] gets executive of the year with vastly underpaying me.”

  https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/andre-iguodala-has-perfect-bob-myers-joke-after-adding-tools-heat

• Klaymation (12 ♡):

  I'm excited about this team.

  (That's all I got.)

• GlueAndBold (12 ♡):

  It is SOOOOO good that Andre is back

• crusty quips (11 ♡):

  He's bringing big man back

  Them other 5's don't know how to act

• sabrinasez (11 ♡):

  Happy 19th Birthday to Jonathan "007" Kuminga!

  LOL.

  19.

  Sigh...

• Goofus (10 ♡):

  I’m becoming a little obsessed with the Warriors’ team 3pt shooting potential, especially after Monday. The Warriors went 24-for-69 from deep for 35%, a little below league average. That’s hardly impressive, but the distribution of shot attempts wasn’t what we’d expect from the team in a real game.

  Curry attempted 8 3PA’s; not a small number by itself, but only 11% of the team’s total. Conversely, you had a bunch of shots by dudes who we’re presumably not relying on for their deep balls. For example, if we remove Bradley, Galloway, Kuminga and Iggy’s combined 1-for-15 from the night, the team shot 23-for-54, or 42.5%, which would have lead the league last season. (I’m leaving JTA’s 0-5 in there because I’m not ready to say he shouldn’t be shooting them.)

  Speaking of last season:

  Clippers lead the league at 41.4%, but we’re only 14th in shot attempts

  Jazz lead in makes (16.7pg) and attempts (43%), but 4th in percentage.

  In 2015-16 the Warriors lead the league in attempts and makes (volume!) while shooting a record 41.7% (efficiency). If we see Curry, OPJ, Bjelly, Klay, Poole and Lee taking the vast majority of 3-pointers, and if Wiggins and JTA can hold their own, this team could (should?) break the records for makes, attempts and percentage and be the greatest 3-point shooting team in history.

Warriors jack 69 threes in fun preseason win…

Did the Dubs hire Mike D'Antoni as an assistant?!

• belilaugh (9 ♡):

  Jordan Poole is two years younger than Chris Duarte.

• Goofus (8 ♡):

  Curry was really trying to get Bradley going and Bradley was over-hoisting. JTA looked a little over-amped even for him. Other than that, the 3-point shooting was very organic; they were whipping the ball around the perimeter and guys were passing up good shots for great shots.

• Run_TMC (8 ♡):

  I'm sorry.

  This is so juvenile.

  But I just ... can't ... help...myself:

Warriors open preseason by stomping the Blazers…

Surely, Lucy won't pull the ball away again, go ahead Charlie Brown, boot it!!

• sabrinasez (14 ♡):

  👀

  95.7 The Game

  @957thegame

  Steve Kerr on Jordan Poole: “He’s got the green light.”

• Loonhands (13 ♡):

  Against the Blazers' work in progress defense, our new guys seemed to pull off the Warriors fast ball movement offense impressively well tonight. With pretty low turnovers!

  -OPJ is a beautiful fit on offense, set to bring shooting and some boards to any 2nd unit possible. But he's gotta avoid taking hits and falls around the rim once a quarter.

  -Bjelica looked slow on defense, but the slick passing and spicy threes will be a good option to have in the mix.

  -JK was real raw, fiery with confidence, showed promise on both ends. Exciting to have a 2nd/3rd unit option with potential to rebound, switch defend, and post move with intensity.

  -Moody had lots of normal rookie struggles to get open and calm shots off, showed promise on defense at least briefly. The shooting will come.

  -Chiozza earns his "Flash" nickname--if he can get better synced with 2nd/3rd unit guys on reads, his sprints and passes at high velocity will help ignite some productive chaos on offense. Defense looked surprisingly decent to me too, used his speed and stocky strength to stay in front of bigger guys. Chris baiting Chriss into an offensive foul is not a highlight I expected.

  -Bradley and Galloway looked lost and a step behind the action. If GPII is healthy enough, he's an easy winner to bring defense in.

  Now, just to get some rebounding from Wiseman, get the team defense synced up, welcome back the best catch & shoot 3pt shooter ever, and damn, that's some strength in numbers.

• crusty quips (10 ♡):

  I'm very excited about the seamless-seaming fit with the new players. Porter and Bjelica both look like they have been with this team for months. Not to create any comparisons with players from last year but the front office did well to focus on players that fit the organizational philosophy and mindset of the coaching staff.

• mDuo13 (9 ♡):

  After seeing Bjelica in action with the team, I'm starting to understand why they aren't looking for another big. I still think there are a few big man matchups (including the Blazers with Nurk) where the current roster is bound to struggle on the boards and post-ups: the Lakers with Howard, the Jazz with Gobert, maybe Philly with Embiid if they find some luck (between the Simmons situation and the fact that they're in the East it definitely matters less).

  But honestly that might not matter with how efficient the team looks to be on offense. I mean, sure, off-shooting nights will happen, but between excellent passing, quality shooting, and good defense, they can make up the difference. The last one will be the key, though. This game was an easy win because the Warriors won the turnover battle. (At least one of our turnovers was Steph's designated showing off behind-the-back "whoops" after all.) I want to believe the team forced the turnovers rather than saying Portland was especially careless with the ball, but we might have to see a couple more games to figure out if that's a real phenomenon.

  Also, to Avery Bradley's credit, he forced 3 steals (and was involved in another Blazers turnover or two) so maybe his defense is closer to the hype than the critics gave him credit for.

• vignette17 (9 ♡):

  I said it in the game thread as well, but aside from a quick Curry flurry, he was kinda cold tonight. And yet, the rest of the squad was fun as hell. They probably overhelp a bit too much and maybe even overpass too much, but god damn is it entertaining as hell. Truly a pleasure to watch. Until the 4th when...OPJ and JTA looked good, but the game became a foul and turnover-a-thon.

  I'm super optimistic on this team, and I'm trying not to get ahead of myself. But this style of play is at the very least worth the price of admission every night.

• Peter Hood (8 ♡):

  Lillard and McCollum two of my favorite players in the league, but they are exactly what the Warriors would be if we didn't trade Monte Ellis. When people devalue what Klay has meant to the Warriors, just look North. The back court has to have balance and it's the elephant in the living room in Portland.

• BadlyBrowned (8 ♡):

  Oh wow, didn't realize Bjelica had 6 assists.

  Bjelica with 3pt range and a face up game more than a post up game, but Bjelica the new David West?

Wiggins cleared for action as Warriors open …

The preseason launches with at least one major question resolved

• Golden Gate Warrior (16 ♡):

  I gotta say, I'm just so happy that Dubs HQ has been rewarded for all their hardwork with loyalty from the community.

  Over nearly 750 comments in the first preseason game vs 11 on the old site.

  Dub Nation really does travel 🙏

• DFiB (16 ♡):

  I just want to point out that these have been the best "what if / space-filling” articles ever posted. I, too, am glad that we have real basketball articles going forward, but a BIG thank you to EA, DDD, Daniel Hardee, and all the posters here for helping to fill the void in my heart these last few months.

• BadlyBrowned (11 ♡):

  Kinda slaps you in the face how much more natural OPJ is with the Warriors offense compared to Oubre last year.

• Goofus (11 ♡):

  “With four huge contracts clogging up their salary sheet…”

  Goofus’ Hot Take of the Day (TM):

  Even without the four bloated contracts, Poole, Porter, Looney, JTA, Bjelica, Moody, Kuminga, Lee, Bradley, Gallaway, Mulder, Bell GP2 and Chiozza would be an asset-loaded roster that’s better than quite a few Dubs rosters we’ve seen over the years and one whose present and future I’d be optimistic about.

• Duby Dub Dubs (11 ♡):

  this is the secret weapon of Dub Nation - we've for SURE rooted and believed in way worse teams!

• Dilly (9 ♡):

  I am really looking forward to / ready for this season to start. No more 'what if / space-filling' articles here or anywhere to have to endure. LOL Time for the real thing. I am very optimistic about the team the Dubs have put together. I think OPJ & Bjelly will fit in seamlessly. Glad to have the OG Andre back to keep everybody in their place. Glad that Wiggins finally saw the light of not getting paid for 41 games. I am ready. And I think Jordan Poole is ready to make another leap this season. CANNOT wait for Klay to be back on the court again!!

  As for the Blazers' adds this offseason, the only one that moves the needle for me is Nance. I've always liked him, and I still wouldn't mind if he ended up as a Warrior at some point down the road.

• Janet (9 ♡):

  OMG it’s back!! Life is good with basketball. And now I know what solipsistic means.

• Arash (8 ♡):

  As the resident contrarian, I get a lot of things wrong. However, when things go right, the sweet nectar of victory hits perfectly.

  Move aside people, long time Jordan Poole stan coming through!! I want front row streets to see if he's improved his defense/shooting catapulting him to near All Star status!!!