21 points on 9/14 FGs, 1/3 threes, 2/6 FTs, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 1 steal, 1 block, and 5 fouls in 34 minutes for Siakam's first game as a Pacer. Looks all right IMO. Pacers lost because their bench scored a measly 14 points. Also, Brogdon and Grant scored 30 and 37 points tonight, respectively.
No matter what happens from here on out I just don’t have the stomach to enjoy the rest of the season. A man my age just passed. Im not pretending to dwell on it for the rest of the season but even if we win the chip this year its not gonna bring him back. I hope they do good by Paul, Saric, and CoJo and trade them somewhere like Philly to try and win a championship. As for us just give the kids plenty of run and manage Stephs minutes and just call it a year. Can’t guarantee I won’t suggest a trade or two if we start playing better next week but as of right now I’m good just turning the page on what has now turned into a hellish season.
Maybe we can get Embiid for those guys. Yeah, I'm bored stiff. Even watched Brooklyn beat the Lakers. Cam Johnson looks like a superstar. Lebron, an amazing physical specimen, must be at the end of his rope with this season. Stuck on a no hope team with a no hope coach hoping something different can take place. These teams along with the Warriors need major surgery which they keep putting off. You know what happens when surgery gets put off?...........Yeah, you know.
Nah but maybe we can get kyle Lowry and Thomas Bryant and the Heat’s 202r4 pick (considered a weak draft) for Paul/Saric. Bit of tax savings for the Dubs and we can just buy both players out and let them go join a contender. The value here would be that 2024 pick albeit in a not so deep draft (that we can always use in the offseason as trade currency)
Saric should be off limits in any trade scenario. He is as useful as Steph is as long Kerr is in charge. Is there a better stretch 5 than him at his price? I'm not saying we can't trade him, but we'd have to alter our offensive strategy and we don't have the pieces to do that. We need to rebuild our offense.
The only reason to trade Saric is if we're giving up on this season. Then we deal off his expiring contract, since we can't re-sign him if his value goes up, as seems likely.
I can't imagine why we'd do the deal JZA proposes. Lowry is an expiring contract at the same price as Chris Paul, he is almost as old, and I'd argue he isn't as good. Paul is hurt now, but then, would Miami take him on considering they want to win now? Maybe if they think he can help them down the stretch but otherwise what's the point? Why would either team bother?
Thomas Bryant has a player option for next year on a cheap deal. He is nowhere near as good as Saric. So we only do it if we think this season is over NOW, and we can't re-sign Saric because of the cap. (That's not certain because there is a path to getting below the second tax apron at least.)
Thomas Bryant can decline his option and walk. If he doesn't, we have him for one more season but is he good enough that we want him? I'm not all that impressed but I haven't seen him much this season.
We could potentially sign Dario with actual cap space if we let CP3 and Klay walk and have gotten off Wiggins’ contract (say, by trading him for Bojan or Hayward).
Pacers starting lineup tonight: Haliburton, Hield, Nesmith, Siakam, and Turner. Toppin goes to the bench while Nesmith is in the starting lineup to open up the space. Nesmith is shooting 51.7% FG and a whopping 46.6% threes this season.
Blazers beat the Pacers in Indiana. Pacers back then had a starting lineup of Haliburton, Hield, Brown, Toppin, and Turner. Blazers had Brogdon, Sharpe, Camara, Grant, and Ayton.
The Blazers current starting lineup is Brogdon, Thybulle, Walker, Grant, and Ayton. Seems like the Blazers have the Pacers number. Either that, or Pacers B2B legs are preventing them from shooting well.
I dunno if I should post trade rumors here, but I want to let you guys know what the rest of the NBA is up to. Lakers and Bucks are currently interested in acquiring Hawks' Dejounte Murray.
Lakers should go all in on Zach Lavine: A distressed asset. Imagine a front line of Lavine at the 2, Vandy at 3, Bron at 4, and Davis at 5? Just don’t know how that would affect their hard apron situation
Honestly Kuz on SA makes sense to me considering they have like 1 effective point guard rn. I guess Memphis would as well considering Kuzma is the dollar general version of Ja. But that feels like a panic move more than an actual long-term need. Kuzma becomes redundant if Ja's good. If Ja's not, then Kuzma isn't going to save them for more than a week or so, this year or any other
I’m not remotely interested in Kuzma or DeJounte on their current deals. They each have some intriguing skills, but also both career-long inefficient chuckers. It’s really hard to win games when one of your primary offensive options is inefficient.
I’d rather just get off Wiggs’ money (say, in a trade for Hayward or Lonzo Ball), commit ~60 mpg to JK + Moody, and assess things in the offseason with a relatively clear payroll.
I'd take Murray if it's a choice. He's a good player with skills, the kind the Warriors could use paired with Steph. Better than Klay or Wiggs, currently. Can't see Atlanta taking either player.
I dunno, I think Dejounte is pretty intriguing... He's shown that he can be a defensive stopper and an elite rebounder and distributor in the past, he gets traded to a mediocre hawks team, gets his bag, and lets off the gas a bit... His shooting and efficiency are trending in the right direction, and he's only 27.
I'm working towards convincing myself that with a little motivation and better coaching he could get back to being an elite 2-way combo guard and a true difference maker... rebounds and defense are hustle stats. Probably the only opportunity we have to take a shot at a truly (potential) all-star caliber player.
You've got me intrigued by Ball. Hate his dad but whatever. IF he can stay healthy he would be a great fit next to Podz and guard the 2-3 spot while playing point. His stats before injury were borderline all-star. Also increases overall size and ability to switch. A lineup of Curry/Ball works and a Ball/Podz/Moody/Kuminga/TJD lineup sounds pretty good or at least entertaining.
Yeah, Lonzo probably needs to hope for a Shaun Livingston type career. Tbh he's the only player that's been thrown around this chain that I'd find appealing. The ghoulish silver lining if he can't come back effectively is that he's an expiring. So it's a lottery ticket pickup (I'm with you that at his best he'd feel very playable) that turns into a straight money dump or trade chip-- not the worst idea considering the team's play this year.
It's very difficult to know what Toronto will want to do next, but they have some expiring and/or short-term contracts that could match with either Wiggins or Paul. Bruce Brown, Gary Trent Jr., Thaddeus Young, Jalen McDaniels...
It's admittedly sentimental, maybe even inappropriate, to draw any connection between the tragedy they just experienced and the business side of basketball. But to the extent that the team is operating under a cloud of recent trauma, sending Wiggins home, and to a team whose coaching staff has felt the loss similarly, would be a soft landing for all involved.
As a mental health provider, the information being provided seems accurate, with one emendation. To the phrase "Though some Warriors players might appear fine by the weekend, others could be emotional over Milojevic’s death for weeks or even months..." I would add "... or not really affected at all."
That's not because I'm more callous than everyone else. It's because grief really does act in unexpected ways and one of those ways is that people are not particularly affected. I have had clients who feel obligated to experience more grief than they do at someone's passing. Family and friends are wondering if they are some cruel robot or in some massive denial; but all they want is to be allowed to feel what they feel, and not feel what they don't feel.
I've had people close to me pass away and it shattered me, and others I knew quite well and it didn't upset me much. I reserve the right to feel how I feel, not the way that others expect of me. It's a very sensitive subject. People are often as we know pretty judgmental, but rarely more so than at a memorial or similar. In their upset they cast questions, if not aloud then internally: "Why is he crying so much he barely knew the deceased." "Why is she not crying at all?" "Why did he bring that new girlfriend she doesn't belong here." "Why is he so focused on the catering, that's not what's important."
On and on. Let us, to use a rather poignant expression, live and let live.
Thanks Asher. Ive experienced this, over and over in life, and often felt confused, emberassed, angry, and never heard anyone put it into such perfect words. This provides a lot of clarity and comfort. 🙏
You’re quite welcome. I’m happy to answer other questions as well. It’s not appropriate for me to act as anyone’s therapist here and no one is asking but I have been put in position to think about these kinds of things a lot and can sometimes think of a thing or two to say. Peace
I didn't know the man, but I still feel a real loss. He was SUCH a cool basketball story.
Undersized big man, dominant in Europe. I always have a soft spot for truly great undersized bigs, because they can only be successful with a mix of strength, will and skill. The Serbian Barkley! What a great nickname!
Becomes a coach, and is just a factory of sending over NBA talent. Someone who was able to take what made them great and translate it for others. Again, rare, and something I always think is special. It's one of a kind coaching. He's teaching the tricks **that he invented**. The legend of what Jokic has accomplished speaks for itself.
Dedicated to work with Wiseman. For a variety of reasons that did not work out, but there is still a warm relationship there. He was the guy most invested in Wiseman. What we did see on the court was Looney quickly became a better finisher at the rim, and a dominant rebounder. And that had a very strong correlation into the Warriors winning this last chip.
We have to assume he's been working with TJD and helped his great rookie year. I just wanted to see where that could go.
So it's a loss as a fan that this demonstrably good coach is no longer. But as a fan it meant something to me that this great basketball story and man was associated with our team.
That's me, I don't really matter. By all accounts he was a larger than life personality with a warm heart and people like that always bring a lot of joy to the people around them. When they're gone it's a huge loss. So your heart goes out to his family, friends and everyone that knew him.
Here's a highlight video of him in game. You can see Jokic in there in a much smaller frame, a little Looney too. Nice to watch, but very bittersweet. This was only 20 years ago, and he was only 26. When you're in your 40's or older you know how fast that time goes.
Coaches dubbed him not a “four” or “five,” but a “six” because he could outmuscle anyone at any position, Milos Jovanovic, a Serbian basketball journalist and documentarian, said.
“When you put him in he will out-rebound, out-hustle you,” Jovanovic said. “Watching him as a young player destroy people – and I mean that in a most positive sense – was a very rewarding experience because I never considered him to be an exceptional player talent-wise, but he made up for everything with hustle and earned every dime playing basketball the hard way.”
That kind of hustle and determination is usually something players just seem to have... not easy to instill as a coach ... yet obviously he was successful coaching.
I've read how he focused on finding what he saw a player was good at and emphasizing that. His players all looked like they responded to however he got them to improve, and acknowleded his influence.
For a professional sports team to hit pause to grieve with League approval as is happening is such a huge step in the direction of caring for athletes, their families and support staff. Between the tragic loss of Deki and the space given to Andrew Wiggins last season to care for family I feel so much respect for this organization. As fans, we should only cheer on more of this.
JOKIC for Coach Deki!
21 points on 9/14 FGs, 1/3 threes, 2/6 FTs, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 1 steal, 1 block, and 5 fouls in 34 minutes for Siakam's first game as a Pacer. Looks all right IMO. Pacers lost because their bench scored a measly 14 points. Also, Brogdon and Grant scored 30 and 37 points tonight, respectively.
Hali with 17AST 0TO proving again that elite passing creativity and pace don't have to come with sloppiness and chaos. Damn, what might have been.
Happy “73 wins is safe” Day, Dub Nation.
Time for dubs coaching staff to watch his game film and show it to Steph 😬
OT- but I like the dark blue Santa Cruz Warriors uniforms tonight... maybe a GSW "throwback" style with the lighhtning bolt.
No matter what happens from here on out I just don’t have the stomach to enjoy the rest of the season. A man my age just passed. Im not pretending to dwell on it for the rest of the season but even if we win the chip this year its not gonna bring him back. I hope they do good by Paul, Saric, and CoJo and trade them somewhere like Philly to try and win a championship. As for us just give the kids plenty of run and manage Stephs minutes and just call it a year. Can’t guarantee I won’t suggest a trade or two if we start playing better next week but as of right now I’m good just turning the page on what has now turned into a hellish season.
Maybe we can get Embiid for those guys. Yeah, I'm bored stiff. Even watched Brooklyn beat the Lakers. Cam Johnson looks like a superstar. Lebron, an amazing physical specimen, must be at the end of his rope with this season. Stuck on a no hope team with a no hope coach hoping something different can take place. These teams along with the Warriors need major surgery which they keep putting off. You know what happens when surgery gets put off?...........Yeah, you know.
*Cam Thomas
(Johnson’s nice too, but I’m sssuming not who you meant…)
Nah but maybe we can get kyle Lowry and Thomas Bryant and the Heat’s 202r4 pick (considered a weak draft) for Paul/Saric. Bit of tax savings for the Dubs and we can just buy both players out and let them go join a contender. The value here would be that 2024 pick albeit in a not so deep draft (that we can always use in the offseason as trade currency)
Saric should be off limits in any trade scenario. He is as useful as Steph is as long Kerr is in charge. Is there a better stretch 5 than him at his price? I'm not saying we can't trade him, but we'd have to alter our offensive strategy and we don't have the pieces to do that. We need to rebuild our offense.
The only reason to trade Saric is if we're giving up on this season. Then we deal off his expiring contract, since we can't re-sign him if his value goes up, as seems likely.
I can't imagine why we'd do the deal JZA proposes. Lowry is an expiring contract at the same price as Chris Paul, he is almost as old, and I'd argue he isn't as good. Paul is hurt now, but then, would Miami take him on considering they want to win now? Maybe if they think he can help them down the stretch but otherwise what's the point? Why would either team bother?
Thomas Bryant has a player option for next year on a cheap deal. He is nowhere near as good as Saric. So we only do it if we think this season is over NOW, and we can't re-sign Saric because of the cap. (That's not certain because there is a path to getting below the second tax apron at least.)
Thomas Bryant can decline his option and walk. If he doesn't, we have him for one more season but is he good enough that we want him? I'm not all that impressed but I haven't seen him much this season.
We could potentially sign Dario with actual cap space if we let CP3 and Klay walk and have gotten off Wiggins’ contract (say, by trading him for Bojan or Hayward).
Thank you, im feeling the same
Pacers starting lineup tonight: Haliburton, Hield, Nesmith, Siakam, and Turner. Toppin goes to the bench while Nesmith is in the starting lineup to open up the space. Nesmith is shooting 51.7% FG and a whopping 46.6% threes this season.
Blazers currently up by 9 with 9:50 to go in 4th - siakam era at Indy might be off to a rough start - plenty of time to go though
Blazers beat the Pacers in Indiana. Pacers back then had a starting lineup of Haliburton, Hield, Brown, Toppin, and Turner. Blazers had Brogdon, Sharpe, Camara, Grant, and Ayton.
The Blazers current starting lineup is Brogdon, Thybulle, Walker, Grant, and Ayton. Seems like the Blazers have the Pacers number. Either that, or Pacers B2B legs are preventing them from shooting well.
Imagine if the Celts keep Nesmith. That 2020 draft looking historically deep and historic in our blunder of a pick
The Myers Miscalculation. Paying the price...............
Denver wins at Boston, first home loss for the Celtics. Some good defense, but both teams looked a bit disorganized on O at the end.
Devin Booker might break his scoring record tonight. 52 in the 3rd quarter
Well, they managed to do something we can't. They kept the lead so didn't need Booker to score in the 4th.
that used to be our staple!
A short Dejan tribute video clip from the Warriors: https://www.threads.net/@warriors/post/C2S984lJ6dx
For the rest of the season, win or lose, it would be great if there was deki chant.
One of the few ways dub nation could show some gratitude to the players.
I dunno if I should post trade rumors here, but I want to let you guys know what the rest of the NBA is up to. Lakers and Bucks are currently interested in acquiring Hawks' Dejounte Murray.
https://theathletic.com/5202959/2024/01/19/lakers-trade-rumors-2024-dejounte-murray/
The Lakers and Hawks have discussed potential frameworks of a deal surrounding Dejounte Murray. LAL receives: Dejounte Murray. ATL receives: D’Angelo Russell, Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2029 first-round pick and additional draft compensation
https://twitter.com/chrisbhaynes/status/1748441083007406555
Milwaukee Bucks are among multiple teams who are registering interest in trading for Atlanta Hawks star Dejounte Murray
Lakers should go all in on Zach Lavine: A distressed asset. Imagine a front line of Lavine at the 2, Vandy at 3, Bron at 4, and Davis at 5? Just don’t know how that would affect their hard apron situation
https://twitter.com/TheDunkCentral/status/1748377677306777728
Looks like we're (along with Memphis and SA) interested in Kuzma as well
They can have him. Too many tattoos for my taste. Look how he's helped Washington.
Honestly Kuz on SA makes sense to me considering they have like 1 effective point guard rn. I guess Memphis would as well considering Kuzma is the dollar general version of Ja. But that feels like a panic move more than an actual long-term need. Kuzma becomes redundant if Ja's good. If Ja's not, then Kuzma isn't going to save them for more than a week or so, this year or any other
I think you’re confusing Kuzma for someone else. Kuzma’s a stretch 4, far from a PG or Ja’s game in general.
Kuz would pair well with Sochan on the Spurs - they'd have an ongoing hair dye competition
I’m not remotely interested in Kuzma or DeJounte on their current deals. They each have some intriguing skills, but also both career-long inefficient chuckers. It’s really hard to win games when one of your primary offensive options is inefficient.
I’d rather just get off Wiggs’ money (say, in a trade for Hayward or Lonzo Ball), commit ~60 mpg to JK + Moody, and assess things in the offseason with a relatively clear payroll.
I'd take Murray if it's a choice. He's a good player with skills, the kind the Warriors could use paired with Steph. Better than Klay or Wiggs, currently. Can't see Atlanta taking either player.
I dunno, I think Dejounte is pretty intriguing... He's shown that he can be a defensive stopper and an elite rebounder and distributor in the past, he gets traded to a mediocre hawks team, gets his bag, and lets off the gas a bit... His shooting and efficiency are trending in the right direction, and he's only 27.
I'm working towards convincing myself that with a little motivation and better coaching he could get back to being an elite 2-way combo guard and a true difference maker... rebounds and defense are hustle stats. Probably the only opportunity we have to take a shot at a truly (potential) all-star caliber player.
Murray has a ts% of 56 47% fg and 38 from 3. It's not great but I don't think it's terribly inefficient.
Kuzma has a 55% ts.
Wiggins was also at 56% ts the last few years bit dropped to 49.5% this year.
That’s only if you put 100% stock in Murray’s 40 games of .565 TS this season and zero stock in his career .527 TS (in 434 games),
As far as Kuzma: he has played seven NBA seasons and not once cracked .550 TS (career .545).
League average efficiency has been .581 TS the last two seasons. I stand by “inefficient” on both counts. And … same goes for Wiggins.
You've got me intrigued by Ball. Hate his dad but whatever. IF he can stay healthy he would be a great fit next to Podz and guard the 2-3 spot while playing point. His stats before injury were borderline all-star. Also increases overall size and ability to switch. A lineup of Curry/Ball works and a Ball/Podz/Moody/Kuminga/TJD lineup sounds pretty good or at least entertaining.
Almost inconceivable to me.
I'd be surprised if Lonzo is anywhere near his old self if he even is able to come back at all. Think post injury Klay, but with a worse injury.
Remember that Mike K, he's Steph Curry with a 40" vert!?
Oof just read this article. Didn't realize it was that bad and that he wasn't coming back at all this year. https://sports.yahoo.com/bulls-lonzo-ball-shares-optimistic-140043477.html
Yeah, Lonzo probably needs to hope for a Shaun Livingston type career. Tbh he's the only player that's been thrown around this chain that I'd find appealing. The ghoulish silver lining if he can't come back effectively is that he's an expiring. So it's a lottery ticket pickup (I'm with you that at his best he'd feel very playable) that turns into a straight money dump or trade chip-- not the worst idea considering the team's play this year.
Kuzma's deal is at least a declining one... so he gets cheaper over time...
Doubly so assuming the cap increases
Kuzma:
22.2 points/game, 45.6% FG (8.6/18.9), 34.6% threes (2.4/6.8), 78.8% FT
6.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.7 turnovers, 0.5 steals, 0.6 blocks, 2.0 fouls
Wiggins and a pick for Kuzma works… especially financially… but, man… Kuz disappears offensively too…
No pick needed. Just tell them “Wiggins and Poole are pals. Reunite them and you’re pretty much assured of a championship.”
Wiggins vs. Kuzma (per 36 minutes):
16.2 points per game / 25.6 points per game
42.2% FG (Wiggins)/ 45.6% FG (Kuzma)
29.6% threes / 34.6% threes
47.5% twos / 51.8% twos
68.5% FT / 78.8% FT
5.7 rebounds (2.4 off.) / 7.2 rebounds (1.2 off.)
2.0 assists / 4.8 assists
1.9 turnovers / 3.1 turnovers
0.5 steals / 0.5 steals
0.6 blocks / 0.7 blocks
3.1 fouls / 2.3 fouls
Kuzma is better than Wiggins in nearly every category except for turnovers and offensive rebounds this season.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2024_per_minute.html
He is MUCH worse on defense. Even the current poopy Wiggins is almost infinitely better than Kuz has been from what I've seen.
It's very difficult to know what Toronto will want to do next, but they have some expiring and/or short-term contracts that could match with either Wiggins or Paul. Bruce Brown, Gary Trent Jr., Thaddeus Young, Jalen McDaniels...
It's admittedly sentimental, maybe even inappropriate, to draw any connection between the tragedy they just experienced and the business side of basketball. But to the extent that the team is operating under a cloud of recent trauma, sending Wiggins home, and to a team whose coaching staff has felt the loss similarly, would be a soft landing for all involved.
NGL I'm pretty intrigued with a possible closing lineup of Steph, Klay, Moody/JK, Kuzma and Draymond though
Gives me a headache to even think about that.
I basically agree with this, tbh (my own compulsive trade talk notwithstanding)
I didn't think about this point of view about the vibes.
But you make a good point that being traded to the warriors right now is just really bad timing.
For a winning point of view, it might be best to wait until the offseason at this point anyways.
Trade rumors and everything else is fair game, as it’s an open thread. My request is that when possible, please provide a link or source.
Like the Warriors and everyone else, we will go on with the season. I’ll probably post a trade rumors piece for tomorrow.
They ARE interested, or there's a rumor that they're interested? There are always rumors. Most of 'em are worthless but it could be so.
I updated my previous comment with links to the Lakers and Bucks being interested in Murray.
As a mental health provider, the information being provided seems accurate, with one emendation. To the phrase "Though some Warriors players might appear fine by the weekend, others could be emotional over Milojevic’s death for weeks or even months..." I would add "... or not really affected at all."
That's not because I'm more callous than everyone else. It's because grief really does act in unexpected ways and one of those ways is that people are not particularly affected. I have had clients who feel obligated to experience more grief than they do at someone's passing. Family and friends are wondering if they are some cruel robot or in some massive denial; but all they want is to be allowed to feel what they feel, and not feel what they don't feel.
I've had people close to me pass away and it shattered me, and others I knew quite well and it didn't upset me much. I reserve the right to feel how I feel, not the way that others expect of me. It's a very sensitive subject. People are often as we know pretty judgmental, but rarely more so than at a memorial or similar. In their upset they cast questions, if not aloud then internally: "Why is he crying so much he barely knew the deceased." "Why is she not crying at all?" "Why did he bring that new girlfriend she doesn't belong here." "Why is he so focused on the catering, that's not what's important."
On and on. Let us, to use a rather poignant expression, live and let live.
Thanks Asher. Ive experienced this, over and over in life, and often felt confused, emberassed, angry, and never heard anyone put it into such perfect words. This provides a lot of clarity and comfort. 🙏
Better to send money to him. Then we know you're serious.
You’re quite welcome. I’m happy to answer other questions as well. It’s not appropriate for me to act as anyone’s therapist here and no one is asking but I have been put in position to think about these kinds of things a lot and can sometimes think of a thing or two to say. Peace
Truth
As a mental health accesee, thank you so much for your service. There wouldn’t be a Mrs Alvarado and two lovely kids without yall
I didn't know the man, but I still feel a real loss. He was SUCH a cool basketball story.
Undersized big man, dominant in Europe. I always have a soft spot for truly great undersized bigs, because they can only be successful with a mix of strength, will and skill. The Serbian Barkley! What a great nickname!
Becomes a coach, and is just a factory of sending over NBA talent. Someone who was able to take what made them great and translate it for others. Again, rare, and something I always think is special. It's one of a kind coaching. He's teaching the tricks **that he invented**. The legend of what Jokic has accomplished speaks for itself.
Dedicated to work with Wiseman. For a variety of reasons that did not work out, but there is still a warm relationship there. He was the guy most invested in Wiseman. What we did see on the court was Looney quickly became a better finisher at the rim, and a dominant rebounder. And that had a very strong correlation into the Warriors winning this last chip.
We have to assume he's been working with TJD and helped his great rookie year. I just wanted to see where that could go.
So it's a loss as a fan that this demonstrably good coach is no longer. But as a fan it meant something to me that this great basketball story and man was associated with our team.
That's me, I don't really matter. By all accounts he was a larger than life personality with a warm heart and people like that always bring a lot of joy to the people around them. When they're gone it's a huge loss. So your heart goes out to his family, friends and everyone that knew him.
Here's a highlight video of him in game. You can see Jokic in there in a much smaller frame, a little Looney too. Nice to watch, but very bittersweet. This was only 20 years ago, and he was only 26. When you're in your 40's or older you know how fast that time goes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyJUrwv5hJc
Thanks so much for posting this link... it was nice to see Dejan as a player.
Relentless....
From Shayna Rubin of Mercury News:
Coaches dubbed him not a “four” or “five,” but a “six” because he could outmuscle anyone at any position, Milos Jovanovic, a Serbian basketball journalist and documentarian, said.
“When you put him in he will out-rebound, out-hustle you,” Jovanovic said. “Watching him as a young player destroy people – and I mean that in a most positive sense – was a very rewarding experience because I never considered him to be an exceptional player talent-wise, but he made up for everything with hustle and earned every dime playing basketball the hard way.”
That kind of hustle and determination is usually something players just seem to have... not easy to instill as a coach ... yet obviously he was successful coaching.
I've read how he focused on finding what he saw a player was good at and emphasizing that. His players all looked like they responded to however he got them to improve, and acknowleded his influence.
Great coaching!
For a professional sports team to hit pause to grieve with League approval as is happening is such a huge step in the direction of caring for athletes, their families and support staff. Between the tragic loss of Deki and the space given to Andrew Wiggins last season to care for family I feel so much respect for this organization. As fans, we should only cheer on more of this.
I think the NBA and Warriors have always been quite good about this.
They deserve the credit you write.
amen
Things to remember about Deki:
- 11 Serbian kids grown up and sent to the NBA (including one Nikola Jokic that you may have heard about)
- a 6’5” double double machine meant in 40 minutes games and against real European gangsters
- there’s people who manage to be hated by a lot of people. Deki was loved by all people of both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
I’ll say it in the Tolkien style: ‘Verdi sentieri, mellonamin Deki’
Che stagione di mmerda, Freddie. Speriamo che finisca presto.
(Please don’t translate this)
I got it without the google. Impressive use of the subjunctive mood! 😊