Poor Hawks. With their loss to Utah tonight, they're now the 13 seed in the East. And the team with the best record that we have faced is....Memphis at 6-4.
Question for consideration: is the emergence of Gary Paton II a threat to the playing time of Andrew Wiggins? As I looked over the final stats to yesterday's game, I noticed that Wiggs only played 26 minutes, certainly below what I would expect from a non-Looney starter in a tough game against the Hawks. In the Dubs system, the main role of Wiggs is to play tough D, cut to the basket, and hit the open threes. Apparently those are also the strengths of GPII, who does them all with greater energy (albeit less height) than Wiggs. If GPII can keep it up, are we looking at a reduced role for Wiggs over time, particularly given that Andre can play some D against the big scary guys such as LBJ, Giannis, etc?
This is gonna be super unpopular right now, but I was thinking about what it would look like if we went all-in on trades right now? Obviously, I'm not considering KAT, Beal, Dame, Brown available. And while I might like Simmons more than others, I'm just not sure I want to throw that big a wrench in the works.
So what would semi-realistic all-in trades look like? And then we can chat about whether they would do them.
GSW gets: Jonas Valanciunas
NOP gets: Wiseman, Looney
Looney is the obvious hole we could upgrade. Jonas also has 3 years left on his deal, isn't crazy expensive and is 29. It doesn't seem unrealistic that he'll be better than Wiseman throughout Wiseman's rookie deal and team control is actually the same. He also helps one of the Warriors biggest weaknesses with offensive rebounding. He can shoot enough that he could fit with Dray better than Looney. Of course, come playoffs, he might get played off the court and our best lineups will always have Dray at C. And for those Wiseman believers, you almost certainly are not gonna have a top 5 center with Jonas. You still might conceivably with Wiseman. Even as a hater, it's still possible. There is also the opportunity cost. Doing this means you might not end up with enough chips to go after a KAT. Or you could no longer target Christian Wood or Myles Turner/Sabonis.
GSW gets: Harrison Barnes, Buddy Hield
SAC gets: Kuminga, Wiggins
I think this one is a little bit harder to justify than the Jonas one. You are getting two rotation players this year who are still in their late 20s and you have club control of for 1.5+ more years. Barnes is definitely more of a 3/4 vs Wiggins who is a 2/3. But Buddy is perfect Klay insurance and, if there's one thing I believe in today's NBA, it's that shooting is additive. Plus, I think Barnes is just a better player than Wiggins. I think lowkey that Wiggins, while I appreciate his effort, is just not that good. And Barnes is taking a mini-leap the last couple years. Get the old gang back together with a better bench. The 2015-2016 Warriors would be back with Jonas in the Bogut role, Iggy much older. But a much, much better bench. Poole, Hield, Lee, OPJ, NB? Plus GPII, Moody, Iguodala, JTA?
But after all that, I got to thinking. How on Earth do you get enough minutes for all these guys? I really, really like Beli and OPJ and want them playing more minutes. Poole, Lee, GPII all deserve the minutes they're getting. And really you're trading away 29 Wiggins minutes and 15 Looney minutes this season. Jonas plays 33 minutes, Harrison is playing 37 (!), Hield is playing 29. And on top of that, there's Klay? It's just too many mouths to feed. I think that team would be really, really good for the next 3 years. But, shockingly (to myself), I'm just not sure I would do it. And color me surprised to say that.
I stand by my hate for both the Wiseman and Kuminga picks, but this team's depth does offer such a strange opportunity. Can the Warriors develop them since there aren't really minutes to offer beyond spot minutes? It's really the question that will determine the Dubs' next 5 years. Alright, hate away.
Was reading some comments from ATL fans on a message board and came across a tweet from a reporter asking ATL head coach Nate McMillan a question about why Delon Wright wasn't getting more minutes. Answer "because Lou [Williams] is". Question: what does Delon have to do to get more minutes? Answer "be patient".
So, how long do you think it will take for the NBA rumor mill to start putting out some trash trade proposal involving Wiseman, JK, Moody, GP2, and/or Wiggins for someone like Bradley Beal? Or Ben Simmons? Or Harrison Barnes (though I doubt even the Kings would be dumb enough to think the Warriors would go for that one)?
I mean, you gotta push the chips to the middle anytime you can, right? Because that’s what “winners” do, isn’t it? Can’t have people think we’re WASTING CURRYS PRIME, after all…
Watching the E1P, I'm thinking: Sure, we all love to laugh ha-ha at opponents for not defending Steph, ha-ha. But really, what is one defender supposed to do? Whether that defender is Huerter, or I dunno, Kawhi Leonard, or Scottie Pippen -- if Steph is making his moves decisively, he always has the advantage. It's like fans celebrating ankle-breaking moves. I feel for the defender. Somehow it became the Thing to crow in triumph over the guy on the floor, but if you're going one way fast and try to quickly go the other way, sometimes you fall down. It's physics.
So I'm celebrating Steph but not ready to cackle at the defenders. Because it's worth pointing out, as the E1P does: being able to shoot a 3 accurately is nice. But being able inside-out dribble, crossover, hesi, behind the back, avoid a second defender, maybe draw a foul, and still get the shot off accurately in .4 seconds is the most lethal attack of anyone, ever.
Watching Nuggets players laugh and celebrate from the bench after Jokic brutal cheap shot from behind on Morris makes me doubly appreciate being a Warriors fan
Anyone else surprised by the reaction to Jokic's retaliation on Morris? I guess I'm going off the Heat's announcers, so probably the tone is being set by some irredeemable homers who actually said Morris "bumped" Jokic... to me it looked like Morris was mad about a no call seconds before and then ran straight into Jokic and threw an elbow into him for good measure. You do that kind of stuff out of frustration when your team's losing, that's got to be at least a flagrant one. And then of course, Morris turned his back after the cheap shot... opening himself up to being knocked over from behind.
Obviously Jokic deserves whatever short suspension for retaliating, but Morris *clearly* started this, and that kind of foul has nothing to do with basketball... the definition of a flagrant. (There's wrapping a guy up or grabbing them for a take foul, but RUNNING into someone and throwing an elbow is clearly meant to harm and not take a foul, even if the aggressor bounces off the guy they're going at.)
SC30 now has the highest plus-minus this season at +123. In second place we have... Nemanja Bjelica at +105. Overall, there are five Warriors in the top 15.
In 9/10 games played and in all of their 9 wins, the Warriors have out-rebounded the opposition. That includes games in which they out-rebounded 3 teams that rebound in the top 10 so far this season: the #6 (Hawks), #7 (Thunder), and #9 (Lakers). I seem to remember a lot of preseason hand-wringing about this team's rebounding...still keeping that same energy?
Poor Hawks. With their loss to Utah tonight, they're now the 13 seed in the East. And the team with the best record that we have faced is....Memphis at 6-4.
Watching that video - it’s pretty impressive how quickly this team is hitting a groove. Almost like they had a better off season camp than last year!
Question for consideration: is the emergence of Gary Paton II a threat to the playing time of Andrew Wiggins? As I looked over the final stats to yesterday's game, I noticed that Wiggs only played 26 minutes, certainly below what I would expect from a non-Looney starter in a tough game against the Hawks. In the Dubs system, the main role of Wiggs is to play tough D, cut to the basket, and hit the open threes. Apparently those are also the strengths of GPII, who does them all with greater energy (albeit less height) than Wiggs. If GPII can keep it up, are we looking at a reduced role for Wiggs over time, particularly given that Andre can play some D against the big scary guys such as LBJ, Giannis, etc?
OT: Off days suck.
Prediction: Curry passes Ray Allen on Dec 8 at home with Draymond feeding him and Lillard on the floor watching. What say you?
Pretty cool article from friend-of-the-program Joe Viray with a video breakdown of the defensive side of the 2nd-half turnaround: https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2021/11/9/22771659/warriors-hawks-steph-curry-trae-young-kevon-looney-andrew-wiggins-gary-payton-ii-film-breakdown
tl;dr the Dubs used the box-and-1 on Trae and he was even more flummoxed than Steph at how to handle it.
This is gonna be super unpopular right now, but I was thinking about what it would look like if we went all-in on trades right now? Obviously, I'm not considering KAT, Beal, Dame, Brown available. And while I might like Simmons more than others, I'm just not sure I want to throw that big a wrench in the works.
So what would semi-realistic all-in trades look like? And then we can chat about whether they would do them.
GSW gets: Jonas Valanciunas
NOP gets: Wiseman, Looney
Looney is the obvious hole we could upgrade. Jonas also has 3 years left on his deal, isn't crazy expensive and is 29. It doesn't seem unrealistic that he'll be better than Wiseman throughout Wiseman's rookie deal and team control is actually the same. He also helps one of the Warriors biggest weaknesses with offensive rebounding. He can shoot enough that he could fit with Dray better than Looney. Of course, come playoffs, he might get played off the court and our best lineups will always have Dray at C. And for those Wiseman believers, you almost certainly are not gonna have a top 5 center with Jonas. You still might conceivably with Wiseman. Even as a hater, it's still possible. There is also the opportunity cost. Doing this means you might not end up with enough chips to go after a KAT. Or you could no longer target Christian Wood or Myles Turner/Sabonis.
GSW gets: Harrison Barnes, Buddy Hield
SAC gets: Kuminga, Wiggins
I think this one is a little bit harder to justify than the Jonas one. You are getting two rotation players this year who are still in their late 20s and you have club control of for 1.5+ more years. Barnes is definitely more of a 3/4 vs Wiggins who is a 2/3. But Buddy is perfect Klay insurance and, if there's one thing I believe in today's NBA, it's that shooting is additive. Plus, I think Barnes is just a better player than Wiggins. I think lowkey that Wiggins, while I appreciate his effort, is just not that good. And Barnes is taking a mini-leap the last couple years. Get the old gang back together with a better bench. The 2015-2016 Warriors would be back with Jonas in the Bogut role, Iggy much older. But a much, much better bench. Poole, Hield, Lee, OPJ, NB? Plus GPII, Moody, Iguodala, JTA?
But after all that, I got to thinking. How on Earth do you get enough minutes for all these guys? I really, really like Beli and OPJ and want them playing more minutes. Poole, Lee, GPII all deserve the minutes they're getting. And really you're trading away 29 Wiggins minutes and 15 Looney minutes this season. Jonas plays 33 minutes, Harrison is playing 37 (!), Hield is playing 29. And on top of that, there's Klay? It's just too many mouths to feed. I think that team would be really, really good for the next 3 years. But, shockingly (to myself), I'm just not sure I would do it. And color me surprised to say that.
I stand by my hate for both the Wiseman and Kuminga picks, but this team's depth does offer such a strange opportunity. Can the Warriors develop them since there aren't really minutes to offer beyond spot minutes? It's really the question that will determine the Dubs' next 5 years. Alright, hate away.
Favorite play of the game was GP2 doing a Tyson Chandler impression and outjumping 6'10 Gallinari to tap the ball out to the Warrior on the perimeter
Was reading some comments from ATL fans on a message board and came across a tweet from a reporter asking ATL head coach Nate McMillan a question about why Delon Wright wasn't getting more minutes. Answer "because Lou [Williams] is". Question: what does Delon have to do to get more minutes? Answer "be patient".
Like, what kind of garbage answer is that? Yikes.
So, how long do you think it will take for the NBA rumor mill to start putting out some trash trade proposal involving Wiseman, JK, Moody, GP2, and/or Wiggins for someone like Bradley Beal? Or Ben Simmons? Or Harrison Barnes (though I doubt even the Kings would be dumb enough to think the Warriors would go for that one)?
I mean, you gotta push the chips to the middle anytime you can, right? Because that’s what “winners” do, isn’t it? Can’t have people think we’re WASTING CURRYS PRIME, after all…
Watching the E1P, I'm thinking: Sure, we all love to laugh ha-ha at opponents for not defending Steph, ha-ha. But really, what is one defender supposed to do? Whether that defender is Huerter, or I dunno, Kawhi Leonard, or Scottie Pippen -- if Steph is making his moves decisively, he always has the advantage. It's like fans celebrating ankle-breaking moves. I feel for the defender. Somehow it became the Thing to crow in triumph over the guy on the floor, but if you're going one way fast and try to quickly go the other way, sometimes you fall down. It's physics.
So I'm celebrating Steph but not ready to cackle at the defenders. Because it's worth pointing out, as the E1P does: being able to shoot a 3 accurately is nice. But being able inside-out dribble, crossover, hesi, behind the back, avoid a second defender, maybe draw a foul, and still get the shot off accurately in .4 seconds is the most lethal attack of anyone, ever.
Watching Nuggets players laugh and celebrate from the bench after Jokic brutal cheap shot from behind on Morris makes me doubly appreciate being a Warriors fan
Anyone else surprised by the reaction to Jokic's retaliation on Morris? I guess I'm going off the Heat's announcers, so probably the tone is being set by some irredeemable homers who actually said Morris "bumped" Jokic... to me it looked like Morris was mad about a no call seconds before and then ran straight into Jokic and threw an elbow into him for good measure. You do that kind of stuff out of frustration when your team's losing, that's got to be at least a flagrant one. And then of course, Morris turned his back after the cheap shot... opening himself up to being knocked over from behind.
Obviously Jokic deserves whatever short suspension for retaliating, but Morris *clearly* started this, and that kind of foul has nothing to do with basketball... the definition of a flagrant. (There's wrapping a guy up or grabbing them for a take foul, but RUNNING into someone and throwing an elbow is clearly meant to harm and not take a foul, even if the aggressor bounces off the guy they're going at.)
SC30 now has the highest plus-minus this season at +123. In second place we have... Nemanja Bjelica at +105. Overall, there are five Warriors in the top 15.
Source: https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/nba-top-plus-minus-2022
Does anyone else check the nbs standings recently and just mumble "as it should be" to themselves or is that just me?
In 9/10 games played and in all of their 9 wins, the Warriors have out-rebounded the opposition. That includes games in which they out-rebounded 3 teams that rebound in the top 10 so far this season: the #6 (Hawks), #7 (Thunder), and #9 (Lakers). I seem to remember a lot of preseason hand-wringing about this team's rebounding...still keeping that same energy?