Preview: Warriors play wayward Pelicans in a matinee
Adjusting to life without De'Anthony Melton; will Golden State make a roster move?
On the plus side, it’s Friday, but anytime a game starts at 4:30 local time (or earlier) it raises the risk of it all being over before most people are home from work. After demolishing their last opponent, the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter, you’ll want to tune in early for this one.
On the downside, this game - like much of the NBA - is heavily impacted by injuries. Both teams will be playing without at least one player, which in the Pelicans case is like saying Elon Musk has some more money than me.
GAME DETAILS
WHO: Golden State Warriors (11-3) at New Orleans Pelicans (4-12)
WHEN: Friday, November 22nd, 2024; 4:30 pm PST
WATCH: ESPN; NBCSBA
That De’Anthony Melton injury
The play he went out on looked innocuous enough. A slight twinge perhaps, maybe a little time out. But the chatter was worrying immediately. Initially ruled a sprained knee, the team’s lack of coherent updates were weighing as time went on. Then prior to the last game, coach Steve Kerr said
“… we’re obviously very concerned… We’re really taking our time and making sure De’Anthony gets all of the advice he needs.”
Looks like that advice was all in agreement that surgery will indeed be required, ending Melton’s season. He joined the Warriors this past offseason on a one-year, $12.8 million deal after spending the past two seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, and serves as the most recent reminder that Golden State is taking some informed swings every single off-season.
After missing five games with a lower back strain, Melton had quickly cemented himself in Kerr’s good graces and landed a recurring role in the starting rotation. This is definitely the worst outcome for “it’s your job ‘till you lose it.”
With Melton shelved for the season, it pitches the Warriors immediately into contingency planning. And this is where the salary cap situation will come up and bit the team. As detailed by Bobby Marks on the accursed website:
Monte Poole called this a massive blow to the Warriors championship hopes, and while I’m not sure I totally agree, it is certainly going to be a huge loss. Melton was plugging in nicely and shoring up the on-ball defense. While the team has made a fairly natural pivot to the taller Lindy Waters, Melton was the obvious first choice amongst the options.
As Marks points out, the team could technically free up as much as six million dollars or so, but they’re preventing from adding another player due to salary cap restrictions… Unless they make some other move in conjunction.
The concept of a potential trade came up in the DNHQ writer’s room, and I’m not sure there’s a trade out there that could entice the Warriors. This is a franchise that took a long hard look at their options this off-season, and reportedly balked repeatedly at letting go of their most desirable young assets. Kuminga, in particular is drawing a lot of internet attention, and rightfully so. His combination of athleticism, youth, and court awareness would have plenty of potential suitors, should he hit the market.
After spending so much time saying no, it’s hard for me to imagine that there would now be enough of a talent upgrade available to convince Warriors to pull the trigger. Kuminga’s meager 12 minutes (10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists) of game time against the Hawks rose some eyebrows. That’s the third consecutive game in which he logged under 20 minutes, and especially surprising given the loss of Melton’s rotation minutes.
Asked about it in post-game availability Kerr gave a word salad answer about how he’s playing 12 players and that the team is making matchup-dependent choices. Apparently when Kerr “just reads the game” sometimes that doesn’t include much of Kuminga. But we’ve seen the vacillations before, and especially for a young player like Kuminga, can trust that if he’s good, he will find his way deeper into the rotation.
Prediction
Kuminga will play more than 20 minutes, and Warriors will win.
MUSIC FRIDAY
Writing this as I hustle out the door on a cold rainy Thursday night. No time to think much about it, so here’s the band I’m seeing. You all got any shows coming up? Next week off? Moving away from Hawaii and travelling the world?
One way or the other, happy Friday to all!
Dub Nation HQ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Post game thread is up.
Wiggs with two consecutive absolute flawless masterpieces.