Dub Nation HQ Comments of Week, plus open thread
Dub Nation HQ Comments of Week, plus open thread
Helpful hint: Every commenter’s name is a link that leads back to the original comment.
Helpful hint: Every commenter’s name is a link that leads back to the original comment.
2023 Warriors Training Camp opens tomorrow… (mostly about Andre’s return)…
The champs begin their defense of the crown
belilaugh (18 ♡):
I'm fucking thrilled that Iguodala is back, and also that he made it clear that this is his last season so I know to savor every minute that a franchise legend has left on the court.
stopnpop (14 ♡):
Emphasis is mine.
> As Iguodala hinted, he spent much of the summer ***leaning toward retirement***, but a strong push from Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Steve Kerr and Bob Myers in recent weeks lured him back to help defend the crown.
> “I’m letting you know now, Steph, ***this the last one***,” Iguodala said.
-----
> stopnpop
> Sep 21
>
> I think Andre really wants to retire but will be convinced to run with Steph one more time. Andre returns for one more year.
Sleepy Freud (14 ♡):
Evergreen…
Nom De Sab (11 ♡):
Nate Duncan
@NateDuncanNBA
With Rob Williams now out 8-12 weeks for what appears to be a major surgery instead of a "cleanup," it certainly appears that the idea he couldn't make it any worse by playing on it during the playoffs was......not correct.
AttilaTheHun (8 ♡):
Another great medical decision from the franchise that played Isaiah Thomas with a hip injury and damaged his career.
Alas Phood Fight (11 ♡):
I wouldn't worry about him stealing minutes. He is on the team for one reason. He is Mother Hen. There are just too many young guys on the team and it is too much to ask the main guys (Curry, Klay, Dray, Wiggs, Loon, Poole) to babysit, teach, nurse wounds, encourage, etc. The main guys are focused on winning. DDV and JmGreen are rentals playing for a future payday. Wiseman, JK, Moody, PBJ, Reading Railroad Rollins and LQ on a 2-way compose 38% of what looks like a 14-man roster + 2. That is 6 puppies on a 16 man squad. They all need a mentor. Besides, Kerr and Meyers probably want this more than anyone as Andre is one of 4 or 5 people in the world that can call Draymond out when needed. Andre has one of the best minds in the game, and a complete mind that has something to contribute in all aspects of the game, both on the floor and off. He is gonna worth every dime of salary and tax.
Trogdor (11 ♡):
Not so bold prediction:
This is going to be a frustrating but fun regular season.
The bench is extremely talented, but extremely but extremely green. They will have some moments where they look like the next great group of NBA players and some games they lose for us (or force the old guys to take over and win) because of boneheaded play.
Because of growing pains, we're not going to see the team start to really come into its own until toward the end of the regular season, just in time for a strong playoff run.
I just hope both the fans and the organization have the patience to "trust the process" and let the young uns get the necessary reps in during the regular season to be valuable assets in the playoffs.
Both the "win with the vets" crowd and the "focus on the future" crowd will be very frustrated by how things unfold and feel justified in their position by the results.
stopnpop (10 ♡):
And I just read your link above... Andre said:
> “I’m looking forward to playing, but I am on Kuminga, Moses Moody,” Iguodala said. “I am on the young fellas and I’m letting them know if I get on this court, you ain’t doing something right. No way you should allow me to get on the court.”
Nom De Sab (10 ♡):
Trogdor (10 ♡):
Yeah, I mean, they are all good players. I think Giannis ahead of him is very understandable, and no qualms there.
Jokic is the two time reigning MVP, but Steph did just essentially play him off the court in the playoffs. I see him as a great regular season player, but I'm waiting for evidence that he can be a difference maker in the playoffs.
Luka???? Yeah, he's a good player, but I feel ESPN is really trying to push him as the next face of the league. He still needs another year or two.
I really like Embiid... one of my favorite players since he came into the league... but when you play at a position that is becoming borderline obsolete you just can't be ranked above the player who essentially singlehandedly made your position obsolete, especially when you have yet to sniff an MVP trophy or even a conference championship.
Sleepy Freud (10 ♡):
Whiners gonna whine, right? All four championship seasons were rife with cranky fans on the internetz moaning about this or that, while often failing to appreciate the here and now.
Heck, I’m old enough to remember fans on this site who were concerned late last season that our Dubs might fall into a play-in and miss the playoffs altogether. Just before the playoffs, there was a dude on GSoM advocating a full blow-up, cos zero chance of a deep playoff run, lol.
Maybe this is the year they finally put up the requisite 98-0 season that will satisfy all of us? 😊
Goofus (9 ♡):
Age 39 season deserves a new nickname. I nominate “IgOLDala” or “Iggy Pops”.
Trogdor (9 ♡):
Sure it is. Let me demonstrate:
*clears throat*
Rooting for the Warriors in the Cohan era:
"WAAAARRRRIORSSS. WAAARRRRIOORRSSS. WAAAARRRIORS."
Rooting for the Warriors this year:
"WAAAARRIORSSS. WAAAARRIORRSSS. WAARRRIORS."
See??? Almost identical.
stopnpop (8 ♡):
"Stealing" isn't the right word though. If 68 yr-old Andre the Geriatric plays well enough to consistently get minutes over Moody/JK, well then those young guys better be paying attention.
Trogdor (8 ♡):
To respond:
1. Price tag - if Lacob is fine paying it, then whatever. It's not like it's stopping us from getting someone else this year.
2. Mid-season pickup - We can still do that. If there's someone worth getting at the mid-season point it will most likely be for a pro-rated vet-min. If it looks like that person will be a key piece in a championship run, I don't doubt we'd get them.
3. Stealing minutes - I seriously doubt it. Maybe in some games, but across the entire season I don't think he'll play all that much. He's here to be a bench presence, and that's likely where he'll be the vast majority of the time. If we get 5-10 minutes out of him a game then I think it's a win.
4. Playoffs - he wasn't a difference maker in the playoffs last year, and we didn't need him to be. I do think he can potentially be used situationally. If his bench presence is worth what the FO says it is, then the playoffs is when he'll be MOST important in that role.
Overall I've been fairly apathetic about Iguodala staying or retiring, but now that he's back it's time to embrace him for another title run.
The new team motto for this year: Win another one for Andre's thumb!
Alas Phood Fight (8 ♡):
There we go. Welcome back Andre. In Andre's own words:
" I guess to get right to it, my thumb feels pretty naked now without a ring."
Eric Apricot (8 ♡):
Andre's pod announcing his return
Chasing Rings... (7 ♡):
It has been 532 days since Wiseman's injury. I think because we have seen so little of him it feels longer than Klay's comeback. Shout out to anyone else who is in recovery in whatever capacity that is... You will always be worth it.
DFiB (7 ♡):
Kinda hard NOT to juxtapose the Warriors' recent offseason announcements with the Celtics':
Warriors:
That young guy with a knee injury (Wiseman)? He's worked all offseason and he's ready to go! Those injured new guys we signed (PBJ, Rollins), they're fully ready for training camp! That old guy who spent a bunch of time on the bench (Iguodala)? He's coming back!
Celtics:
That young guy with a knee injury (Williams III)? Yeah... he needs surgery, gonna be out a while. That healthy new guy we signed (Gallo), he's injured and gonna miss the season. That old guy who spent a bunch of time on the bench (Udoka)? He's suspended (and probably fired)...
Nom De Sab (7 ♡):
GSWCBA
@gswcba
·
23m
Andre Iguodala's veteran minimum is worth $2,905,851 with a cap/tax hit of $1,836,090. He will become an unrestricted free agent in 2023 with early bird rights.
The Warriors training camp roster is now full with 14 guaranteed contracts, 2 two-ways, and 4 training camp invites.
Goldarn Staid Worrier (7 ♡):
You guys are a bunch of sentimental fools. Ok ok I love Andre too!
Plus
Dilly (18 ♡):
Totally OT: I use the name Dilly for my cat Dill who is 7 1/2 now. [His pic is my avatar.] He appeared in my world after I had spinal surgery when he was about 6 wks old. Chasing after a small kitten [that bonded with me immediately after I coaxed him out from under my car] was about all I could do at that point. He gave me joy & a reason to keep on going. He used one of his 9 lives yesterday [down to 6 now] after, apparently, getting into a fight with an interloper the night before. Defending his territory, he received multiple wounds on his legs [right was the worst] & belly. We made a flying trip to the vet yesterday morning, he spent the night and is now ready to go home. I called this morning to ask how he was doing & the response was: "He's pissed off to be in a cage." Sounded like good news to me.
The Warriors and Draymond Green need each other…
Draymond Green preview/review: can his body hold up?
Five Alarm Freddy (13 ♡):
Hell of a "I'm Back!" article Duby.
Nothing gets me more excited than an opportunity to gush over Draymond Green. Yes, his shooting form is like he is giving a piggy back ride to Oliver Miller. Yes his body at some point is going to completely give out due to him taking on guys twice his size. Yes he seems to have taken his filter and thrown it into the Saginaw River.
You could go on and on... but, the reality in my opinion is that Draymond is a basketball savant. Draymond is everything to this team and everything to this teams future. Like that tweet mentions above, what Draymond can do in chaos is shear brilliance. What he can do in real time, I can't even figure out watching in super slow-motion replays.
I wish he was given more respect, but then again I think it is what drives him. I love the guy... ok, enough gushing....
GlueAndBold (13 ♡):
“Very few players have better recognition and awareness in chaos”
That’s it right there. Steph is a master at creating chaos and weaving order from it. Clearly Dray is a big part of how that works. There is a mutualistic symbiotic relationship in that regard.
Duby Dub Dubs (11 ♡):
Yup, remember how lost the offense felt when Dray missed the beginning of the season two years ago? Sure, some of that was starting Wiseman, but there were just so many passes and actions that guys like Oubre and Baze simply were not capable of seeing and hitting.
I think that the Splash Bros being so... splashy... (sorry) actually clouds what the real core of this team is. While Klay and Steph are super lethal as a duo, I'm definitely willing to hear arguments about how Dray has been Steph's most critically important teammate. At some point, who cares, right? But it's certainly interesting fodder for offseason blog talk.
Myers touches on it a little bit, but Dray is absolutely essential to this championship core.
Duby Dub Dubs (9 ♡):
Kerr on Dray today!
> @markhaynesnba
Steve Kerr on teams around the NBA playing bigger:
“I like it. I like when teams zig when everybody else is zagging. I think it's smart. I think our advantage has always been Draymond Green. He gives us the flexibility to play big or small.”
Truckeeman (8 ♡):
Writing about Draymond's contributions and intangibles can be summarized: he's a winner. He would be a very annoying team-mate, because he allows himself to be vulnerable (to being disliked) by calling things as he sees them - for the good of the team. But the NBA isn't grade school. Draymond cares intensely about winning, and players/coaches who recognize this set aside their defensiveness in order to get better. One aspect of this attitude is the willingness to admit one's own contributions to team failure. Like anyone, Draymond doesn't like this, but I believe he's able to accept responsibility for his mistakes. Draymond Green is a winner.
belilaugh (7 ♡):
I expect Draymond will be the second best Warrior this season as per usual. The decline will happen eventually, but I'll have to see he's not #2 on the Warriors first to believe it.
Hashemite Kingdom (7 ♡):
You nailed it, G & B.
Once again, I will remind everyone here that Steph's "slump" last year coincided with the months that Draymond was off the court. So was it really a slump, or was it that Steph was missing the exquisite screens and passes that Draymond sets for Steph?
Dray enables Steph.
hammystyle (6 ♡):
29 mpg last year, but more like 31 in Oct-Dec prior to getting hurt. Can they get that number down to 24-25...22?
I wouldn't add onto Looney's minutes. That 20 mpg had him fresh and extremely effective in the playoffs.
That's a great spot to give Wiseman and Kuminga more minutes.
For a historical comp: Completely different players/positions but similar importance in terms of talent and heart/culture. Manu for the Spurs was an All-Star 30mpg player in his age 33 season. The next year they dropped him to 23 mpg where he was at the next four seasons. Those four seasons included one Western Conference Finals, two Finals, and one title where he was still a playoff rotation guy.
Ilikefoodtrucks (5 ♡):
From a fellow gusher, probably not news here but Thinking BB did video declaring Draymond "the best defender of his era".
Gush, gush, gush.
EDIT: bonus: "Steph Curry and Draymond Green are an all-time duo"
Irrationally optimistic (5 ♡):
I hope the Warriors brain trust isn't baking on Wisemans availability this season. That seems like a poor way to spend what should hopefully be a more relaxing/celebratory/stress reducing activity.
NVRMND, maybe they are baking....
Offero (4 ♡):
Here is another interesting post from SIS on Advantages Prevented. Compare Dray to the other leaders. Even though he has the fewest opportunities, he still have the 2nd highest advantages prevented. If my math is right, if you extrapolate his prevention rate to the same number of opportunities as Thybulle, his advantages prevented is 8.18. Put another way Thybulle's prevention rate per opportunity is .114, while Dray's is .143. Not that you can guarantee that more opportunities will always net the corresponding number of additional preventions, but it is clear to me that he is in a class of his own.
mDuo13 (4 ♡):
One of the replies accurately summarizes the list as a who's-who of the players who are most underrated because their impact is only on the defensive end.
Which makes sense, because defense is about making something *not* happen, and you can't see something that didn't happen. (If you're paying attention, you might notice when something could have happened but then didn't, which is why the "eye test" helps with this!)
Open thread: So... last guesses on Andre's…
I have no idea
Nom De Sab (23 ♡):
Anthony Slater
@anthonyVslater
·
19m
The Warriors expect everyone healthy and ready for their first practice on Saturday, per Steve Kerr. No restrictions on Ryan Rollins or Patrick Baldwin Jr., the rookies who dealt with issues over the summer. First full training camp for James Wiseman.
Eric Apricot (14 ♡):
Starting to listen to The TK Show with Kerr…
First thing that jumps out is Kerr refutes SAS report that Kuminga has attitude/work ethic problem, saying he’s done everything they wanted all summer.
Nom De Sab (11 ♡):
Shams Charania
@ShamsCharania
·
28m
Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner Robert Sarver announces that he has started the process to sell both franchises.
Abaddon (10 ♡):
I am laughing… at Nets fans.
stopnpop (9 ♡):
> [Jordan Poole is] much stronger and more athletic than I think people realize, even maybe more than he realizes, so can he become a two-way guy like Klay Thompson? That’s his next step.
-----
Some stuff that wasn't in the printed transcript that I thought was interesting. Some of it we probably already assumed but it's the first time I'm hearing it from a coach.
* Tracking data on players, and its indications of player fatigue, heavily influences how they practice.
* Before season starts, the team assesses potential load of each player throughout the season and then identifies games that make sense to sit out.
* Hiring of Klay's brother to staff is part of league-wide trend of hiring coaches who are capable of playing pickup so teams have extra bodies for pickup/practice.
* Kerr envisions Kuminga being a player who you can give the ball to on the elbow and create his own shot (like Kawhi or PG) but obviously still has a ways to go.
* Kenny Atkinson is "JK's guy"... works very closely with JK
* Raja Bell, who played for the Suns, on his own experience with Sarver: never witnessed anything racist but definitely "tactless" moments and "off-color things"; Bell says this isn't uncommon behavior amongst NBA owners (note: he was not defending Sarver, just giving his own thoughts)
* Kerr: within a couple weeks of being GM, knew he didn't want to be GM and wanted to be a coach. GM role is like being given a blank canvas and you have to go paint something with an infinite number of moves versus being coach is like being given puzzle pieces and figuring out how to best piece them together.
* Kerr: xmas day against Suns felt like the game where they felt they could do something special
* Will try to be more calculated in Steph's minutes this year
* Kerr: "JTA is my guy"
Goldarn Staid Worrier (9 ♡):
This is an awesome quote from Kerr about Wiseman: “The biggest thing for James is he has the capability to be a really dominant defender with his size and speed, but it takes a ton of reps, so we’re going to be asking him to defend, and run the floor, and be that lob threat.”
Trogdor (8 ♡):
Lol, let's just put it this way: Wiggins contributed much more to the Warriors last year than Kyrie did you the Nets.
Nom De Sab (7 ♡):
Anthony Slater
@anthonyVslater
·
2m
Bob Myers said the Warriors will meet with Jordan Poole's representation to discuss a possible contract extension after the upcoming Tokyo trip. So early October. It'll be the first substantial negotiations between the sides.
alicat (7 ♡):
Wrong! Andre, if he does come back, with be like a fancy vintage car that people do drive. I had a 1964 Mercedes 4 door sedan with all leather seats, wood paneling, four on the column - I called it my land yacht. If you drove that car you got a sense what a passenger transport vehicle was meant to be. Andre can supply all that finesse and all that knowledge of the other players and coaches too!
Goofus (7 ♡):
Since I want my vote in the poll to count more: #IHAVENOIDEA
Goldarn Staid Worrier (6 ♡):
Robert Williams has another scope on his knee, out for at least 4-6 weeks.
They rushed him back last season and he was neither effective nor healthy. And probably re-injured himself in the process. I hope they have long enough memories to bring him back when he’s fully healed, not when they wish he is.
Duby Dub Dubs (12 ♡):
It was so weird watching him play in the Finals. Kawhi-like levels of limping and looking busted combined with flashes of crazy athleticism. Hopefully they didn't run his knees into permanent trouble!
Iconic Warriors Dunk Tournament: #5 Barnes on…
Prediction: Black Falcon will win
Goofus (11 ♡):
Funniest thing I’ve seen all day. What it’s like guarding Steph: https://www.reddit.com/r/warriors/comments/xgu0vd/guarding_steph_be_like/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Night Night (5 ♡):
Comically oversized hint: it's the team that gave us Wiggins and Kuminga.
The three top-25 players?
Gobert, Towns and Anthony Edwards (newly ranked in the top-25 for next season).
Canela (4 ♡):
Just wanted you to know that we really, really like all this, but we get so involved in watching the dunks and reading and writing comments that we forget to press that little heart button at the top. You should at least consider every vote and comment as a like...
mDuo13 (4 ♡):
I love the comment who says, "Now you know why it's called Chase Center"
achiappanza (4 ♡):
I just enjoyed playing all the "Locked On Celtics" podcasts for the Finals. First of all, it's enjoyable because the host (with decent media credentials) really makes no bones about being a Celtics fan... none of this "I just root for good stories" stuff until after the ending. It kind of goes like this:
+ Game 1: "Only three more wins and the Celtics are champions!"
+ Game 2: "I don't know about those refs."
+ Game 3: "Only two more wins and the Celtics are champions!"
+ Game 4: "The Celtics need to forget about the refs and focus on playing."
+ Game 5: "I think I can string enough what-ifs together to put them right back in this one."
+ Game 6: "Ah well, good season. Nobody expected them to even be here."
He hit on that last one a lot. Never mentioned that nobody expected the Warriors to be there either.
Good schadenfreude listen. Joe Bob sez "Check it out!"
Dynasty Drafts: the Warriors vs the rest…
Finishing off the series
GlueAndBold (17 ♡):
Eric, I just want to thank you for pouring your passion into this site. You are single-handedly responsible for a significant portion of my love for basketball and more specifically, basketball analysis.
Eric Apricot (8 ♡):
❤️
Comments like this make it all worthwhile
Abaddon (13 ♡):
Great series! Obviously a lot of work went into researching this, thank you.
Now every time I hear someone bloviating about the “historic cap spike that unfairly let the Warriors sign Kevin Durant” I can counter with the historically bad trade that allowed the Lakers to draft James Worthy #1 and was SO bad the NBA had to institute a new rule to prevent it ever happening again,
Truckeeman (10 ♡):
You need more "likes." This was a LOT of work. Nice job.
John Butler (5 ♡):
I wonder if the one and done drafting eligibility of college kids, and now the G league specials like Moody and JFK actually make it easier for a good player to slip into the later picks in round one. I get that the lottery picks offer players/teams with a high percentage of good results. The later picks are always going to be a mixed bag, but as I said, I wonder if there are more hidden gems later in the draft because the players are so young and inexperianced.
Goofus (4 ♡):
[On Andre] He’s probably more concerned about making DNHQ’s HWFL, and probably the only reason he’s coming back.
TwoRingTest (3 ♡):
Here here ... I was going to write something like this closer to the beginning of the season.
Thanks for keeping us all semi-sane during the offseason (more semi than sane in my case). I can't believe how much work you put into it in what amounts to the silly season for basketball. Much appreciated.
invo.k.shen (3 ♡):
This was really fun. It really shows how hard it is to draft someone late, who becomes effective enough fast enough to contribute to your current run. Your dynastic core really needs to last 3-4+ seasons for the players to mature...
I guess all the critiques are always hindsight 20/20-type critiques, where there is an "obvious" answer of who the best player was drafted after #20, but only after the fact.
Chasing Rings... (3 ♡):
Sat down this morning to enjoy a light DNHQ snack with my morning coffee... Instead I get treated to a 3 star Michelin dining experience!
TL;DR Re Drafting: Ay caramba, truly the 1980s were Amateur Hour in the NBA, except amateur hour lasted a whole decade.
DubPHan (3 ♡):
Very fun recap, giving credit where it is due. I really enjoyed the commentary on Andrew Toney. I lived in Boston at the time, and Toney was *the* Celtics-killer. He would just rip their hearts out single-handedly with his unstoppable scoring, time after time. It was truly sad to see his career decline and end too early.
https://twitter.com/JDumasReports/status/1574593737241468928
More Baldwin video. Also some Pat Spencer video. I feel like he's pretty much an afterthought when people discuss McClung and Williams for a roster spot but I don't know, neither of those guys have ever been the GOAT at a fairly popular sport.
2 minute video of Baldwin shooting...and also not knowing how to do push ups (or perhaps just cheating).
https://twitter.com/JDumasReports/status/1574536432605007873