The recent Dunk’d On podcast extends my question on the previous thread, arguing that the Dubs have ‘depressed’ Kuminga’s value during his rookie campaign - by forcing him to play against his strengths and confining him to the little things that only serve a Steph-centric system while prolonging the the waning careers of aging vets.
“I don’t want [Kuminga] deferring to a 37yo Draymond Green because he doesn’t shoot and has to have the ball in his hands.”
Important context here is that this was a “mock rookie extenstions” podcast, in which the person who said this was playing the role of Kuminga’s agent.
More interesting (to me) from that discussion is the suggestion that an extension just north of the Jaden McDaniels/Devin Vassell range (so, about 5/$150M) would *increase* Kuminga’s trade value. Not sure if we can get him on that deal, but I was intrigued by the idea that an extension needn’t necessarily limit the team’s options going forward.
How would you have suggested that they play him? What were those strengths that the coaches should have been catering to?
Remember that JK could barely dribble three times before he had to pick it up, when guarded. Only last year did he start showing some ability to actually do much when guarded.
Most of these arguments basically sound like complaints to me .. why isn't Kuminga the priority? Pretty simple really ... the guys ahead of him have four rings.
Is this coming year JK's time? I hope so. I think he's going to be fine.
But you don't orient a team to a young, raw player, when you have a top-15 player on the roster until that young player proves he can do it. I'm hoping JK will do that this year (and I kind of think he will).
The Dubs have done the exact opposite… Explicitly only using him in situations that highlight his strengths while avoiding issues around his weak handle, poor decision making, lack of shooting, etc. He’s been able to excel as a slasher working in the space created by Steph and Draymond’s playmaking. If anything the perception of his value has been inflated, not depreciated.
I want buy a curry/messi night-night trading card for my grandson who likes basketball. He did really like the Warriors, not sure now. I would like to know if the cards that are sold on eBay are authentic or not? How do I tell? Are they likely to be collectibles? I would like to know if $10. 99 per card is a usual price.
They are selling cards which are upgraded. Is this a better card than a non-upgraded card? If these cards are not yet available, how can some of them already be upgraded?
First off, I don't pretend to know anything about sports trading cards and how to authenticate them. But I was curious, so I went digging for info. I just don't know how helpful they'll be.
There are reddit links from about a year ago on this subject. The reddit link discussing how to authenticate a bball trading card doesn't really go in-depth, not like the baseball trading card discussion I also found where they spoke about authenticating and grading.
Without going through year-by-year, it seems like there’s always been at least one “excellent” bright spot on every Warriors team since I’ve been a fan. (There was always a Steph, Monta, Baron, Jason, Antawn, Run TMC etc.)
That’s enough to survive a fact-checking with no worse than a rating of “slightly misleading”.
nba.com's preview of the Dubs is up, though there isn't anything there that even constitutes a nugget of information. They diss Mr. Plow, though (he isn't in their list of arrivals, but Post is!)
If you need to read words in a row that include "Golden State Warriors" ...
Kawhi’s Agent in China “There might be some bad news, so let me give you a heads up. We’ll have to wait and see what happens during the Clippers’ media day.”
Yeah, but if so "we'll have to wait and see what happens during Clippers' media day." is a really weird thing to say. The agent already knows something's up. They don't have to wait, maybe they just misspoke and meant to say something like "you'll have to wait and see what happens during Clippers' media day."?
There's an inverse ratio between how interested I am in what Kuminga does and what he says. The more cliched and boring his interviews get, the more he dunks on Wembanyama, is my theory.
Already this offseason there has been a lot of vocal/written pressure on J Kuminga with his extension looming and fans clamoring that the Warriors need a 2nd scoring option.
His responses in this inteview about how he is always working on getting better at everything in the off season, his long term goal is to be a starter, wants to be a team leader etc..
He seems to genuniely feel all of that is possible.and so is puting even more pressure on himself.
For me I'm not sure that is the best for him as a still young player, nor for the team which will need to incorporate several new players, some established veterans.
I sincerely hope that he can play well make solid positive contributions to the 2024/25 Warriors successful season. No need for expectations to dunk on Wembanyama or anyone.
Kawakami's questions seemed... intended to try to get a spicy answer, and sorta combative at times. And one of the correct ways to respond to those questions is sports ball word salad. I thought the questions were kinda dumb... especially dwelling on his hair for way too long at the outset of the conversation.
I don't see how this solves the problem? The problem w/ Kuminga at the 3 isn't that it displaces Wiggins (imho Wiggs needs to prove himself before I want to see him in the starting lineup anyway), it's that Kuminga/Draymond/TJD puts 3 non shooters on the floor. If we're comfortable with those 3 on the floor together period, then we can just put whomever at the 2 and we're good.
Is there anyone in that lineup besides Steph that will need to be guarded at the 3 pt line? I see Steph double teams galore with a lot of drop and zone coverage against that lineup.
Fans are going to rightfully be concerned about the spacing... even with a really optimistic result of Wiggs and JK getting to 38 3P% on decent volume, it's still a very limited outside shooting team.
But, I can see us leaning into defense like we've never done before. Maybe relying on stops and getting into transition/early offense.
It would be a great running unit. But, the SG these days needs to be able to run to the three point line and take a 3. Wiggs is not my first choice to do that, TBH. He's more a 'feet set' shooter (I think ... I have no stats to back that up, TBH).
edit: think of all the curl actions that Klay would run to get free at the three point line off a screen. Not sure Wiggs can do that.
No matter what, it won't be the same without Klay. If we don't have that guy who runs to the 3-point line, we'll have to find other ways to get the job done. Plus regardless of who starts, once Kerr starts substituting, we'll see a mixed lineup of starters and guys like Melton, Hield, Moody, and/or Podz, all of whom can play the 2. TK isn't even talking about Hield (or Loon for that matter when he lists his second-unit core).
100%. Kerrball only works with space-hunting horses and superb passers throwing defensive schemes into chaos. Wiggs and JK are not the kind of horses that scheme rides. I predict Kerr is too smart to try to force the old scheme on new lineups and we're going to see a very different team this year. I think stopnpop is on the right track with the emphasis on D and transition offense.
It HAS only worked with “ space hunting horses” because the best players on Kerr’s team have been space hunting horses. Give Kerr Giannis or Jokic, or LeBron, and he’ll find ways to emphasize different elite talents.
This will work, if Wiggins comes into camp in good shape, physically, mentally, emotionally, AND JK comes into camp with a real "opponents can't just give him an open 3, especially in the corner" shot. I think the chances are decent on both of these individually, but I'm not counting on both together.
Emotionally is the key. IDK if his father's death will help or hurt on this, since he has obviously been very sick for a couple of years and that can take its toll. My hope is the fact that his GSW team has been supportive along the way will help him engage.
As for JK's corner 3, I think it is more like Podz; take the open shot when you have it, do not hesitate.
I think this "be a 3" thing is something that Kerr started, I don't have a link but I'm pretty sure on multiple occasions he's mentioned that that's what he wants to see if Kuminga can do it. But I hope his actual conversations with Kuminga are more specific than that. I have to believe they are. It's one thing to say, as Kerr has, "Get more rebounds" or "Work on your team defense concepts." But "Go out there and be more 3-ish??" If I were Kuminga I'd be like "Whaa? What does that MEAN?"
What is a 3? I've been watching this game for 50 years and I'm not sure I could define it. What does a 3 do that other players do, and what do other players do that 3s don't?
A 3 has more responsibility for outside shooting and doesn’t need to rebound out of his area as much. Passes more and moves the ball sooner and faster than a 4
Indeed, that's the traditional view, and sometimes it still holds up. But the traditional positions can get blurry nowadays. Back in the day, 3s defended 3s, 4s defended 4s, etc., except when switched, but now guys who profile as one position on offense might defend someone who profiles as a different position, and switching is more frequent.
Offensively it varies too. Nowadays we have small-ball 5s and stretch 4s and slasher 3s who don't necessarily focus on perimeter shooting, though they'll do some of that. The 2 and the 3 can be the same position, depending on the players; they're simply small wings. A 3 or 4 can simply be a big wing.
Oh no, I see. I thought we were still talking basketball. I think you're not a 3, you're more of a 6th man. Take heart! Role players are vital! Me? I'm on a ten-day.
It's when Steph Curry shoots the ball at the basket from behind the line that's far away from the basket. You can really tell it's "a 3" if he starts turning his back before the ball falls through the basket.
That's how he sees himself and that's exactly how Aaron Gordon saw himself in Orlando. Took him a team change to realize that he was a 4 on a winning team. Can Kuminga have that revelation while on the team that drafted him 7th overall? Without trying and failing at it first? Would be a hell of a coaching job by Kerr if so, not sure how likely it is though.
In Gordon's first 3 years, he made less than 30% of his 3s every year and had a rebounding rate of ~12%. In Kuminga's first 3 years, he made at least 32% of his 3s and has a rebounding rate of 9.9%. They're quite a bit different players in a lot of ways.
What Kuminga means by "I see myself as a small forward" is "I see myself as a perimeter player". He's either going to have to improve dramatically to have a skillset that can do that for a winning team or embrace his actual skillset and "see myself as a power forward", like Aaron Gordon eventually did.
Aaron Gordon looking at his shooting & rebounding performance going into his 4th year and seeing himself as a perimeter player is quite different from JK looking at his shooting & rebounding performance going into his 4th year and seeing himself as a perimeter player.
Aaron Gordon was going to need a much more dramatic improvement to be a perimeter player than JK will need... and a much less dramatic improvement to transition to a big. I don't see them as all that similar. You may disagree, and that's fine.
Forgot to mention below, addressing the inevitable (and legit) concerns about how the roster is too crowded... it may sort itself out naturally, and there is some built-in redundancy that can be a plus. Not everyone is going to have a great year and be healthy. Having some depth and competition so the guys who are performing well can step in and earn more minutes isn't a bad thing. Also means we're a little more insulated from top-heavy catastrophe when e.g. our new Lauri signing that cost us our depth results in a lost year because he has an injury or doesn't pan out. (Of course, we are still 100% reliant on Steph and Dray). And if all of that doesn't pan out, we do have the most roster flexibility we've had in almost a decade to make consolidation trades and remake the roster if an option that isn't absurdly priced (Lauri) comes along.
To me, the idea that one of Kuminga or Wiggs is going to be the SF in the second unit is enough to start drooling. Either of those guys should destroy the other team's second unit one night out of two or three. I like the depth.
At some point, Kuminga needs to displace Wiggs as the starting SF, but if it doesn't happen this year because Wiggs plays back to his capabilities, that's just good news, really.
If JK is as good as many hope him to be, adding a second star is not necessary.
If JK really takes a leap and Wiggins is good Wiggins they should be a very dangerous team.
We all can go on and on because that is what we do, but it really comes down to a simple question.
How much did the young guys improve and are we getting the best of Melton, Hield and Anderson.
I personally think this group has the talent to be very entertaining and a legit playoff team IF… lot of IF’s. This is the ultimate IF team. I also like the coaching changes. It matters.
Now that's an athlete interview I wanted to read! (I find most of them to be dreadfully dull). Not that he said anything unexpected necessarily, but I'm glad he's articulating some comfort level with the team and Steve Kerr.
I agree that the interview was boring. But, given the seeming tension between him and the team the last couple of years, I was happy to hear him say relatively normal things, and express some team solidarity and appreciation for his coach ... even if they are relatively canned statements. That's more what I meant.
He could have used the interview to pitch himself for a max extension, if he was annoyed enough, for instance.
I mean sure, it was all canned. But I have never seen the alleged tension between him and the team. I mean, all players want more PT but that's hardly the Great Schism of 1054.
Starting to feel that warm tingle of anticipation as the season nears. Not a lot of talking about the Warriors nationally, they’re pretty much written off. Maybe that’s right, but I have some hopes of “whole is better than the sum of its parts” synergy we haven’t seen a lot of in a few years.
They have Steph Curry and the other teams don't. That helps a lot. Expecting Kuminga, Moody, TJD, and Podziemski to improve doesn't seem at all unreasonable. The Warriors chances mostly depend on Green staying on the court and the return of two way Wiggs.
Wiggs has got more family stuff to resolve undoubtedly, but I think he got the message this summer that he needed to put the team a little more in focus, and for horrible reasons, it looks like he's going to be able to. I expect Kuminga to take another step, hopefully a big one.
That by itself goes a long way. Also, Podz and Trayce are going to be better integrated (a year ago, neither were in the rotation), we shored up the shooting, and got some better defensive partners for Steph (Melton, perhaps even Waters).
My only real question marks are whether Moody has improved enough, and what Anderson can bring.
This may be grossly optimistic, but I don't share the handwringing about needing a second big-time offensive guy. I think it's going to sort out that either Kuminga or Wiggs is good enough in that role. The new shooters, and what should be a pretty good second unit, will make it less of a concern.
I think Anderson can bring a lot and specifically be our best option when Draymond is on the bench. They are not identical players but they share a lot of the same skillsets. I don't know how much time they will have on the court together but Draymond and Anderson may be our best defensive front court. Certainly the most switchable.
Moody is a bigger question, IMO, because I just can't see who he displaces to get playing time. Waters is the same question.
GP2 has consistently played 15.5-17.5 minutes/gm for us. Maybe it's more like 10 minutes this season but I don't see it being more than in the past.
As for Moody, we're told Steph and Dray will start and otherwise everything will be up for grabs. MM will have to be really impressive to win minutes, but it's not impossible he could do that.
Yes... but... given GP2's contract and the number of young guys he is competing with, my guess if they will trade him if they can to clear up cap space. It feels really unlikely that both finish the season on our roster and I wouldn't be surprised if neither is with the team this time next year.
But, as you said, if MM is winning minutes that means he is balling and likely so is this team.
My guess is that if the Dubs trade GP2 he will be filler in a bigger deal. I don't think he has much trade value. He has been a good fit here in part because Kerr knows when and how to use him.
Yeah, or even both. Really hard to tell, especially because at this point we do not really know precisely where our weaknesses are. Instinctively, we think the 5 but TJD is emerging and frankly even though he wasn't very good last year, Looney was really great for a few years and arguably our 3rd best player during out last championship run. I mean, at 218 he may not be completely over the hill.
We just need James Wiseman on the bench to get the most out of Looney. I am sure Indiana would trade him to us for GP2. :)
The recent Dunk’d On podcast extends my question on the previous thread, arguing that the Dubs have ‘depressed’ Kuminga’s value during his rookie campaign - by forcing him to play against his strengths and confining him to the little things that only serve a Steph-centric system while prolonging the the waning careers of aging vets.
“I don’t want [Kuminga] deferring to a 37yo Draymond Green because he doesn’t shoot and has to have the ball in his hands.”
#FreeKuminga
Important context here is that this was a “mock rookie extenstions” podcast, in which the person who said this was playing the role of Kuminga’s agent.
More interesting (to me) from that discussion is the suggestion that an extension just north of the Jaden McDaniels/Devin Vassell range (so, about 5/$150M) would *increase* Kuminga’s trade value. Not sure if we can get him on that deal, but I was intrigued by the idea that an extension needn’t necessarily limit the team’s options going forward.
How would you have suggested that they play him? What were those strengths that the coaches should have been catering to?
Remember that JK could barely dribble three times before he had to pick it up, when guarded. Only last year did he start showing some ability to actually do much when guarded.
Most of these arguments basically sound like complaints to me .. why isn't Kuminga the priority? Pretty simple really ... the guys ahead of him have four rings.
Is this coming year JK's time? I hope so. I think he's going to be fine.
But you don't orient a team to a young, raw player, when you have a top-15 player on the roster until that young player proves he can do it. I'm hoping JK will do that this year (and I kind of think he will).
The Dubs have done the exact opposite… Explicitly only using him in situations that highlight his strengths while avoiding issues around his weak handle, poor decision making, lack of shooting, etc. He’s been able to excel as a slasher working in the space created by Steph and Draymond’s playmaking. If anything the perception of his value has been inflated, not depreciated.
Sort of OT: Curry trading cards.
I want buy a curry/messi night-night trading card for my grandson who likes basketball. He did really like the Warriors, not sure now. I would like to know if the cards that are sold on eBay are authentic or not? How do I tell? Are they likely to be collectibles? I would like to know if $10. 99 per card is a usual price.
They are selling cards which are upgraded. Is this a better card than a non-upgraded card? If these cards are not yet available, how can some of them already be upgraded?
I would appreciate any information you can give.
First off, I don't pretend to know anything about sports trading cards and how to authenticate them. But I was curious, so I went digging for info. I just don't know how helpful they'll be.
If the card you're talking about is with Curry and Messi doing the night-night, I did see some articles about it (https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10135770-topps-reveals-rare-steph-curry-lionel-messi-night-night-celebration-autograph-card). I also checked Topps' website for the card and they're sold out; the price is at $11.99 (https://www.topps.com/catalogsearch/result?q=Steph%20curry).
There are reddit links from about a year ago on this subject. The reddit link discussing how to authenticate a bball trading card doesn't really go in-depth, not like the baseball trading card discussion I also found where they spoke about authenticating and grading.
BASKETBALL Trading Cards: https://www.reddit.com/r/basketballcards/comments/17ibznu/authenticated_or_n0_grade_any_way_to_tell/
BASEBALL Autographed Trading Cards: https://www.reddit.com/r/baseballcards/comments/18x7rws/how_to_make_sure_that_cards_are_authentic/
Anyone know what Warriors record JK was referring to that Steve will break this season?
I'm guessing it's total regular season wins for a Warriors coach.
Attles has 557
Kerr has 519
"You gotta break your history, you gotta, he needs like 39 more games to break the Warriors history."
Does that include wins when he was out and Walton was running the team?
Looks like it. BREF says Kerr coached 82 games that year ('15-'16)
https://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/kerrst01c.html
If he coaches the entire season Kerr will also pass Don Nelson for most regular season games coached.
Hoping this counts as Warriors/culture more than politics.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=u9-cjwpthz4&t=3s&pp=2AEDkAIB
“Where is Kamala Harris from?"
"Oakland, California, the home of the Golden State Warriors" ❤️
Gotta say, tho: "have *always* on the court shown incredible excellence"? What year was she born, again? 😜
Not going to lie, her emphasis on joy in her campaign feels like it was ripped straight out of the Warriors playbook.
Without going through year-by-year, it seems like there’s always been at least one “excellent” bright spot on every Warriors team since I’ve been a fan. (There was always a Steph, Monta, Baron, Jason, Antawn, Run TMC etc.)
That’s enough to survive a fact-checking with no worse than a rating of “slightly misleading”.
No more Woj Bombs. But how about some Windy Bombs? Yeah that might be happening. Windhorst replacing Woj at ESPN.
Not a fan of Windy, but not sure I'd wish that job on anyone. Hope he got to enjoy having a life up to now.
Breaking Windy Bomb really doesn’t pass the smell test for me…
Can't believe Breaking Wind hasn't already been trademarked
Wry unappealing and I don’t like him much anyway. Windbag??
A wind bag, so a whoopie cushion?
Windbag's my personal nickname for him. I don't like him much either.
Breaking Bad sequel. Why not.
Shohei Ohtani is like the Shohei Ohtani of baseball
nba.com's preview of the Dubs is up, though there isn't anything there that even constitutes a nugget of information. They diss Mr. Plow, though (he isn't in their list of arrivals, but Post is!)
If you need to read words in a row that include "Golden State Warriors" ...
https://www.nba.com/news/2024-25-season-preview-gsw
Cue Podz, TJD, and Mr. Plow singing "I Will Survive"!
"Cheap replacements" indeed...
Kawhi:
r/LAClippers
28 min. ago
Kawhi’s Agent in China “There might be some bad news, so let me give you a heads up. We’ll have to wait and see what happens during the Clippers’ media day.”
https://www.reddit.com/r/LAClippers/comments/1flhzpr/kawhis_agent_in_china_there_might_be_some_bad/
Or there might not. He has had a sore knee for quite a while so the bad news might just mean he isn't going to play preseason.
Which will be followed by he won't play the first few weeks of the season, which will then be extended....
Kawhi *really* likes China. Like, *REALLY* likes it. So he's going to move there and find a silent retreat place he can do his best work.
Sad.
If Kawhi retired and no one told me, I'm not sure I would notice.
Oh brother. His knee must be cooked beyond belief. Or wherever he is hurt. I can't keep up anymore.
WTF is that supposed to mean, lol
I think it's a warning about Kawhi's health status.
Yeah, but if so "we'll have to wait and see what happens during Clippers' media day." is a really weird thing to say. The agent already knows something's up. They don't have to wait, maybe they just misspoke and meant to say something like "you'll have to wait and see what happens during Clippers' media day."?
I know what happens during media day. The media ask a lot of questions and the players avoid specific answers and everyone pretends to be optimistic.
OK, now that we've resolved that mystery, on to the actual mystery...
There's an inverse ratio between how interested I am in what Kuminga does and what he says. The more cliched and boring his interviews get, the more he dunks on Wembanyama, is my theory.
Already this offseason there has been a lot of vocal/written pressure on J Kuminga with his extension looming and fans clamoring that the Warriors need a 2nd scoring option.
His responses in this inteview about how he is always working on getting better at everything in the off season, his long term goal is to be a starter, wants to be a team leader etc..
He seems to genuniely feel all of that is possible.and so is puting even more pressure on himself.
For me I'm not sure that is the best for him as a still young player, nor for the team which will need to incorporate several new players, some established veterans.
I sincerely hope that he can play well make solid positive contributions to the 2024/25 Warriors successful season. No need for expectations to dunk on Wembanyama or anyone.
Kawakami's questions seemed... intended to try to get a spicy answer, and sorta combative at times. And one of the correct ways to respond to those questions is sports ball word salad. I thought the questions were kinda dumb... especially dwelling on his hair for way too long at the outset of the conversation.
TK’s followup on Threads:
[[
Wiggins at the 2 with Kuminga and Draymond at the 3/4 and TJD at the 5 is one potential way through this for the Warriors.
Podziemski, Melton, Moody and Anderson as the core of the second unit and blending in with the starters in different units.
]]
https://www.threads.net/@tim.kawakami/post/DAJPkwLvP5Z/?xmt=AQGzh9NbPyqheIgUbYqEep7LbGfxiw6CY0rTKlQWJdEnHA
I don't see how this solves the problem? The problem w/ Kuminga at the 3 isn't that it displaces Wiggins (imho Wiggs needs to prove himself before I want to see him in the starting lineup anyway), it's that Kuminga/Draymond/TJD puts 3 non shooters on the floor. If we're comfortable with those 3 on the floor together period, then we can just put whomever at the 2 and we're good.
Is there anyone in that lineup besides Steph that will need to be guarded at the 3 pt line? I see Steph double teams galore with a lot of drop and zone coverage against that lineup.
Fans are going to rightfully be concerned about the spacing... even with a really optimistic result of Wiggs and JK getting to 38 3P% on decent volume, it's still a very limited outside shooting team.
But, I can see us leaning into defense like we've never done before. Maybe relying on stops and getting into transition/early offense.
It would be a great running unit. But, the SG these days needs to be able to run to the three point line and take a 3. Wiggs is not my first choice to do that, TBH. He's more a 'feet set' shooter (I think ... I have no stats to back that up, TBH).
edit: think of all the curl actions that Klay would run to get free at the three point line off a screen. Not sure Wiggs can do that.
No matter what, it won't be the same without Klay. If we don't have that guy who runs to the 3-point line, we'll have to find other ways to get the job done. Plus regardless of who starts, once Kerr starts substituting, we'll see a mixed lineup of starters and guys like Melton, Hield, Moody, and/or Podz, all of whom can play the 2. TK isn't even talking about Hield (or Loon for that matter when he lists his second-unit core).
100%. Kerrball only works with space-hunting horses and superb passers throwing defensive schemes into chaos. Wiggs and JK are not the kind of horses that scheme rides. I predict Kerr is too smart to try to force the old scheme on new lineups and we're going to see a very different team this year. I think stopnpop is on the right track with the emphasis on D and transition offense.
It HAS only worked with “ space hunting horses” because the best players on Kerr’s team have been space hunting horses. Give Kerr Giannis or Jokic, or LeBron, and he’ll find ways to emphasize different elite talents.
You know what? I'm not an immediate no on this. Wiggins at the 2. I'm listening. Let's see it for a few games.
That starting 5 would be big and small at the same time lol
SMedium Lineup
This will work, if Wiggins comes into camp in good shape, physically, mentally, emotionally, AND JK comes into camp with a real "opponents can't just give him an open 3, especially in the corner" shot. I think the chances are decent on both of these individually, but I'm not counting on both together.
Emotionally is the key. IDK if his father's death will help or hurt on this, since he has obviously been very sick for a couple of years and that can take its toll. My hope is the fact that his GSW team has been supportive along the way will help him engage.
As for JK's corner 3, I think it is more like Podz; take the open shot when you have it, do not hesitate.
JK reiterating that he's a 3. Time to prove it this year if he wants to earn that max extension
I think this "be a 3" thing is something that Kerr started, I don't have a link but I'm pretty sure on multiple occasions he's mentioned that that's what he wants to see if Kuminga can do it. But I hope his actual conversations with Kuminga are more specific than that. I have to believe they are. It's one thing to say, as Kerr has, "Get more rebounds" or "Work on your team defense concepts." But "Go out there and be more 3-ish??" If I were Kuminga I'd be like "Whaa? What does that MEAN?"
What is a 3? I've been watching this game for 50 years and I'm not sure I could define it. What does a 3 do that other players do, and what do other players do that 3s don't?
A 3 has more responsibility for outside shooting and doesn’t need to rebound out of his area as much. Passes more and moves the ball sooner and faster than a 4
Indeed, that's the traditional view, and sometimes it still holds up. But the traditional positions can get blurry nowadays. Back in the day, 3s defended 3s, 4s defended 4s, etc., except when switched, but now guys who profile as one position on offense might defend someone who profiles as a different position, and switching is more frequent.
Offensively it varies too. Nowadays we have small-ball 5s and stretch 4s and slasher 3s who don't necessarily focus on perimeter shooting, though they'll do some of that. The 2 and the 3 can be the same position, depending on the players; they're simply small wings. A 3 or 4 can simply be a big wing.
A 3 is a person who looks good in the bar at 1:15 am after a lot of drinks.
All my life, I've wanted to be a 3.
You're a 6
So, “average”?
Double vision does wonders.
Oh no, I see. I thought we were still talking basketball. I think you're not a 3, you're more of a 6th man. Take heart! Role players are vital! Me? I'm on a ten-day.
That would make you a 33.
It's when Steph Curry shoots the ball at the basket from behind the line that's far away from the basket. You can really tell it's "a 3" if he starts turning his back before the ball falls through the basket.
In that case i want Kuminga to be a 3 for sure.
That's how he sees himself and that's exactly how Aaron Gordon saw himself in Orlando. Took him a team change to realize that he was a 4 on a winning team. Can Kuminga have that revelation while on the team that drafted him 7th overall? Without trying and failing at it first? Would be a hell of a coaching job by Kerr if so, not sure how likely it is though.
I mean...
In Gordon's first 3 years, he made less than 30% of his 3s every year and had a rebounding rate of ~12%. In Kuminga's first 3 years, he made at least 32% of his 3s and has a rebounding rate of 9.9%. They're quite a bit different players in a lot of ways.
What Kuminga means by "I see myself as a small forward" is "I see myself as a perimeter player". He's either going to have to improve dramatically to have a skillset that can do that for a winning team or embrace his actual skillset and "see myself as a power forward", like Aaron Gordon eventually did.
Aaron Gordon looking at his shooting & rebounding performance going into his 4th year and seeing himself as a perimeter player is quite different from JK looking at his shooting & rebounding performance going into his 4th year and seeing himself as a perimeter player.
Aaron Gordon was going to need a much more dramatic improvement to be a perimeter player than JK will need... and a much less dramatic improvement to transition to a big. I don't see them as all that similar. You may disagree, and that's fine.
Two things popped out to me:
1. When talking about leadership, the first name out of his mouth was "Draymond". He sees Draymond as a leader.
2. Off the top of his head, he called out a random "Steve Kerr could become the winningest coach in Warriors history"
Thought these were interesting.
Forgot to mention below, addressing the inevitable (and legit) concerns about how the roster is too crowded... it may sort itself out naturally, and there is some built-in redundancy that can be a plus. Not everyone is going to have a great year and be healthy. Having some depth and competition so the guys who are performing well can step in and earn more minutes isn't a bad thing. Also means we're a little more insulated from top-heavy catastrophe when e.g. our new Lauri signing that cost us our depth results in a lost year because he has an injury or doesn't pan out. (Of course, we are still 100% reliant on Steph and Dray). And if all of that doesn't pan out, we do have the most roster flexibility we've had in almost a decade to make consolidation trades and remake the roster if an option that isn't absurdly priced (Lauri) comes along.
To me, the idea that one of Kuminga or Wiggs is going to be the SF in the second unit is enough to start drooling. Either of those guys should destroy the other team's second unit one night out of two or three. I like the depth.
At some point, Kuminga needs to displace Wiggs as the starting SF, but if it doesn't happen this year because Wiggs plays back to his capabilities, that's just good news, really.
If JK is as good as many hope him to be, adding a second star is not necessary.
If JK really takes a leap and Wiggins is good Wiggins they should be a very dangerous team.
We all can go on and on because that is what we do, but it really comes down to a simple question.
How much did the young guys improve and are we getting the best of Melton, Hield and Anderson.
I personally think this group has the talent to be very entertaining and a legit playoff team IF… lot of IF’s. This is the ultimate IF team. I also like the coaching changes. It matters.
Now that's an athlete interview I wanted to read! (I find most of them to be dreadfully dull). Not that he said anything unexpected necessarily, but I'm glad he's articulating some comfort level with the team and Steve Kerr.
Just the opposite for me. I found it boring. I love Kuminga as a player but I find all of his interviews boring old cliches.
I agree that the interview was boring. But, given the seeming tension between him and the team the last couple of years, I was happy to hear him say relatively normal things, and express some team solidarity and appreciation for his coach ... even if they are relatively canned statements. That's more what I meant.
He could have used the interview to pitch himself for a max extension, if he was annoyed enough, for instance.
I mean sure, it was all canned. But I have never seen the alleged tension between him and the team. I mean, all players want more PT but that's hardly the Great Schism of 1054.
If it wouldn't confuse everyone, I would change my handle to Nicene Creed in honor of your post.
< I had to look it up >
Starting to feel that warm tingle of anticipation as the season nears. Not a lot of talking about the Warriors nationally, they’re pretty much written off. Maybe that’s right, but I have some hopes of “whole is better than the sum of its parts” synergy we haven’t seen a lot of in a few years.
They have Steph Curry and the other teams don't. That helps a lot. Expecting Kuminga, Moody, TJD, and Podziemski to improve doesn't seem at all unreasonable. The Warriors chances mostly depend on Green staying on the court and the return of two way Wiggs.
Same.
Wiggs has got more family stuff to resolve undoubtedly, but I think he got the message this summer that he needed to put the team a little more in focus, and for horrible reasons, it looks like he's going to be able to. I expect Kuminga to take another step, hopefully a big one.
That by itself goes a long way. Also, Podz and Trayce are going to be better integrated (a year ago, neither were in the rotation), we shored up the shooting, and got some better defensive partners for Steph (Melton, perhaps even Waters).
My only real question marks are whether Moody has improved enough, and what Anderson can bring.
This may be grossly optimistic, but I don't share the handwringing about needing a second big-time offensive guy. I think it's going to sort out that either Kuminga or Wiggs is good enough in that role. The new shooters, and what should be a pretty good second unit, will make it less of a concern.
I think Anderson can bring a lot and specifically be our best option when Draymond is on the bench. They are not identical players but they share a lot of the same skillsets. I don't know how much time they will have on the court together but Draymond and Anderson may be our best defensive front court. Certainly the most switchable.
Moody is a bigger question, IMO, because I just can't see who he displaces to get playing time. Waters is the same question.
And then we have GP2.....
GP2 has consistently played 15.5-17.5 minutes/gm for us. Maybe it's more like 10 minutes this season but I don't see it being more than in the past.
As for Moody, we're told Steph and Dray will start and otherwise everything will be up for grabs. MM will have to be really impressive to win minutes, but it's not impossible he could do that.
Yes... but... given GP2's contract and the number of young guys he is competing with, my guess if they will trade him if they can to clear up cap space. It feels really unlikely that both finish the season on our roster and I wouldn't be surprised if neither is with the team this time next year.
But, as you said, if MM is winning minutes that means he is balling and likely so is this team.
My guess is that if the Dubs trade GP2 he will be filler in a bigger deal. I don't think he has much trade value. He has been a good fit here in part because Kerr knows when and how to use him.
Yeah, or even both. Really hard to tell, especially because at this point we do not really know precisely where our weaknesses are. Instinctively, we think the 5 but TJD is emerging and frankly even though he wasn't very good last year, Looney was really great for a few years and arguably our 3rd best player during out last championship run. I mean, at 218 he may not be completely over the hill.
We just need James Wiseman on the bench to get the most out of Looney. I am sure Indiana would trade him to us for GP2. :)