46 Comments

I just caught the podcast this morning. Always fun to see other viewpoints.

I just happened across this from CBS Sports earlier. Some interesting ideas for several teams / players - especially the ones that are Warriors-related.

Golden State Warriors acquire Aaron Gordon

Yes, the Warriors will likely seek out a big man to throw at Davis in a potential matchup with the Lakers, but that's more than doable on the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception. Their real chip, the No. 2 overall pick, needs to go to a two-way force that will benefit from their offensive infrastructure. That is Gordon, who will fit right into Golden State's switch-heavy defense, has flashed a league-average shot on an Orlando team with no spacing whatsoever, and has at least enough on-ball chops to make defenses sweat as a fourth option. Such versatile forwards are rare. Gordon may not be the star Golden State is hoping for, but he's the player that makes the most sense on the trade market given what they have to offer. The deal will be agreed to in advance but held officially until after the Warriors sign the No. 2 overall pick so that his salary can count in the trade. That allows them to keep both Andrew Wiggins and the hefty trade exception they acquired for Andre Iguodala, which they could then use in a separate deal.

[I can imagine Klay and Gordon and whoever from the bench doing major damage against 2nd teams league-wide.]

Orlando Magic trade Aaron Gordon to Golden State

The Magic would have obviously preferred to have a healthy Jonathan Isaac next season, but his torn ACL presents an opportunity. It is an exit ramp off of the highway of mediocrity they've been driving on for the past several seasons. They now have an excuse to trade off veterans. Dealing Gordon to Golden State not only gets them a valuable piece at No. 2 overall, but with Isaac out, it hurts their 2020-21 prospects. That improves their 2021 draft pick, potentially creating two valuable young players for the price of one.

Toronto Raptors trade Norman Powell

This is something of a hedge on the VanVleet prediction. If he stays, the Raptors may look to move Powell (a legitimate Sixth Man of the Year candidate) in the name of opening up more 2021 cap space. Even if he goes, that flexibility is valuable, and if the Raptors can get off of his contract and maybe get an asset back, it's something they'd consider. Golden State stands out as a trade partner. The Warriors can fit him neatly into the Iguodala trade exception, and would love his combination of shooting and defense.

I had never thought of the possibility of adding Powell, who is a very good player.

Here is the link to the entire article:

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/bold-nba-offseason-predictions-for-all-30-teams-lakers-add-third-scorer-76ers-trade-for-chris-paul/

Expand full comment
Oct 17, 2020Liked by Duby Dub Dubs

Do not want Lamelo, the dad baggage isn't worth it. The Warriors are a culture driven team, and he could disrupt that.

Expand full comment

Another great pod, EvanZ is always very interesting and thought-provoking.

At the risk of getting typecast, I am predictably going to respond on the Obi Toppin/ David Lee comps. It is an interesting comp, but to my eye a more athletic Warriors-era David Lee is more like the reasonable floor for Toppin.

At this point, I should say I grew up following the Knicks as well as the Warriors. That means

I watched David Lee almost all his career. I saw him grow into the player the Warriors ended up with, but he started as basically a double-double garbage man when he came into the league with the Knicks. It took around 3-4 seasons, but in Mike D'Antoni's system he developed an outside shot and unlocked some of his playmaking. The version the Warriors ended up with was that, but it was not what David Lee started out as. Toppin already has that skill and versatility on the offensive end, as well as being a lot more athletic than early-David Lee.

Statistically in Lee's senior year of college he scored 13 ppg on 52.5% shooting, with a TS% of 57% and eFG% of 52.5%. He's a better rebounder than Toppin, but those marks are well below Toppin's averages in his sophomore year, who put up 20 ppg on 63% shooting (39% from 3 on 2.6 attempts per game), a TS% of 68.4% and eFG% of 67.4%. Those advanced stats %s are off the charts.

For comparison, in his sophomore year Griffin averaged 22.7 points on 65.4% (but basically no threes), with a TS% of 64.8% and an eFG% of 65.7%. Again, Griffin was a much better rebounder, and obviously Toppin's older but offensively he's much closer to Griffin than Lee.

All three posted similar assist totals and assist rates, so the comp holds up reasonably there and what separates Toppin from another more obvious upside comp in Amare Stoudemire.

The interesting one is the block % which does translate relatively well where, although you'd obviously want more from Toppin, he did average a block % of 4.1, more than double Lee's 2.0 and significantly higher than Griffin's 2.6. That speaks to Toppin's vertical athleticism vs Lee.

I don't think Toppin is a flawless prospect at all, and the defensive issues will require work. But I do think generally, compared to this draft class at least, what he did at Dayton this year is getting seriously underrated.

Finally, just to be clear for my good friend Mr Dubs' benefit I did watch a lot of full games and tape of the top prospects. James Wiseman obviously was easy, but in particular I saw a lot of Deni Avdija in the Euroleague (who I really like as a good fit but am not sure about the upside for 2), and Anthony Edwards, who was my favourite early on. For me it really comes down to risk appetite. But we went through all that in the last pod.

All that said, Marcus Smart unites us all lol.

Expand full comment

Thanks for giving the times for relevant questions in this pod. I could never listen to this without it. I disagreed with so much that I don't know where to begin. Maybe the statement that this draft is a bad one is far from the truth. There are many quality players and it will be up to the evaluators to pick them out. That is always the case in any draft.

The only thing I could agree with is that Ball is the top choice for the Warriors. Supremely talented and many reject him for the Warriors because he is a floor leader like Curry and they feel it is a kind of duplication. Ball is much more than a PG. With mentors like Kerr & Curry, this guy could be a star and should be a big consideration for Myers. I guess I was hoping for more advanced stats to back up whatever those 3 were discussing but this pod is far from that. Mostly personal opinion about this draft and Warrior status.

Expand full comment
Oct 16, 2020Liked by Duby Dub Dubs, Daniel Hardee

Good guest

Expand full comment

Sorry for spamming, this is my last post since I had to walk away from the pod. Length is not an advanced stat.

And Wesley Matthews would be a horrible fit for the Warriors offense. He doesn’t seem to know what a screen is, or have any idea how to use one. He would be worse than Nick Young for this team. I’m envisioning a giant turd clogging the toilet bowl turning all that movement into a stagnant smelly mess.

Peace, I think I’d better try to grab a nap and get this grumpy spamming out of my system before work.

Expand full comment
Oct 16, 2020Liked by Duby Dub Dubs

Gotta say, thanks for putting out more great content on your podcast!

Dang I had to pause again because of the silly agism comments.

Two word rebuttal to the silly notion that younger is better: Tim Duncan!

Now a lot more words:

You want a player that is going to be better on his third or fourth contract (that probably won’t be with your team) then value that baby 19 year old for their age, although Duncan seemed to play for a while even though he was so decrepit coming out of college. winning now isn’t serviced in any way by a draftees age, it’s about literally everything else first.

As long as we have a youth fetish: Tyrell Terry (Yes I think the Warriors should value Steph type players instead of ignore them, so I’m bringing up Terry’s name whenever I can) is not only young chronologically, he’s also still growing so he’s probably got a longer potential shelf life than a physically mature 19 year old (which seems completely irrelevant when drafting in today’s NBA to me, but hey, youth!)

Expand full comment
Oct 16, 2020Liked by Duby Dub Dubs

Working on 3 hrs of sleep a night this week so we’ll see how this idea goes: posting my thoughts after each segment of the podcast:

Never much looked at advanced stats, I figure guys that put the ball in the basket at a high %, move off ball, and pass to teammates on time, all while playing fundamental D are generally winners; & those who do all that with flair are transcendent. I was watching all college and no NBA until the Warriors drafted Curry. To me, every second Monte had the ball instead of Curry was another sign the Warriors had no F’ing clue what leads to winning basketball. When people were debating who to keep I was completely floored that there was even a debate (aside from injury concerns) but I could only assume Warriors fans were suffering from some form of Stockholm syndrome at the time.

My first thought from the podcast is that I’m really curious how these top guys stack up to Tyrell Terry in the advanced stats. I haven’t seen a more impactful college guard on the court since Curry. I think he came out too early, but it’s not because he can’t succeed immediately if given a chance; rather because next year he would surely have been drafted much higher if there is a ‘21 college season.

Last thought before diving back in: The NBA great that should probably be drafted first in today’s NBA is probably Larry Bird. Magic will probably always be my favorite player and I Hated the Celtics, but c’mon if you’re looking for ideal modern skillsets Bird has to be at the top of that list. Just think of what the Durant Warriors teams would have looked like with Bird on them instead, running off ball, hitting guys on time and not insisting on 10 isolation plays a game while still being an every level shooter like Steph. And if you’re really going to do a player draft to determine who the best ever is based on today’s game; I’m taking peak Steph over them all.

Expand full comment
Oct 16, 2020Liked by Daniel Hardee

Just draft Haliburton at 2 and be done with it. The guy is the best fit for this team on and off the court.

Expand full comment