63 Comments

The GP2 signing is head-scratching. Firstly, a defensive specialist guard is about as useful as Draymond's shooting ability, and secondly, we simply do not have the spacing to add another non-shooter into the team. He also is not some prospect you can conceivably develop - he's 28 and is what he is. Could've just kept Wanamaker who had some semblance of a shot at least if you really believe that defensive guard is a team need. Shabazz Napier is also available if you want a guard who actually can help you win games this year (or GR3 as a win-now wing). Then you have guys like Ryan Taylor on your G-League team who could also contribute. Or you could get a random 22-23 year old interesting prospect and see what you get from them (Heat got Duncan Robinson as he had crazy college shooting numbers). Of course, you could also convert JTA to a long-term deal as you probably should sometime this season or next off-season.

Obviously, it matters very little from a macro perspective but it does raise further doubts on this Front Office's talent evaluation (and also raises questions on whether they understand what their team needs) abilities.

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> raise further doubts on this Front Office's talent evaluation

🤯 What's the big deal? It's a 10-day risk-free trial. We lost depth at backup PG... especially defensively... so why not test this out? If we add somebody like Napier he'd cut into Poole's minutes, no?

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When decision-making processes and/or heuristics seem to wrong, it is concerning. Ramifications may be small (like this) or large (say Wiseman over LaMelo), but the processes have to be good.

I don't agree with adding Napier but at least there's a reasonable explanation.

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Giving a 10 day to the G league DPOY when we have to add a player to meet the minimum seems fine to me. Maybe dial back the hyperbole a bit?

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Whether or not whoever awards those G-League awards was stupid enough to give it to a guard matters very little. The facts remain the same - he's an atrocious fit for an already shooting starved roster and he's 28 in a developmental season. Apart from which, players of his type have very little value unless they're in 4 out or at the very least 3 out offenses filled with offensive talent (even then you should get a defensive specialist wing rather than a guard).

And we have better candidates already on the roster and on SCW.

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We don’t have better candidates already on the roster because we need someone not on the roster. And it’s just a 10 day flyer. The fact you keep missing that while castigating our FO makes me pretty uninterested in your opinion here. Feel fed to keep gnashing your teeth.

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They have JTA and Mannion already on the roster who could be converted to full contracts (they're on 2 way contracts right now).

I acknowledge it's nearly irrelevant from a macro perspective. I do not think it is encouraging that this is the guy they get even for a flyer (for the reasons I outlined above). This particular signing is not important, however, it does give some insight into the front office's thinking.

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My understanding was JTA and Mannion already count. Could be wrong about that.

In any case, fair enough. I do think we need a backup point with better defense than Mannion, but a D and no 3 does seem an odd fit. Will be interesting to see how they do (or don’t) use him. Maybe he’s a practice player to get Mannion some better experience going against strong defensive PGs.

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Reading Connor"s article just made me feel so frustrated for Wiseman and the weight on his shoulders, but also makes me admire him even more for just staying focused and committed to greatness.

Also the comparison to LaMelo is ridiculous. LaMelo learned from his older brothers what to do and what not to do to stay focused on building a career, plus he was already playing professionally for what, 3 years? Freddy's right, the kid's gonna be just fine, and he's gonna get it sooner than we all think.

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Yo, I actually listened to an interview with GP2 and god dammit he's already become an instant favorite for me. I'm rooting for this dude.

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Sorry, I was going to ask a question, but I answered it myself.

Another thing I've been pondering for a while. To my eye, it looks like Juan Toscano-Anderson is a really savvy player who does a lot of little things at a high level, defends above his size (similar to Draymond), and has a limited but not inefficient offensive skillset. But the Warriors' record has not been so great when he plays big minutes. (6-9 in games where he's played at least 20 minutes, 10-6 in games where he DNP.)

After digging into the data, I think that's just a consequence of the fit and circumstance—i.e. he's essentially Draymond's backup, so if he's playing big minutes it's because Draymond is out. In the games where he's played big minutes, he pretty consistently has a higher +/- than the team as a whole. But, to temper the excitement for Our Guy Juan, we have to remember that for all the little things he does well, we shouldn't turning a blind eye to the big things he doesn't do well (like, you know, scoring).

Reading the advanced stats, BPM thinks he's a quality defender (Dray >> JTA > Baze > Looney >> everyone else) and his offense is bad; RAPTOR agrees (Dray = Baze > JTA > Oubre > everyone else >> Poole). Both those and VORP think he's slightly positive overall. Weirdly, Win Shares actually thinks he's one of the best guys on the team. PER rates him a fair bit below league average but not way in the cellar with certain guys. Pretty much every advanced stat there is puts Juanito about 5th-7th on the team in net impact.

Actually, I was surprised at how consistent the advanced stats are with one another. Steph is our best player, followed by Draymond, followed by a grab bag of Baze/Looney/Lee/JTA/Wiggins and sometimes Poole. Everyone else (notably, including Oubre) is weighing the team down. I wonder how much that's just because they're largely derived from the same box score stats in the end, or if that's just because they're right.

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BPM is a dangerous stat to follow because it doesn't track substitution patterns.

For instances, starters may have lower BPM because of facing the opponents starters. Also, a starter might just have a bad backup.

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Well some people think I’m biased... (waits for laughter to die down) ... but Our Guy Juanito has already surpassed what I hoped for him.

We agree that he is a mini-Dray for hustle and savvy and team quarterbacking.

He’s shooting a stupendous 43.8% from 3 this year on 1.4 threes a game. I don’t expect him to keep that up, but even 35% would keep him on the court. His handle isn’t great, so if he can stop that except in emergency, that should improve his efficiency. His finishing isn’t that great either but he has to take those shots so, maybe he’ll improve or try dunking more.

His defense is quite good guarding 1-3, he is adequate guarding 4 and he fights like a dog guarding 5s but there are not many Drays out there who are smalls guarding big 5s.

He also lets Steve Kerr take him for granted and bench him so other players who need the playing time to showcase and/or feel fulfilled can be run out there. And he takes it without complaint plus or minus snapping at Kawakami.

So I think he is going to have an increasing role on the team. If the team ends up dumping him or alienating him, that will be the first really serious malpractice I’ve seen this year. All the other stuff around scheme and rotations and non-trades, I don’t necessarily agree with, but I understand the logic.

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Kerr do be disrespecting looney and jta lol

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And by increasing, I mean next year. I think the rest of this year is unpredictable with Oubre in a contract year, developing JW, not-tanking wink, trying to sneak into the playoffs.

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Oubre vs. JTA is an interesting comparison, especially when you look at what it’ll cost to keep them. Oubre’s going to cost $100 million and JTA would cost what, $5m in tax and penalties?

I guess Oubre’s seen as the higher ceiling guy with the pedigree of drafted vs undrafted, but what has Oubre done to show us he’s better than JTA, and vice versa? JTA just seems like a winner, as you say.

Maybe the Warriors aren’t playing him to stash him 🤷‍♂️ Kerr called him a mini-Draymond, which seems like high praise (although it ignores that he shoots 42% from 3.

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Apr 8, 2021Liked by Daniel Hardee

Most of the time I hold back from jumping in on "Hot Takes", but all the talk about Wiseman grinds my gears. The kid is exactly what I thought he would be right now- 7 feet (yup), Athletic (yup), Defense like a cat chasing a laser pointer (yup). What I did not expect was that he would have so much heart when he struggled. I did not expect everyone who has ever picked up a basketball to feel it was their God given duty to offer him advice. I did not expect him to contract Covid, get injuries, forget to submit daily piss tests, and whatever other obstacles he has had to face.

I will say this, I wanted Halliburton from the beginning, but was very happy to get James. I am not backing from that, even though Halli looks like who I thought he would be (never once have I wanted LaMelo). I have a strong feeling James, if he continues to battle and be open to criticism, he will be a top tier big man. I just wish people would give him time and space.

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Freddy, that's just how I feel. I said repeatedly when we discussed the draft here that if we wanted a wing/guard I liked Haliburton (we had plenty of company at LGW in that view), and if we wanted a big, I was for Wiseman. I still feel that way about both of them. I am right there with you about Wiseman being what we thought he would be at this point and about his potential. I really like The Kid, and I firmly believe he is worth waiting for.

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Yeah, I wanted Hali or Okongwu if we could trade down and get another asset. Since I don’t know what offers were out there, I’m perfectly happy with him and look forward to watching him develop. I still think “elite” is well within his reach after going back and looking at guys like AD, KG, Giannis and even The Admiral.

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Of course the Admiral was 24 and both physically and mentally mature when he came into the league. He was a Naval Academy grad and had two years of active duty in the Navy and was an all star his first year in the league. So it's hard to make that comparison.

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I think it's more of wanting the FO to put our team in a better position to win then the actual dislike of james ( outside of his postups) so we take our anger out on him lol

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One part of Wiseman's game that I already think is extremely high level is his fashion. I love what he's got going on there.

And yeah, gosh, he has so much to work on, but there are a lot of encouraging signs. I think early in the season we saw a some brilliant moments and got excited about those while figuring the other stuff would improve quickly; now we're seeing just how far below passable NBA level the rest of that stuff is and how much work it'll take to get there.

So, question for Apricot & other regulars, do you think Wiseman is a net-negative (in terms of on-off, etc.) for the rest of this season? Maybe even next season? And is that something that gradually unlocks, or is it something where if the right bit clicks into place then suddenly the rest of his weaknesses are less pressing?

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I think if Wiseman has a shot at net-positive because we’re playing a god awfully weak schedule and at our best, we are a bit above average. But I would be okay with net-neutral and even slightly net-negative. He was really pretty negative for most of the season. I still like the kid, I’m just talking about results.

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I’d have to believe he could be net neutral to start next season.

He started the season with a post-high school resume of three college games, a bunch of trainers building up his measurables for the draft and two Warriors practices.

Next year he’ll begin with his rookie year under his belt. He’ll have an off-season to work in skills he now knows he needs (instead of just being told). He’ll get stronger from working out and being a year older. He’ll have summer league, mini camp, training camp and a pre-season, none of which he had this year. And all of this will be under the Warriors’ (and I guess KD’s) watchful eye and direction.

If he’s as coachable and dedicated as everyone keeps insisting, a pretty huge step forward seems entirely plausible.

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One of the plays that the Bucks ran early in the 1st quarter might be effective for the Warriors with Wiseman. The Warriors defense was spread out but not quite set and Middleton was bringing he ball up with Lopez on the strong side defended by Wiseman. Middleton pitch the ball to Lopez, then used him to pick off Wiggins. Lopez handed the ball back as he went by, Wiseman was a little late to react, Green was too far away to help, and the result was an easy bucket. The problems with the Warriors running something lie that are probably that Wiseman's hands are not good enough and if the defense isn't afraid of the shooters, it isn't that spread out. Worth trying once though.

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GSW has run that kind of play, DHO into a rip screen, often with a counter of the fake handoff. Tends to be more of a loop around the big. I think Wiseman does do dribble handoffs on the perimeter, and that’s an ok use of him in the simplified Wiseman offense.

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I think that only works if your center doesn't realize they should cut off the cutter going to the basket as well as center they're guarding (even if they have to cheat off the center a bit). I wonder how many centers in the league that fools? I guess if the bucks are running it now it must be working for them some of the time, or they were targeting Wiseman.

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That Letourneau article has an interesting vid in there re: how the photographer had to work around NBA covid protocols to get those pics of Wiseman in his apartment.

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Apr 8, 2021Liked by punk basketball, Daniel Hardee

Additional question: Does Connor Letourneau think he’ll get more clicks by including a portrait of Daniel Hardee in his tweet?

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Apr 8, 2021Liked by Daniel Hardee

I guess the hair isn’t perfectly coiffed like Our Man Dan, but the chinstrap is spot on.

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😂😅 Lmao I gotta change my look now

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Lots of little Warriors news today!

-that KD and Dray podcast

-Rick Welts retiring

-Dubs bringing in Gary Payton junior (probably won't play, minimum roster numbers needed after salary dumps of Chriss and Wanamaker

-fans back in Chase soon (at 35%)

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“Little Warriors news” that doesn’t include the Curry kids? Psh

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Hey Dubs - I googled the link to the podcast, but why not add it in your post? ("first world problem"; old man gripe)

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Here's the link: https://apple.co/3dKgMix

(and I was just killing time while waiting for my vaccine shot, was just chatting so I didn't drop links. We will have all those for you in tomorrow's preview though, for sure!)

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Apr 8, 2021Liked by punk basketball

I had my first dose (Moderna) yesterday and about 3 hours later had a really bad reaction. Severe nausea (blew chunks), fever/flop sweat and lightheaded to the point where I basically passed out. (Full disclosure: I had also taken a bong rip, so I don’t know if that exacerbated things.)

That said, I don’t regret getting the shot; I just hope dose #2 is less of an ordeal.

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That was your first dose?! I felt fine after dose 1 other than shoulder soreness, just got second today and heard it sucks, flu-like symptoms. I'll let you know how it goes.

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Apr 9, 2021Liked by punk basketball

I got J&J almost two weeks ago. I had no reaction at all, but my wife had low grade fever that evening and then basically slept half of the next day.

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Full disclosure: that's just good, holistic medicine, imho

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Apr 8, 2021Liked by punk basketball

How’d yours go?

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Mostly ok. My hands and head got a little tingly, so I laid down and binged that Invincible show on Amazon.

Arm is starting to get a little sore but I'm feeling good as I sit down now to write the preview for tomorrow! Mostly, I'm just extremely pumped to be stepping towards the door on this Covid shit. I'm ready to go see some music

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1. I heard dose #2 is typically worse

2. Chemical cocktail in your bloodstream/digestive system will ALWAYS have unintended side effects ;-)

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The 2nd shot is better for protecting against variants and they also don't know if having one shot rather than two makes the immunity last less time. There's no reason to only get 1 shot.

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I mean having both shots is better for variants not that the second shot is specifically better

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That’s a really good point. Gonna send my doctor a note right now! 🙏

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I've had a couple of friends who had similarly bad symptoms and go their second ones and did okay. So don't give up, talk to the doc if you have doubts.

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Apr 8, 2021Liked by punk basketball

Now that I think about it, I really want that 2nd dose to be “fully vaccinated” and be able to travel attend events, etc and not have to worry about it, especially if I might have to provide proof.

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Blech, not too soon, I hope... I'd much rather wait a month now than extend the pandemic...

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April 23rd vs. Nuggs is first game with fans, not too bad. But the spring break bump may just coincide with that :-(

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Oh yeah, plus the Warriors suck and nobody should want to go see them anyways. #reversejinx

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Bosh 2525 😂😂😂😂😂

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Apr 8, 2021Liked by Daniel Hardee

Yeah, I'm going to need to start taking vitamins or sumpin' in order to see his prime.

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Apr 8, 2021Liked by punk basketball

... but if we can also extend Steph's prime that long....

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Apr 8, 2021Liked by Daniel Hardee

The idea has to be that Wiseman, Player X, and Wiggins take over as Steph, Klay, and Draymond wind down... though I really don't see how they are going to both stay competitive and get out of the lux tax long enough to reset the repeater penalty...

I'd also say that Steph's skillset is something that should translate to a longer prime. His shot is still going to be deadly at 36, and his craftiness, touch, and stamina aren't going away either, I don't think.

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Steph's game should age fairly well, but his (currently superhuman) stamina will fade as he gets older, so probably less off-ball action. If anything, his defensive ability will probably be the critical liability in his old-man game. Right now, he's an average or maybe slightly plus defender due to core strength and mostly good principles/mindset, offset by occasional mental lapses like over-helping or unwise reaching, and of course his below-NBA-average height/wingspan. If he can continue to improve his consistency on the mental stuff, it might offset the inevitable decrease in reaction speed and quickness for his on-ball defense.

But the real probably is, of course, that the older a player gets, the more injury-prone they are, and Steph's already not the most durable guy in the league.

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Apr 8, 2021Liked by Daniel Hardee

What about at age 536? 😉

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He's just going to stand in the corner and launch 3's.

The far corner, 93 feet....

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(it's the vitamins, ya know....)

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