Remarkable pitch height in the fan screams for the post-game interview to PBJ, indicating a peak preference for the kid in the crazy-teenage-girls entourage. Has anyone else noticed? IMHO he's going all Dubs' Justin Timberlake.
Regarding general prononciation difficulty with DDV name (I know Italian language can be a PITA, it is so for us as well, I assure you), the 'z' in the end sounds like the 'ts' in 'what's up', rather than the 'z' in 'zoo'. If you keep open the 'o' in Donte, just like the 'ou' in 'rough', you're about as perfect. Che meraviglia!
Lol, truly superb from our Eye-talian Linguistics Advisor...Man, this site has EVERYTHING. Just stay away from PITA bread....EVERYONE knows PITA-Greek, even Italians...
I just read in the Chron that PBJ and Rollins went back to SC for the next couple of games. So I guess we won't see them vs the Blazers. There was no mention of Wiseman so I assume he'll play here.
Ja Morant scored only 19 points on 9/19 FGs, but he had a career-high 17 assists against the Raptors tonight. Raptors should've known that Ja who is looking to pass is more dangerous than Ja looking to score.
"I think he is one of the best defensive players of all time" (after he gives props for his offense). I'm with Timpf when he says it is sad that even some warriors fans don't see how great Draymond is. starts at 7:16
Yeah, got beat by Derrick White in late shot clock 1:1 situation for an And 1… I bet some of it is rust and working himself back into game shape, tho… he’s got 5 months, just like Klay had last year.
Playoff roster question? I'm taking Ty over Lamb. There isn't anyone else on the roster that can do what he does, in case you are going to go to Rollins, and he seems to be the guy buried deepest on the bench, just under Andre's cryo-chamber. I think Lamb can be replicated in various ways with JK & Moody, even PBJ or JMG. Lamb's rise to fame has more to do with Kerr's unwillingness to dish out minutes to the young guys after falling down coming out of the gate. If there are any injuries to Curry-Poole-DDV, we are seriously F'ed in the ball handling department. If we are just filling the 15th spot, I think this is an easy call.
I don't think there is anyone who is doing what Anthony Lamb is right now.
All the little things (rebound, screen, defend) he does on the court seem to get overlooked. He also moves the ball and/or shoots the open 3 quickly and decisively. The team especially seems to benefit from his hustle plays which keep the other players' energy going. I think the coaches see this and realize no one else can really replicate that dynamic.
This is not to say that the Warriors don't need Ty Jerome's ball handling and steady play!
Just that I see Lamb under appreciated for the intangibles he brings to a basketball team.
I agree. I wanted Moody in the draft, and there are still things I like about him, but he is too passive. He doesn't go out and get it done the way we just saw PBJ do, for instance, not to mention high-energy Kuminga or JP (who is so fired up he makes dumb mistakes and needs to turn it down a notch). The OGs need to light a fire under Moody and give him permission to take chances, just as Draymond told PBJ to shoot the ball last night. Moody is smart enough to make it work and be a contributing rotation player. But right now he's getting the minutes he has earned, which isn't much.
Kuminga's actual in-game decisions have been SO much smarter lately than they were last season or even earlier this one. Drive, kick, fake... he was just hoisting bad shots before. Now he's using his moves to create an advantage but passing and trying again if it doesn't get him a quality shot—and still putting up the shot if the clock is low!
The combination of athleticism, footwork, and, dare I say, BBIQ—is making him a multi-level threat on offense. Also, his on-ball defense has gotten so good it's literally warping the Warriors defensive schemes to allow for more of it. Crazy.
I'm still shocked as to how the Warriors gave up only 13 points in the 4th quarter to the Jazz. They gave up 27 points in the 4th quarter to the Hornets who are #30 in offensive efficiency, but they only gave up 13 points in the 4th quarter to the Jazz who are #5 in offensive efficiency.
I was going to respond to the playoff roster question re: Lamb and Ty below, but then realized I had just sidestepped the question and written a different post altogether. So here's the post.
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7 roster questions that need answering before the trade deadline of Feb 9th.
--------------------------
With the recent development of the second timeline, Bob needs to see what the team looks like once Steph and Wiggs are healthy and playing. My suspicion is that he will definitely move Lamb to the 15th spot once his 50 games are up, and then sit tight until Feb 9. As for buyouts and trades, here are the questions that need to be answered before the trade deadline on Feb 9 so that Bob can figure out his next steps:
(1) Do the Dubs need a 4th ball handler for the playoffs once Curry, DDV, and Poole are healthy?
If not, there is little to no need to sign Ty to the playoff roster. Last season they survived with Curry, Poole, Andre, and Chiozza. DDV is taking up GP2's slot, but he's acting like 3rd string PG(Andre's role when he was healthy early in the year and Cheese's role later in the year). Will Kerr need a 4th string PG in the playoffs? He didn't use Cheese in the playoffs last year. Also, what's up with Andre? (see question 6). It's doubtful Kerr will want a 4th string ballhandler this year, but if injuries linger, he may want one.
(2) Once everyone is healthy, does JMG even have a place on this team anymore? Is he a better backup 5 than Wiseman?
He certainly has the potential to be more of an outside threat, but he hasn't shown it so far this season (.265 from 3P). He has more experience and savvy than James, but he also makes plenty of boneheaded mistakes and causes miscommunications. There's good reason to believe that by the time JMG is back, JW is a strong enough backup that JMG is superfluous. If so, Bob may scan the buyout market for additional muscle or shooting down the stretch and release/trade JMG, but maybe it would just be Ty's spot if they need a fourth ballhandler.
(3a) Is any shooter they can get via buyout or trade better than PBJ or MM?
From a pure shooting perspective, maybe not. From an experience perspective, obviously, yes. What about BBIQ? Once Wiggs and Steph are healthy, is there even enough room for another shooter on this team? Would that shooter take Moody's role? And if so, would he be an upgrade over MM? Is PBJ an upgrade over MM (doubtful)?
(3b) Here's another take on the above question: Is PBJ among the best 5 shooters on the team?
PBJ is shooting 45% this year and Moody is shooting 40% this year. If Kerr needs to make a lineup of 5 3pt shooters to tie or win a game, who would they be? Steph/Klay/Wiggs/Poole, and ?? Moody would be my guess, leaving PBJ on the bench. Most likely PBJ is their 6th best shooter, and will continue to earn spot minutes in games down the stretch, especially on back to backs. But once rotations tighten for the playoffs, he will be glued to the bench.
(4) Are their defensive woes (Esp. on the road) solved once Wiggs is healthy? Does the emergence of JK as a defensive POA stopper in tandem with Wiggs fix their problems? Can they get enough from the backup 5 spot defensively from JW or even JMG?
It's certainly starting to feel like JK is taking on GP2's role as POA stopper. It definitely feels like this is what Kerr and Bob want from him this season, and Dray and the vets, as well. He has been embracing this role and excelling, and it feels like he could end up having the same type of playoff presence as GP2 and his amazing +/-. As for the 5, it's a trickier business, as both JW and JMG have been inconsistent, to put it lightly. With Dray and Loon the Dubs have two amazing defensive bigs, and the question is can one of JW or JMG be adequate enough for the playoffs. Basically, can they do an imitation of Otto/Bjeli's defense this year? If not, this may be the biggest remaining need on a healthy Warriors' team. A defensive minded big that can rotate out to contest 3's as well as protect the paint. JK can pick up the slack here at least a little bit, as well, since he has the size to defend all but the biggest of wings and centers (Giannis and bigger). But the truth is Bjeli was a defensive liability in last years' playoffs. The rest of the team overcame that weakness to dominate, regardless. That's all they need from JW or JMG. Otto was probably average at defense, and I think JMG's inability to be that has definitely cost the Warriors so far this season.
(5) Will there be any significant injuries before the trade deadline?
Obviously any significant injury to the top 8 players in the rotation that would take that player out of the playoffs would create a significant hole in the rotation. Would Bob even be able to find anything on the trade/buyout to help shore up the team?
(6) Will Andre ever play again? And if he does, will he play well?
The Andre the Dubs had at the beginning of last season was amazing and would be a great asset come playoff time, but Andre was gone for most of the rest of the season and barely moved the needle in the playoffs. So if he can play well, and he's playoff ready, those are minutes that won't be needed elsewhere. He becomes your 4th ballhandler and shores up your defense at the same time. But if not, then he's just Udonis Haslem by any other name.
(7) What will Kerr's playoff rotation look like?
I think we've settled on a top 8 that includes JP, DDV, and JK. Who holds spots 9-12? Steve traditionally doesn't use those spots much, but will still give random spot minutes to those guys (Anderson Varejao, anyone?). As of right now, 9-12 is looking like Lamb, MM, JW, and JMG, leaving the two rooks and Andre as DNP candidates.
Ty is great insurance for an injury to one of the ball handlers in the playoffs. That's valuable for a 15th spot. Think the best way forward is cut JMG, sign both Lamb and Ty to the main roster. Ideally neither would play much in the playoffs but you want the option just in case.
Depending on the matchup, I think an otherwise healthy team with one more contributor (read: not 2016-Varejao tier, sorry) could survive a first round playoff series without Steph. They would need the rest of the team to be performing well (better than so far this season from Poole and Klay, but that seems possible in the playoffs). We made it through Portland and Houston in the past despite injuries. It would by no means be a guarantee, though, so having Ty be eligible might very well help in that situation.
Second round would be very, very tough without Steph, but things can be crazy sometimes. There's no way we win the WCF and beyond if Steph is injured though.
Andre playing again, and Andre playing well again are two very different things. I am extremely pessimistic about the latter.
I think a lot of people feel he hasn't slipped much. I think he has. His swipedowns are a tick late, and even his judgment isn't as reliable as before. He's at best as a decent placeholder PG, but asking for great D or rebounding or shooting is risky.
Andre's level of play is a huge question mark for me
one reason I'd love to see him get some run soon, just for him to test out his game condition (while there's still plenty of time left to rest), and for the team to see what he's got in the tank, live action
(I also think the team could use him if he can actually play, now more than any other point in the regular season)
Dre hasn't been much of a shooter in a long time anyway, other than an occasional 3. He has scored opportunistically at the rim when he scored at all. His value on the court in recent years has been as a distributor, defender, and director of traffic (a la Draymond). It's hard to say how much he has slipped since he hasn't played much since earlier last season, when he looked good. But I would not rely on him to do much on the court.
Andre wasn't interested in a coaching job per se, so he takes up roster spot as a (not really) player/coach. BUT he does mentor the kids a lot — Kuminga mentioned recently that he learned a lot from Dre — so I guess a roster spot is the price of that.
Last year, I thought his defense slipped significantly from his previous time with the Dubs.
Plus, 38% from the field, 23%! from 3, 4 points and 3.2 rebounds a game at 19 minutes a game.
He's still a great floor general, but I think the rest of his game is fairly weak now.
Edit: Here's another way to look at it. What skill does Andre bring, that Ty Jerome doesn't do better now? a couple of rebounds a game is all I can think of.
Dec 29, 2022·edited Dec 29, 2022Liked by punk basketball
So .. the roster. Jerome and Lamb are rapidly using up the available games on their two-way deals; and neither is currently eligible for the playoff roster. Which of the following courses of action do people prefer?
1. Status quo — keep ‘em both on two-ways (limiting their reg season availability, and precluding their playoff availability). Use the 15th roster spot to sign another vet.
2. Use the 15th spot to guarantee Jerome, otherwise status quo.
3. Use the 15th spot to guarantee Lamb, otherwise status quo.
4. Sign both, clear a spot by somehow getting rid of Andre.
5. Sign both, clear a spot by somehow getting rid of JMG.
6. Sign both, clear a spot by somehow getting rid of Rollins.
7. Sign both, clear a spot by somehow getting rid of PBJ.
8. Sign both, clear a spot by somehow getting rid of Wiseman.
9. Other (please specify)
I’m leaning #6 right now (with maybe a side helping of #8 if a great deal presents itself) but am curious to hear what others propose.
I'd probably opt for 3 followed closely by 1 depending on the Warriors need and who might be available after the trade deadline. I wouldn't be trading any of the young guys with the possible exception of Rollins if a roster spot is needed for a vet. That said, I'd rather have Jerome, who is an actual NBA player, on the 15 man than Rollins who may or may not be. So maybe my preference is to waive or trade Rollins and get both Jerome and Lamb on the 15 man.
This. I'd lean toward getting rid of JMG, unless he really shows out.
I can toss in a 9 as well. I wish Andre would voluntarily give up his spot by retiring. He could do everything he's doing now, except keeping that roster spot. They could even pay him some extra $$$ to make it happen.
The only options you can't distill into your listed 8 would be trading Moody or the top 8. So I say trade that Curry bum for peanuts and give ty Jerome the space and minutes he deserves!
Now, the question is will the Warriors need to open up a 2nd roster spot, for Jerome or whoever vet comes along the waiver wire?
Which in this case I think will basically come down to #5 then, as JMG just doesn't seem fit for Warriors ball. Either Wiseman/PBJ/both become playable as regular season minutes eaters in the next couple months, or the Warriors will be shopping the waiver wire for a veteran big. Either way, JMG seems like the odd man out if the Warriors need to open up a 2nd roster spot.
I’ve been a bit unclear on a detail of the 2-way contract. Do games played outside of the duration of the G league season count against the 50 game regular season limit? My impression is that they don’t, which would seem to make the 50-game constraint less concerning.
I’m inclined to go with 1/9–wait as long as possible to make a decision, and make it based on who is available on the buy out market and if there are any injuries heading into the playoffs.
Wait, there’s absolutely a concern about them using up their 50 game limit. Lamb has already played 28 games and Jerome has played 20 and there are nearly 50 games left.
From roster construction, I actually think Moody would be the one just out of who's been getting minutes. If you think Moody can replace Lambs minutes, then we'd need to see that soon.
If he can, then 2.
If he can't and you don't get much interest in Moses AND you don't think JMG is contributing by the trade deadline, then probably 5.
The Warriors would get plenty of interest in Moody. He is 20, his eFG and TS are both well above league average, he is hitting nearly 40% of his 3s and he plays acceptable defense. To my eye, his big problem to date, if it is a problem, has been his reluctance to shoot even lightly contested 3s. Moody would be the first wing off the bench on a rebuilding team, he might be the starting shooting guard on the Pistons.
I’m going with 5. I won’t be sad to see JMG go, but would like it best if he were packaged with Jerome for a better backup PG, or with Lamb for a better backup 4/5. But I don’t think either of those are likely, so think straight up 5 is the best option.
Any universe in which we are relying on JMG for anything other than trash time in the post season, is likely to be one with an early playoff departure.
I just can't see Wiseman being moved for essentially nothing. He's shown enough promise to keep around and see what happens.
If you're going to give up on anyone, just give up on Lamb. Chances are there are other players at that level of talent available in G-league/vet minimums next year.
You’re more optimistic than I. I think he’ll be up and down, unreliable as a shooter, not a difference maker on defense more than one out four games, and injured at least once more. Dark thoughts.
If you trade Wiseman (which I wouldn't), presumably you're getting a player back. Unless you're then going to waive that player, you still have essentially the same roster decisions to make, maybe a bit different if the player you got makes Lamb or Jerome dispensable. But then you need to have faith that JMG can replace Wiseman, which at least is debatable. So I am going for #5 and waiving JMG.
I'm not averse to unloading Rollins but I don't think that's happening. And considering many of us have been skeptical of what the FO did in the off season and early season, and we're mostly having to eat crow about that as time goes on (PBJ looking good, DDV contributing, Wiseman starting to develop thanks to time in SC), I will give Myers a pass on Rollins for awhile longer.
Yeah, the Wiseman variant — assuming we wanted to clear a roster spot — would either require (a) trading him into an under-the-cap team’s space for a future pick (which almost certainly isn’t happening); or (b) packaging him and another youngun (likely Rollins or Baldwin) for a vet they like.
I’d strongly consider option B for the right guy, but I also totally get wanting to hang onto him and let him blossom.
Who is this vet, tho? And for a one year rental? Seems quite the opposite of what the FO has done… unless it’s literally KD level guaranteeing a championship, I really don’t see it at all.
Oh no, he very much is. I don't want to unload either lol. I can see them trading Wiseman if he's playing up this year at the right price. Rollins isn't going to have that play, so they wouldn't have that option. Neither are going to be dumped I don't think
Dec 29, 2022·edited Dec 29, 2022Liked by Eric Apricot
PBJ is fascinating. Consensus top-5-or-10 player in the country, could have gone anywhere he wanted. Expected to easily be a lottery pick. Becomes damaged goods within one year at age 19 while injured, playing for his father’s job at a mid-major, with teammates who are charitably described as non-prospects. What a perfect pick… this is exactly who GSW needs to target at the bottom of the 1st.
Both Wiseman and Baldwin had limited tape as prospects for various reasons which probably made them harder to evaluate. Warriors probably overdrafted Wiseman as a result of that issue but also may have benefitted from it with the PBJ pick and getting him well after he should have been taken. The basketball gods giveth and taketh.
It's like back when high schoolers were in the draft and how much extra variance that introduced. You could probably argue that lowering the draft age limit to 18 is an anti-tanking measure, honestly.
There’s always going to be somebody that falls out of favor for an unjustified reason… both in terms of draft prospects and free agents. Next off season we’ll have to replace Andre, DDV, JMG, Jerome, and Lamb. I’ve got faith that our organization has shown they will give end of bench guys real opportunities, and that gives them the opportunity to sign top tier end of bench/2-way guys.
Obj is interesting because he’s so slow let’s say in a couple years when he develops and can play in the playoffs, what position would be best for him? Probably as a stretch 4 guarding smaller bigs? I think kuminga pbj green has a lot of potential if Patrick can become a better rebounder and positional defender like looney
4/5. My hope for him for next year is to meet The bjelica bar. Good team defender, always in the right spots, but slow footed and vulnerable defending in space. He may never be a super successful perimeter defender on switches and that’s ok.
Dec 29, 2022·edited Dec 29, 2022Liked by Eric Apricot
Amazing to see a lineup of PBJ, Lamb, Wiseman, Jerome, and Moody out there together keeping the Dubs in the game in the late 3rd quarter. Very encouraging for the future.
Everyone in that lineup played in Santa Cruz in the last month or is on the Santa Cruz roster officially. The fact that they held up at all against a middle-of-the-standings Western Conference team just goes to show how small the gap is between the NBA and the G-league.
Probably the gap between the top of the NBA (Curry, Jokic) and the middle of the NBA (Dinwiddie, Poeltl) is bigger than the gap from the middle to the top of the G-league.
Could be, but the secret sauce of the Kerr era is that we don't play like anybody else in the league.
It's harder to get guys that fit, and a longer ramp up time, but when they do, they probably are more effective than they would be somewhere else.
It's a big advantage in the regular season, since there is no prep time available for Dubs opponents to prepare. It's of lesser value in the playoffs, because teams have ample time to scheme specifically against us.
We need the new collective bargaining agreement to kick in as soon as possible. It's going to be impossible to keep all this talent (regardless), but any cap increase will help a bunch (until the Old Guard starts retiring).
LMAO...loved your analysis, Eric, particularly the bench synchronized reaction last part....
Remarkable pitch height in the fan screams for the post-game interview to PBJ, indicating a peak preference for the kid in the crazy-teenage-girls entourage. Has anyone else noticed? IMHO he's going all Dubs' Justin Timberlake.
Regarding general prononciation difficulty with DDV name (I know Italian language can be a PITA, it is so for us as well, I assure you), the 'z' in the end sounds like the 'ts' in 'what's up', rather than the 'z' in 'zoo'. If you keep open the 'o' in Donte, just like the 'ou' in 'rough', you're about as perfect. Che meraviglia!
Lol, truly superb from our Eye-talian Linguistics Advisor...Man, this site has EVERYTHING. Just stay away from PITA bread....EVERYONE knows PITA-Greek, even Italians...
I just read in the Chron that PBJ and Rollins went back to SC for the next couple of games. So I guess we won't see them vs the Blazers. There was no mention of Wiseman so I assume he'll play here.
I'd guess JW will play with the big league crew until at least JMG gets back?
That's my guess.
Hope he gets better. It might have been against the knicks, but he recently had his best game as a warrior. I was hoping he turned a page.
Either way, it doesn't matter. Get better JMG!
Also, dilly, I type this with a cat in my lap. I was gone for a few days. it appears I owe her this for abandoning her 🤣
Learn to type one-handed as I have to do. And yes - you did abandon her. You have a lot of making up to do.
On a Mac, the voice control is very capable. Takes a little practice.
“I was really meow impressed with meow meow ow don’t bite where was I I was impressed with Wiseman’s performance meow”
Meant for this to be a reply about JMG below
Ja Morant scored only 19 points on 9/19 FGs, but he had a career-high 17 assists against the Raptors tonight. Raptors should've known that Ja who is looking to pass is more dangerous than Ja looking to score.
Draymond Green’s defensive takeover lifts Warriors past Jazz | Hoops Tonight: https://youtu.be/GYNf8El1W4g
"I think he is one of the best defensive players of all time" (after he gives props for his offense). I'm with Timpf when he says it is sad that even some warriors fans don't see how great Draymond is. starts at 7:16
So, what’s news?
Clippers at full strength are scary. They're giving the Celtics a run for their money.
Clippers lose to Celtics.
I don’t see Kawhi playing with the force he once did. Father Time, and all that.
Yeah, got beat by Derrick White in late shot clock 1:1 situation for an And 1… I bet some of it is rust and working himself back into game shape, tho… he’s got 5 months, just like Klay had last year.
Kawhi is 31, not an old man in the NBA, but he keeps getting hurt.
His legs are like 45 probably
Lol.
Kawhi ain't old, but the rest of him.... age like dog years.
Playoff roster question? I'm taking Ty over Lamb. There isn't anyone else on the roster that can do what he does, in case you are going to go to Rollins, and he seems to be the guy buried deepest on the bench, just under Andre's cryo-chamber. I think Lamb can be replicated in various ways with JK & Moody, even PBJ or JMG. Lamb's rise to fame has more to do with Kerr's unwillingness to dish out minutes to the young guys after falling down coming out of the gate. If there are any injuries to Curry-Poole-DDV, we are seriously F'ed in the ball handling department. If we are just filling the 15th spot, I think this is an easy call.
I don't think there is anyone who is doing what Anthony Lamb is right now.
All the little things (rebound, screen, defend) he does on the court seem to get overlooked. He also moves the ball and/or shoots the open 3 quickly and decisively. The team especially seems to benefit from his hustle plays which keep the other players' energy going. I think the coaches see this and realize no one else can really replicate that dynamic.
This is not to say that the Warriors don't need Ty Jerome's ball handling and steady play!
Just that I see Lamb under appreciated for the intangibles he brings to a basketball team.
I think the return of Wiggins makes Lamb kind of expendable.
This. Lamb is unique on the Warriors in how multi-faceted he is. Fits a lot of lineups well cause he's like the whole team mashed into one player.
The JTA factor for sure
Thats a good point if donte goes down poole doesnt have that second ball handler, kerr needs to start gerting moody more burn then
Ty is much more of a ballhandler than Moody. Recency bias at full tilt, but I'm probably valuing Ty over Moses right now.
I agree. I wanted Moody in the draft, and there are still things I like about him, but he is too passive. He doesn't go out and get it done the way we just saw PBJ do, for instance, not to mention high-energy Kuminga or JP (who is so fired up he makes dumb mistakes and needs to turn it down a notch). The OGs need to light a fire under Moody and give him permission to take chances, just as Draymond told PBJ to shoot the ball last night. Moody is smart enough to make it work and be a contributing rotation player. But right now he's getting the minutes he has earned, which isn't much.
"too passive" = "not being clear about role"
No I don't think so. I think he knows his role. He's just too laid back and needs to be encouraged to go after it hard.
To be clear, I didn't mean what I wrote to be taken as criticism of Moody. I just don't think he's meant for that role.
Okay but you did say you valued Ty over Moses.
It’s time to take Kuminga’s training wheels off. At this point in the season he needs to be allowed to play with freedom.
Seems Kerr is all for this. Consider where kuminga is now and the start of the season.
At the beginning, we had high hopes based on optimism. Now, it's based on in game performance.
Other than steph, dray, and perhaps klay, no dubs will reach their ceiling until the post season. I'm here for it.
Kuminga's actual in-game decisions have been SO much smarter lately than they were last season or even earlier this one. Drive, kick, fake... he was just hoisting bad shots before. Now he's using his moves to create an advantage but passing and trying again if it doesn't get him a quality shot—and still putting up the shot if the clock is low!
The combination of athleticism, footwork, and, dare I say, BBIQ—is making him a multi-level threat on offense. Also, his on-ball defense has gotten so good it's literally warping the Warriors defensive schemes to allow for more of it. Crazy.
This is the hill I will die on this season
I'm still shocked as to how the Warriors gave up only 13 points in the 4th quarter to the Jazz. They gave up 27 points in the 4th quarter to the Hornets who are #30 in offensive efficiency, but they only gave up 13 points in the 4th quarter to the Jazz who are #5 in offensive efficiency.
Some of that was the Jazz just missing shots.
A lot of that was Draymond being on fire
Basketball!
I was going to respond to the playoff roster question re: Lamb and Ty below, but then realized I had just sidestepped the question and written a different post altogether. So here's the post.
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7 roster questions that need answering before the trade deadline of Feb 9th.
--------------------------
With the recent development of the second timeline, Bob needs to see what the team looks like once Steph and Wiggs are healthy and playing. My suspicion is that he will definitely move Lamb to the 15th spot once his 50 games are up, and then sit tight until Feb 9. As for buyouts and trades, here are the questions that need to be answered before the trade deadline on Feb 9 so that Bob can figure out his next steps:
(1) Do the Dubs need a 4th ball handler for the playoffs once Curry, DDV, and Poole are healthy?
If not, there is little to no need to sign Ty to the playoff roster. Last season they survived with Curry, Poole, Andre, and Chiozza. DDV is taking up GP2's slot, but he's acting like 3rd string PG(Andre's role when he was healthy early in the year and Cheese's role later in the year). Will Kerr need a 4th string PG in the playoffs? He didn't use Cheese in the playoffs last year. Also, what's up with Andre? (see question 6). It's doubtful Kerr will want a 4th string ballhandler this year, but if injuries linger, he may want one.
(2) Once everyone is healthy, does JMG even have a place on this team anymore? Is he a better backup 5 than Wiseman?
He certainly has the potential to be more of an outside threat, but he hasn't shown it so far this season (.265 from 3P). He has more experience and savvy than James, but he also makes plenty of boneheaded mistakes and causes miscommunications. There's good reason to believe that by the time JMG is back, JW is a strong enough backup that JMG is superfluous. If so, Bob may scan the buyout market for additional muscle or shooting down the stretch and release/trade JMG, but maybe it would just be Ty's spot if they need a fourth ballhandler.
(3a) Is any shooter they can get via buyout or trade better than PBJ or MM?
From a pure shooting perspective, maybe not. From an experience perspective, obviously, yes. What about BBIQ? Once Wiggs and Steph are healthy, is there even enough room for another shooter on this team? Would that shooter take Moody's role? And if so, would he be an upgrade over MM? Is PBJ an upgrade over MM (doubtful)?
(3b) Here's another take on the above question: Is PBJ among the best 5 shooters on the team?
PBJ is shooting 45% this year and Moody is shooting 40% this year. If Kerr needs to make a lineup of 5 3pt shooters to tie or win a game, who would they be? Steph/Klay/Wiggs/Poole, and ?? Moody would be my guess, leaving PBJ on the bench. Most likely PBJ is their 6th best shooter, and will continue to earn spot minutes in games down the stretch, especially on back to backs. But once rotations tighten for the playoffs, he will be glued to the bench.
(4) Are their defensive woes (Esp. on the road) solved once Wiggs is healthy? Does the emergence of JK as a defensive POA stopper in tandem with Wiggs fix their problems? Can they get enough from the backup 5 spot defensively from JW or even JMG?
It's certainly starting to feel like JK is taking on GP2's role as POA stopper. It definitely feels like this is what Kerr and Bob want from him this season, and Dray and the vets, as well. He has been embracing this role and excelling, and it feels like he could end up having the same type of playoff presence as GP2 and his amazing +/-. As for the 5, it's a trickier business, as both JW and JMG have been inconsistent, to put it lightly. With Dray and Loon the Dubs have two amazing defensive bigs, and the question is can one of JW or JMG be adequate enough for the playoffs. Basically, can they do an imitation of Otto/Bjeli's defense this year? If not, this may be the biggest remaining need on a healthy Warriors' team. A defensive minded big that can rotate out to contest 3's as well as protect the paint. JK can pick up the slack here at least a little bit, as well, since he has the size to defend all but the biggest of wings and centers (Giannis and bigger). But the truth is Bjeli was a defensive liability in last years' playoffs. The rest of the team overcame that weakness to dominate, regardless. That's all they need from JW or JMG. Otto was probably average at defense, and I think JMG's inability to be that has definitely cost the Warriors so far this season.
(5) Will there be any significant injuries before the trade deadline?
Obviously any significant injury to the top 8 players in the rotation that would take that player out of the playoffs would create a significant hole in the rotation. Would Bob even be able to find anything on the trade/buyout to help shore up the team?
(6) Will Andre ever play again? And if he does, will he play well?
The Andre the Dubs had at the beginning of last season was amazing and would be a great asset come playoff time, but Andre was gone for most of the rest of the season and barely moved the needle in the playoffs. So if he can play well, and he's playoff ready, those are minutes that won't be needed elsewhere. He becomes your 4th ballhandler and shores up your defense at the same time. But if not, then he's just Udonis Haslem by any other name.
(7) What will Kerr's playoff rotation look like?
I think we've settled on a top 8 that includes JP, DDV, and JK. Who holds spots 9-12? Steve traditionally doesn't use those spots much, but will still give random spot minutes to those guys (Anderson Varejao, anyone?). As of right now, 9-12 is looking like Lamb, MM, JW, and JMG, leaving the two rooks and Andre as DNP candidates.
Ty is great insurance for an injury to one of the ball handlers in the playoffs. That's valuable for a 15th spot. Think the best way forward is cut JMG, sign both Lamb and Ty to the main roster. Ideally neither would play much in the playoffs but you want the option just in case.
if Steph misses multiple playoff games, we're pretty cooked
so it's mostly just Poole insurance
/ DDV Insurance
Depending on the matchup, I think an otherwise healthy team with one more contributor (read: not 2016-Varejao tier, sorry) could survive a first round playoff series without Steph. They would need the rest of the team to be performing well (better than so far this season from Poole and Klay, but that seems possible in the playoffs). We made it through Portland and Houston in the past despite injuries. It would by no means be a guarantee, though, so having Ty be eligible might very well help in that situation.
Second round would be very, very tough without Steph, but things can be crazy sometimes. There's no way we win the WCF and beyond if Steph is injured though.
Your thesis has received the department chair’s approval to defend.
Andre playing again, and Andre playing well again are two very different things. I am extremely pessimistic about the latter.
I think a lot of people feel he hasn't slipped much. I think he has. His swipedowns are a tick late, and even his judgment isn't as reliable as before. He's at best as a decent placeholder PG, but asking for great D or rebounding or shooting is risky.
Andre's level of play is a huge question mark for me
one reason I'd love to see him get some run soon, just for him to test out his game condition (while there's still plenty of time left to rest), and for the team to see what he's got in the tank, live action
(I also think the team could use him if he can actually play, now more than any other point in the regular season)
Dre hasn't been much of a shooter in a long time anyway, other than an occasional 3. He has scored opportunistically at the rim when he scored at all. His value on the court in recent years has been as a distributor, defender, and director of traffic (a la Draymond). It's hard to say how much he has slipped since he hasn't played much since earlier last season, when he looked good. But I would not rely on him to do much on the court.
Andre wasn't interested in a coaching job per se, so he takes up roster spot as a (not really) player/coach. BUT he does mentor the kids a lot — Kuminga mentioned recently that he learned a lot from Dre — so I guess a roster spot is the price of that.
Was Andre really that bad last season? Because that's all you could be basing that on, right? I feel like I'm missing something.
Last year, I thought his defense slipped significantly from his previous time with the Dubs.
Plus, 38% from the field, 23%! from 3, 4 points and 3.2 rebounds a game at 19 minutes a game.
He's still a great floor general, but I think the rest of his game is fairly weak now.
Edit: Here's another way to look at it. What skill does Andre bring, that Ty Jerome doesn't do better now? a couple of rebounds a game is all I can think of.
Andre's DRtg per 100 possessions last year was 106, same as his career rating.
Ty Jerome's this year is 117, two points above his career average of 115.
In a vacuum, what I just said is meaningless, but I think we can all agree that you are getting far more defense from Andre, even now.
This is fair. I obvioulsy meant the latter. I'll revise.
So .. the roster. Jerome and Lamb are rapidly using up the available games on their two-way deals; and neither is currently eligible for the playoff roster. Which of the following courses of action do people prefer?
1. Status quo — keep ‘em both on two-ways (limiting their reg season availability, and precluding their playoff availability). Use the 15th roster spot to sign another vet.
2. Use the 15th spot to guarantee Jerome, otherwise status quo.
3. Use the 15th spot to guarantee Lamb, otherwise status quo.
4. Sign both, clear a spot by somehow getting rid of Andre.
5. Sign both, clear a spot by somehow getting rid of JMG.
6. Sign both, clear a spot by somehow getting rid of Rollins.
7. Sign both, clear a spot by somehow getting rid of PBJ.
8. Sign both, clear a spot by somehow getting rid of Wiseman.
9. Other (please specify)
I’m leaning #6 right now (with maybe a side helping of #8 if a great deal presents itself) but am curious to hear what others propose.
i'm fine getting rid of: jmg, rollins, lamb
2, 4 or 5 if deemed necessary
5 for sure
Lowkey might want lambs shooting over iggy in the playoffs
No lowkey about it.
Jerome has shown (so far, imho) that he can provide spot playoff minutes. Everything else seems up in the air.
I'd probably opt for 3 followed closely by 1 depending on the Warriors need and who might be available after the trade deadline. I wouldn't be trading any of the young guys with the possible exception of Rollins if a roster spot is needed for a vet. That said, I'd rather have Jerome, who is an actual NBA player, on the 15 man than Rollins who may or may not be. So maybe my preference is to waive or trade Rollins and get both Jerome and Lamb on the 15 man.
#3 once his 50 games is up. Then #9, see my post above.
Either 5 or 6.
This. I'd lean toward getting rid of JMG, unless he really shows out.
I can toss in a 9 as well. I wish Andre would voluntarily give up his spot by retiring. He could do everything he's doing now, except keeping that roster spot. They could even pay him some extra $$$ to make it happen.
That’s basically #4, right?
I guess. But it requires Dre being the one who takes the credit for offering to step down rather than the Ws forcing it on him via a trade or cut.
The only options you can't distill into your listed 8 would be trading Moody or the top 8. So I say trade that Curry bum for peanuts and give ty Jerome the space and minutes he deserves!
I think #3 is a lock.
Now, the question is will the Warriors need to open up a 2nd roster spot, for Jerome or whoever vet comes along the waiver wire?
Which in this case I think will basically come down to #5 then, as JMG just doesn't seem fit for Warriors ball. Either Wiseman/PBJ/both become playable as regular season minutes eaters in the next couple months, or the Warriors will be shopping the waiver wire for a veteran big. Either way, JMG seems like the odd man out if the Warriors need to open up a 2nd roster spot.
I’ve been a bit unclear on a detail of the 2-way contract. Do games played outside of the duration of the G league season count against the 50 game regular season limit? My impression is that they don’t, which would seem to make the 50-game constraint less concerning.
I’m inclined to go with 1/9–wait as long as possible to make a decision, and make it based on who is available on the buy out market and if there are any injuries heading into the playoffs.
Wait, there’s absolutely a concern about them using up their 50 game limit. Lamb has already played 28 games and Jerome has played 20 and there are nearly 50 games left.
I'm a 9er I guess. Wait and see.
From roster construction, I actually think Moody would be the one just out of who's been getting minutes. If you think Moody can replace Lambs minutes, then we'd need to see that soon.
If he can, then 2.
If he can't and you don't get much interest in Moses AND you don't think JMG is contributing by the trade deadline, then probably 5.
The Warriors would get plenty of interest in Moody. He is 20, his eFG and TS are both well above league average, he is hitting nearly 40% of his 3s and he plays acceptable defense. To my eye, his big problem to date, if it is a problem, has been his reluctance to shoot even lightly contested 3s. Moody would be the first wing off the bench on a rebuilding team, he might be the starting shooting guard on the Pistons.
lol Sleepy, I just wrote up something on this for tomorrow. Ok to pull this comment into my article?
Sleepy is living in your mind, rent free.
I would never charge him rent!
Of course!!!
Of course, you’re living in his mind?
I’m going with 5. I won’t be sad to see JMG go, but would like it best if he were packaged with Jerome for a better backup PG, or with Lamb for a better backup 4/5. But I don’t think either of those are likely, so think straight up 5 is the best option.
Any universe in which we are relying on JMG for anything other than trash time in the post season, is likely to be one with an early playoff departure.
I would go with 4 if it could be done without damaging team chemistry, but since it's not, 5.
Tougher call than it looks, though, because I think JMG is going to be serviceable by the end of the season.
Yeah I don't think getting rid of JMG makes much sense
Agreed. If it's a push between Lamb and JMG on contribution, keep JMG, and let Lamb wait until next year to get a contract.
And, Lamb's shot is in a slump. We'll have to see where he's at at the end of his elegibility.
I guess I'm kind of changing my mind to 2.
I think the competition will be between JMG and Wiseman more than JMG and Lamb. I think JMG looks like a stretch 5 these days.
I just can't see Wiseman being moved for essentially nothing. He's shown enough promise to keep around and see what happens.
If you're going to give up on anyone, just give up on Lamb. Chances are there are other players at that level of talent available in G-league/vet minimums next year.
I meant the competition for playing time.
Although if Wiseman has shown promise, then wouldn't that increase his trade value beyond "essentially nothing"?
You’re more optimistic than I. I think he’ll be up and down, unreliable as a shooter, not a difference maker on defense more than one out four games, and injured at least once more. Dark thoughts.
If you trade Wiseman (which I wouldn't), presumably you're getting a player back. Unless you're then going to waive that player, you still have essentially the same roster decisions to make, maybe a bit different if the player you got makes Lamb or Jerome dispensable. But then you need to have faith that JMG can replace Wiseman, which at least is debatable. So I am going for #5 and waiving JMG.
I'm not averse to unloading Rollins but I don't think that's happening. And considering many of us have been skeptical of what the FO did in the off season and early season, and we're mostly having to eat crow about that as time goes on (PBJ looking good, DDV contributing, Wiseman starting to develop thanks to time in SC), I will give Myers a pass on Rollins for awhile longer.
Yeah, the Wiseman variant — assuming we wanted to clear a roster spot — would either require (a) trading him into an under-the-cap team’s space for a future pick (which almost certainly isn’t happening); or (b) packaging him and another youngun (likely Rollins or Baldwin) for a vet they like.
I’d strongly consider option B for the right guy, but I also totally get wanting to hang onto him and let him blossom.
Who is this vet, tho? And for a one year rental? Seems quite the opposite of what the FO has done… unless it’s literally KD level guaranteeing a championship, I really don’t see it at all.
I don't suppose we could trade down to a 2020 12th pick and sweeteners, could we? 🤫
Pick for Wiseman? And Rollins is a long play; even if I wanted to trade/ cut Rollins the FO would never do that.
And Wiseman isn’t a long play?
Oh no, he very much is. I don't want to unload either lol. I can see them trading Wiseman if he's playing up this year at the right price. Rollins isn't going to have that play, so they wouldn't have that option. Neither are going to be dumped I don't think
2
PBJ is fascinating. Consensus top-5-or-10 player in the country, could have gone anywhere he wanted. Expected to easily be a lottery pick. Becomes damaged goods within one year at age 19 while injured, playing for his father’s job at a mid-major, with teammates who are charitably described as non-prospects. What a perfect pick… this is exactly who GSW needs to target at the bottom of the 1st.
Both Wiseman and Baldwin had limited tape as prospects for various reasons which probably made them harder to evaluate. Warriors probably overdrafted Wiseman as a result of that issue but also may have benefitted from it with the PBJ pick and getting him well after he should have been taken. The basketball gods giveth and taketh.
It's like back when high schoolers were in the draft and how much extra variance that introduced. You could probably argue that lowering the draft age limit to 18 is an anti-tanking measure, honestly.
Interesting! Increase the variance, lower the value of pick order.
Perceptive.
There’s always going to be somebody that falls out of favor for an unjustified reason… both in terms of draft prospects and free agents. Next off season we’ll have to replace Andre, DDV, JMG, Jerome, and Lamb. I’ve got faith that our organization has shown they will give end of bench guys real opportunities, and that gives them the opportunity to sign top tier end of bench/2-way guys.
Lamb and Jerome can both be extended qualifying offers by the Warriors after this season.
Really if you’re a middling player in the league, is there any better place to better yourself, bet on yourself, and get paid than GSW?
Hell nah.
Donte looking like a great poster player for this, JMG not so much
If you mean get paid after leaving the Dubs. If you're coming to the Dubs, it's probably at or only slightly above the vet minimum.
That’s what I mean - this is one of the best places to supercharge your game and career imo.
Obj is interesting because he’s so slow let’s say in a couple years when he develops and can play in the playoffs, what position would be best for him? Probably as a stretch 4 guarding smaller bigs? I think kuminga pbj green has a lot of potential if Patrick can become a better rebounder and positional defender like looney
is he that slow? I've been pleasantly surprised by his mobility...
4/5. My hope for him for next year is to meet The bjelica bar. Good team defender, always in the right spots, but slow footed and vulnerable defending in space. He may never be a super successful perimeter defender on switches and that’s ok.
I bet in 2 years when he's gotten time to do pro agility training on a non bum ankle he'll be noticeably quicker
Amazing to see a lineup of PBJ, Lamb, Wiseman, Jerome, and Moody out there together keeping the Dubs in the game in the late 3rd quarter. Very encouraging for the future.
Everyone in that lineup played in Santa Cruz in the last month or is on the Santa Cruz roster officially. The fact that they held up at all against a middle-of-the-standings Western Conference team just goes to show how small the gap is between the NBA and the G-league.
Probably the gap between the top of the NBA (Curry, Jokic) and the middle of the NBA (Dinwiddie, Poeltl) is bigger than the gap from the middle to the top of the G-league.
The gap between the NBA and the G League is very small, but also bigger than Mt. Olympus.
Could be, but the secret sauce of the Kerr era is that we don't play like anybody else in the league.
It's harder to get guys that fit, and a longer ramp up time, but when they do, they probably are more effective than they would be somewhere else.
It's a big advantage in the regular season, since there is no prep time available for Dubs opponents to prepare. It's of lesser value in the playoffs, because teams have ample time to scheme specifically against us.
We need the new collective bargaining agreement to kick in as soon as possible. It's going to be impossible to keep all this talent (regardless), but any cap increase will help a bunch (until the Old Guard starts retiring).
Rick Celebrini is looking like Danny Ocean the way he pulled off the PBJ heist