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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
Additional question: Does Connor Letourneau think he’ll get more clicks by including a portrait of Daniel Hardee in his tweet?
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%)
Bosh 2525 😂😂😂😂😂