(snippets: moves awkwardly and is ground-bound, but makes up for it with a high motor and by reading the floor. optimistic about fit with the warriors)
I think the thing that I find hopeful is that the internal motor is there, and I haven't heard about any character issues.
It seems like the rest is coaching, and he's young enough that that could make a real difference in his career arc. The Dubs have a pretty good track record with players with good motors, but limited ability. And, he's got the passing, defense, screening and rebounding to contribute until they sort out his scoring issues (if possible).
Regarding Garuba: many commenters below have already capably expressed the reasons for my own irrational good feeling regarding this signing. It's my favorite transaction of offseason, maybe just a touch behind the Saric acquisition.
I really hope that we don't sign another center to the 14th spot, and go for a wing instead. That way, if Garuba shows out, he can take the 15th spot late in the season and get locked up for a few more years. I just don't see 5 centers, 6 if we include Dray, on 15-man roster as a viable option.
Agree with Garuba indeed. As for the number of centers, before Kerr went the all small all the time route, the Dubs team of a few years ago did use to carry 5-6 bigs on the roster, and that's not counting Draymond... 17-18 team had Zaza, JaVale, West, Loon, Damian, Bell... 14-15 team had Bogut, Festus, Speights, McAdoo, Kuzmic, and that's not counting David Lee as a big...
NBA rule changes just in time for Chris Paul coming to the Warriors:
- Technical fouls for flops that are "secondary theatrical exaggerated movements". Doesn’t count toward a player’s possible ejection. (I don't know if it counts towards the 16 technical foul limit.)
- Tightening up on rip through fouls
Also, coaches can now earn a second video-replay challenge if they are successful with their first.
Yeah, the rip-through change is long overdue. This one really bugged me when someone would catch a stray arm 35 feet from the basket with a move clearly initiated by the offensive player. We'll see what it means in practice though, some of these rule changes or points of emphasis don't really make a difference after the first few weeks of the season.
LOL. Chris Paul is a great player. If he gives up the trash flopping, nut-punching and other unnecessary non-basketball plays and the stupid rip-throughs, he'll be more likable.
The example was referring to a team where culture wasn't enough. Bad on defense, bad on ball-movement, and they talking about "winning attitude." It's not enough. You're still gonna get sent packing.
As far as JP, I think he used it as a blatant example of shit not being enough, so you tell a player that they're not good enough, and "take a hike." But b/c JP did everything that was asked of him, and he won a ring, he felt like he shouldn't be the one "to take a hike." But, indeed, he was pushed back to the bench, and felt it was unjust.
Then Dre started talking about how hard it is to talk to people in the locker room, and yadayada.
Basically described how winning the chip and being the 2nd leading scorer on the team lead to him being quite immature and thinking he should have more leeway to play as he sees fit. Makes sense for a young kid.
Definitely also made him not a winning player at this moment in time.
Fascinating comments on Poole "trying not to try" on defense, which was maybe a rebellion against double standards w/r/t the ill-advised plays that Steph/Klay/Dray all make on the regular (dumb passes, ill-advised tough shots, aggressive unplanned help rotations). Which, yeah, that checks out.
Lou Williams and Kyle Korver catching strays for their defensive acumen too lol
That was a hilarious way to put it -- and spot on. I think that was the most off-putting thing about JP last year. It's not a sin to not be a great defender. But not trying is abhorrent and disruptive/destructive. Four guys can be out there giving max effort, and team defense still stinks because of the guy who decided not to try.
I gave JP a long leash after the punch -- I honestly believe he had reason to be angry and to feel like the franchise didn't do right -- but he took the money, so he ought to try. That's not asking too much. Otherwise, ask for the trade and move on.
It was a lot of success at a very young age, so I get it. But it's still so sad to me. If he could have reined himself in a little, he likely would have been the lead guard as Steph transitions to becoming a supersub in a few years. And he was being compensated pretty well, so what's not to like? But I guess with a limited NBA career length, he probably wants to shine while he can...
Nah... being that 25ppg scorer and lead Alpha on his team will get him bigger bags and bigger shine locally and more opportunities for All Star appearances...
He already got a big bag. he's like #10 for all of the nba on tik tok/instagram reels impressions. No way he would have reached that fame playing for indiana or charlotte. no one cares about Terry Rozier but we all remember Toni Kukoc/Ron Harper
Holy cannoli, only Klay Thompson (#11) days left until training camp! He chose to wear 11 because he was the 11th pick in the draft, after:
Kyrie Irving
Derrick Williams
Enes Kanter Freedom
Tristan Thompson
Jonas Valančiūnas
Jan Veselý
Bismack Biyombo
Brandon Knight
Kemba Walker
Jimmer Fredette
Yeah, drafting is a challenge, but really guys? Jimmer Fredette? Klay's draft profiles had him down as a great shooter but with athletic limitations that would limit his upside; fortunately the Warriors jumped on him at 11 to form the Splash Brothers, called the "greatest shooting backcourt that has ever played the game" by Mark Jackson, and that's pretty hard to argue with. Draymond called him the most competitive player he has played with.
Klay is the middle son of Mychal Thompson (doesn't Klay totally have middle child energy?), who himself was the #1 overall pick in the 1978 draft by the Blazers, at the time the first foreign-born player to be picked first. He won two rings with the Lakers in the 80s, mostly backing up Kareem and later Vlade Divac. He and Klay are one of two father-son pairs to have both won multiple NBA championships (Bill and Luke Walton being the other). There are only five father-son duos that have both won a championship as a player, and all of them have some connection to the Dubs, proving that it is a family-oriented organization:
Matt Guokas, Sr. / Matt Guokas, Jr. (Senior won a ring with the Philly Warriors in 1947)
Rick Barry / Brent Barry
Bill Walton / Luke Walton (yeah, this one is a stretch since Luke only coached with the Dubs)
Mychal Thompson / Klay Thompson
Gary Payton / Gary Payton II
After retiring, Mychal moved back to Portland where he did sports radio, and a seven or eight year old Klay got to hang out at the Dunleavy's house with Mike Jr., who was about 10 years older, since MD Senior was the head coach of the Blazers. From The Athletic, Anthony Slater reported Klay's thoughts on MDJ becoming GM:
“Well, I love Mike Dunleavy. I grew up watching Mike play in Portland at Jesuit High School. For him to be a McDonald’s (All-American) and then go to Duke and then go to the league, was a huge deal for Oregon. We didn’t have a lot of guys doing that. Now to be working with him, it’s crazy. The world’s so small. Especially in the world of basketball. Now, he’s technically my boss after he was kind of a big brother growing up, going over to his house, having him throw us in the pool and that junk. Now working with him is crazy. I know Mike will do great things.”
Pulling together some videos, there are really too many to link, but it also points out how good he has been, even last year.
Klay also can claim a 60 point game, a 37 point quarter, and 14 threes in 27 minutes (featuring "Headband Klay"). Any one of those would be a career defining night for most any other player.
Of course, not to overlook "Game 6 Klay" (we will, however, overlook the 2023 version). Somewhat bittersweet to see those Toronto game 6 highlights, man, he was cooking.
Finally, on a more serious side, "In 2017, Klay along with father Mychal, mother Julie, brothers Mychel and Trayce, started the Thompson Family Foundation with a goal of enriching the youth in both the United States and Bahamas through education and fitness."
Here is a touching story about a recent donation from his foundation:
You can't discount the BYU effect. People like their great white hopes. Sac has a significant Mormon presence (including some of my distant relatives).
I had to look up who drafted Fredette for Sacramento, and it was Geoff Petrie ... I don't know anything about him, except he was GM from 1995 to 2013! That's crazy. Guess the Maloofs liked him.
Yeah, that sounds like quite a run for Petrie, I guess they had some success during that time but 18 years is a long stretch.
Since one of my ancestors was an early Mormon settler, I'm told that I'm related to a lot of the current day Mormons, so maybe they are my distant relatives too :)
We are all indebted to Jerry West for targeting Klay for the Dubs. Who better to know what kind of person and player he was than the former Laker GM who brought in Klay's dad Mychal. He saw the Splash Bros in the future...........
I don't mind this situation. Seems like it helps the Warriors maintain their rep as a good place for vets to rehab their value. Their willingness to play along with Dwight is a small version of the bigger narrative.
Exactly, I don't really care that much about the Dwight workout leakage (since it might have been Dwight himself). But the mention of leaking was just the straw that broke the camels back for me.
Haven't watched the whole thing yet, but it is excellent so far. Well worth a watch.
Favorite moment so far:
Dre: you know who switched and nobody's talking about it? I only know cause I played there and I was like huh. The Miami Heat. Because Bron, when he got there - I gotta word this right, cause they'll find any way for me to knock Bron, which is not a knock
Redick: You did win MVP over him in 2015
Evan Turner: That was... made it look like child's play.
[All] Laughing
Turner: You held him to that 40 point triple-double? Oh my gosh bro, let's get it!
Some teams sign free agents swiftly. Others seem to take a more deliberate approach. Both can be effective as well as foolhardy. It can be tempting to be down on the Warriors in the opening days of free agency. In the past, I've been hasty to blame them for being slow. Perhaps some 'misses' are a product of the Dubs not being every free agent's first choice or similarly the 'ideal' target just doesn't want to play here - such cases are just out of the FO's hands. Perhaps there are times they miss the target b/c they misjudged. And sometimes, maybe they just see multiple steps ahead that there will be better targets available if they wait and still have spots open. I feel like Garuba just might be one of those. I've got an irrational good feeling about him.
Almost a complete 540 degrees from that Two Timeline plan lol. Reminds me of when they got scarred from drafting Jacob Evans and went high upside low ceiling in the next few first rounds then they got scarred from Kelly Oubre and decided to try and sign a whole bunch of higher IQ vets and now they’ve shifted once more back to drafting higher ceiling players and signing a whole bunch of old dudes LMAO
They still have JK and Moody from the 2 timelines plan and Rollins an PBJ were never seen as major pieces. In essence, they've swapped out JP and Wisemen for Podz and Garuba.
I’d say TJD is probably more “part of the plan” than Garuba:
1a Kuminga
1b Moody
2 Podz
3 TJD
4a Gui
4b LQ
4c Garuba
I think JK has the highest ceiling, but Moody seems like the most sure-fire quality Warrior. I ranked Podz above TJD because of draft position, but think TJD seems like the more sure-fire guy to find a role on the team.
Not enthused about signing Dwight Howard, I'd rather they just sign Dedmon who was also on that list (not that Dedmon is anything special but at least he knows that).
He spent last year in Taiwan. If the Warriors were signing DeAndre Jordan no one would be excited because they watched Jordan be horrible last season. Dwight is getting by on people last remembering him play for the Lakers in 2019-2020.
I’d assume that’s what all these reported “conversations” are about.
Maybe worth noting (or worth nothing?) that in the brief stretch where D12 was probably the Best Player in the World Not Named LeBron (ca. 2008-10) he was the fulcrum of a “proto-Warriors” Magic spread-floor attack that featured 3 pt gunners all over the floor (Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson, Turkey-Glue, Skip-to-My-Lou Alston, Courtney Lee, Air France, et al.)
I am not saying Howard is the answer. That article is four years old, and since then Howard showed with the Lakers that he had changed enough to accept being a role player. I honestly don't know what to think of him now. But Dedmon is past his use-by date, and he was never all that good.
When I went through this highlight reel of Dwight's plays with the Lakers in the bubble, I saw like half of a screen. Saw some post ups though, is he going to post up with the Warriors?
Looking forward to the battle for minutes between Garuba and TJD. From the little on court I've seen of both, I think TJD has the edge despite his lack of an outside shot, but I'm rooting for either/both to blossom in the Dubs' system. Like Mr. Pinckney, I hope to see some old-style suffocating D from our team this year, and both these guys bring it on that end.
Not trying to poop in the punch bowl, but Ben Simmons has "summer workout practice video" 3pt shooting ability, which... uhhh.... doesn't translate to the NBA games. We'll see what TJD does in games, and I'm optimistic that he'll have at least a Looney-like "oh well, it's the end of the shot clock" midrange jumper that sometimes goes in.
Whoaaa... been out of the loop. We got Garuba??
https://twitter.com/TheWarriorsTalk/status/1705044150482280495
Dwight Howard teaming up with Chris Paul and Draymond Green.... on the football field.
Funny segment on Light Years pod by the self-declared "foremost Usman Garuba expert":
https://www.youtube.com/live/bsvVGmOa9Bk?si=FTF_a4y50jjMwJA4&t=611
(snippets: moves awkwardly and is ground-bound, but makes up for it with a high motor and by reading the floor. optimistic about fit with the warriors)
I think the thing that I find hopeful is that the internal motor is there, and I haven't heard about any character issues.
It seems like the rest is coaching, and he's young enough that that could make a real difference in his career arc. The Dubs have a pretty good track record with players with good motors, but limited ability. And, he's got the passing, defense, screening and rebounding to contribute until they sort out his scoring issues (if possible).
Yeah, pretty encouraging stuff. The dude said he was a high level passer and screener, that can work.
Regarding Garuba: many commenters below have already capably expressed the reasons for my own irrational good feeling regarding this signing. It's my favorite transaction of offseason, maybe just a touch behind the Saric acquisition.
I really hope that we don't sign another center to the 14th spot, and go for a wing instead. That way, if Garuba shows out, he can take the 15th spot late in the season and get locked up for a few more years. I just don't see 5 centers, 6 if we include Dray, on 15-man roster as a viable option.
Agree with Garuba indeed. As for the number of centers, before Kerr went the all small all the time route, the Dubs team of a few years ago did use to carry 5-6 bigs on the roster, and that's not counting Draymond... 17-18 team had Zaza, JaVale, West, Loon, Damian, Bell... 14-15 team had Bogut, Festus, Speights, McAdoo, Kuzmic, and that's not counting David Lee as a big...
NBA rule changes just in time for Chris Paul coming to the Warriors:
- Technical fouls for flops that are "secondary theatrical exaggerated movements". Doesn’t count toward a player’s possible ejection. (I don't know if it counts towards the 16 technical foul limit.)
- Tightening up on rip through fouls
Also, coaches can now earn a second video-replay challenge if they are successful with their first.
Yeah, the rip-through change is long overdue. This one really bugged me when someone would catch a stray arm 35 feet from the basket with a move clearly initiated by the offensive player. We'll see what it means in practice though, some of these rule changes or points of emphasis don't really make a difference after the first few weeks of the season.
That last one is long overdue
LOL. Chris Paul is a great player. If he gives up the trash flopping, nut-punching and other unnecessary non-basketball plays and the stupid rip-throughs, he'll be more likable.
I don't think CP3 ever cared about being likeable
I think he does care about his Q rating tho... makes for better negotiation position in his State Farm gig
oh, you are right. I don’t think he cared at all. However, I care about it because I like to be supporting good guys, not dicks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdNP0dhnoLw
Andre Iguodala Gets Real About Jordan Poole
Anyone get what Evan Turner was trying to say? I didn't see how it related to JP
Most of the conversation went over my head. Total waste of time.
This is how I understood it:
The example was referring to a team where culture wasn't enough. Bad on defense, bad on ball-movement, and they talking about "winning attitude." It's not enough. You're still gonna get sent packing.
As far as JP, I think he used it as a blatant example of shit not being enough, so you tell a player that they're not good enough, and "take a hike." But b/c JP did everything that was asked of him, and he won a ring, he felt like he shouldn't be the one "to take a hike." But, indeed, he was pushed back to the bench, and felt it was unjust.
Then Dre started talking about how hard it is to talk to people in the locker room, and yadayada.
Basically described how winning the chip and being the 2nd leading scorer on the team lead to him being quite immature and thinking he should have more leeway to play as he sees fit. Makes sense for a young kid.
Definitely also made him not a winning player at this moment in time.
Fascinating comments on Poole "trying not to try" on defense, which was maybe a rebellion against double standards w/r/t the ill-advised plays that Steph/Klay/Dray all make on the regular (dumb passes, ill-advised tough shots, aggressive unplanned help rotations). Which, yeah, that checks out.
Lou Williams and Kyle Korver catching strays for their defensive acumen too lol
That was a hilarious way to put it -- and spot on. I think that was the most off-putting thing about JP last year. It's not a sin to not be a great defender. But not trying is abhorrent and disruptive/destructive. Four guys can be out there giving max effort, and team defense still stinks because of the guy who decided not to try.
I gave JP a long leash after the punch -- I honestly believe he had reason to be angry and to feel like the franchise didn't do right -- but he took the money, so he ought to try. That's not asking too much. Otherwise, ask for the trade and move on.
I’m in this line. I totally gave him the benefit of the doubt.
It was a lot of success at a very young age, so I get it. But it's still so sad to me. If he could have reined himself in a little, he likely would have been the lead guard as Steph transitions to becoming a supersub in a few years. And he was being compensated pretty well, so what's not to like? But I guess with a limited NBA career length, he probably wants to shine while he can...
Being 6th man on a dynasty will get him more shine than scoring 25 ppg on a garbage team.
Nah... being that 25ppg scorer and lead Alpha on his team will get him bigger bags and bigger shine locally and more opportunities for All Star appearances...
He already got a big bag. he's like #10 for all of the nba on tik tok/instagram reels impressions. No way he would have reached that fame playing for indiana or charlotte. no one cares about Terry Rozier but we all remember Toni Kukoc/Ron Harper
Agree 100% with you
You're not wrong but these guys never think they'll be Terry Rozier, they think they'll be James Harden
Well said
Holy cannoli, only Klay Thompson (#11) days left until training camp! He chose to wear 11 because he was the 11th pick in the draft, after:
Kyrie Irving
Derrick Williams
Enes Kanter Freedom
Tristan Thompson
Jonas Valančiūnas
Jan Veselý
Bismack Biyombo
Brandon Knight
Kemba Walker
Jimmer Fredette
Yeah, drafting is a challenge, but really guys? Jimmer Fredette? Klay's draft profiles had him down as a great shooter but with athletic limitations that would limit his upside; fortunately the Warriors jumped on him at 11 to form the Splash Brothers, called the "greatest shooting backcourt that has ever played the game" by Mark Jackson, and that's pretty hard to argue with. Draymond called him the most competitive player he has played with.
Klay is the middle son of Mychal Thompson (doesn't Klay totally have middle child energy?), who himself was the #1 overall pick in the 1978 draft by the Blazers, at the time the first foreign-born player to be picked first. He won two rings with the Lakers in the 80s, mostly backing up Kareem and later Vlade Divac. He and Klay are one of two father-son pairs to have both won multiple NBA championships (Bill and Luke Walton being the other). There are only five father-son duos that have both won a championship as a player, and all of them have some connection to the Dubs, proving that it is a family-oriented organization:
Matt Guokas, Sr. / Matt Guokas, Jr. (Senior won a ring with the Philly Warriors in 1947)
Rick Barry / Brent Barry
Bill Walton / Luke Walton (yeah, this one is a stretch since Luke only coached with the Dubs)
Mychal Thompson / Klay Thompson
Gary Payton / Gary Payton II
After retiring, Mychal moved back to Portland where he did sports radio, and a seven or eight year old Klay got to hang out at the Dunleavy's house with Mike Jr., who was about 10 years older, since MD Senior was the head coach of the Blazers. From The Athletic, Anthony Slater reported Klay's thoughts on MDJ becoming GM:
“Well, I love Mike Dunleavy. I grew up watching Mike play in Portland at Jesuit High School. For him to be a McDonald’s (All-American) and then go to Duke and then go to the league, was a huge deal for Oregon. We didn’t have a lot of guys doing that. Now to be working with him, it’s crazy. The world’s so small. Especially in the world of basketball. Now, he’s technically my boss after he was kind of a big brother growing up, going over to his house, having him throw us in the pool and that junk. Now working with him is crazy. I know Mike will do great things.”
Pulling together some videos, there are really too many to link, but it also points out how good he has been, even last year.
Here are some highlights from the past season:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkkQc4Pb6bA
including 301 threes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWgMuKUDrpE
Klay also can claim a 60 point game, a 37 point quarter, and 14 threes in 27 minutes (featuring "Headband Klay"). Any one of those would be a career defining night for most any other player.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQaGX4-Sfvg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXWTMFJlk_s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoqR1_UJjbk
Of course, not to overlook "Game 6 Klay" (we will, however, overlook the 2023 version). Somewhat bittersweet to see those Toronto game 6 highlights, man, he was cooking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgVK8HLtk3k
Here are more career highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JQ89g1xdSQ
And, beyond his flame-throwing, we have all the Klay personalities:
"China Klay":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdMzbduEj7Y
and a pretty interesting interview while in China a few years ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y77IOYclvcg
"Captain Klay" on All the Smoke
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-JZrDvJwbw&t=30s
"Paper Airplanes Klay"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu7oIJVIWYA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5evX-tB6tc&t=987s
"Scaffold Klay"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t40e3kaHmrs
"Toaster Klay"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubqijkjc4rQ
and just Klay being Klay
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haLpJmt_Ps0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcPyFatNb8o
Besides his boat, he also has a very clean looking 60s Lincoln Continental:
https://www.topgear.com.ph/features/feature-articles/klay-thompson-lincoln-continental-a962-20220601
We can't talk about Klay without also linking to a few clips of Rocco:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT7_Nxk89Ik
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAgn_tlM-J4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVTXyEOAQ3Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEMZbS3PoIc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6fjMe50Emk
Finally, on a more serious side, "In 2017, Klay along with father Mychal, mother Julie, brothers Mychel and Trayce, started the Thompson Family Foundation with a goal of enriching the youth in both the United States and Bahamas through education and fitness."
Here is a touching story about a recent donation from his foundation:
https://abc7news.com/warriors-klay-thompson-wheelchair-giveaway-family-foundation-game-tonight/12999926/
You can read a bit more about his foundation here:
https://www.thompsonfamily.foundation/
And, if you hadn't seen it already, there was an ESPN clip about Klay granting a make-a-wish:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx_9LwGATds
Just don't ask him to babysit (nor JK either):
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kXxQVAN3JDU
This post should be a diary in itself- awesome👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
And a seperate post for the Archives
I was hoping for Leonard as our pick that year....but history says the warriors did okay by Klay
Others have commented elsewhere about how much fun this countdown is. I just wanted to add my voice to the appreciation. Great stuff.
Thanks for the encouragement!
Re: Jimmer
You can't discount the BYU effect. People like their great white hopes. Sac has a significant Mormon presence (including some of my distant relatives).
I had to look up who drafted Fredette for Sacramento, and it was Geoff Petrie ... I don't know anything about him, except he was GM from 1995 to 2013! That's crazy. Guess the Maloofs liked him.
Yeah, that sounds like quite a run for Petrie, I guess they had some success during that time but 18 years is a long stretch.
Since one of my ancestors was an early Mormon settler, I'm told that I'm related to a lot of the current day Mormons, so maybe they are my distant relatives too :)
FWIW a lot of folks around here were really high on Fredette (for some reason). I for one was really glad he was off the boards when our turn came up.
We are all indebted to Jerry West for targeting Klay for the Dubs. Who better to know what kind of person and player he was than the former Laker GM who brought in Klay's dad Mychal. He saw the Splash Bros in the future...........
Thanks for bringing that up, I was more of a casual fan then so I didn't follow the draft or college hoops so I don't have that history.
I was at the Draft Party the Warriors held that offseason. When the Kings picked Jimmer right before our pick, the crowd erupted lol.
Man, if I was the Warriors, I'd be pulling some Tyrion Lannister shit in order to figure out whose the Warrior leak.
Give different info to a bunch of different people and step back to see what leaks. Depending on what is made public, make an example of them.
I don't mind this situation. Seems like it helps the Warriors maintain their rep as a good place for vets to rehab their value. Their willingness to play along with Dwight is a small version of the bigger narrative.
Much ado about nothing.
Did something big leak recently?
Recently no, but Wiggins' medical report and the punch footage were both huge leaks that I'm sure the players have not forgotten.
Exactly, I don't really care that much about the Dwight workout leakage (since it might have been Dwight himself). But the mention of leaking was just the straw that broke the camels back for me.
No but I'm guessing Arash is referring to Draymond responding to Jason Dumas about leaking Dwight's impending workout with him and CP3.
If that’s the leak being referred to, why would anyone think such a boring leak is egregious?
Ah missed that. Agree with Sab though, that 100% is coming from Dwight or his agent.
I assumed the same. It is in his interest for their to be hype for his return to the NBA.
Although, I doubt Kerr and steph can be pressured by a hype campaign.
Andre Iguodala & Evan Turner: An Epic NBA Chat On Their Careers, Jordan Poole, Bad Cultures & More | JJ Redick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkpPPxJbUIQ
Haven't watched the whole thing yet, but it is excellent so far. Well worth a watch.
Favorite moment so far:
Dre: you know who switched and nobody's talking about it? I only know cause I played there and I was like huh. The Miami Heat. Because Bron, when he got there - I gotta word this right, cause they'll find any way for me to knock Bron, which is not a knock
Redick: You did win MVP over him in 2015
Evan Turner: That was... made it look like child's play.
[All] Laughing
Turner: You held him to that 40 point triple-double? Oh my gosh bro, let's get it!
Interesting take on Dwight to the Dubs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdoRI6Ky9PI
Horrible, useless, and overly drawn out take from my perspective
Klay rounding into form? His C&S 3's looked nice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24nEUr7fsK0
Was actually hoping for a "In Threesus name, Klaymen" at the end of that opening prayer
There will one day be a player who is good enough at threes to be compared to Steph Curry and people will have arguments over who is better.
I hope his nickname is Threesus because its too perfect.
Nah, global warming will take us out before then. Steph is the Once and Future King.
Blasphemer!
Some teams sign free agents swiftly. Others seem to take a more deliberate approach. Both can be effective as well as foolhardy. It can be tempting to be down on the Warriors in the opening days of free agency. In the past, I've been hasty to blame them for being slow. Perhaps some 'misses' are a product of the Dubs not being every free agent's first choice or similarly the 'ideal' target just doesn't want to play here - such cases are just out of the FO's hands. Perhaps there are times they miss the target b/c they misjudged. And sometimes, maybe they just see multiple steps ahead that there will be better targets available if they wait and still have spots open. I feel like Garuba just might be one of those. I've got an irrational good feeling about him.
Almost a complete 540 degrees from that Two Timeline plan lol. Reminds me of when they got scarred from drafting Jacob Evans and went high upside low ceiling in the next few first rounds then they got scarred from Kelly Oubre and decided to try and sign a whole bunch of higher IQ vets and now they’ve shifted once more back to drafting higher ceiling players and signing a whole bunch of old dudes LMAO
They still have JK and Moody from the 2 timelines plan and Rollins an PBJ were never seen as major pieces. In essence, they've swapped out JP and Wisemen for Podz and Garuba.
I’d say TJD is probably more “part of the plan” than Garuba:
1a Kuminga
1b Moody
2 Podz
3 TJD
4a Gui
4b LQ
4c Garuba
I think JK has the highest ceiling, but Moody seems like the most sure-fire quality Warrior. I ranked Podz above TJD because of draft position, but think TJD seems like the more sure-fire guy to find a role on the team.
Whom do you see Moody taking a spot from in the future?
Depending on when/if Klay re-signs, him at some point.
Do you really believe Moody can replace Klay? I understand this position-wise, but not talent-wise. There's a big gap here.
and GP II
GP2 is too old to be part of the two timelines plan. He'll be 32 this December. But add TJD to that list.
GP2 is part of the Here and Now timeline. No box for that guy. You use him randomly and spontaneously.
Are Podz and TJD both "higher ceiling" players? Is Garuba even that at this point, starting his 3rd year?
Meant to say Higher Floor
Ah but those higher IQ vets helped us win the 2022 title.
That's about as good of a proof of concept as you can get in the NBA!
Not enthused about signing Dwight Howard, I'd rather they just sign Dedmon who was also on that list (not that Dedmon is anything special but at least he knows that).
At least Dwight WAS someone special.
He spent last year in Taiwan. If the Warriors were signing DeAndre Jordan no one would be excited because they watched Jordan be horrible last season. Dwight is getting by on people last remembering him play for the Lakers in 2019-2020.
Luckily, the Warriors aren't signing him.
Agreed.
At his very best, Dedmon was a decent player, no more, no less. That was five or six years ago. Hard pass.
All I know is I've never seen a headline like this about Dewayne Dedmon:
https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/report-dwight-howard-would-intentionally-whiff-on-screens-if-next-option-was-him-posting-up
If it were up to me they would have signed Kaminsky a month ago before he went overseas tbh.
The good news: The center posting up isn’t a 2nd, 3rd or even 4th option in the Warriors’ offense! 😁
Only good news if the center accepts that and plays like that.
I’d assume that’s what all these reported “conversations” are about.
Maybe worth noting (or worth nothing?) that in the brief stretch where D12 was probably the Best Player in the World Not Named LeBron (ca. 2008-10) he was the fulcrum of a “proto-Warriors” Magic spread-floor attack that featured 3 pt gunners all over the floor (Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson, Turkey-Glue, Skip-to-My-Lou Alston, Courtney Lee, Air France, et al.)
That was a fun squad.
I am not saying Howard is the answer. That article is four years old, and since then Howard showed with the Lakers that he had changed enough to accept being a role player. I honestly don't know what to think of him now. But Dedmon is past his use-by date, and he was never all that good.
When I went through this highlight reel of Dwight's plays with the Lakers in the bubble, I saw like half of a screen. Saw some post ups though, is he going to post up with the Warriors?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92YHUU9CbRU
Say what you will about Dedmon but he was in the NBA last season, whereas Howard was in Taiwan.
So maybe the answer is "none of the above."
I would have been perfectly fine with Kaminsky as the consolation price but not necessarily in addition to
Looking forward to the battle for minutes between Garuba and TJD. From the little on court I've seen of both, I think TJD has the edge despite his lack of an outside shot, but I'm rooting for either/both to blossom in the Dubs' system. Like Mr. Pinckney, I hope to see some old-style suffocating D from our team this year, and both these guys bring it on that end.
Not trying to poop in the punch bowl, but Ben Simmons has "summer workout practice video" 3pt shooting ability, which... uhhh.... doesn't translate to the NBA games. We'll see what TJD does in games, and I'm optimistic that he'll have at least a Looney-like "oh well, it's the end of the shot clock" midrange jumper that sometimes goes in.
https://twitter.com/JDumasReports/status/1704651588542058537
Not signed but Dwight heading to LA to work out with CP3 & Dray... maybe the last unofficial part of the interview process?