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The difference between Kerr and Shanahan was made very clear today. Kerr recognizes his strengths and weaknesses or at least does not deny them when they become apparent and works on changing them. First year coach with a win now roster? Fuck it, go get me Alvin Gentry. I've spent my whole coaching career with a championship favorite and now I'm being tasked on developing high lottery picks and my first stab at doing that sucked? Fuck it, go get me Atkinson, Milojevic, and Mahlelala.

Shanahan either does not recognize his weaknesses (which certainly includes young QB development) or does not care to improve on them. People throw out the word "stubborn" for Kerr a lot which is laughable to me, but if you gave that label to Shanahan I would not object.

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Isn't one of Shanahan's strengths supposed to be QB development? But aside from development, I think his problem is thinking that it is an acceptable long-term strategy for QBs to do designed runs. Maybe it works for one guy like Lamar Jackson. Or maybe he will soon suffer the same. But I would think after RG3 he would learn, you can't really rely on it. Yes it is awesome to have that option, but if you do designed runs you will probably end up with a hurt QB (think how many times RB are hurt either briefly or for a long stretch). The prototype that has had more success is the scrambler, ie Mahomes or Wilson or even Rodgers. It's useful to be fast and make a play out of nothing. But in those cases, you can also usually run out of bounds or slide to avoid hits. Shanahan was just using Lance as a RB out there, similar to how RG3 was used, and if that doesn't change his career may be of similar length.

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I was too mad to be careful with my words but you're right, I actually meant "young mobile QB development" and had RG3 and Lance in mind. Shanahan's comfort zone appears to be Kirk Cousins type QBs, I wish he would bring in an offensive coordinator who knows how to work with a QB who can run and never use Lance like he used Lance on Sunday again because that was disgusting to me.

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Could be. Football coaching specialties are definitely out of my wheelhouse. I thought the allure of Kyle was that he made Schaub, RG3, Cousins, Ryan all look better than expected. But maybe that was more play calling than development, I don't think I'm qualified to discern the difference.

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Congrats to Bo Cruz! I still wish we’d take a flyer on him. Maybe if Andre retires…

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Looks like the Trey Lance era is over.

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Trey Lance is the 49ers James Wiseman.

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deletedSep 18, 2022·edited Sep 18, 2022
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Sep 19, 2022·edited Sep 19, 2022

Talking more how Lance will be in year 3, but he's still basically a rookie.

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Feel bad for him, and don't wish him to be hurt, but it will be very interesting if Jimmy-G steps in and leads them deep into the playoffs... Again.

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It sucks for Lance, but the reality is that it probably gives the Niners a better chance this year. If they feel like they need a running quarterback they can always give Colin Kaepernick's agent a call.

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> the reality is that it probably gives the Niners a better chance this year.

I don't even think that's true, I think Lance is probably better than Garoppolo once he gets a few weeks to settle in and get some reps.

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Contract year Jimmy

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Yep, I'm guessing a torn ACL but don't know for sure. They carted him off.

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deletedSep 18, 2022·edited Sep 18, 2022
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Pandya is good at this!

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I can't tell if this is real news or not, via RealGM aggregating Marc Stein:

**

The Golden State Warriors expect Andre Iguodala to return for one more season in 2022-23. Iguodala intends to announce his decision on his podcast with Evan Turner in the next week or so.

Iguodala played 19.4 minutes per game over 31 regular season games last season. The veteran forward averaged 4.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in his 18th season.

The Warriors prize Iguodala for his veteran leadership. Despite battling injuries last season, Iguodala's presence helped Golden State through some rough patches during the season, including in the playoffs.

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/268653/Warriors-Expect-Andre-Iguodala-To-Play-One-More-Season

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Great news if true!

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Sep 18, 2022·edited Sep 18, 2022

Can we do a poll to see what DNHQ thinks he will do?

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Do folks think Andre is going to get into the HoF? Did last season help or hinder his chances? What about another season?

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I think any season he plays and ends in a ring will help his case. I do think it will be close though. When trying to find similar player resumes, there are a couple somewhat recent guys in each end. Horace Grant is not in the HOF, and similarly has 4 rings and 1 all-star. He is probably a really close comp to Andre. Though Andre has a FMVP, and I think maybe only one FMVP didn't make the HOF (though it was awhile ago I looked into it so I might be remembering wrong), so that is definitely a wildcard. The guy on the other end who did make the HOF, I would say is Manu, with 4 rings and 2 All-stars. But Manu has the improbable gold medal, and international stats that might help his case. I think if Iguodala plays another year and gets another ring, that will push him over the edge. As-is, I am hopeful but maybe would put it at a slight underdog.

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I have zero opinion about this, but BBRef thinks Andre has about a 13% chance of getting in.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/hof_prob.html

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He’s probably more concerned about making DNHQ’s HWFL, and probably the only reason he’s coming back.

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I seriously doubt he'll get in the HOF. Only a single all-star appearance is going to make it very difficult. It's only happened five times total and only once in the past 30 years (Vlade Divac).

Andre has a lot of unique factors working for him, but I just don't think he has enough of the traditional metrics to woo over the voters. He may go down as one of the best players to not make the HOF.

That's okay... He can laugh himself to sleep with all of his rings and FMVP trophy to comfort him.

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Sep 18, 2022·edited Sep 18, 2022

That Finals MVP miiiiight squeek him in early, but yea it'll likely take a while to get in

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Hopefully, but I don't think gold metals really mean all that much for HOF voters, tbh. Lots of non-hof gold metal guys.

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I hope it is true. Yes he is old and creaky, but the public support from the folks who brought the Dubs four chips has been very strong, which makes me believe he is really wanted. The FO says they want him. The coach says it over and over. the players say it over and over. Steph said to Andre at the players awards - "give me one more year". My trust for this group plus my love for Andre makes me happy if this happens. I hope it true.

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Sep 18, 2022·edited Sep 18, 2022

I put the Stein quote on the open thread, but I’ll repost it here. It’s a little more ambiguous:

According to NBA reporter Marc Stein: "The only certainty regarding Iguodala's plans for the coming season is that he intends to announce his play-or-retire decision at age 38 on his weekly podcast with Evan Turner. The Warriors, I’m told, do expect Iguodala to play for one more season but are prepared for any outcome and are also open to bringing the 18-year veteran back on his timetable."

Link: https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/10049358-warriors-rumors-andre-iguodala-return-expected-by-gsw-amid-retirement-buzz.amp.html

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"The Warriors, I’m told, do expect Iguodala to play for one more season but are prepared for any outcome and are also open to bringing the 18-year veteran back on his timetable."

This sounds like a significant shift in what we knew. Messaging prior to this was that the Dubs wanted him back, but didn't know if he would be back (see Myers' podcast with TK).

Now, what we don't know is if Andre actually informed the Dubs about a shift, or whether simply that someone in the Dubs shifted messaging with or without front office approval. IOW, maybe the Dubs always expected him back, but official messaging was decided to be: "We don't know if he'll be back but we want him back." In that case, Stein may just have had a source that told him the truth without anything substantively changing.

So the only thing we know is that the Stein's source presented him with a slight shift in messaging, not whether Andre has informed the Dubs of anything or that the Dubs FO have shifted their expectations.

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Sep 18, 2022Liked by Eric Apricot

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.

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Sep 18, 2022Liked by Eric Apricot

Ditto, too.

Your E1P vids were some of my first entries into basketball video analysis aside from TNT talking heads, and they really opened my eyes and have ignited a passion for the game that I never had before.

Thank you.

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Sep 18, 2022·edited Sep 18, 2022Liked by Eric Apricot

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.

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❤️

Comments like this make it all worthwhile

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Too late to tank for Victor?

https://mobile.twitter.com/Sam_Vecenie/status/1571279838920740864

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I just can't see that body holding up for long in the NBA.

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To me, he seems less twiggy than Chet, and more likely to fill out into more of a Durant like physique.

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Praying the Spurs get him. They need a decent prospect to build around, plus he needs a whole lot more polish. I like his chances of reaching his ceiling in that organization

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I really hope they don't, personally. SA have already been blessed with a generational superstar in the last two decades. Let another team and fanbase have a chance at glory.

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I like this idea. Perhaps my thinking is influenced by the Legend of Tim Duncan.

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We're one week out from training camp and still haven't heard from Iguodala yet. I get giving him all the time he needs, but at some point some decisions need to be made on both ends!

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He can wait until game 1 of the regular season as far as I'm concerned. The Warriors have a bunch of interesting guys to evaluate before then. If Iguodala ultimately decides that his heart (and knees and back and neck) isn't up to it, maybe it just signals the beginning of the Trevion Williams Warriors dynasty.

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Sep 18, 2022·edited Sep 18, 2022

My mind temporarily blanked out after reading "We're one week out from training camp..."

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I honestly doubt he has. He might be wanting to take as long as possible to see how his body responds to the workouts leading up to camp

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Sep 17, 2022Liked by Eric Apricot

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.

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This is a big if, but if JK turns out to be a superstar which he has the potential to do, you could possibly chalk up his fall to the Dubs at #7 on the draft as a result of this. There's a very good argument to be made that if he had allowed his career to proceed like other prospects, finishing 4 years of HG, then attending a single year in a top college program like KS or Duke, he would've put up much better stats, and could've gone #1 in the last draft over Paolo.

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Moody wasn’t a G-Leage special. He played for our old friend Mussellman at Arkansas

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You are correct, my bad

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I think there's just a deeper pool of NBA talent, period. The popularity of basketball both domestically and internationally has greatly grown over the past few decades. Players taken at the end of the first round may have been lottery picks not too long ago.

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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.

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Sep 17, 2022Liked by Eric Apricot

You need more "likes." This was a LOT of work. Nice job.

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Sep 17, 2022Liked by Eric Apricot

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.

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Sep 17, 2022Liked by Eric Apricot

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.

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Sep 17, 2022·edited Sep 17, 2022Liked by Eric Apricot

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,

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Meanwhile, the leagues doesn't instill the Gilbert Arenas rule until AFTER it screws the Dubs

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Yeah… all signs pointed to it being a pretty bad injury…

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Wow

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FYI this article aggregates the same Marc Stein bit that my link below aggregates… So I would say so far no news…

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deletedSep 18, 2022·edited Sep 18, 2022
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Spain wins!

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Juancho with his best Splash Brother impersonation with 6/7 from three with 2 min to go in the first half.

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20:30 Berlin time / CET, should be 11:30 PST

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How are y'all watching, if you don't mind me asking?

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You'll need a VPN to get a German IP, but then https://www.magentasport.de/ works. Pick the stream player of Germany vs Poland / bronze metal game - this one is for free, is still on air and is showing the Finals right now.

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Thanks

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