Nothing drastic, just shooting, versatility and connection: new Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. on next season's plan
Not looking good for people who want a dramatic move
Mike Dunleavy Jr, the new Warriors GM, had his first press conference on Jun 19, with Joe Lacob. I was expecting to get no useful information, but I would say there were plenty of tea leaves to read into. The plan (yes things change) seems to be to re-sign Draymond and run it back. Replace departing players with shooters who can keep the ball moving.
Lots of vague talk about how the organization needs to get better and how they would try to help players be more connected. I don’t know if that means having Draymond and Poole talk things out in some mediated organized way or something else. He also tosses off a cryptic remark about getting more connected possibly through external means, which I take to mean adding players or trades.
So in the end, I get the sense that they do intend to keep the core together (including Poole and Kuminga) into the foreseeable future, but I can’t figure out how that’s going to happen without something, well, drastic.
Some key quotes from Mike Dunleavy Jr below.
Intro
MDJ: Got a big week with a draft coming up and our roster's in a good place.
I'd say we don't have too many decisions to make, but we have things to consider. And we'll take a lot of things into account.
The draft is certainly one of the three areas we feel like we can improve on. And looking back on last year, by all accounts we had a successful season, but for us, finishing the top eight after winning the championship, we know we wanna be better.
And our goal this summer will be to go about improving our roster. We got one key player that we love to bring back. [Draymond]
And then after that, our group's main objective would be to improve and feel like going into it. We've got a shot to contend for a title again, so I'm confident about that.
Were you surprised about Draymond [opting out]?
MDJ: Until we get the paperwork and the filing, we can't really comment or say much.
I will say, I think Steve has said it, and I'll reiterate, we really want Draymond back what he means to this organization, this team, in terms of trying to win at the highest level. We feel like we have to have him. So that's very important.
Beyond that, yeah, I think a lot can be made of all the challenges that are coming our way, whether it be aging roster, the new CBA with some of the limitations there. Anything else you can bring up. But we're aware of all those things, but we also feel like we're in a great place because we've got a competitive owner willing to spend and a group that's really tied in.
Joe Lacob: Look, he's been a spectacular player. For us we would not have these championships without his involvement. No question. I think everyone understands that in this room. He's meant a lot to this franchise. He's a bit of a controversial player, perhaps in some corners around the league and certain things that have happened over the years, and he knows that we know that. But. The good overwhelms the bad is what I would say.
And he probably needs to improve just like we all do and get better at certain things. And we probably need, as Mike said, to improve as an organization in some ways for sure. But he's meant a lot and I think if he does come back that he will be very important to our success certainly going forward in the next few years.
How do you assess last season as a whole…?
MDJ: Sure. I think talking about last year, certainly compared with the prior year where we were, the best team in the league and won the championship last year was.
Internally, a let down for us. At the same time, we were two games away from reaching the conference final. So I think you have to look at it all into perspective. We feel like our core group of guys led by Steph Curry is still at an incredibly high level. And for that reason, we feel like we have a chance to always be knocking on the door.
And the rest of the roster going down the line, we feel like is a group that probably needs to be better about playing together and connecting. And so that's something we'll look to solve for this off season. And by the way, that's not only externally, that's internally through working together and doing all that stuff. So I think as far as last year below our standards, but I think we learned a lot and I think we know what we need to do to improve and now it's our job to go out and do it.
What would it mean to you to be able to keep [the core] for their entire career moving forward?
That's certainly the hope. We love those guys and value them and I think there is a way to do it. That's something we'll have to work through. But it's certainly possible. And the biggest thing is those guys are still playing at a high level. Steph's conservatively one of the top five players in the league. Conservatively. And then Draymond just had an incredible year. Essentially first team all defense. We’re biased, but he's one of the premier defenders in the league. And then Klay's really returned well from his Achilles injury in his knee.
So those guys are still playing really well in, in an older age. And so that makes it possible, I think to continue to have them here as long as they wanna be here.
Whether it's free agency or to draft, what skills do you specifically prioritize?
I think first and foremost, you gotta distinguish between acquiring talent and building a team. And so for us, the team thing is huge. How do these players work, interact together? Beyond that, as far as individual skill sets, place a premium on being able to play both ways, defend your position and on the offensive end to be able to bring something to the table.
High premium on shooting in this day and age with the way the league's going shooting is important. And so from there, those are the main things. And you work your way down with other skill sets. Character is a big part of it. But again, emphasizing what works for our team and that may not work for other teams, it's different.
But knowing what our coaching staff likes and what's worked here is an important part of the evaluation.
Are you targeting a ready now player more than a younger project?
I think our main focus is on drafting a really good basketball player and like Joe said, it's pretty hard not to draft a young guy. Now, the difference between 19 and 23 years of age, sure you can debate that. But I think our focus as it has for the most part is to be drafting players that are good, are actually good at basketball.
And then we'll look at it from a roster standpoint of how it looks. Could you make an argument last year we were too young in some way? Sure. But that's what we'll take a look at once the draft has gone by and figure it out from there.
Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga
We love having those guys here, Jordan, especially with his contract extension plan to have him here for four more years at least. And then Jonathan's, you know what he's shown really good progression and growth in his first couple years. Unfortunately for him, I think the playing time hasn't been there.
And so that's on all of our shoulders to figure out how do we get him in the game more. That's on Jonathan's shoulders to improve and make the right adjustments to his game as well as our front office, our coaching staff are figuring out what works. Both those guys really good young players we're pleased with.
They have great value around the league and obviously a lot of rumors and stuff come up at this time of the year, but we're happy with those guys. …
As most players find, by the time you get into your third year, sometimes it takes to four, you end up being pretty good, and then this is the time to make that jump. And so we're hopeful that's the case where these guys aren't necessarily babies or young guys or rookies anymore, and they should be able to be strong, contributing players that can compliment our older guys.
So I think that's the hope. And those guys are certainly on track. They're working really hard, putting the time in, and I think we're confident in what they can do moving forward.
Steph’s involvement in roster moves
Look, Steph can be as involved as he wants, as far as I'm concerned, but that's not his personality. He likes to be kept in the loop on stuff which he's earned and deserves. So I think just cause we value his opinion, his thoughts on stuff, I think you're always running things by him. But Steph just wants to work on his game, play some golf, be with his family, so I'm not gonna bother him too much.
Improving for next season
First and foremost, like it's been said, to be able to get Draymond back would be huge. From there, I want to, we would love to make improvements. Can we add some shooting? Can we add some more versatility? And can we add some connectivity? Whether that's ball handling, passing, veteran experience. We've talked to the coaching staff, we talked to our players. We have a good sense of kind of what we need to do.
And fortunately it's nothing drastic, but there's some things we can do around the margins and make a move here or there that we're gonna be open to it.
Untouchables on the roster?
We love our roster and as far as un untouchables and who we like to trade and all that, don't care to get too much into specifics.
But other than to say that, frankly, we get a lot of calls, people value guys on our roster. So I think we're in good shape and we'll always look to evaluate stuff.
How to improve connectivity?
Yeah, I think that's fair. I think that's something that, like I said, can be done amongst the group that we have internally through stuff over the course of summer, but also some external changes perhaps where — Steve used the word connectivity — we're more connected as a group on the floor.
You look at the championship team with the Nuggets. Those guys were dialed in together. You look at us in 2022, that's how we were. If we can get back to that standpoint? I think given our talent, that's gonna give us a chance to compete for a title.
The Future is here... brace yourselves
Victor Wembanyama On His First Ever Pod | JJ REDICK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wg3_c_4glE
Okay 15 hours later, 550 miles on the road, cheap motel room and a very nice bottle of Cabernet (screw top, of course), so what did I miss? I'm waiting for Draymond to pop the question to LeBron while walking on the Mediterranean beaches of Southern France. I proposed to my wife at a Cafe in Paris, dropping an old fashioned Ring Pop (cherry flavored) on the cafe table and offering her a pronounced shoulder shrug. For those not in the know, in French this gesture means "30 million per for 3 years? Pretty please." After all this time, will LeBron accept his hand. Stay tuned for the next episode of Basketball Wives - Paris.