Dub Nation HQ Comments of the Week & Open Thread
Dub Nation HQ Comments of the Week & Open Thread
The end of preseason through the eyes of the eloquent and peculiar commenters of Dub Nation HQ
I know there’s kind of a lot here, but I had a hard time trimming it.
On (lack of) smack talk in the HQ game threads
Asher B. (15 ♡):
Some good work by the DN HQ members in the preseason but as we know, our chat here doesn't count until the regular season. These next few days will be a good time for each of us to ask how we can improve our commentary, what we can say that's more interesting, funnier, odder, more homer-ish. I like much of what I'm seeing from fellow members but it's going to be a long season and then of course there are going to be the inevitable injuries. Still, lots of good sharing of tweets, that went well. Excellent discussion of the intricacies of salary cap implications for 15th guys. Nice work on quoting Anthony Slater a lot.
Highlights: lots of enthusiasm for Poole. Excellent work attempting to spell Bjelica.
Lowlights: I gotta keep it real. I don't think the venom for the opponent was there. Come on, people, we're fans. We are supposed to hate on the opponent for random reasons with great vitriol. E.g. Last night I didn't hear anyone make fun of Lillard for sitting out. That's shoddy work and we need to get better. We only have until Tuesday to iron out some of these issues. Let's get to work.
mDuo13 (11 ♡):
We're all about the joy here, preferably of the weaponized variety. Don't need to hate the other teams when you can just pity them.
We can still hate the refs when necessary though. In preseason it didn't matter unless they were letting guys get away with dangerous play, but come regular season, the 8-on-5 comments and "look at them mugging Steph off-ball" comments will be out in force.
Captain Jack (8 ♡):
I know you’re not being entirely serious here but I enjoy the vibe of this board way more because we can discuss basketball without hearing silly insults all the time on every game thread. The only exception is F**k the Lakers
sabrinasez (8 ♡):
A lotta love for Dame in these parts. Sorry. Ha.
As for vitriol we save it all for Danny Green, and sometimes Lebron.
WarriorsGoldenGirl (7 ♡):
Spot on critique! You have appropriately shamed me to vow to spend hours training in my darkened tv room with recordings of Fitz and Kelenna’s most cringe worthy commentary to up my homerism game. I will also follow various NBA players on Twitter/IG to help the hate flow more strongly. All while drinking copious amounts of Hennessy (an homage to our lost Warrior, J Bell). WGBC!!
tempprofile (6 ♡):
I commit to typing my comments in an external editor such that I can check for spelling and grammar before posting, at least until substack provides an edit feature. Really, it is the least I can do for my fellow fans and I'm always up for doing the least.
Game Thread: final dress rehearsal.…
One last look before the games matter
belilaugh (8 ♡):
[Damion Lee] mentioned that this was the first summer he was able to work on his game rather than rehabbing/recovering from an injury, I wonder if there's anything to that when trying to predict improvement that deviates from the usual age curve.
stopnpop (8 ♡):
Steph Curry A+ w/ extra credit and $100 gift card (but on the Duby scale, probably just a B+).
fotd (7 ♡):
Just watched the post game Looney and Lee interview. Such nice guys. I was really bothered to see comments that GP2 is better than Lee and Lee wouldn’t be playing if not for Steph. Have they watched D Lee play?! His preseason has been strong. Man, I hope he breaks out and silences that narrative. Poor guy having to live with that shit.
Asher B. (7 ♡):
In about two months, the national media are going to be saying things like "Warriors have opened surprisingly strong, no one expected this level of play from them." "Absolutely, Jim, they look great: and one guy I have on my radar that people may not know about is Jordan Poole. He has been shooting lights out."
"You're right, and also under the radar, they went out and acquired some very good veteran players. Iguodala, Otto Porter and Baydjalizza have all been playing well and no one saw that coming in the preseason." "A lot of people had Steph Curry written off as old and slowing down. Let me tell you something ..."
Goofus (7 ♡):
Here comes several minutes of Fitz showing off his elite ass-kissing skills.
“Joe, everyone knows you’re the best and brightest exec in the NBA, but I don’t think fans realize just how huge your manhood is.”
sabrinasez (6 ♡):
[Bell] about to become a Dad for the first time. I hope he gets another chance somewhere.
rcknfn (6 ♡):
If GP2 and MM don't clear waivers - that's not a such bad news. That means they got contract with another team!
Warriors close preseason against winless Blazers…
Also, Klay Thompson returning to full practice?
notoriousA.B.E. (8 ♡):
[On a poor article from another site] >Fun fact #1: a word search for "Looney" finds zero instances.<
Same for Damion Lee. Low-effort blogging at its finest. This guy should be on the TNT telecast!
Captain Jack (7 ♡):
Klay's shooting form is better than Steph's imo. It's the golden standard. Thing is Steph has superpowers
sabrinasez (6 ♡):
Opening night there's two games scheduled Nets vs Bucks and GS vs Lakers.
Warriors still a team to watch. Ha
Goofus (6 ♡):
Warriors should host one last pre-season event at Chase, but this time it’s a winner-take-all 1-on-1 battle between Bradley and Payton for the 15th spot.
Explain One Play: Andre Iguodala gets big dunks…
Andre working to get GP2 paid
bobbita (9 ♡):
Apparently Klay might be cleared for full practice in a month
Asher B. (7 ♡):
Man, I canNOT wait for Explain One Klay.
Abaddon (6 ♡):
Monte Poole, wordsmith: "That’s what Iguodala does, lubricating a stagnant or constipated offense."
Talking the undefeated Warriors with Dub Nation…
The fanbase is coming out of hibernation with eyes on the prize.
Alex (22 ♡):
Did anyone else get the feeling that Quinndary Weatherspoon was just Klay's Harry Potter World name, and he was planning on sneaking into preseason like Robin Hood slipping into the archery contest with a fake beard?
mDuo13 (18 ♡):
Good stuff. It's a great time to be a Dubs fan.
We got Poole throwing down dribble moves so powerful they space-warp defenders straight onto the bench. We got a triple threat Euroleague MVP coming off the bench just for laughs. We've got a championship core so scholarly that they deserve the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. We've refined weaponized joy so much the UN is sanctioning us for possessing WMDs (weapons of mass delight). We've got a rotation so deep you wouldn't be surprised to see Godzilla crawl up out of it.
Strawman Curry (18 ♡):
The Lakers are so old, LaBron switched to number VI.
Five Alarm Freddy (14 ♡):
Duuuude! Make this a series, PLEASE! Warriors talk on the BART. For someone forced out of town down here in LA LA land, I miss this so much. Please do more of these DH!
crusty quips (12 ♡):
As someone else that has been able to surprise Daniel with my recognition out in the world, I encourage everyone to keep an eye out as you go about your day. You never know when a wild Hardee will appear.
mDuo13 (10 ♡):
An interesting detail that just occurred to me and connects a few threads we've seen in preseason:
1. Small ball gives up rebounding and post presence for more movement (ball movement and player movement) and better distance shooting.
2. Better movement and distance shooting provides more opportunities for quality 3-point shots.
3. When they don't go in, long shots yield long rebounds. And offensive rebounds are one of the best opportunities for—you guessed it—even more 3-point shots.
Therefore: by encouraging relatively small lineups to go all-in on creating 3-point opportunities, the team makes up for its deficiencies in rebounding on one side of the court.
It still doesn't solve the problem of the other team's offensive rebounding, but it helps make the most of guys who are sneaky good rebounders for their size including Curry, Lee, JTA, and apparently Poole & Porter too—while simultaneously playing to those same guys' other strengths *and* reducing the need for more dedicated centers. It also takes advantage of excellent passing+rebounding guys like Green, Iguodala, and Looney.
P.S. this team might have the best overall passing chops I've ever seen. Up and down the roster are guys who make an art out of threading passes to just the right place and time. It's a beautiful game.
P.P.S. this is another reason Payton should get the nod over Bradley.
Stefano Gelati (9 ♡):
Dubs. Stop a moment and think about how JP3 has grown in these two seasons. Consider how other young players that moved from the Bay, have disappeared. Now think about the work ethics of a kid that learned Mandarin Chinese, and that of a kid that for love of basketball, spent years without seeing his family. Think how much these two are going to grow up, in the same, joyful, professional, charismatic Dubs environment. And now realize that after all, another, new dinasty may being born in front of us.
Janet (9 ♡):
EGADS! Daniel is back hooray!! Loved the article and your new friends. Beat LA! All season long! My favorite (?) BART experience was sitting next to an older guy who decided to make up a song about me and sing it really loud. We parted ways at my stop after he stood up to bow.
Doc (8 ♡):
Enjoyed the view of the people in BART. I’m all in on GP2 for the last spot. You don’t get the veteran leadership of Avery Bradley, but the energy, athleticism, and defense overcome that weakness.
Duby Dub Dubs (8 ♡):
The whole "no ads" thing def hurts us here. But we are sticking to what we are, and are always grateful for support!
albeeeeezy (8 ♡):
This article alone was worth a year’s paid subscription.
Duby Dub Dubs (7 ♡):
I've had a lot of great times with Daniel, bit I think one of the memories that sticks out most was "BART dude"
We were heading into a playoff game with Nate, and this one guy was HEAD TO TOE Warriors gear... like down to his socks and lanyard around his neck.
Chatting with that dude was all-time. He was NOT worried one bit. Thanks for always repping the Gold Blood, Daniel!!
ender2148 (6 ♡):
I kinda gathered this was their thought process.
Only thing is the last time the Warriors went full-tilt SBDS like this was during the Nellie/We Believe era.
So what makes the FO think this is the best path for us to a championship?
My guess is because of the sneaky good rebounding and passing you mentioned, but also because the org sees 38%+ shooters up and down the roster and thinks we can knock down more than enough shots to neutralize that disadvantage, or our guy's defensive chops can cause chaos and get the ball back in other ways besides rim protection.
I think it also has to do with the fact that the league is shifting more towards the "positionless" basketball we've been talking about for years, with a primary ball handler, a low post threat, and three almost interchangeable wings. More and more closing lineups are featuring smallball 5s a la Draymond/PJ Tucker, with the Nets taking it to the extreme and playing 4 out with a 6'5" guard in the dunkers spot.
Not every team has that dominant big man who can have the offense run through them with their back to the basket or face up. And if they do they're far more skilled than their yesteryear counterparts (ie Jokic and Embiid), or theyre so lean and fluid they're considered "small" forwards (Giannis and KD).
And for the teams who have your Howard/Capela type rim runner, the teams purported glaring weak spot, the team is gambling that it won't be enough to neutralize all those other advantages we bring with the current roster construction and keep us from the promised land, especially because they don't offer enough out side of dunking/rim running to stay on the floor for long enough to be a net positive
Based on early returns (granted it's preseason so meh), it looks like Myers, Kerr and Co. may be gambling right.
Game Thread: Warriors resting Curry, Green; …
Golden State will get first look at LeBron's newly revamped Big 2.5
Klaymation (13 ♡):
We totally outplayed their starters without our big 3 but missed a ton of threes, many of which were great looks for decent shooters.
The best thing about the game was that Howard pretty much stuffed Bjelica into a locker in the previous game but got nothing this time around.
BKisforSF (11 ♡):
It is still nourishment for my soul when LA loses, regardless of the circumstances, and when we beat them that goes double
Sleepy Freud (10 ♡):
Loved Bjelly’s steely face and body language around Howard. Not intimidated at all.
Kinda like we got a mini-Jokic…
notoriousA.B.E. (10 ♡):
My analysis on Poole's play last night:
1st quarter: He was a little tight and over-reliant on the outside shot which wasn't working. Generated some decent looks for others which didn't go in. Was terrible on defense. Kerr wasn't happy and kept him on the bench the rest of the half.
3rd quarter: Looked like MVP Poole again. Attacked the rim and got to the line as well as putting up some of his trademark floaters. Broke down his man with some sweet dribble moves on multiple occasions. Confidence was back and 3pt shot started falling again in that order. Kerr yelled at him and he started playing defense ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
"The threat is stronger than its execution" …
Warriors head to LA for first look at new look Lakers as preseason winds down
Goofus (18 ♡):
Fun-but-off-topic story about Jon Gruden is light of his scandal and resignation that demonstrates why this news is not surprising in our household:
About 20 years ago, my wife worked for the NFL and was in charge of an event that Gruden was attending and would be addressing those gathered. When he arrived, my wife, a youngish African American woman, went up to him and introduced herself since they would be working together at this event. She said, “Hi Jon, I’m Jennifer (maiden name) with the league office and put her hand out to shake it.” His reply was simply a dismissive “Good for you.” and walked away without shaking her hand.
As someone who grew up in the east bay a Raider fan, this little act of “I’m too important for you” degradation was especially jarring.
Needless to say, she’s enjoying a nice, warm vente-sized cup of schadenfreude this morning.
…
She’s totally over it and retired at 51 as a Senior VP for a Fortune 100 company, so it hardly ruined her for life, but at the time it was pretty deflating.
A good guy would have recognized that it’s a league fill misogyny and an environment especially tough on a young African American woman and made an effort to be friendly and made it clear he would do his part to help make sure her event was a success.
A decent guy would have shook her hand said something like “Nice to meet you, Jennifer. What’s the plan here and what do you need from me?”
A complete dick would do exactly what he did.
stopnpop (9 ♡):
I'm looking forward to this Expjlain One Pjlay
Explain One Play: Jordan Poole bombs away in…
Faster plays for faster improvisation
Duby Dub Dubs (19 ♡):
Maybe it's the airport day beers, but hot damn I love this content!!
Gettin high on my own supply, but just wanted to publicly say thanks Eric, for such solid content
I love it here!
Abaddon (19 ♡):
Two years ago we were coming off of a dispiriting Finals loss, losing KD, and losing Klay to an ACL injury. We also lost Iggy & Livingston. Then Curry broke his hand a few games in and missed most of the season.
Last year we were coming off the pandemic-shortened season and a frankly really terrible Warriors season with very little to get excited about. The day we draft our shiny new #2 pick is the day Klay Thompson blows his Achilles. We have almost no training camp or preseason and look absolutely terrible to start the season.
This year we're coming off Steph Curry's amazing MVP caliber season, we drafted two exciting players and didn't blow up the team chasing some dumb trade for a superstar, Poole is emerging as a legitimate partner to and successor for Steph Curry, Klay Thompson's return is looming, and our two "risky" free agent signings are looking like two of the best off-season acquisitions in the NBA.
Let's just say things right now look A LOT better than the last couple of years and leave it at that.
Klaymatic37 (14 ♡):
Anyone else feel like the vibes here are more relaxed and fun than it has been in years to start the season? Between the new vets, rookies, and Klay, it feels like the community has realistic expectations with tons of reasons for optimism. Maybe this means playing with joy is back!
I wonder how big the disconnect is between players and fans perception of optimism is to start a season.
DFiB (14 ♡):
According to a ClutchPoints article, Kerr also said:
"He’s doing really well, I think James is really kind of coming out of his shell. You can really see the maturity, he’s speaking up in meetings, feels much more confident, I can see it, and then the drill work he is doing, he is really picking things up quickly."
So, he's doing stuff, just not playing in games or jumping. We'll see... I just can't wait till he starts playing in games the fans watch, so I can stop listening to the hand wringers worried about the same Wiseman from last year showing up and ruining everything, and we can all re-baseline against his current level of play.
Eric Apricot (12 ♡):
Thanks for the encouragement, it makes it all worthwhile!
Yes, I agree some of the transitions were clunky but I opted to just fire the video out rather than spend a lot of time smoothing it out. Trying to overcome my perfectionism to just release something interesting out for viewing
Abaddon (12 ♡):
First, I think there's a little bit of narrative bias regarding the first play from Oubre.
I can see why you'd think Oubre is calling for the ball in the initial Horns set from last year. However, I think it's more likely he's pointing like everyone else. If you look at where everyone is pointing you can see everyone is pointing to the same locus. "But Abaddon, Wiseman is turned around and can't see him, so he can't be pointing, he's clearly calling for the ball!" As noted in the video, you can see Lee pointing too, and he's in the far corner and also behind Wiseman. Oubre had his flaws but I don't think he was unfamiliar with Horns, an extremely common set in the NBA. Finally, he's not even looking at Steph! You generally don't call for the ball when you're not looking at the ball-handler. You can see once he realizes the play is busted is when he moves and sets himself up for receiving the pass from Steph.
Once he gets the ball he is, frankly, wide open, and he takes the shot. He should be taking that shot. Yeah, he shot (historically!) terribly from three to open the season, but he shot a respectable 35% from three the previous year. I think a lot of people forget he missed the end of the previous season with a meniscus injury in his knee, and legs are an important component of the three ball. Regardless, it was actually a good look and the right play to take that shot.
There are a lot of legit criticisms of Oubre in his brief tenure with the Warriors, I just don't really think these are good ones.
Finally got a top comment! I can go back to more lurking and quick quips.
Yes! I liked Jeff Dowtin A LOT in summer league in Sacramento, he might be a very nice surprise. Still on Chriss fir 15th spot, butI wouldn’t mind keeping it open for any unforeseen opportunity.