Wiggins and Looney are the two players in their chronological prime. Will Wiggins have overcome his personal issues in time to throw down a season befitting his prime 28 season?
A bit worried that after the JP trade, the current roster doesn't really include a fast, athletic guard who can drive. It looks like the Griz just waived Josh Christopher (6'4"), while adding Mychal Mulder. Josh Christopher was picked by the Rockets one pick after Usman Garuba in '21, so the Warriors should have some inside knowledge. Originally a 5-star recruit going to AZ State from SoCal. Worthy of a 2-way if Usman recommends? His stats are not great, but maybe there is potential?
Does Christopher provide something that Podz and Lester Q do not?
I had similar concerns with the departure of JP, but I think the basic concept/hope is that Kuminga and Moody will step up in year 3 to provide the athleticism, rim pressure, and foul-drawing we lost with the JP trade (only without giving it all back on defense).
Either way, a 14th spot / two-way guy is not likely to solve any fundamental roster flaws.
On a related note: one of the things that concerned me most about the idea of selling the farm (incl. JK) for Jrue Holiday is that he’s more of a steady-Eddie game-manager than a guy who really takes it to the rack. JK as a 19 year-old rookie averaged 5.9 fta per 36. JP last season, for his other flaws, averaged 6.1. Jrue last season averaged 2.9.
DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin are available too. Of course both of those guys are washed up but other than that, if we really want to do something obnoxious, we could reunite the old Clippers Big 3.
According to Kerr, when CP is on floor, team will lean toward his style of play, but also he's showing interest and aptitude for "doing what we do." So expect CP-Kuminga or CP-Dario pnrs, but also expect CP in ball movement split action with The Usual Gang of Idiots.
Said Kuminga and Moody have been working hard and he expects that the third year is often when players make a leap.
Said GP looks healthy again and that top training camp goal is to become "a top ten defense again" and that GP plays into that heavily.
Kerr also shouted out DNHQ as his favorite web site and said he learns a lot by reading the articles and the comments. I'm just checking who's reading this post late on a no-game Tuesday you diehards.
It was awesome that Kerr thanked Eric Apricot specifically for having educated him on proper bench celebrations and simply “Looney Looney”. He didn’t elaborate further.
We're looking at a lot of things right now, and those are some of the considerations, certainly. I talk to Mike Dunleavy daily. On our end we feel like Chris is just such a cerebral player, and one that we've competed against so many times, and let me also add here "fuck Chris Paul," but we're just at the start of training camp and we're going to try some different things, a lot of different lineups. The thing with Jonathan is that he's been doing some great work all summer. He's just such a great kid. It's just hard for a bigger guy coming up in the league. There's just a ton of stuff to learn. But we're going to look at a lot of things with Jonathan including playing him in games, but it's too soon to tell. Klay is Klay. I can't tell him what to do. That ship has passed.
I don't want to stop you, but I might be siding on the irrational side. Dubs Otto was 28 (pretty much peak prime), was a #3 overall draft pick (extreme prospect), max contract recipient (backed up extreme prospect status), then fell on some injuries that torpedoed his stock.
Rudy Gay was also a (lower) lottery pick, with a lot of potential, and he realized that potential into a journeyman vet contributing wherever he goes. But he is also 37. 9 years older than Dubs Otto. I would consider how excited you would be if Warriors re-sign Otto 7 years from now (2030!), and adjust expectations accordingly. I hope to be wrong.
One thing that Rudy does better than both of them is he has the ability to put it on the floor and create his own shot. As long as he can be competent defensively which I have confidence he can in our system he'll be a good pickup.
I can see it. I see some feistiness in that lineup. Plus I can imagine guys like Gay and Robinson excelling in open runs/scrimmages. Just pure bucket getters
The Dubs split into three teams and scrimmage. One team team had Saturday’s starting lineup, but the team with with Podz, DUG, Gay, Jerome Robinson, and McGruder “dominated” according to Kerr and swept their games. https://youtu.be/_gAtXgw2cOM?si=jnIPjOgIS6VkqRF5
Steph, Chris, Wiggs, Klay, Loon, with Klay basically at the 4:
“So we’re thinking Klay can guard as a 4 this year. We’re going to put him in coverage where he’s having to defend pick-and-roll as a 4. That would be a different job for him, but we’re planning on doing some of that and seeing how he does.”
It's the Lakers... their starting five will include DLo, Reaves, Lebron, AD... and either Hachimura or Vanderbilt. I think Wiggins gets the LeBron assignment, so Klay takes the Vanderbilt/Hachimura option?
I see this more that they can put Klay on the slow PF and he's strong enough to hang in there, freeing them up to put Wiggs on the speedier guys that Klay might not keep up with any more. We'll see how it goes.
Glad I read the comments, because I was gonna say the same thing. Definitely need Wiggs to take on opponents’ best perimeter players if our starting guards Steph and CP3 (or are we calling him “CP6” now?)
Wizards have 17 players signed and Spurs have 16 players signed, so both teams will have to cut a few guys (Gallinari? Muscala? McDermott?)
Bucks, Suns, Grizzlies, Clippers, and Nuggets are out of roster spots. Sixers, Kings, Heat, Lakers, Mavericks, Cavaliers, and Nets all have at least one roster spot open. The Celtics have multiple roster spots open, but I believe they'd be ineligible to sign either Gallinari or Muscala in the event one of those guys gets cut. It's also possible that a team like the Lakers or Mavericks wants to keep a roster spot open for later in the season, in which case they are out of roster spots.
Warriors are probably not the favorite to land any of those guys should they be cut given the lack of a regular rotation spot to offer, but will probably be in the mix.
I use spotrac's cap tracker page because it's free and shows the roster sizes of all the teams on the same table. I bet there's other tools out there and happy to hear alternative suggestions.
edit: belilaugh's hoops rumor link is much more detailed for the current moment. My only gripe is that I wish they would update the same page consistently on a running basis.
Yeah the Knicks seemingly have three open roster spots and could be a factor too. Rockets did too before the Bullock signing (probably why Bullock signed with them, plenty of opportunity for playing time).
But perhaps someone like Gallinari is looking to ring chase at this point and narrows his focus to the top teams (if he even gets waived).
During media day I was watching all those media people walking back-and-forth across the screen and my mind kept saying….which one took that video? Which one sold that video? It’s still kind of haunts me.
You would think they would have been able to pin point who it was based on security camera footage no? 🤷♂️ The perpetraitor clearly knew the affects it was going to have on the team and they decided their 30 pieces of silver was worth it.
If you were concerned about the punch and if Management were not going to manage it, you could bring it up and say, "Hey, I've got this footage of the incident. I think this is a serious HR matter. I want to make sure it is dealt with seriously. If it's not I'll leak the footage and it will become a serious PR matter".
Of course we'll never know how it might have played out differently, but that person took the low ground, assuming they didn't do just that.
I say Dillon Brooks was the perp who leaked the video. I don't know how he snuck in, shot the video, and snuck out unnoticed, but I'm just sure it was he, the dirty bum. Even Austin Rivers wouldn't sink that low.
Rockets signaled they care about winning when they fired their previous coach and hired Udoka. The days of them playing like a G-league team are over and I think they might surprise some people this year. Honestly nobody in the West is really tanking anymore which is just another indication that the win total of the top team in the West and separation of the top teams are going to be really, really low this year.
Literally all 16 Western Conference teams (including yourself lol) can beat you on any given night. It’s gonna be brutal. Won’t be surprised to see 50-52 wins get the #1 seed.
I agree. They have a great mix of young talent that in theory really compliments each other. Eason and Jabari are versatile defensive bigs/forwards with complimentary skillsets on offense that can cover some of Sengun's deficiencies on O. Sengun is a really good passer and rebounder who can help distribute to their scorers. Jalen Green is shooting guard with range and off the bounce capability. Amen Thompson is more of a passer/defender.
They have that, and then managed to get a bunch of vets who fit and don't really block any of the young guys in a major way.
Udoka is a coach who already has the gravitas to hold guys accountable.
They also had a MAJOR addition by subtraction oncourt by moving on from Kevin Porter Jr...which they did because of some horrid allegations about abusing his girlfriend.
Rockets getting Jock Landale, Fred VanVleet, and Reggie Bullock look like good moves IMO. Getting Jeff Green, Dillon Brooks, Aaron Holiday, and DJ Augustin are questionable, though I suspect at least a couple of them will be riding the bench or playing only when the starters and/or the 2nd string players are injured.
I can see it. The guy is going to turn 33 during the regular season. He's getting to the end of a journeyman career and is highly unlikely to play much on a championship contender. If he can make more than the min or get more playing time, why the heck not? Someone has to be the Washington Generals. Would he be better off on the end of the Warriors' bench, playing out one of his final seasons as a deep reserve and maybe getting into games every few weeks?
We don't even know if the Warriors pursued him. He would be a good depth piece for sure, but he'd also be in the mix with Moody, Kuminga, and GP2 to be anywhere from the 3rd wing to the 6th wing on the team. There are a lot of other contenders where he would be more needed to be honest.
He's been in a few spots where he's been part of a young team that is improving from a really bad team to an average, playoff or better team. So maybe he just likes that growth process. Nothing wrong with that. The Rockets are going to be much improved and have a very bright future.
I agree that to some winning isn't everything, but I don't think that's a bad thing. Maybe he wants his family to not have to move, and in Houston he won't be as far away from Dallas. Maybe he looks forward to mentoring the youth in Houston. I don't know the reasons, but they apparently are more important to him than having a small % chance to win a championship with some contender, and that's ok.
Not at all. I think that's perfectly okay as well. I would usually respect a decision like that but he's willingly accepting to be teammates with Dillon Brooks. Dillon Brooks sucks. Almost as bad as Austin Rivers.
Kuminga becomes more than good enough to join the rotation.
Moody becomes a steady 3 and D guy with OK offense, but good team defense.
Steph and Paul's combined missed games is at least 1/3 of a season.
Saric is going to be an absolute revelation as a 5-out center, and will get Kuminga almost as many dunks as Chris Paul.
Cory Joseph will be very solid as a third PG, but we will need LQ or Podz at some point.
Our bench will win us 5 to 10 games this year.
Things I am not sure of:
Kuminga becomes the 4th best player on the team (yep, better than Loon or Saric or Paul).
Klay will be on a mission to secure his next contract, but will have to rein it in, when it become obvious that this team functions best with a balanced offense.
Garuba ends up signed to either roster spot 14 or 15 by the end of the year.
One of Podz or LQ ends up flaming out this year, and is moved.
Wiggins does a Canadian reset, and his new magic number is now 19.
The big open question to me around Kuminga is whether he could take the 5th spot in the closing lineup. You couldn't build a better prototype if he's ready.
Kuminga + Steph, Klay, Wiggins and Dray. Maybe sometimes Loon instead of Dray.
If he's playing smart, rebounding, and hitting some open 3's then Kuminga's size, strength, and explosiveness would be absolutely dynamite with that group.
I'd be worried about spacing with that group, but it certainly could work if one of Wiggs or Kuminga is hitting 3s.
I keep wanting to find a way to put Saric in the closing lineup.
If Kuminga is hitting his threes at a reasonable clip, then swapping in Saric for Klay might work. Kuminga's on ball defense is probably better than Klay's now (hard to say ... a lot of what Kuminga does seems like activity for activity's sake). Adding Saric to the lineup more than makes up for any difference in shooting between Klay and Kuminga.
Steph - Wiggs - Kuminga - Dray - Saric would be my dream closing lineup to catch up.
Probably put Loon in for Saric if we're defending a lead.
If you are worried about spacing with Steph, Klay, Wiggins, Kuminga and Dray...how does the lineup get better with Saric in for Klay?
For the most part it will be someone with Steph, Klay, Wiggins, and Dray. WIth limited exceptions we shouldn't overthink those four too much. (Maybe Loon in for Dray for size/rebounding/sanity. Maybe CP3 in for Klay for more playmaking.)
Saric could be the 5th guy for some matchups. Like against Denver if you think he can hold up defensively against Aaron Gordon he'd bring rebounding and more space. In general I don't think he's good enough defensively.
Yeah, you're right about both points. Somehow I was thinking Saric for Loon, but that's not what you were saying.
Re: Klay .... I'm less excited about him staying in the closing lineup.
If he gets back to the defense he was playing in the 2022 playoffs then I think he's a plus ... he really was phenomenal in that run.
If it's more like last year's playoffs, then I think his defense is a mild negative compared to other options (Kuminga, Moody, GPII) and it entirely depends on how he's shooting.
Man... so much Klay slander around these parts... let's get the season started...
Unless Klay's defense really starts declining, he's a must have in the closing line up along with Steph, Wiggins, and Draymond. Any of the other 6 rotation guys (CP3, JK, Saric, Moody, GP2, Loon) can be the 5th guy on the floor, depending on matchups and who's got it going on a given night.
I suppose that if Klay's in one of his Klank Mode games for the first 3.5 quarters, you can sub him out if Moody is hot or something... but even if he's Klanking, he's still incredibly useful on the court because defenses will still gravitate to him to make sure he doesn't get clean shots that get him in a groove.
Kuminga being able to hit an open 3 AND being able to hold up a little bit against 4s & 5s on the block (including rebounding capability) would be so, so huge... he could fit such a vital role, as long as he's not just laser focused on trying to be "Him" initiating the offense.
> Kuminga becomes the 4th best player on the team (yep, better than Loon or Saric or Paul).
Who do you have at #2 and 3? I’d argue Wiggs and Loon should probably be in those slots given they’re smack in their primes where Dray, Klay, Chris are not, and yet it kinda seems like you don’t even count Wiggs among your also-rans? 😞
My provisional pre-season power rankings, factoring in standard aging curves and a bit of fairy-dust…
I would still consider Green to be the second most important player on the team, though injuries will tell the tale there. He's a little less critical, now that we have 3 pretty legit backup options.
I think this may be the year that Klay reasserts himself as the third best player, but it's an open question. I guess you could put Wiggs, Kuminga, Klay in some order in that second tier of players.
I don't see Paul being in that league. Saric could end up in that second tier, though.
Sounds about right to me. As always with rankings, it’s easier and more accurate to think of guys in tiers. Sounds like our tiers are pretty similar. I’d probably go
So Moody is #7 to Klays #9, but Klay's in Tier 3 and Moody in Tier 4? Looks like you've changed your approach based on feedback, lol. I agree with these new tiers... and I generally think tiers are a better approach for these things.
I'd still have Klay and CP3 on Tier 2. Or add a tier, and have Loon, Klay and CP3 together below Dray and Wiggs.
I love Loon, but I actually think if he missed a little time this year we'd be ok with TJD and Garuba for a while. Not in the playoffs. Loon is a playoff monster.
Gay it is, then? Wish he weren’t 37 with the alarming shooting numbers he put up last season. On the plus side … I like that (a) he’s a rugged 6-8 with a 7-3 wingspan; (b) he’s embraced the role of backup/stretch big man in his late career, pulling 8+ boards per 36 and blocking shots here and there; and (c) he’s an 80%+ FT shooter who could potentially regain his peak 38-40% stroke from 3; (d) he’s a widely-beloved high character guy who will be ready when called but also won’t mind getting DNPs most nights in favor of Jon, Moses, and Dario.
Rudy's going to be an interesting experiment. But, the reality is that that position is fungible, and if he doesn't work out, they can cut him and pick up a trade-deadline guy.
I looked at Donovan Williams highlights ... his shooting numbers are not good, but he's got good size and quickness. Kinda hoping he ends up in the third 2-way (the one Robinson has right now).
Just chiming in to say that I really hope you guys are right that Kuminga becomes such a force on this team. It would be great if he'd blossom into a guy other teams have to plan for and could provide some needed rest for older guys.
I know, I’m being a dick to Klay. He seems physically and mentally ready to kick ass this season, and of course led the whole freaking league in threes made last year. I just don’t really consider him in our top 4-5 “most indispensable” players at this point; and after that I let him slip on my list more than he should. He *should* be better than Moody for at least another season or two. But I won’t be shocked it Moody has taken a leap and passes him sooner than later.
Realistically, put Klay at #6 and drop everyone ahead of him down a slot.
I think Klay is indispensable, just because I think we're a little light on shooting.
Having that second knockdown shooter to force the defense to figure out who to cover is really important. I'm still not sure Wiggs or Kuminga's shooting is real enough to be that other shooter.
Moody could pass Klay this year, but I really, really doubt it. For one thing, his touches are going to be crowded out by Kuminga and Saric. Klay's going to get his touches, regardless (OG privilege).
I’m recency-biased by the fact that last time we saw them in the WC semis, Moody was hitting everything while Klay was hitting nothing. Moody is also longer, 12 years younger, and (imo) more aggressive to the rack. But yeah, gotta seen him doing it regularly, on high volume, with players in his face, against the highest levels of competition, to start pondering ranking him above Klay.
Moody definitely flipped a switch toward the end of the regular season last year and carried it into the playoffs. I'm also quite bullish on his impact this season. But Klay's now 2 years removed from his injury recovery, has had a full offseason to get in shape, is in a contract year, and wants that extension from this team. He's looking to be the best version of himself for THIS team. He's gonna be impactful. If Moody is challenging him for role importance, all the better, and WGBC#5.
We have no other movement shooters, outside Steph and Klay. Moody isn’t there yet and likely won’t ever get there. Having Klay running around off ball dragging defensive attention away from the paint is absolutely fundamental to the offense.
Great point, but counterpoint: in their ‘22 championship season, they were significantly better with Klay off the court than on, both in the regular season and the playoffs.
Wiggins and Looney are the two players in their chronological prime. Will Wiggins have overcome his personal issues in time to throw down a season befitting his prime 28 season?
Payton (30), Saric (29), and Joseph (32) are in their primes too.
If you expand prime to, say, 23-33, you get Klay (33), Dray (33), and TJD (23), too.
And of course Steph at 35 might as well be 27 (la la la, I won’t hear otherwise…)
Did you calculate Kevon's chronological prime in LoonDawg years though?
A bit worried that after the JP trade, the current roster doesn't really include a fast, athletic guard who can drive. It looks like the Griz just waived Josh Christopher (6'4"), while adding Mychal Mulder. Josh Christopher was picked by the Rockets one pick after Usman Garuba in '21, so the Warriors should have some inside knowledge. Originally a 5-star recruit going to AZ State from SoCal. Worthy of a 2-way if Usman recommends? His stats are not great, but maybe there is potential?
https://www.nba.com/draft/2021/prospects/josh-christopher
Does Christopher provide something that Podz and Lester Q do not?
I had similar concerns with the departure of JP, but I think the basic concept/hope is that Kuminga and Moody will step up in year 3 to provide the athleticism, rim pressure, and foul-drawing we lost with the JP trade (only without giving it all back on defense).
Either way, a 14th spot / two-way guy is not likely to solve any fundamental roster flaws.
On a related note: one of the things that concerned me most about the idea of selling the farm (incl. JK) for Jrue Holiday is that he’s more of a steady-Eddie game-manager than a guy who really takes it to the rack. JK as a 19 year-old rookie averaged 5.9 fta per 36. JP last season, for his other flaws, averaged 6.1. Jrue last season averaged 2.9.
Podz isn't a beat guys off the dribble guy. Lester could be.
If there's one spot you might hit on and get lucky with a two way it's a combo guard who looks for their own shot.
That said, they haven't seemed to explore any guys like that and I think you lay out the thinking why.
This video of CP and Steph doing drills together was pretty fun to watch. Hyped for the first preseason game!
https://twitter.com/anthonyVslater/status/1709319352523313504
(You should be able to view/watch even without a twitter/x account)
Looks like the Chef is working on cooking the defense to a Chris P finish... OK I'll let myself out now
Crispy is a good nickname
So... Steph missed 3 in a row. He's done. Trade him while we can still get top dollar.
Harden is available.... (NO! Don't throw things at me!)
Man, we just missed on Eric Gordon. Could have reunited the Rockets big 3.
DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin are available too. Of course both of those guys are washed up but other than that, if we really want to do something obnoxious, we could reunite the old Clippers Big 3.
If your only goal is to troll the league and/or the fanbase, why not both?
Paul, Harden, Gordon, Griffin, Jordan. That could be a starting 5. Maybe they'd all hate everything enough to even be a successful one, briefly.
Just think what that would do for attendance at Chase! I want to operate the concession for eggs and tomatoes. I'll be rich!
Is Deron Williams still available?
No, but Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans is
Don't know if Klay's media day stint was already featured here. What a hoot! It was hilarious!
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dG58IZ5vs1A
Klaymen Cuz. Klaymen.
According to Kerr, when CP is on floor, team will lean toward his style of play, but also he's showing interest and aptitude for "doing what we do." So expect CP-Kuminga or CP-Dario pnrs, but also expect CP in ball movement split action with The Usual Gang of Idiots.
Said Kuminga and Moody have been working hard and he expects that the third year is often when players make a leap.
Said GP looks healthy again and that top training camp goal is to become "a top ten defense again" and that GP plays into that heavily.
Kerr also shouted out DNHQ as his favorite web site and said he learns a lot by reading the articles and the comments. I'm just checking who's reading this post late on a no-game Tuesday you diehards.
It was awesome that Kerr thanked Eric Apricot specifically for having educated him on proper bench celebrations and simply “Looney Looney”. He didn’t elaborate further.
Last time I saw him, he muttered something like "focaccia"
Kerr knows about this website?! I thought players, coaches, and sports staff avoid fan sites.
>Kerr also shouted out DNHQ as his favorite web site
I'm sorry obvious BS here. If this were true, the rotations would be completely different and we would have signed, like, 7 washed big men. ;P:D
Hartenstein's jersey would be in the Chase rafters
Haliburton too
“Kerr also shouted out DNHQ as his favorite web site”
You know, last year when someone said something similar, I believed it long enough to feel like an idiot. But, ya never know.
I can't believe Kerr ended the presser with "Austin Rivers sucks." What a guy.
Really. What's wrong with the normal "WGBC" ending?
Listen, I've used DNHQ to not get Warriors Withdrawal Syndrome and I don't regret it!
:) Guilty as charged. More fun than reviewing for my Spanish test.
You knuckleheads 🤗
I prefer the term chucklehead, personally
But I love the Klaymaker!
Hey Night Night, good to be back again.
We're looking at a lot of things right now, and those are some of the considerations, certainly. I talk to Mike Dunleavy daily. On our end we feel like Chris is just such a cerebral player, and one that we've competed against so many times, and let me also add here "fuck Chris Paul," but we're just at the start of training camp and we're going to try some different things, a lot of different lineups. The thing with Jonathan is that he's been doing some great work all summer. He's just such a great kid. It's just hard for a bigger guy coming up in the league. There's just a ton of stuff to learn. But we're going to look at a lot of things with Jonathan including playing him in games, but it's too soon to tell. Klay is Klay. I can't tell him what to do. That ship has passed.
I actually gasped at how good this post was.
He reads your stuff. The rest of us are along for the ride. 😊
Per Kerr, the team that dominated scrimmages today (swept all three games) was:
Podz
Robinson
McGruder
Gay
Garuba
Come up and collect your DNHQ prize if you had those five on your Bingo card.
(Edit: whoops, what Goofus said)
In other words, the all-hungry team.
Encouraging to see Podz running that group successfully, though.
I’m starting to feel irrational optimism that Rudy Gay will be closer to Otto Porter than JaMychal Green.
I don't want to stop you, but I might be siding on the irrational side. Dubs Otto was 28 (pretty much peak prime), was a #3 overall draft pick (extreme prospect), max contract recipient (backed up extreme prospect status), then fell on some injuries that torpedoed his stock.
Rudy Gay was also a (lower) lottery pick, with a lot of potential, and he realized that potential into a journeyman vet contributing wherever he goes. But he is also 37. 9 years older than Dubs Otto. I would consider how excited you would be if Warriors re-sign Otto 7 years from now (2030!), and adjust expectations accordingly. I hope to be wrong.
I initially read that as 37.9 years older than Dubs Otto, and I was like, way to go old-as-shit Rudy!
Otto is a very old 29 with all those injuries.
One thing that Rudy does better than both of them is he has the ability to put it on the floor and create his own shot. As long as he can be competent defensively which I have confidence he can in our system he'll be a good pickup.
I can see it. I see some feistiness in that lineup. Plus I can imagine guys like Gay and Robinson excelling in open runs/scrimmages. Just pure bucket getters
I wonder why Gay's shooting fell off a cliff last season. Playing while hurt?
The Dubs split into three teams and scrimmage. One team team had Saturday’s starting lineup, but the team with with Podz, DUG, Gay, Jerome Robinson, and McGruder “dominated” according to Kerr and swept their games. https://youtu.be/_gAtXgw2cOM?si=jnIPjOgIS6VkqRF5
We’re doomed
Or…MDJ is a genius!
Wait what? Not the line-up I would have expected to excel
https://twitter.com/warriors/status/1709372767093608917
Introducing the squad.
Moses Moody and Cory Joseph are no longer a part of the team according to this video.
Lots of smiles from Wiggins here. So sweet…
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2VtfSK6HuSM
https://www.nbcsportsbayarea.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/chris-paul-starting-preseason-opener/1660004/
CP3 starting on Saturday. What if that line up is actually great against the Lakers? Anyway, can't wait for a game, even if it is practice.
As expected...
And we were all wondering if Kerr was going to start CP. Sheesh, that didn’t take long. CP in place of Draymond? Why not Kuminga or Saric?
You need playmaking with Draymond out. CP3 is the pretty obvious replacement.
Steph, Chris, Wiggs, Klay, Loon, with Klay basically at the 4:
“So we’re thinking Klay can guard as a 4 this year. We’re going to put him in coverage where he’s having to defend pick-and-roll as a 4. That would be a different job for him, but we’re planning on doing some of that and seeing how he does.”
I’d consider Wiggs more the 4 in that lineup, but defensive versatility is always good.
It's the Lakers... their starting five will include DLo, Reaves, Lebron, AD... and either Hachimura or Vanderbilt. I think Wiggins gets the LeBron assignment, so Klay takes the Vanderbilt/Hachimura option?
Watch out for that elbow to the sternum!
I see this more that they can put Klay on the slow PF and he's strong enough to hang in there, freeing them up to put Wiggs on the speedier guys that Klay might not keep up with any more. We'll see how it goes.
Glad I read the comments, because I was gonna say the same thing. Definitely need Wiggs to take on opponents’ best perimeter players if our starting guards Steph and CP3 (or are we calling him “CP6” now?)
Makes sense.
I’ve felt Klay was competent guarding most PFs since he handled Kevin Love in the Finals 5-6 years ago.
The 14th player on the roster on opening night might not currently be on the roster.
https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2023/07/2023-24-nba-roster-counts.html
Wizards have 17 players signed and Spurs have 16 players signed, so both teams will have to cut a few guys (Gallinari? Muscala? McDermott?)
Bucks, Suns, Grizzlies, Clippers, and Nuggets are out of roster spots. Sixers, Kings, Heat, Lakers, Mavericks, Cavaliers, and Nets all have at least one roster spot open. The Celtics have multiple roster spots open, but I believe they'd be ineligible to sign either Gallinari or Muscala in the event one of those guys gets cut. It's also possible that a team like the Lakers or Mavericks wants to keep a roster spot open for later in the season, in which case they are out of roster spots.
Warriors are probably not the favorite to land any of those guys should they be cut given the lack of a regular rotation spot to offer, but will probably be in the mix.
You actually looked up how many open roster spots these teams have?
< hat tip >
I mean I looked up the site that says how many open roster spots these teams have lol
wow. didn't know such a thing existed.
I use spotrac's cap tracker page because it's free and shows the roster sizes of all the teams on the same table. I bet there's other tools out there and happy to hear alternative suggestions.
https://www.spotrac.com/nba/cap/
edit: belilaugh's hoops rumor link is much more detailed for the current moment. My only gripe is that I wish they would update the same page consistently on a running basis.
Give me Muscala and Gallo to fill out the roster
Why oh why was one not included in the CP3/Poole trade? Literally perfect additions to the end of the Dubs rotation.
Nice find! I was looking for that the other day... looks like a lot of teams actually have some openings to fill.
Yeah the Knicks seemingly have three open roster spots and could be a factor too. Rockets did too before the Bullock signing (probably why Bullock signed with them, plenty of opportunity for playing time).
But perhaps someone like Gallinari is looking to ring chase at this point and narrows his focus to the top teams (if he even gets waived).
Will any of the Warriors’ activities today be televised? If so, where?
As far as I know, no activities are televised before the Saturday preseason game
Thnx
Hopefully no leaked televised "activities" this season...
During media day I was watching all those media people walking back-and-forth across the screen and my mind kept saying….which one took that video? Which one sold that video? It’s still kind of haunts me.
You would think they would have been able to pin point who it was based on security camera footage no? 🤷♂️ The perpetraitor clearly knew the affects it was going to have on the team and they decided their 30 pieces of silver was worth it.
If you were concerned about the punch and if Management were not going to manage it, you could bring it up and say, "Hey, I've got this footage of the incident. I think this is a serious HR matter. I want to make sure it is dealt with seriously. If it's not I'll leak the footage and it will become a serious PR matter".
Of course we'll never know how it might have played out differently, but that person took the low ground, assuming they didn't do just that.
I say Dillon Brooks was the perp who leaked the video. I don't know how he snuck in, shot the video, and snuck out unnoticed, but I'm just sure it was he, the dirty bum. Even Austin Rivers wouldn't sink that low.
🤷🏽♂️
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1709184075674550502
Reggie Bullock to the Rockets. I guess some guys just don't really care about winning. I'm glad he didn't join any of the contenders though.
Rockets signaled they care about winning when they fired their previous coach and hired Udoka. The days of them playing like a G-league team are over and I think they might surprise some people this year. Honestly nobody in the West is really tanking anymore which is just another indication that the win total of the top team in the West and separation of the top teams are going to be really, really low this year.
Literally all 16 Western Conference teams (including yourself lol) can beat you on any given night. It’s gonna be brutal. Won’t be surprised to see 50-52 wins get the #1 seed.
> including yourself lol
OMG this is so true... mentally preparing for this to happen 3-4 times this year.
I agree. They have a great mix of young talent that in theory really compliments each other. Eason and Jabari are versatile defensive bigs/forwards with complimentary skillsets on offense that can cover some of Sengun's deficiencies on O. Sengun is a really good passer and rebounder who can help distribute to their scorers. Jalen Green is shooting guard with range and off the bounce capability. Amen Thompson is more of a passer/defender.
They have that, and then managed to get a bunch of vets who fit and don't really block any of the young guys in a major way.
Udoka is a coach who already has the gravitas to hold guys accountable.
They also had a MAJOR addition by subtraction oncourt by moving on from Kevin Porter Jr...which they did because of some horrid allegations about abusing his girlfriend.
Rockets getting Jock Landale, Fred VanVleet, and Reggie Bullock look like good moves IMO. Getting Jeff Green, Dillon Brooks, Aaron Holiday, and DJ Augustin are questionable, though I suspect at least a couple of them will be riding the bench or playing only when the starters and/or the 2nd string players are injured.
I can see it. The guy is going to turn 33 during the regular season. He's getting to the end of a journeyman career and is highly unlikely to play much on a championship contender. If he can make more than the min or get more playing time, why the heck not? Someone has to be the Washington Generals. Would he be better off on the end of the Warriors' bench, playing out one of his final seasons as a deep reserve and maybe getting into games every few weeks?
Rockets may have offered more than minimum
We don't even know if the Warriors pursued him. He would be a good depth piece for sure, but he'd also be in the mix with Moody, Kuminga, and GP2 to be anywhere from the 3rd wing to the 6th wing on the team. There are a lot of other contenders where he would be more needed to be honest.
He's been in a few spots where he's been part of a young team that is improving from a really bad team to an average, playoff or better team. So maybe he just likes that growth process. Nothing wrong with that. The Rockets are going to be much improved and have a very bright future.
I agree that to some winning isn't everything, but I don't think that's a bad thing. Maybe he wants his family to not have to move, and in Houston he won't be as far away from Dallas. Maybe he looks forward to mentoring the youth in Houston. I don't know the reasons, but they apparently are more important to him than having a small % chance to win a championship with some contender, and that's ok.
Not at all. I think that's perfectly okay as well. I would usually respect a decision like that but he's willingly accepting to be teammates with Dillon Brooks. Dillon Brooks sucks. Almost as bad as Austin Rivers.
Can't argue with you there -- other than Brooks belongs in a category with the Morris brothers. Rivers is just annoying.
Things I am sure of:
Kuminga becomes more than good enough to join the rotation.
Moody becomes a steady 3 and D guy with OK offense, but good team defense.
Steph and Paul's combined missed games is at least 1/3 of a season.
Saric is going to be an absolute revelation as a 5-out center, and will get Kuminga almost as many dunks as Chris Paul.
Cory Joseph will be very solid as a third PG, but we will need LQ or Podz at some point.
Our bench will win us 5 to 10 games this year.
Things I am not sure of:
Kuminga becomes the 4th best player on the team (yep, better than Loon or Saric or Paul).
Klay will be on a mission to secure his next contract, but will have to rein it in, when it become obvious that this team functions best with a balanced offense.
Garuba ends up signed to either roster spot 14 or 15 by the end of the year.
One of Podz or LQ ends up flaming out this year, and is moved.
Wiggins does a Canadian reset, and his new magic number is now 19.
The big open question to me around Kuminga is whether he could take the 5th spot in the closing lineup. You couldn't build a better prototype if he's ready.
What would your closing lineup be, if Kuminga does make that leap?
Kuminga + Steph, Klay, Wiggins and Dray. Maybe sometimes Loon instead of Dray.
If he's playing smart, rebounding, and hitting some open 3's then Kuminga's size, strength, and explosiveness would be absolutely dynamite with that group.
I'd be worried about spacing with that group, but it certainly could work if one of Wiggs or Kuminga is hitting 3s.
I keep wanting to find a way to put Saric in the closing lineup.
If Kuminga is hitting his threes at a reasonable clip, then swapping in Saric for Klay might work. Kuminga's on ball defense is probably better than Klay's now (hard to say ... a lot of what Kuminga does seems like activity for activity's sake). Adding Saric to the lineup more than makes up for any difference in shooting between Klay and Kuminga.
Steph - Wiggs - Kuminga - Dray - Saric would be my dream closing lineup to catch up.
Probably put Loon in for Saric if we're defending a lead.
If you are worried about spacing with Steph, Klay, Wiggins, Kuminga and Dray...how does the lineup get better with Saric in for Klay?
For the most part it will be someone with Steph, Klay, Wiggins, and Dray. WIth limited exceptions we shouldn't overthink those four too much. (Maybe Loon in for Dray for size/rebounding/sanity. Maybe CP3 in for Klay for more playmaking.)
Saric could be the 5th guy for some matchups. Like against Denver if you think he can hold up defensively against Aaron Gordon he'd bring rebounding and more space. In general I don't think he's good enough defensively.
Yeah, you're right about both points. Somehow I was thinking Saric for Loon, but that's not what you were saying.
Re: Klay .... I'm less excited about him staying in the closing lineup.
If he gets back to the defense he was playing in the 2022 playoffs then I think he's a plus ... he really was phenomenal in that run.
If it's more like last year's playoffs, then I think his defense is a mild negative compared to other options (Kuminga, Moody, GPII) and it entirely depends on how he's shooting.
Man... so much Klay slander around these parts... let's get the season started...
Unless Klay's defense really starts declining, he's a must have in the closing line up along with Steph, Wiggins, and Draymond. Any of the other 6 rotation guys (CP3, JK, Saric, Moody, GP2, Loon) can be the 5th guy on the floor, depending on matchups and who's got it going on a given night.
I suppose that if Klay's in one of his Klank Mode games for the first 3.5 quarters, you can sub him out if Moody is hot or something... but even if he's Klanking, he's still incredibly useful on the court because defenses will still gravitate to him to make sure he doesn't get clean shots that get him in a groove.
IMO, there was a substantial dropoff in Klay's playoff defense between 2022 and 2023.
yep, the best version of this team has Kuminga in the closing lineup
will he be ready for that role… I guess we'll find out!
Kuminga being able to hit an open 3 AND being able to hold up a little bit against 4s & 5s on the block (including rebounding capability) would be so, so huge... he could fit such a vital role, as long as he's not just laser focused on trying to be "Him" initiating the offense.
> Kuminga becomes the 4th best player on the team (yep, better than Loon or Saric or Paul).
Who do you have at #2 and 3? I’d argue Wiggs and Loon should probably be in those slots given they’re smack in their primes where Dray, Klay, Chris are not, and yet it kinda seems like you don’t even count Wiggs among your also-rans? 😞
My provisional pre-season power rankings, factoring in standard aging curves and a bit of fairy-dust…
1. Curry
2. Wiggins
3. Kuminga
4. Looney
5. Green
6. Saric
7. Moody
8. Paul
9. Thompson
10. Payton
I forgot about Wiggs, TBH.
I would still consider Green to be the second most important player on the team, though injuries will tell the tale there. He's a little less critical, now that we have 3 pretty legit backup options.
I think this may be the year that Klay reasserts himself as the third best player, but it's an open question. I guess you could put Wiggs, Kuminga, Klay in some order in that second tier of players.
I don't see Paul being in that league. Saric could end up in that second tier, though.
Sounds about right to me. As always with rankings, it’s easier and more accurate to think of guys in tiers. Sounds like our tiers are pretty similar. I’d probably go
Tier 1: Steph
Tier 2: Wiggs, Dray, Loon
Tier 3: Kuminga, Thompson, Paul, Saric
Tier 4: Moody, Payton
Tier 5: CoJo, TJD, Gay/Bullock (?), Garuba
Tier 6: Lester Q, Podz
I'd swap Kuminga with Payton and also move everyone below Tier 2 except Paul and Klay down a tier.
So Moody is #7 to Klays #9, but Klay's in Tier 3 and Moody in Tier 4? Looks like you've changed your approach based on feedback, lol. I agree with these new tiers... and I generally think tiers are a better approach for these things.
> Looks like you've changed your approach based on feedback, lol.
Yes. The first approach included “fairy dust”; the second did not. :-)
Just apply the fairy dust equally across the whole roster, ok?
I'd still have Klay and CP3 on Tier 2. Or add a tier, and have Loon, Klay and CP3 together below Dray and Wiggs.
I love Loon, but I actually think if he missed a little time this year we'd be ok with TJD and Garuba for a while. Not in the playoffs. Loon is a playoff monster.
Bullock signed with Houston. It's probably Gay.
Also, while I love Loon, I think Saric may end up being more important this year. Having a center who can shoot really changes this team.
Argh, missed that!
Gay it is, then? Wish he weren’t 37 with the alarming shooting numbers he put up last season. On the plus side … I like that (a) he’s a rugged 6-8 with a 7-3 wingspan; (b) he’s embraced the role of backup/stretch big man in his late career, pulling 8+ boards per 36 and blocking shots here and there; and (c) he’s an 80%+ FT shooter who could potentially regain his peak 38-40% stroke from 3; (d) he’s a widely-beloved high character guy who will be ready when called but also won’t mind getting DNPs most nights in favor of Jon, Moses, and Dario.
Rudy can’t fail?
Rudy's going to be an interesting experiment. But, the reality is that that position is fungible, and if he doesn't work out, they can cut him and pick up a trade-deadline guy.
I looked at Donovan Williams highlights ... his shooting numbers are not good, but he's got good size and quickness. Kinda hoping he ends up in the third 2-way (the one Robinson has right now).
Just chiming in to say that I really hope you guys are right that Kuminga becomes such a force on this team. It would be great if he'd blossom into a guy other teams have to plan for and could provide some needed rest for older guys.
Sleepy sleeping on Klay so hard...
After today, only CP3 more non-game days till the first game day.
I know, I’m being a dick to Klay. He seems physically and mentally ready to kick ass this season, and of course led the whole freaking league in threes made last year. I just don’t really consider him in our top 4-5 “most indispensable” players at this point; and after that I let him slip on my list more than he should. He *should* be better than Moody for at least another season or two. But I won’t be shocked it Moody has taken a leap and passes him sooner than later.
Realistically, put Klay at #6 and drop everyone ahead of him down a slot.
I think Klay is indispensable, just because I think we're a little light on shooting.
Having that second knockdown shooter to force the defense to figure out who to cover is really important. I'm still not sure Wiggs or Kuminga's shooting is real enough to be that other shooter.
Moody could pass Klay this year, but I really, really doubt it. For one thing, his touches are going to be crowded out by Kuminga and Saric. Klay's going to get his touches, regardless (OG privilege).
All great points.
I’m recency-biased by the fact that last time we saw them in the WC semis, Moody was hitting everything while Klay was hitting nothing. Moody is also longer, 12 years younger, and (imo) more aggressive to the rack. But yeah, gotta seen him doing it regularly, on high volume, with players in his face, against the highest levels of competition, to start pondering ranking him above Klay.
Moody definitely flipped a switch toward the end of the regular season last year and carried it into the playoffs. I'm also quite bullish on his impact this season. But Klay's now 2 years removed from his injury recovery, has had a full offseason to get in shape, is in a contract year, and wants that extension from this team. He's looking to be the best version of himself for THIS team. He's gonna be impactful. If Moody is challenging him for role importance, all the better, and WGBC#5.
We have no other movement shooters, outside Steph and Klay. Moody isn’t there yet and likely won’t ever get there. Having Klay running around off ball dragging defensive attention away from the paint is absolutely fundamental to the offense.
Great point, but counterpoint: in their ‘22 championship season, they were significantly better with Klay off the court than on, both in the regular season and the playoffs.
> One of Podz or LQ ends up flaming out this year, and is moved in the offseason.
https://giphy.com/gifs/nounish-dao-nouns-goldypix-mpxnrjQKLo0iA32r23
Guess who just got back today?
Them wild-eyed boys that had been away…
Haven't changed, hadn't much to say on media day
https://www.nba.com/news/film-study-chris-paul-warriors
For those of you still not ready to see Chris Paul do Chris Paul things in a Golden State Warriors jersey...