>>>Paul George had an MRI on his left knee, which revealed no structural damage. He will be listed as out (left knee bone bruise) for the next two games and re-evaluated on Monday, Sixers say.
>>>Scottie Barnes will make his return vs Minnesota tonight. He wound up missing 11 games and just over 3 weeks with the orbital fracture - right on par with the original timeline and the average layoff for NBA players with that injury.
Right now I feel like best player in the 2021 draft will come down to Wagner, Mobley, or Barnes. I think I'd take Wagner but I also could see Mobley taking his game to a whole different level if the Cavs ever trade Allen and let him spend more time at center. But I also think the Raptors have just had an awful roster construction for a lot of Barnes' career, could perhaps see a different level if he got on a more normal NBA team.
So far, it's been Barnes, imo, but it will be close - I think Cade has a shot if he ever stays healthy -- he's been really good this year. That class was stacked. 1-8 all at least good NBA players, plus Jalen Johnson, Sengun, Murphy, Moody, Kispert also in the top 20.
So, the Warriors are leading the NBA in 3P% against by 2.7% over 2nd place. That's the difference between 2nd (TOR, 33.9%) and 20th place (BKN, 36.6%). There's been a lot of talk of "3pt shooting luck" based on Warriors opponents missing more "wide open" and "open" shots against us than they do against other teams. There may very well be an element of luck there, but I'd postulate that there's also an element of our opponents being taken out of rhythm, getting the looks after harder possessions, and off more tired legs.
Any stats on first half vs. second half 3 point shooting by Dubs' opponents? A second half dropoff could be a good indication of being gassed. Dubs have been owning the third quarter again this year and that might be a good reason.
So most of our opponents have been below league average 3P% teams (ranked 18th and below). The only good 3P% teams have been: Cavs 1st, Clippers 6th, Boston 8th.
However, holding opponents to 31.2 3P% is the equivalent of the 29th ranked 3P shooting team. The Rockets, for example, are ranked 28th at 32.5%.
----
Even if our defense is ceding what seems to be open shots, maybe the decisive traps and hard closeouts, and everything else you mentioned, are forcing them to make rushed decisions under pressure.
All this talk of how playing time affects a young player's salary has me thinking it's time to ask the question of whether we are Warriors fans thinking about what's best for the team or are we Kuminga or Moody fans thinking about what's best for them? I trust Kerr to know what's needed to win.
Lol…NO DOUBT, except for last year’s absences/endless experimentation disaster. Only time I STARTED DOUBTING HIM IN OVER A DECADE. Man, he had LOONEY and KLAY on the bench, WIGGS OUT, AND AFTER DRAY RETURNED, ONLY STEPH AND DRAY ON THE FLOOR AT THE SAME TIME. I WAS HAVING FITS…
When Kuminga is playing well, giving him consistent minutes not only maximizes the Warriors’ chances of winning now but also accelerates his development, dramatically improving our playoff prospects.
However, if the plan is to abandon that approach—if Kerr insists on erratically managing his minutes without regard for performance—it feels fundamentally wrong to support keeping him on a team that could harm his long-term earning potential.
And no, it doesn’t matter that he’s already making millions. Wealth doesn’t erase the need for fairness or professional integrity. Every athlete deserves an environment that fosters growth, rewards effort, and respects their aspirations, regardless of their paycheck.
The more I see the way they are playing this season the less certain I am of JK being a star in this style of play -Moody also has been looking Meh and so has Podz! Kerrs style of playing as well as other factors - like playing time and rotation - seems a to be exposing these players ?
I strongly agree, I don't think JK is a strong fit for what we're trying to do.
Thats why its so utterly frustrating to see JK play in accordance to our style, keeping the ball moving, being an efficient/effective finisher, playing good defense . . . and getting rewarded with 13 minutes of actual game time.
If we want to mold JK into a Warriors type basketball player, his minutes should have been tied to his performance within the system but it really doesn't seem to be the case. And if thats the case, we should just move him atp
Considering whether we’re talking about whether they’re going to make $10, 20 or 30 million a year, I don’t spend much time worrying about whether they’re making enough.
Steph’s second contract was “terrible” for him yet he still was making millions along with endorsements.
It’s not about the amount they’re making—it’s about the morality of the situation. Fairness and respect for a player’s development shouldn’t be dismissed just because they’re wealthy.
Denying someone the opportunity to reach their potential, or mismanaging their career in a way that could harm their future, isn’t justified by their current earnings. It’s about treating people ethically, regardless of how much money they make.
I'm not sure "treating people ethically" is best measured by looking at their salaries.
To me ethics have a lot more to them maximizing than $$ value.
If we look at the overall economic/political situation I would much rather see a government look to treat all people more ethically by limiting the excessive salaries of a minority and expanding the opportunities and increasing salaries for the majority of others.
Last night marked just the 5th non-OT game in NBA history in which any team had 54+ rebounds, 10+ steals, 7+ blocks, 14+ threes, and 36+ assists: https://stathead.com/tiny/B1g3A
I think Kerr has his "hockey line" shifts set up. The players seem to accept this and play hard with this system. Podz has his line and has an essential role on his line. Lindy is a different type of player and fills in steadily so far with the rest of the "starter line".
Melton can be traded after Dec 15. I'm thinking Pelicans. Any player not on Injured Reserve for Melton. Seems like they are hording injured players. Melton would fit right in.
Trying to look on the bright side about the terrible Melton news:
* This greatly increases the Warriors chances of resigning him next season.
* This also increases the chances that the many players assets that the Warriors control next season and in some cases beyond (namely, Moody, Wiggins,, Podz, Hield, Anderson, and even Santos) will be given opportunities to increase their perceived value among other NBA front offices.
* This solves the supposed "too much guard depth issue."
Again, trying to look on the bright side. On the downside, of course, Melton was seemingly the best 2 guard choice for staring and closing playoff games on the roster.
Really hope he resigns (re-sign meaning of the word!) next year. While a deep playoff run (aka championship) always seemed remote this year I thought Melton pushed those odds from absurd to something to dream about. For street cred, I did think the Dubs had a good shot in 2022 before that season began. Now the hope is for the young 'uns to come along this year!
Point one, agree. Being the team that nurses him back to health should build up a lot of goodwill with Melton should he stay.
Point three, I don't think so. I'm different, so I think of Curry as more of a 2 at this stage of his career, meaning it's important to have other ball handlers to reduce some of the workload that comes with Curry playing PG. FO has obviously made the decision that Podz is their back-up PG. Slow Mo adds some play making in the front court, but that doesn't help picking up the opponent's PG mid court, navigating heavy defense early in the shot clock, etc. With Melton gone, BOOM, starting point guard gone (looking at it from this angle) and no third string PG sitting behind Podz. This shifts Steph to PG (with its heavier workload) and they now back fill the SG from their depth at that position.
Sure, no problem Curry at PG and any other SG. But the reason they got a player like Melton, was 1) guard best back court player and 2) get Curry more time off ball, lighten his load a bit for the long regular season. The first one will be dealt with by committee. The 2nd one is out the window entirely. That's where this hurts in my mind.
Everyone knows I am the biggest Moody stan around (besides Beli) and think he should be starting at the 2. I will say, his offensive game (particularly his jumper) seems much improved but does anyone think he looks weaker physically, especially on the defensive end? Last year, he was pretty awesome on defense against a variety of different big guards/wings. His stocks + rebounds are down, maybe he focused mostly on his shot this summer. He's not looking disruptive on defense anymore.
I think Kerr really drilled into him that his shooting and defensive awareness would get him on the floor but it seems he's impacting the game less with his length and strength compared to years past. I remember him totally changing a game against Milwaukee 2 years ago with some crazy offensive rebound and defensive plays. Not seeing much of that this season so far.
I think what @Belilaugh wrote below is informative, quoted here:
"I think it's just that they've settled on Moody as an SF tbh
Probably puts him in better defensive matchups for his skillset anyway, like last night Bogdanovic was 0 for 5 with a turnover with Moody on him. There are certainly PGs Moody can guard but he shouldn't be guarding guys like Trae Young. Plus it puts Moody in more of an off ball role which is his strength at both ends."
I think he's getting cooked by fast guards, but otherwise has looked pretty great on defense much of the time. His counting stats being down is probably more a function of minutes and rotating assignments than anything else. Just my two cents.
I remember MOODY around the rim a lot last year, and shooting the 3pter also...I personally think BUDDY should be starting and finishing at SG, with lots of minutes for everyone else at SF/SG during the middle of game depending on matchups/game situation....Tough balance to find, but methinks KERR is still working on it...
No doubt, he has been used that way….The idea of starting with him the first QR 6 mins or so, is to get faster starts than we have been getting AND close games with him as/if needed. Nothing precludes you from bringing him back with either unit the 2d or 3rd qr, as needed. We got MOODY, WATERS, JK, et al that are solid scorers on our dangerous bench. BUDDY seems to effective either way. I’d love to try it.
Judging from your comments of the last decade, not surprised at all that you didn't miss on BUDDY. Truth-be-said, no one could have foreseen how well he would fit in KERRBALL; I, too, had my reservations; HIS ALL AROUND GAME/PENETRATION A SURPRISE beyond anyone's imaginings. I was keen on retaining our last 'Ship starting core (STEPH/DRAY/WIGGS/LOONS) at beginning of season with BUDDY IN KLAY'S SG slot, particularly in view of LOONS' SUPERB conditioning at preseason start, but, I have moved to a more flexible position in view of TJD's performance/growth curve. I still like LOONS, but, now I think there are starts for TJD IAW matchups/opponent interior game. We're so thin and small in the interior, TJD's growth is vital as DRAY and LOONS will wear down/injuries. Sure wish we had an additional, BONAFIDE BIG. Frankly, at the time of his hip surgeries, I didn't think LOONS would be back, much less be IRONMAN. Man, was I wrong. A tribute to his perseverance, work ethic and, QUIET GREATNESS. HE A DOG.
>>>Rodney Hood told ESPN he is retiring after 8 seasons in the NBA with UTA, CLE, POR, MIL and LAC. The 6-8 guard/forward made a comeback attempt with the Memphis Hustle in the G League last season before another injury told him it was time.
The other two Spurs teams listed at 11-deep were really 12-deep with players barely missing those cutoffs (eg. Tiago Splitter at 21 mpg in 59 games, Matt Bonner playing 11.6 mpg but only playing 56 games). Same with one of the Orlando teams, one of the Bulls teams...
And even though we've been "13-deep", it's mostly because Melton was out so GP got more minutes. Otherwise we'd be 12-deep, which is where we're currently sitting.
So I don't think we're doing anything *that* crazy.
Short and early flight, it's not really that bad. Not like 2016 when the Dubs were at the tail end of a seven game road trip on a back to back from Boston to Milwaukee, had a <24 turnaround, and the Boston game went to double OT so the team didn't arrive to Milwaukee until 3am...
Congrats on breaking that 24 game win streak Bucks /s
Catching NO at a very good time, though. 2/3 of their rotation is out. And the San Antonio game is winnable. It won't be the worst B2B we have this year, I think.
SPURS are hitting their stride though...integrating their missing players may slow them down a bit...Totally agree on NO if missing players remain so...
Spurs without three of their top scorers (Wemby, Vassell, and Sochan) beat the Thunder without Chet, Hartenstein, and Joe. So the Spurs game is probably going to be a tough one if Wemby and/or Vassell plays.
On the bright side, if we're going to do a road b2b with less than 24 hours between games, I can't think of many better scenarios. Hopefully we blow out NOP again to get some rest before suiting up against a banged-up (or recently returning from injury) team.
this is belilaugh's beat, but kinda wild how Slater has a whole article on "what do the Warriors do at shooting guard with Melton out" that never mentions Moses Moody, at all
I think Moody is a great guy, but he's not super fast, his jumper has a pretty slow release, not really a ball handler, and he has trouble driving with the left hand.
He also fluctuates between being a poor decision-maker and making the right decision, but a beat too slowly. E.g. his fastbreak last night that he ran poorly enough to prevent either him or Kuminga from getting a good look in a 2-on-1
I'm not saying "Moody is being unjustly imprisoned on the bench" or anything here, I just found it strange that he didn't come up at all (but I guess belilaugh is probably right that they just don't see him as a "2")
I don't think Kerr is asking him to be a main ball handler other than to keep the ball moving like every other Dubs player. If Moody starts, then Dray and Steph will be on the court to make plays. Moody is a good athlete, he can shoot (last night notwithstanding), and he's a solid defender. Given Melton is out, and making a trade is difficult and might not happen for awhile (if at all), and that Buddy is arguably best as a microwave scorer off the bench (a la Jamal Crawford), we have Lindy, Podz, and Moses as the most likely starting 2 guards/small wings.
But Podz is struggling right now, especially with scoring, and we need him handling the ball with the bench mob. Beekman's not ready to take over the bench PG spot. Spencer... matter of opinion but I'm not expecting much. So it's Podz.
So that leaves Lindy and Moses. You pay your money and you take your choice.
I think it's just that they've settled on Moody as an SF tbh
Probably puts him in better defensive matchups for his skillset anyway, like last night Bogdanovic was 0 for 5 with a turnover with Moody on him. There are certainly PGs Moody can guard but he shouldn't be guarding guys like Trae Young. Plus it puts Moody in more of an off ball role which is his strength at both ends.
I see your point, but in terms of lineups Moody/Wiggs/Dray should definitely work as a wing trio right? Wiggs handles the main on ball assignment, Dray provides secondary ballhandling & passing, so there's no real reason he *couldn't* slot into Melton's spot in the starting lineup…
I would have started Moody against the Hawks, I think Kerr is currently looking to give this rotation a long look so it's easier to take a guy who was completely out of the rotation and start him to keep everyone else in place. I'm just saying that I think the Warrior view of Moody as an SF is why he's excluded from conversations about the starting 2 guard altogether, not a sign of disrespect that he's the fourth string SG on the team as much as an acknowledgment he's the second string SF on the team. The Kuminga at SF experiment was really going to squeeze his minutes there so I'm glad they gave that up, but yeah if it were up to me though he'd be starting at the 2 more than he currently is.
I'd also love to see some more Moody/Wiggins/Draymond at the 3/4/5, that's their best 5 out lineup option if you put like Curry/Hield or Curry/Waters next to them and makes things easier for Curry. They closed that recent Clipper game with a lot of 5 out ball with Curry/Wiggins/Draymond and two of Moody/Hield/Waters, went +5 in the fourth but obviously wasn't quite enough to win it. That's what Kerr felt he had to do to give Curry room to operate against a tough defense, but I don't know how much Wiggins at the 4 we'll really see if Kuminga is on the team because that cuts into Kuminga's minutes a ton.
Sure helps their quest...lol, we are now twice as long in 1st place that we ever were this season...lol...one day at a time...don't think anyone is running away with it with all the injuries....
My main (irrational) reason for not wanting Schröder is that I saw Draymond block him so bad when I was at Oracle once. Little dude jumped up for a layup and Dray put his hands on the ball and kept them there. It was like hitting a wall. Schröder fell onto the floor and Dray had a Thanos moment.
New thread and E1P up.
>>>Paul George had an MRI on his left knee, which revealed no structural damage. He will be listed as out (left knee bone bruise) for the next two games and re-evaluated on Monday, Sixers say.
https://x.com/MikeAScotto/status/1859726305870348327
>>>Memphis Grizzlies guard Vince Williams Jr. has a Grade 3 right ankle sprain and will be re-evaluated in four weeks, team says.
https://x.com/MikeAScotto/status/1859731553645101211
>>>Scottie Barnes will make his return vs Minnesota tonight. He wound up missing 11 games and just over 3 weeks with the orbital fracture - right on par with the original timeline and the average layoff for NBA players with that injury.
https://x.com/JLew1050/status/1859730288844460403
Right now I feel like best player in the 2021 draft will come down to Wagner, Mobley, or Barnes. I think I'd take Wagner but I also could see Mobley taking his game to a whole different level if the Cavs ever trade Allen and let him spend more time at center. But I also think the Raptors have just had an awful roster construction for a lot of Barnes' career, could perhaps see a different level if he got on a more normal NBA team.
So far, it's been Barnes, imo, but it will be close - I think Cade has a shot if he ever stays healthy -- he's been really good this year. That class was stacked. 1-8 all at least good NBA players, plus Jalen Johnson, Sengun, Murphy, Moody, Kispert also in the top 20.
Also, Scottie Barnes was recently seen wearing goggles during practice.
https://x.com/libaanstar1/status/1859736337336906070
So, the Warriors are leading the NBA in 3P% against by 2.7% over 2nd place. That's the difference between 2nd (TOR, 33.9%) and 20th place (BKN, 36.6%). There's been a lot of talk of "3pt shooting luck" based on Warriors opponents missing more "wide open" and "open" shots against us than they do against other teams. There may very well be an element of luck there, but I'd postulate that there's also an element of our opponents being taken out of rhythm, getting the looks after harder possessions, and off more tired legs.
Any stats on first half vs. second half 3 point shooting by Dubs' opponents? A second half dropoff could be a good indication of being gassed. Dubs have been owning the third quarter again this year and that might be a good reason.
Opponents do seem to shoot the 3 better in the first and 4th quarters… so it’s not “it gets worse throughout the game” obvious.
except for the whole "being outscored 33-23 in the 3rd quarter " last night
So most of our opponents have been below league average 3P% teams (ranked 18th and below). The only good 3P% teams have been: Cavs 1st, Clippers 6th, Boston 8th.
However, holding opponents to 31.2 3P% is the equivalent of the 29th ranked 3P shooting team. The Rockets, for example, are ranked 28th at 32.5%.
----
Even if our defense is ceding what seems to be open shots, maybe the decisive traps and hard closeouts, and everything else you mentioned, are forcing them to make rushed decisions under pressure.
I think you're right. I do worry though that the way we play, we really NEED every bit of depth we can scrounge.
All this talk of how playing time affects a young player's salary has me thinking it's time to ask the question of whether we are Warriors fans thinking about what's best for the team or are we Kuminga or Moody fans thinking about what's best for them? I trust Kerr to know what's needed to win.
Lol…NO DOUBT, except for last year’s absences/endless experimentation disaster. Only time I STARTED DOUBTING HIM IN OVER A DECADE. Man, he had LOONEY and KLAY on the bench, WIGGS OUT, AND AFTER DRAY RETURNED, ONLY STEPH AND DRAY ON THE FLOOR AT THE SAME TIME. I WAS HAVING FITS…
It's both.
When Kuminga is playing well, giving him consistent minutes not only maximizes the Warriors’ chances of winning now but also accelerates his development, dramatically improving our playoff prospects.
However, if the plan is to abandon that approach—if Kerr insists on erratically managing his minutes without regard for performance—it feels fundamentally wrong to support keeping him on a team that could harm his long-term earning potential.
And no, it doesn’t matter that he’s already making millions. Wealth doesn’t erase the need for fairness or professional integrity. Every athlete deserves an environment that fosters growth, rewards effort, and respects their aspirations, regardless of their paycheck.
The more I see the way they are playing this season the less certain I am of JK being a star in this style of play -Moody also has been looking Meh and so has Podz! Kerrs style of playing as well as other factors - like playing time and rotation - seems a to be exposing these players ?
I strongly agree, I don't think JK is a strong fit for what we're trying to do.
Thats why its so utterly frustrating to see JK play in accordance to our style, keeping the ball moving, being an efficient/effective finisher, playing good defense . . . and getting rewarded with 13 minutes of actual game time.
If we want to mold JK into a Warriors type basketball player, his minutes should have been tied to his performance within the system but it really doesn't seem to be the case. And if thats the case, we should just move him atp
Considering whether we’re talking about whether they’re going to make $10, 20 or 30 million a year, I don’t spend much time worrying about whether they’re making enough.
Steph’s second contract was “terrible” for him yet he still was making millions along with endorsements.
It’s not about the amount they’re making—it’s about the morality of the situation. Fairness and respect for a player’s development shouldn’t be dismissed just because they’re wealthy.
Denying someone the opportunity to reach their potential, or mismanaging their career in a way that could harm their future, isn’t justified by their current earnings. It’s about treating people ethically, regardless of how much money they make.
I'm not sure "treating people ethically" is best measured by looking at their salaries.
To me ethics have a lot more to them maximizing than $$ value.
If we look at the overall economic/political situation I would much rather see a government look to treat all people more ethically by limiting the excessive salaries of a minority and expanding the opportunities and increasing salaries for the majority of others.
Last night marked just the 5th non-OT game in NBA history in which any team had 54+ rebounds, 10+ steals, 7+ blocks, 14+ threes, and 36+ assists: https://stathead.com/tiny/B1g3A
The Warriors have had 3 of these 5 games.
Is Waters the new Kerr guy that Podz use to be?
He moves the ball, doesn’t make many mistakes and plays decent D. No drama guy for sure.
Interesting that he is starting and playing so much without scoring much.
I think Kerr has his "hockey line" shifts set up. The players seem to accept this and play hard with this system. Podz has his line and has an essential role on his line. Lindy is a different type of player and fills in steadily so far with the rest of the "starter line".
Ideally Podz can handle and be a playmaker. Lindy hasn't really shown those skillsets.
If only GP2 wasn't out there stealing shots from him...
GP2 can't help it. He's a compulsive thief!
Melton can be traded after Dec 15. I'm thinking Pelicans. Any player not on Injured Reserve for Melton. Seems like they are hording injured players. Melton would fit right in.
Trying to look on the bright side about the terrible Melton news:
* This greatly increases the Warriors chances of resigning him next season.
* This also increases the chances that the many players assets that the Warriors control next season and in some cases beyond (namely, Moody, Wiggins,, Podz, Hield, Anderson, and even Santos) will be given opportunities to increase their perceived value among other NBA front offices.
* This solves the supposed "too much guard depth issue."
Again, trying to look on the bright side. On the downside, of course, Melton was seemingly the best 2 guard choice for staring and closing playoff games on the roster.
Really hope he resigns (re-sign meaning of the word!) next year. While a deep playoff run (aka championship) always seemed remote this year I thought Melton pushed those odds from absurd to something to dream about. For street cred, I did think the Dubs had a good shot in 2022 before that season began. Now the hope is for the young 'uns to come along this year!
Point one, agree. Being the team that nurses him back to health should build up a lot of goodwill with Melton should he stay.
Point three, I don't think so. I'm different, so I think of Curry as more of a 2 at this stage of his career, meaning it's important to have other ball handlers to reduce some of the workload that comes with Curry playing PG. FO has obviously made the decision that Podz is their back-up PG. Slow Mo adds some play making in the front court, but that doesn't help picking up the opponent's PG mid court, navigating heavy defense early in the shot clock, etc. With Melton gone, BOOM, starting point guard gone (looking at it from this angle) and no third string PG sitting behind Podz. This shifts Steph to PG (with its heavier workload) and they now back fill the SG from their depth at that position.
Sure, no problem Curry at PG and any other SG. But the reason they got a player like Melton, was 1) guard best back court player and 2) get Curry more time off ball, lighten his load a bit for the long regular season. The first one will be dealt with by committee. The 2nd one is out the window entirely. That's where this hurts in my mind.
Yep. Yours is a more nuanced and accurate take.
Everyone knows I am the biggest Moody stan around (besides Beli) and think he should be starting at the 2. I will say, his offensive game (particularly his jumper) seems much improved but does anyone think he looks weaker physically, especially on the defensive end? Last year, he was pretty awesome on defense against a variety of different big guards/wings. His stocks + rebounds are down, maybe he focused mostly on his shot this summer. He's not looking disruptive on defense anymore.
I think Kerr really drilled into him that his shooting and defensive awareness would get him on the floor but it seems he's impacting the game less with his length and strength compared to years past. I remember him totally changing a game against Milwaukee 2 years ago with some crazy offensive rebound and defensive plays. Not seeing much of that this season so far.
I think what @Belilaugh wrote below is informative, quoted here:
"I think it's just that they've settled on Moody as an SF tbh
Probably puts him in better defensive matchups for his skillset anyway, like last night Bogdanovic was 0 for 5 with a turnover with Moody on him. There are certainly PGs Moody can guard but he shouldn't be guarding guys like Trae Young. Plus it puts Moody in more of an off ball role which is his strength at both ends."
I think he's getting cooked by fast guards, but otherwise has looked pretty great on defense much of the time. His counting stats being down is probably more a function of minutes and rotating assignments than anything else. Just my two cents.
He doesn’t seem very switchable on defense…probably the reason why Kerr loathes him
If Kerr loathed him, the Dubs would not have extended him. They'd have let him go to RFA and then decided whether to match.
I remember MOODY around the rim a lot last year, and shooting the 3pter also...I personally think BUDDY should be starting and finishing at SG, with lots of minutes for everyone else at SF/SG during the middle of game depending on matchups/game situation....Tough balance to find, but methinks KERR is still working on it...
If you start Buddy, you lose that 6th man ability that he has to alter games. This is a strength of ours that keeps the bench vital and dangerous.
No doubt, he has been used that way….The idea of starting with him the first QR 6 mins or so, is to get faster starts than we have been getting AND close games with him as/if needed. Nothing precludes you from bringing him back with either unit the 2d or 3rd qr, as needed. We got MOODY, WATERS, JK, et al that are solid scorers on our dangerous bench. BUDDY seems to effective either way. I’d love to try it.
I actually think I agree that Buddy should be starting, and it is something I was very against before the season started.
Finishing, I dunno, seems like it varies night to night.
Perhaps more importantly imo, I just want to see them start Looney.
Judging from your comments of the last decade, not surprised at all that you didn't miss on BUDDY. Truth-be-said, no one could have foreseen how well he would fit in KERRBALL; I, too, had my reservations; HIS ALL AROUND GAME/PENETRATION A SURPRISE beyond anyone's imaginings. I was keen on retaining our last 'Ship starting core (STEPH/DRAY/WIGGS/LOONS) at beginning of season with BUDDY IN KLAY'S SG slot, particularly in view of LOONS' SUPERB conditioning at preseason start, but, I have moved to a more flexible position in view of TJD's performance/growth curve. I still like LOONS, but, now I think there are starts for TJD IAW matchups/opponent interior game. We're so thin and small in the interior, TJD's growth is vital as DRAY and LOONS will wear down/injuries. Sure wish we had an additional, BONAFIDE BIG. Frankly, at the time of his hip surgeries, I didn't think LOONS would be back, much less be IRONMAN. Man, was I wrong. A tribute to his perseverance, work ethic and, QUIET GREATNESS. HE A DOG.
>>>Rodney Hood told ESPN he is retiring after 8 seasons in the NBA with UTA, CLE, POR, MIL and LAC. The 6-8 guard/forward made a comeback attempt with the Memphis Hustle in the G League last season before another injury told him it was time.
https://x.com/mcten/status/1859700015708709026
The Warriors Are Going Deeper Than Any Team in NBA History: https://www.theringer.com/nba/2024/11/21/24302155/golden-state-warriors-steph-curry-depth-roster-rotation
The other two Spurs teams listed at 11-deep were really 12-deep with players barely missing those cutoffs (eg. Tiago Splitter at 21 mpg in 59 games, Matt Bonner playing 11.6 mpg but only playing 56 games). Same with one of the Orlando teams, one of the Bulls teams...
And even though we've been "13-deep", it's mostly because Melton was out so GP got more minutes. Otherwise we'd be 12-deep, which is where we're currently sitting.
So I don't think we're doing anything *that* crazy.
When Doofenshmirtz does the scheduling.....
Golden State (Friday Nov 22)
@
New Orleans
4:30 PM
Golden State (Saturday Nov 23)
@
San Antonio
5:30 PM
Evil Inc.
Short and early flight, it's not really that bad. Not like 2016 when the Dubs were at the tail end of a seven game road trip on a back to back from Boston to Milwaukee, had a <24 turnaround, and the Boston game went to double OT so the team didn't arrive to Milwaukee until 3am...
Congrats on breaking that 24 game win streak Bucks /s
lol
Catching NO at a very good time, though. 2/3 of their rotation is out. And the San Antonio game is winnable. It won't be the worst B2B we have this year, I think.
SPURS are hitting their stride though...integrating their missing players may slow them down a bit...Totally agree on NO if missing players remain so...
Spurs without three of their top scorers (Wemby, Vassell, and Sochan) beat the Thunder without Chet, Hartenstein, and Joe. So the Spurs game is probably going to be a tough one if Wemby and/or Vassell plays.
Wemby is out vs the Jazz. Do they bring him back for the cup game vs the Warriors? I think that's doubtful.
Dubs/Spurs is not a cup game
Sorry you're right.
Probably not, but you never know....SPURS are dangerous if they do....
On the bright side, if we're going to do a road b2b with less than 24 hours between games, I can't think of many better scenarios. Hopefully we blow out NOP again to get some rest before suiting up against a banged-up (or recently returning from injury) team.
It's 25 hours difference, tho, right?
Er... dyslexia?
lol
Dealing with three different time zones for the math lol.
Times above are both shown in PST.
Actually 2. Texas and NOLA are both central time zone.
this is belilaugh's beat, but kinda wild how Slater has a whole article on "what do the Warriors do at shooting guard with Melton out" that never mentions Moses Moody, at all
I think Moody is a great guy, but he's not super fast, his jumper has a pretty slow release, not really a ball handler, and he has trouble driving with the left hand.
He also fluctuates between being a poor decision-maker and making the right decision, but a beat too slowly. E.g. his fastbreak last night that he ran poorly enough to prevent either him or Kuminga from getting a good look in a 2-on-1
I'm not saying "Moody is being unjustly imprisoned on the bench" or anything here, I just found it strange that he didn't come up at all (but I guess belilaugh is probably right that they just don't see him as a "2")
Jumper release speed has definitely increased.
I don't think Kerr is asking him to be a main ball handler other than to keep the ball moving like every other Dubs player. If Moody starts, then Dray and Steph will be on the court to make plays. Moody is a good athlete, he can shoot (last night notwithstanding), and he's a solid defender. Given Melton is out, and making a trade is difficult and might not happen for awhile (if at all), and that Buddy is arguably best as a microwave scorer off the bench (a la Jamal Crawford), we have Lindy, Podz, and Moses as the most likely starting 2 guards/small wings.
But Podz is struggling right now, especially with scoring, and we need him handling the ball with the bench mob. Beekman's not ready to take over the bench PG spot. Spencer... matter of opinion but I'm not expecting much. So it's Podz.
So that leaves Lindy and Moses. You pay your money and you take your choice.
Blame Steve.
I think it's just that they've settled on Moody as an SF tbh
Probably puts him in better defensive matchups for his skillset anyway, like last night Bogdanovic was 0 for 5 with a turnover with Moody on him. There are certainly PGs Moody can guard but he shouldn't be guarding guys like Trae Young. Plus it puts Moody in more of an off ball role which is his strength at both ends.
well, if you're not worried…
I see your point, but in terms of lineups Moody/Wiggs/Dray should definitely work as a wing trio right? Wiggs handles the main on ball assignment, Dray provides secondary ballhandling & passing, so there's no real reason he *couldn't* slot into Melton's spot in the starting lineup…
I would have started Moody against the Hawks, I think Kerr is currently looking to give this rotation a long look so it's easier to take a guy who was completely out of the rotation and start him to keep everyone else in place. I'm just saying that I think the Warrior view of Moody as an SF is why he's excluded from conversations about the starting 2 guard altogether, not a sign of disrespect that he's the fourth string SG on the team as much as an acknowledgment he's the second string SF on the team. The Kuminga at SF experiment was really going to squeeze his minutes there so I'm glad they gave that up, but yeah if it were up to me though he'd be starting at the 2 more than he currently is.
I'd also love to see some more Moody/Wiggins/Draymond at the 3/4/5, that's their best 5 out lineup option if you put like Curry/Hield or Curry/Waters next to them and makes things easier for Curry. They closed that recent Clipper game with a lot of 5 out ball with Curry/Wiggins/Draymond and two of Moody/Hield/Waters, went +5 in the fourth but obviously wasn't quite enough to win it. That's what Kerr felt he had to do to give Curry room to operate against a tough defense, but I don't know how much Wiggins at the 4 we'll really see if Kuminga is on the team because that cuts into Kuminga's minutes a ton.
Well, today is the 2d day the DUBS once again are in FIRST PLACE ON TOP OF THE WESTERN CONFERENCE, and I am BASKING in their well-deserved spotlight.
Might as well just hand them the Larry right now :)
Sure helps their quest...lol, we are now twice as long in 1st place that we ever were this season...lol...one day at a time...don't think anyone is running away with it with all the injuries....
>>>Sacramento Kings star DeMar DeRozan (back) intends to make his return on Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers after missing last three games.
https://x.com/chrisbhaynes/status/1859667633903419533
Kings went 1-2 in the past three games without DeRozan (beat the Jazz, lost to Wolves in OT and Hawks).
My main (irrational) reason for not wanting Schröder is that I saw Draymond block him so bad when I was at Oracle once. Little dude jumped up for a layup and Dray put his hands on the ball and kept them there. It was like hitting a wall. Schröder fell onto the floor and Dray had a Thanos moment.
Game winning block against Atlanta?
I think this is it:
https://youtube.com/shorts/JAt8Gdvzy1w?si=XoZ9BD8KyhjBzTqH