I never thought that I would ever be watching a live Clippers game but there I was last night in their game against the Grizzlies. It was courtesy of my friend who has season tickets (with excellent seats too). I was curious to see the Intuit dome and watch Kawhi, Harden, and Morant play in person. Those three stars were a letdown. Harden didn’t make a basket until around the 8 minute mark in the second quarter. He was 1-4 in FTs and had a total of 13 points. Kawhi had a good game with 21 points but he didn’t do anything spectacular to make the game exciting or close. I rolled my eyes each time Kawhi pushed off with his arm when making a shot and never get called for it. Morant seemed like a shell of himself. I was expecting the explosive plays but there were none of that. He is no longer the star on that Memphis team. Watching those supposed three stars just made me more appreciative of Steph, who continues to shine.
The arena was loud and the fans were enthusiastic. I was mostly quiet during the game because I was, after all, among Clippers fans. I was in their arena but I could not bring myself to cheer for them, even for politeness sake (my friend knows I’m a Warriors fan). I saw firsthand why the Clippers have a 6-20 record. Lol, there was hardly any energy from the team. Ty Lue was sitting in his chair most of the game. It was mostly Van Gundy standing in the sidelines who seemed to be coaching the players.
The most entertaining part of the game was Cam Spencer. The fans did not see that coming. He came in from the bench, played the third most minutes, drained 7-10 threes, scored 27 points ( second to Jackson’s 31), was an efficient 69% and had 6 assists. He plays better than his brother. Jackson was great. I wish we had someone like him. A big who can shoot.
I thought we were one of the few who left early (with six minutes to go) but when we got outside there were swarms of people also leaving. I hope our fans who go to Chase are better than their fans. And I hope our team doesn’t get as crappy as the Clippers.
The Clippers are a really interesting story of underachievement. It’s hard for me to imagine such a talented lineup losing so many games.
But if you throw in all the non-basketball issues… for starters your head coach might be busted by the FBI any day for helping mobsters, your owner gave your star co-worker a secret illegal 28 million dollar bonus larger than most players’ entire lifetime earnings, your other star player may be more interested in strip clubs than winning, and you’re supposed to sacrifice and grind 100% for the team?
We’ve debated the importance of chemistry before and this feels like a key example of the basketball effects of negative chemistry.
Oh I also forgot to mention that they also fired the greatest player in franchise history for calling everyone out on their BS (in probably the most annoying way possible). Probably more stuff I’m missing…
>Jackson was great. I wish we had someone like him. A big who can shoot.
Obviously a much smaller sample size due to JJJ being in the league longer but we do have a big who can shoot and will probably be a better shooter than him (IMO)
Yea this Warriors group is toast and I for the first time am beginning to really doubt Kerr.
Let’s forget about the glory days with the incredible roster and veteran depth.
Let’s talk about now.
I love Kerr the man,the human being with great values. I believe he is elite in many ways as a coach but also has some personal beliefs that are hurting him with these not great rosters.
He is an elite coach, like a Phil Jackson in terms of handling a very talented veteran focused team. Not close to elite with a roster like he has had the last few years. Coaching is so hard and coaching with a flawed roster truly sucks.
The Warriors have two stars. Two supposedly elite players. One is Steph and he is doing it. The other is 50M man JB, who is not.
The actual fact is this roster does not have enough difference making players. JB has to be a star. He needs to SCORE.
Kerr as a coach has the task of using his abilities to the fullest. Screw playoff Jimmy. There will be no playoffs at this rate.
He is not getting it done. Not even close.
The days of Draymond being a legit star are gone. He needs to be a guy goes all out 25 to 30 minutes a game on Defense and rebounding. If he is your third best player it ain’t happening.
He needs to do his point forward stuff less and be more consistent and smart.
Back to Kerr. Vets get away with everything. Everyone else a few mistakes equals doghouse.
Starting Spencer? Why is it that he constantly juggles players and their roles so much. Too much. Way too much. I get the roster is flawed but guys do not play well on a yo yo.
News flash. Spencer has probably risen to the level of a solid back up point. Period.That is actually still not a certainty but probably.
The way too large group of Melton, Hield, MM, Podz, Richard, Payton and Seth has to be broken and pieces traded. JK being a non entity is a total disaster. Total. We have no real wings with any size and athleticism.
Dunleavy needs a drastic high risk makeover if he wants to cash in on Steph still being a star. No other option.
Dunleavy has done a lot of positive things but this roster is not one of them.
He knew the West was big, long and athletic. The top East teams as well. We are what?
Apologies for the rant but my back is out and I am not in a positive light.💡
Great read - I also thought there was something “new and different” about the recent road trip were we went 2-1 with the close loss to the 76ers. They were not reliant on only hitting 3’s and the overall game seemed to be played with more defensive cohesion. I really enjoyed those games.
But, now, since Steph’s return, game is completely different as we are back to just trying to largely playe perimeter offense and hit 3’s and also missed many defensive assignments - is this the Kerr play style with Steph on court, versus when he is not!!!
Joe says “You can’t be as frustrated as me. I am working in it. It’s complicated. Style of play. Coaches desires regarding players. League trends. Jimmy is not the problem,”
957The game also discussing this based on the authentication!
Now it's up to the Warriors to perform the feats of strength by getting a few wins (or does that mean that Kerr is going to challenge JK to a wrestling match?)
Curry's Flurry's bring more fury than worry. Dubs in a hurry to scurry a new studly buddy before things get bloody ugly. Plea for Joey to spree on the multi fee in free agency. Key is to agree on a hungry, no dummy, three and D junkie. Jury and money still out on honey-bunny Keegan Murray. So says the Duby's plucky pug puppy.
the win in cleveland was great. the win against chicago was not impressive bc they play the worst defense ive seen this season. i would argue we did NOT figure anything out on that trip and that this roster simply does not work together for kerr ball. Even if individual play from anyone not named steph improves we are not a contender. I understand our record w jimmy last season was excellent, but its a new season and the league is different. Idk what trades are possible but we need a big shake up this winter or steph's starlight will be lost in the void of space! Thats dramatic we still love watching his excellence, but its been really painful to watch our games this season.
Coach SK insisting on keeping JK on the bench makes no sense. When you see what the 3 scorers for Portland are doing, put him in and tell him......I don;t care whether you score or not. Just do 2 things for me..
1. Stick to Grant like glue but don't try to block his 3 point attempts; just put your hands up so he cannot see the hoop, and 2. Do all you can to get the defensive rebounds. With his athleticism, why not try? Can Moses do this? Pat? Gui? Buddy? Melton? NO and NO and NO.
Could JK do this? Probably or at least maybe. Give it a shot. Be creative and make these decisions while in the game; don't plan every move before the game ever starts. Kerr had no intention of playing JK in this game come hell or high water.
And why did the best 3 point shooter on the trem, #31, never get off the bench? Their center didn't hurt the W's, but Gobert KILLED them while Kerr sat there and watched and did NOTHING about it to keep him from making 11 dunks!! His in game decisions are at fault; not the players.
On the other hand, Steph missing the layup at the very end was hard to watch.
And still, probably leading or close to leading the league in turnovers. Kerr should immediatlely yank anyone who makes an inexcusable turnover (except Steph).
You know there’s an edit function, right? And if you’ve think it’s easier just to re-type the whole post all over again, you can delete the one you didn’t like.
Coach SK insisting on keeping JK on the bench makes no sense. When you see what the 3 scorers for Portland are doing, put him in and tell him......I don;t care whether you score or not. Just do 2 things for me..
1. Stick to Grant like glue and 2. Do all you can to get the defesive rebounds. With his athleticism, why not try? Can Moses do this? Pat? Gui? Buddy? Melton? NO and NO and NO.
Could JK do this? Probably or at least maybe. Give it a shot. Be creative and make these decisions while in the game, not plan every move before the game ever starts. Kerr had no intention of playing JK in that game come hell or high water.
And why did the best 3 point shooter on the tram, #31, neve er center didn't hurt the W's, but Gobert KILLED them while Kerr sat there and watched and did NOTHING about it to keep him from 11 dunks!! His in game decisions are at fault; not the players.
On the other hand, Steph missing the layup at the very end was hard to watch.
And still, probably leading the league in turnovers. Kerr should immediatley yank anyone who makes an inexcusable turnover (eceot Steph).
A wonderful report -- though you have a couple of big cut-and-paste accidents (long repeated chunks of text) clogging the text that could be cleaned up. (Unless that's meant to be a meta-commentary on how the Warriors are twisted into a Möbius strip right now.)
I never thought that I would ever be watching a live Clippers game but there I was last night in their game against the Grizzlies. It was courtesy of my friend who has season tickets (with excellent seats too). I was curious to see the Intuit dome and watch Kawhi, Harden, and Morant play in person. Those three stars were a letdown. Harden didn’t make a basket until around the 8 minute mark in the second quarter. He was 1-4 in FTs and had a total of 13 points. Kawhi had a good game with 21 points but he didn’t do anything spectacular to make the game exciting or close. I rolled my eyes each time Kawhi pushed off with his arm when making a shot and never get called for it. Morant seemed like a shell of himself. I was expecting the explosive plays but there were none of that. He is no longer the star on that Memphis team. Watching those supposed three stars just made me more appreciative of Steph, who continues to shine.
The arena was loud and the fans were enthusiastic. I was mostly quiet during the game because I was, after all, among Clippers fans. I was in their arena but I could not bring myself to cheer for them, even for politeness sake (my friend knows I’m a Warriors fan). I saw firsthand why the Clippers have a 6-20 record. Lol, there was hardly any energy from the team. Ty Lue was sitting in his chair most of the game. It was mostly Van Gundy standing in the sidelines who seemed to be coaching the players.
The most entertaining part of the game was Cam Spencer. The fans did not see that coming. He came in from the bench, played the third most minutes, drained 7-10 threes, scored 27 points ( second to Jackson’s 31), was an efficient 69% and had 6 assists. He plays better than his brother. Jackson was great. I wish we had someone like him. A big who can shoot.
I thought we were one of the few who left early (with six minutes to go) but when we got outside there were swarms of people also leaving. I hope our fans who go to Chase are better than their fans. And I hope our team doesn’t get as crappy as the Clippers.
> The most entertaining part of the game was Cam Spencer.
How was his trash talking? I heard he was yelling for the the opposing team to get somebody else to guard him because he was torching them lol
The Clippers are a really interesting story of underachievement. It’s hard for me to imagine such a talented lineup losing so many games.
But if you throw in all the non-basketball issues… for starters your head coach might be busted by the FBI any day for helping mobsters, your owner gave your star co-worker a secret illegal 28 million dollar bonus larger than most players’ entire lifetime earnings, your other star player may be more interested in strip clubs than winning, and you’re supposed to sacrifice and grind 100% for the team?
We’ve debated the importance of chemistry before and this feels like a key example of the basketball effects of negative chemistry.
“your head coach might be busted by the FBI any day for helping mobster”. Are you referring to Ty Lue? Never heard of that.
Yep… https://fadeawayworld.net/nba/la-clippers/tyronn-lue-recurring-character-nba-poker-scandal
Oh I also forgot to mention that they also fired the greatest player in franchise history for calling everyone out on their BS (in probably the most annoying way possible). Probably more stuff I’m missing…
Chauncey Billups is more or less Ty Lue’s best friend and poker buddy, so he’s very very close to that scandal
EDIT: also was in attendance at the rigged poker games in question
Zero homegrown stars except for the one they traded away... lol. Only the Clippers.
>Jackson was great. I wish we had someone like him. A big who can shoot.
Obviously a much smaller sample size due to JJJ being in the league longer but we do have a big who can shoot and will probably be a better shooter than him (IMO)
Yea this Warriors group is toast and I for the first time am beginning to really doubt Kerr.
Let’s forget about the glory days with the incredible roster and veteran depth.
Let’s talk about now.
I love Kerr the man,the human being with great values. I believe he is elite in many ways as a coach but also has some personal beliefs that are hurting him with these not great rosters.
He is an elite coach, like a Phil Jackson in terms of handling a very talented veteran focused team. Not close to elite with a roster like he has had the last few years. Coaching is so hard and coaching with a flawed roster truly sucks.
The Warriors have two stars. Two supposedly elite players. One is Steph and he is doing it. The other is 50M man JB, who is not.
The actual fact is this roster does not have enough difference making players. JB has to be a star. He needs to SCORE.
Kerr as a coach has the task of using his abilities to the fullest. Screw playoff Jimmy. There will be no playoffs at this rate.
He is not getting it done. Not even close.
The days of Draymond being a legit star are gone. He needs to be a guy goes all out 25 to 30 minutes a game on Defense and rebounding. If he is your third best player it ain’t happening.
He needs to do his point forward stuff less and be more consistent and smart.
Back to Kerr. Vets get away with everything. Everyone else a few mistakes equals doghouse.
Starting Spencer? Why is it that he constantly juggles players and their roles so much. Too much. Way too much. I get the roster is flawed but guys do not play well on a yo yo.
News flash. Spencer has probably risen to the level of a solid back up point. Period.That is actually still not a certainty but probably.
The way too large group of Melton, Hield, MM, Podz, Richard, Payton and Seth has to be broken and pieces traded. JK being a non entity is a total disaster. Total. We have no real wings with any size and athleticism.
Dunleavy needs a drastic high risk makeover if he wants to cash in on Steph still being a star. No other option.
Dunleavy has done a lot of positive things but this roster is not one of them.
He knew the West was big, long and athletic. The top East teams as well. We are what?
Apologies for the rant but my back is out and I am not in a positive light.💡
Great read - I also thought there was something “new and different” about the recent road trip were we went 2-1 with the close loss to the 76ers. They were not reliant on only hitting 3’s and the overall game seemed to be played with more defensive cohesion. I really enjoyed those games.
But, now, since Steph’s return, game is completely different as we are back to just trying to largely playe perimeter offense and hit 3’s and also missed many defensive assignments - is this the Kerr play style with Steph on court, versus when he is not!!!
Reposting from previous thread:
The reply below by Joe lacob has been authenticated by Ray Ritter to SFGate!
Some guy in Panama wrote to Joe Lacob and apparently got a reply back from!!!
https://www.reddit.com/r/warriors/comments/1pmzfsu/emailed_joe_lacob/#lightbox
Joe says “You can’t be as frustrated as me. I am working in it. It’s complicated. Style of play. Coaches desires regarding players. League trends. Jimmy is not the problem,”
957The game also discussing this based on the authentication!
There were quite a few people in here pushing back on its authenticity lol
To be fair, that *should* be the default reaction when there's no proof. Anything else is just gambling on the legitimacy of the juicy rumor.
oh yes, but a reasonable initial reaction though given the AI world we are living in!
Exactly one week to Festivus! It looks like everyone's already getting in the spirit and airing their grievances!
https://media1.tenor.com/m/h-e_HgOq1XcAAAAd/seinfeld-festivus.gif
Now it's up to the Warriors to perform the feats of strength by getting a few wins (or does that mean that Kerr is going to challenge JK to a wrestling match?)
Excellent post, Loon.
These types of performances from Draymond is fairly typical of him when he doesn't believe the roster can cut it enough to compete most nights.
He was the problem with his 8x turnovers, and I think he was a big part of the defensive breakdowns that led to Grant's back to back wide open 3s.
yes, but on nights when Steph is going nuclear, he cannot tune out - Sorry but he has absolutely no excuses as long as Steph is on the court!
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
Curry's Flurry's bring more fury than worry. Dubs in a hurry to scurry a new studly buddy before things get bloody ugly. Plea for Joey to spree on the multi fee in free agency. Key is to agree on a hungry, no dummy, three and D junkie. Jury and money still out on honey-bunny Keegan Murray. So says the Duby's plucky pug puppy.
the win in cleveland was great. the win against chicago was not impressive bc they play the worst defense ive seen this season. i would argue we did NOT figure anything out on that trip and that this roster simply does not work together for kerr ball. Even if individual play from anyone not named steph improves we are not a contender. I understand our record w jimmy last season was excellent, but its a new season and the league is different. Idk what trades are possible but we need a big shake up this winter or steph's starlight will be lost in the void of space! Thats dramatic we still love watching his excellence, but its been really painful to watch our games this season.
That was a super weird glitch in the editor, I fixed it now, thanks for the heads up. LMK if anything else pops up!
I made too many typos. Very sorry.
Coach SK insisting on keeping JK on the bench makes no sense. When you see what the 3 scorers for Portland are doing, put him in and tell him......I don;t care whether you score or not. Just do 2 things for me..
1. Stick to Grant like glue but don't try to block his 3 point attempts; just put your hands up so he cannot see the hoop, and 2. Do all you can to get the defensive rebounds. With his athleticism, why not try? Can Moses do this? Pat? Gui? Buddy? Melton? NO and NO and NO.
Could JK do this? Probably or at least maybe. Give it a shot. Be creative and make these decisions while in the game; don't plan every move before the game ever starts. Kerr had no intention of playing JK in this game come hell or high water.
And why did the best 3 point shooter on the trem, #31, never get off the bench? Their center didn't hurt the W's, but Gobert KILLED them while Kerr sat there and watched and did NOTHING about it to keep him from making 11 dunks!! His in game decisions are at fault; not the players.
On the other hand, Steph missing the layup at the very end was hard to watch.
And still, probably leading or close to leading the league in turnovers. Kerr should immediatlely yank anyone who makes an inexcusable turnover (except Steph).
You know there’s an edit function, right? And if you’ve think it’s easier just to re-type the whole post all over again, you can delete the one you didn’t like.
Coach SK insisting on keeping JK on the bench makes no sense. When you see what the 3 scorers for Portland are doing, put him in and tell him......I don;t care whether you score or not. Just do 2 things for me..
1. Stick to Grant like glue and 2. Do all you can to get the defesive rebounds. With his athleticism, why not try? Can Moses do this? Pat? Gui? Buddy? Melton? NO and NO and NO.
Could JK do this? Probably or at least maybe. Give it a shot. Be creative and make these decisions while in the game, not plan every move before the game ever starts. Kerr had no intention of playing JK in that game come hell or high water.
And why did the best 3 point shooter on the tram, #31, neve er center didn't hurt the W's, but Gobert KILLED them while Kerr sat there and watched and did NOTHING about it to keep him from 11 dunks!! His in game decisions are at fault; not the players.
On the other hand, Steph missing the layup at the very end was hard to watch.
And still, probably leading the league in turnovers. Kerr should immediatley yank anyone who makes an inexcusable turnover (eceot Steph).
Kuminga’s defense was awful, even when he playing well on offense. Not sure I agree
Wow. Cam Spencer has 27 points on 9/11 FGs, 7/8 threes, and 2/2 FTs.
He was the guy I wanted the Warriors to draft at that spot. Can't complain though because Post appears to have panned out.
Very well written and spot on!
A wonderful report -- though you have a couple of big cut-and-paste accidents (long repeated chunks of text) clogging the text that could be cleaned up. (Unless that's meant to be a meta-commentary on how the Warriors are twisted into a Möbius strip right now.)
I think the gifs glitched substack out but we're back on it, thank you!
Thanks to all you folks at Dub Nation HQ for helping to keep me (relatively) sane as our Dubs struggle through all the weirdness.
Thank you! Unfortunately with the way Substack works I have to wait for one of the editors to be able to correct that, but hope my points got across.
They totally did!