It's fair to disagree, but it might be more compelling if you explained /why/ you consider it illogical and ill-informed. With what, specifically, are you taking issue?
Well, it's a long, rambling post, and not worth a correspondingly detailed critique, but the OP, like most Kuminga-stans, is obsessed with Kuminga's athleticism and ignores his many flaws.
He compared JK (laughably) with Iggy, HB, KD, and Wiggs. The KD comparison is so ridiculous that I won't justify it with comment, but ALL of these guys were solid to great DEFENDERS. Kuminga isn't. His talent AND EFFORT on D are nowhere near those guys. Ultimately, Kerr won't consistently play guys who can't or won't defend,
Then OP says "the talent is there." It isn't. Kuminga has a weak handle, he shoots inconsistently from distance and midrange, and his BBIQ is low. He doesn't understand spacing on offense or defense, and this limits his team contributions on both ends. He is also a black hole on offense; he refuses to recognize when he doesn't have a good opportunity and doesn't give the ball up.
OP then makes the pathetic observation: ". . . Kerr was given the full two timelines experience to juggle and responded by playing a ridiculous and low-key sabotage lineup of Kuminga, JaMychal Green, and Wiseman . . ." According to online data, that combination played together for a total of SIXTEEN MINUTES, which to me indicates that Kerr recognized very well that it didn't work.
There's much more that is illogical, ill-informed, and frankly stupid, but that's all I have the energy for.
> "I couldn't even narrow it down to one," says Moody in a one-on-one interview with RG about the influence Green has had on his career. "He teaches me so much, not even just about basketball, but I'll go to his room, hang out and talk to him all the time about all types of things. We actually went to his house when I was in LA last week, and he showed me different things and was teaching me about art. That was a cool conversation. He's just been that guy for me. He's taught me about finance, about money, about the league, about being a professional. He's taught me about all types of things."
Moody on Looney's influence on him:
> "I learned a lot from Kevon," says Moody. "He's more of a verbal leader than you would think because he's not going to stand in front of the team and preach to the congregation. He's more so going to have an individual relationship with everybody on the team and be able to have those conversations personally. That's something that I really appreciated because he did that with me as a rookie. He introduced me to yoga, so we did that together every game day."
Moody and Looney practicing yoga together on game day 🥰
I like how Draymond teaches the young guys how to invest, whereas Looney teaches them how to transcend the Cartesian mind-body dualism endemic to Western thought and achieve a higher plane of unified consciousness.
Moody is such a levelheaded and mature young man. Hope he goes all out this season and be more aggressive. We’re going to need the young ones to step up because our aging vets will need all the help they can get.
JK isn't a native English speaker, and at least for the first couple of years, when did we hear him speak about anything?
My impression (which certainly could be wrong) is that he is either uncomfortable with public speaking/interviews, or his camp tries to limit his appearances.
Moody grew up in the States and was in a medium-profile college program. He's used to it.
I just think JK is shy and not very bright. Got this when asked why he wouldn't do the slam dunk competition when everyone was betting him to do it watching him blush saying that's not really his thing. Which was too bad because why would you not want to show off your freak athleticism.
Draymond also went to Moody's event in Little Rock, which I think Klay did as well a couple offseasons ago:
> “I’ve watched him do the work on and off the court. To show up for him, it’s a no-brainer. I will always show up for him.”
> Draymond Green (@Money23Green) spoke highly of Moses Moody (@mosesmoody) at Moody’s fireside event here in his hometown of Little Rock #DubNation | #WPS 🏀
Hypothetical question for the group: If the Warriors and Kuminga were to kiss and make up,come to terms with the assurance that he would be featured when the old heads rest and get 20-30 minutes a game (depending on whether the old heads are sitting out or just resting) who else would you play with JK? For arguments sake, it can’t be an old head since they’re resting together.)
For me, I think it would be Melton, Buddy, Post and Moody.
This is not the way Kerr does his rotations. The old heads would start together and close together, but the rest of the game only 1-2 of the three would be on the court at the same time, and JK would end up playing with them.
So, there wouldn't be a full B-team except during garbage time or when the old heads rest or are injured.
Hypothetical question: If the Warriors and KLAY were to kiss and make up,come to terms with the assurance that he would START when the old heads PLAY and get 20-30 minutes a game (REGARDLESS OF whether the old heads are sitting out or just resting) who else would you play with KLAY? For arguments sake, it MAY be an old head since THEY MAY NOT BE resting together.)
For me, I think it would be ANYBODY.
There, a bit of a fix, and we are ln the road to CONTENTION...a bit of hopium and only 16m/yr...
Death, Taxes, and DinoKlay... If you really love Klay, do you *really* think he would be genuinely happy coming back and playing for the team that 'did him so dirty'?
The least MDJ may do is ask him...with help from STEPH, DRAY, AND JIMMY...KLAY was happy here till MDJ lost sight of what made DUBS BALL A HISTORIC WINNER...I think anyone that wants this team on top the next two years would want to do at least that...A bit of a reminder for anyone that got lost with all the BS experimentation of the last 2 years, it was SHOOTING, SPACING, GRAVITY, PACE, TRANSITION, AND DOGGED DEFENSE. JIMMY adds to it, and with KLAY AND HORFORD, WE KICK BUTT.
Mostly agree, though that unit needs someone to tie it together, and the starting unit needs more shooting, so I’d bring Podz off the bench and put Melton in the starting lineup.
And he’s not even the best at that. So, you’d probably want to sub out Jimmy early from the starting lineup to come in and provide some playmaking. He plays well next to Podz, too. I don’t know who’d I’d swap Jimmy for, though. Glad I don’t have to make these decisions professionally. ;-)
True, and if they were both younger, that’d be a lot easier to do by playing them heavier minutes. But maybe there could be a stretch at the beginning of the fourth where Dray and JK run a unit together with Steph and Jimmy playing all of the third and then the second half of the fourth together. Or something approximating that.
So you're thinking maybe Melton, Buddy, JK, Dray, Post? That could be a nice lineup. Or if Post has been playing with the starters, make that Horford. The defense would be pretty good then.
I had the same reaction. I haven't even been following baseball much last two decades, but this is absolutely out of control. If he can just hit four homers a night for the rest of his career, I think he stands a good chance of being considered one of the greats.
No, for real I think his peak isn't that performance of course, but it could be quite high. What a slugger.
At the very least. If he's gonna keep going 6-6 with four homers a night, just give him all the awards for the next decade. Heck, throw in the Cy Young. That's unbelievable. I love when a rookie in any sport goes nuts at the early part of their career because there's a part of me that wants to believe it will just keep going like this. The potential is endless, the reality probably less so.
He has 239 AB, 23 HRs, 18 doubles, .305 BA, .686 SA, you don't even need to get into advanced metrics to see he's having an awesome season — and for a rookie, wow!
Kuminga the Enigma makes for a great villain name to the Buddy/Alfred Batman sideshow we got at the end of last season 👌 Let's see if our own Dark Knight Knight can rise again...
[[ Update: The San Antonio Spurs signed Lindy Waters to a one-year, partially guaranteed deal worth $500K, sources told @hoopshypeofficial.bsky.social. Waters is a career 37% 3-point shooter over his four NBA seasons combined with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, and Detroit Pistons. ]]
Me too, I was hoping he'd make it. He started out pretty well during that hot first dozen games; then he faded, and his shots stopped falling. He wound up at 33.1% from 3 with us. But he seemed to find his 3-pt shot again in his brief time with the Pistons.
A 1 yr deal can be partially guaranteed? I thought that label is for minimum 2 yr deals, where the last year is a team option. How does that work for 1 year?
it works exactly the same way. There's an amount $X guaranteed and a part $Y that only gets paid if the player is still on the roster after a certain deadline. Players can (and frequently do) get waived midseason, it's not only triggered by accepting/declining an option.
I still think the Warriors are probably trading Kuminga this summer and that you can't believe a lot of what you hear right now because there are a lot of negotiating/leverage plays through the media going on. Like for instance the idea that Kuminga would take the QO, I don't really think his camp is dumb enough to do that but they have to give the appearance that they are considering it.
Might take all offseason but hopefully Ranadive's trigger finger gets itchy.
No doubt, he let go TWO vital members of our last DUBS BALL DYNASTY 'Ship Team last season, KLAY/WIGS, and another one this season, LOONS...2 more to go...talk about self-destruct for STEPH/DRAY LAST RUNS...
I don’t understand what this has to do with my comment. The topic is, will the FO make moves out of desperation. The transactions you cited were not conducted in a rushed, irrational manner.
I think Kerr putting him out of the rotation at the end of the season was the point of no return, although I'll admit I've thought that once before about Kuminga and it wasn't. Even if they are forced to re-sign him I assume it will be a short term thing.
I love Steve Kerr and will back him as coach until the end. But I did wonder why JK ended up so far in his doghouse. It's one thing not to start him or give him heavy minutes. It's another to outright DNP him, and it seemed intentionally harsh, like Kerr was making a point. Even before Steph got hurt, I wondered why JK didn't minutes against Houston, either in the regular season or in the playoffs. He had been effective against them before.
Anyway, after that, I agree that it didn't look good for his relationship with the youngster. It felt like he had moved on, and not surprisingly, JK moved on too. If that's how things stay, I think it's just sad.
Gabe Fernandez is suggesting that JK might screw the Dubs by taking the qualifying offer, but if it's a strictly financial decision it doesn't add up over even the next 2 years. If he takes the $8M qualifying offer and then signs with someone else for his desired $30M/year, that's $38M in salary. If he accepts $25M/2yrs from the Dubs with an agreement that he'll be traded, he makes $50M for 2 yrs and perhaps gets even more like $35M+/4yrs after that. Taking the qualifying offer also risks the Dubs not caring about his development or playing time since he won't be in their future so Kerr might just sit him on the end of the bench for an entire season which could easily tank his value. If he accepts a 2yr deal, the Dubs would be motivated to feature him more to increase his trade value.
If JK took the QO, it would free up salary for the Warriors to add more players this coming season. That would most likely decrease JK’s playing time even more, when he would be wanting to play to show his value for FA. Seems like a losing situation for JK (playing time and money-wise). Though not impossible, it seems unlikely JK signs the QO (from my perspective at least)
That really illustrates the opposing argument... even IF he were to get the $30M he wants next offseason, he would still be financially better off taking a 3 year $75M offer with the last year being a player option. And his experience this offseason should illustrate why he shouldn't expect $30M easily.
JK may become a great scorer, but he will never be a great basketball player because he doesn't make those around him better. It's all about him. I've pointed out before that JK reportedly learned basketball by watching Kobe Bryant highlight clips on YouTube so his entire focus is on beating his man one-on-one to score. He has no appreciation or real interest in all the dirty work of screening, passing, rebounding and defending that is required to make a team successful. Unlike Steph, I'm not sure that JK takes any joy in the success of his team mates.
Odds are JK will never be a great player as he isn't a great player right now, most players never become great, and while everybody (including myself) brings up his youth, pretty much every great player you want to name was already pretty great by age 23. In particular, they could all shoot free throws or were elite defenders and rebounders. It could still happen, but he needs to get to very good basketball player first.
Yeah. I don't see him becoming a star anymore. He'd be showing more signs of dominance at something by now (four years with NBA-level coaching).
That said, I think he could still be a very solid starter for us or someone else in the not-too-distant future. Really hoping we sign him and at least keep him to the trade deadline.
I'd still like to see the team keep him, period, but I'm guessing if they do sign him, it will be with a handshake agreement to trade him at the deadline.
The only thing I'd say to that is many people (including myself) thought that sort of thing about Wiggins in March 2020, with a lot of evidence behind it, and were proven conclusively wrong.
The case of KLAY for JK is a no-brainer...especially if we get HORFORD, also....instant contention for next 2yrs....Make it happen MDJ, STEPH, DRAY, JIMMY...
Hey, it may be a bit ''hopium'', but I want 2 more years of contention before the inevitable rebuild...I am 74 and a bit selfish, as I won't be around to see the next title methinks...
You are wrong...since before MDJ missed the opportunity to keep him AND JIMMY, by not getting back to KLAY and making an offer his last season, jerking him around, and idiotically letting him go. Anyway, last season lost and counting, notwithstanding, still have an opportunity to fix it the next 2 yrs, as Dallas is going nowhere next season with KYRIE out...
Do your thing Dino. Honestly I wouldn’t mind Klay returning after the haircut but it’s not realistically happening so I’m living through your “bring Klay back” posts
I am both appreciative of and yet critical of the above article, the latter more in the way that it represents problems I have with the ongoing debates about Kuminga and Kerr, rather than for some massive sin of its own.
To be clear: I have no issue on anyone forming a position on Kuminga's *observable* shortcomings and strengths as a basketball player, nor on Kerr's *observable* strengths and weaknesses as a coach. That's how we ought to do it as fans: offer our energetic opinions *on what we actually see.*
But what bugs me is when we stray from observable things like Kuminga's free throw percentage or Kerr's substitution patterns to something else -- an evaluation of the situation based on *personality* or internal worldview of the player or coach, when we don't know what those are.
I liked the above article, I'm interested in the lineup ideas. But I think this kind of thing as seen in the article is counterproductive:
"Honestly if my coach had nine rings with three of the greatest players of all time I wouldn’t be working out with murals of Kobe on the walls, and mid-range iso YouTube highlights playing in my mind, I’d be listening to everything he said and doing that."
This is the sort of "Kuminga isn't focused and doesn't listen well" narrative that seems based on no evidence, and strikes me as unfair to the player and to the discourse. It doesn't matter what murals are on the wall, and we don't know what YouTube highlights are playing in his mind, and we have no evidence that when the coaches talk he doesn't listen. It's in fact the case that, last we heard on the matter, Kerr has been going out of his way to say that JK did everything asked of him in rehab, during the benching against Houston, etc. Praised his work ethic and team spirit.
I'm similarly guarded about conclusions about Kerr's coaching. Does he curse out Kuminga to his closest friends and then put on a smile in public? No one here knows. Does he have an unmitigated bias against him because Kuminga is not "his type of player?" Does he put Steph and Jimmy and Dray in for heavy heavy minutes and leave Kuminga on the bench because he just doesn't know how to develop young players and is biased against change; or simply because those guys are really fucking good?
The most frustrating of these *Psychoanalyses of Kuminga TM* is the narrative that claims "He is so greedy for money, he doesn't realize he's a role player, he is trying to get much more than he's worth, when he should practice free throws." That's ridiculous stuff. EVERY player is trying to get paid. If his agent is NOT trying to get him top dollar according to their plan, he should be fired. If Kuminga wants as much as he can get, that's the business of the NBA. Moody doesn't get $12 million a year because he's so very humble, unassuming, and pure of heart. He gets that because that was what the market for his skills dictated.
I would love if we could move on from character analysis and disparagement.
In a non-Warrior example, there is this narrative over the past decade that LeBron is too full of himself and is "LeGM" and teams have just been capitulating to him. Nonsense. Yes, he has ambitions and plans, but so does everyone and unlike most other players ever, he has *accumulated great influence* by being pretty much the GOAT, and the biggest box office draw. If I were the front office of a team and he said "Trade Kuzma and Ingram and five other guys for AD" i would be quite likely to do it, too, because the threat of LeBron leaving is too great.
But that doesn't mean LeBron is arrogant, or spoiled, or "doesn't know his place." (which has racial overtones that trouble me). He is leveraging his power to try to get what he wants. That's how it is in a workplace sometimes. It's not some condemnation of his soul.
Generally a fair point and I much I agree with here, and I can see the narrative device to illustrate the point you quote could be construed as OTT. But it is observable fact that he and his camp have repeatedly said he wants to be a star, that Kerr keeps asking him to do other things, and it only happens sporadically. Quite a lot of the ins and outs of this are public domain at this point and have been credibly reported over recent years, and indeed many public statements made by Kerr and on one notable occasion Kuminga himself. It is impossible to analyse where we have gotten to and how we can go forwards by ignoring this fundamental conflict - especially where that is reportedly what is driving Kuminga to think the unthinkable and pick up his qualifying offer (though this is likely leverage BS).
My point is though not that he doesn't listen, or is lazy, or is greedy (I would never criticise a player for attempting to maximise earnings from billionaire owners when they are the labour and everyone else is profiting off that - any issues around that are related to the CBA can choices teams have to make). My fundamental point is that actually when given a fair shake he has shown he can actually do what he is asked to. So maybe we should try that!
The whole thing. Talking about Kuminga. Kuminga himself. The drama surrounding him. And before him, it was Klay. Before Klay, it was JP. Before JP, it was KD. And Dray peppered throughout, love him as I may. It’s just been years of drama with diminishing returns of joy. Thank freaking heavens for Stephen Curry.
Perhaps. I have always enjoyed rivalries between players and teams, so I’m not averse to all kinds of drama. But the intra-team drama has been such a drag.
If it's so much trouble and exhaustion, why do you bother? You're not required to be a fan or follow the stuff beyond the game. I find the stuff interesting and thought provoking, if indeed often frustrating. But it also brings up to me some larger questions about how people are and how they can be and what we perceive the right thing to be.
It sounds like all of that tires you, so I'm not sure what brings you here.
On the one hand, I abhor psycho-analysis because I’ve noticed a trend where it typically is applied to players and not coaches/FO. And perhaps my brain has been corrupted by all this woke critical race theory, but I start to wonder if this differential is not influenced by race/class. Perhaps we have a greater willingness to call players unfocused/not good listeners/entitled/arrogant, might be influenced by the fact that they’re young black men who are also working class.
At the same time, I engage in that same type of psychoanalysis in order to try and put myself in Kuminga’s/Kerr’s shoes. This process helps me find empathy for a player whose game I’m not at all a fan of. It’s helped me understand Kerr’s decision making and be more sympathetic to the difficult situation he finds himself in when making decisions as to playing time.
I agree, there *appears* to be a race and class aspect to it -- but that does not mean that we can conclude from a position of judgment that any individual analysis or any individual post or any commentator is biased. It's the accumulation of many voices that has me viewing things in that manner, not anyone I've met here or online except obvious trolls.
I think your other matter isn't really psychoanalysis, it's empathy, as you've named it, and I'm all for that. I tried to put myself in LeBron's shoes above, but I happen to dislike his career as a Warrior villain, dislike some of his public relations maneuvers "Taking my talents ..." and thoroughly dislike his positioning of Bronny into public humiliation -- but I, too, aim for empathy. it's not always that I get there but I think it a good goal.
I've never described him as spoiled or used the phrase, "doesn't know his place," but every time LeBron "crowns" and proclaims himself "King James," he shows me his arrogance.
LeBron supposedly got the nickname "King James" in his freshman year in high school after helping his team win the Ohio state championship. If his friend Randy Mims' story is accurate, he didn't choose the nickname but he liked it. It's an obvious nickname for a dominant young player named James who seemed headed for stardom even then. Besides, is it arrogant if you can back it up? He surely has done that in full measure.
I've seen bits of this story in a few places but this one has slightly more detail:
Like I've said, I don't mind people who celebrate and recognize their acheivements; again, more power to them. You say his friend, gave him the nickname and he liked it? Also fine. To use it, though? And the "crown" gesture to boot? I see it as arrogance; YMMV.
His childhood friend tells the story, he didn't give LeBron the nickname. According to him, kids at the hotel where the team was staying gave him the nickname, he was amused, and the name stuck. It's in the story at the link.
Maybe it's arrogant for a 15 or 16 year old to go with a nickname like that, even after winning the state title, but y'know, he was a kid. He was still a teen when he entered the league. However, he has gone on to be arguably one of the best five ever to play the game, so I'd say he has justified the nickname in the end. But as you say YMMV.
I don't share the widespread dislike of LeBron. Oh, I get irritated with his whining at refs and begging for foul calls, and there are other things one can criticize, no doubt. But he seems to be a decent man who supports good causes, he gives the game 100% at all times, and I have the impression that he appreciates the fans. And he seems to have a great mutual admiration society going with Steph, which speaks well of him.
To clarify: anyone doing the "crown" gesture and calling themselves "King" would annoy me. When Steph called himself or implied that he was the best point guard ever, I thought he was being arrogant and didn't like him for saying it. When Klay flashed 4 fingers at Devin Booker, I thought he was being arrogant and didn't like him for doing it. When QP was trash talking LeBron I thought he was being confident and wanted more of that from him.
I also never said anything about LBJ's charitable causes because I admire and support people who help others. I applaud that side of LBJ. In fact, when he was ridiculed for reading books (can't actually remember what brought it about), I was incensed because as he is a role model for kids, anything he does that influences kids to read, I'm all for it.
Maybe I just don't know the difference between arrogance and confidence. I thought I did, but live and learn; thanks everyone!
Edit: I apologize for hijacking the OP and thread.
Is it arrogant when virtually any player does a muscles flex after an and one?
I, like you, would not put a crown on my head or call myself King anything. But I hardly consider LeBron the lone offender in terms of self-promotion in a league replete with same.
Even Steven Adams has done a shimmy or two and I like that guy, far as I can tell. Was Mutombo's finger wag acceptable? What are the definitions here?
Steph shimmies and night-nights and makes "Home Alone" faces to the crowd and if I were an opponent I would take all of that as pretty annoying arrogance.
I do not begrudge anyone's celebrations; in fact, I'm all for it. The very nature of the crown and king is what irks me. Yes, I do agree with abolishing all royal titles and monarchies.
Edited to add: I wouldn't have minded at all if he called himself the GOAT (not that I agree), but if he thinks he is, then good for him.
Lol.. great discussion, though it is hard to quibble with LBJ's place in all-time history of the NBA ''kingdom''...lol ...on an afterthought, maybe a claim to the ''crown'' comes with the territory for the MJs, LBJs, STEPHs, etc, of the game, whether it is self-promoted, or, assigned...perhaps, a bit of arrogance is essential to maintain that supernova level of performance...
Kuminga has shown no growth in terms of rebounds, passing, or team defense. That’s my observation, backed up by numerous stats- you can ascribe it to whatever you want, but Kuminga’s contingent is talking about him being an all-star and the Kobe stuff comes from JK himself, so I think there are easy dots to connect here. Dude wants to be a star, and is not doing the things needed to be a team player. Of course that would bother Kerr.
I also completely disagree on your Lebron take. What he is leveraging is one thing. That he is an arrogant narcissist is another.
I’d contend with the claim that Kuminga hasn’t shown growth in passing. He had career high per possession assist numbers and FAR more importantly, his assist % at 14.6% was a career high as well.
What stats are u relying upon which indicate that he hasn’t improved in that regard?
The Kobe thing -- several million admired Kobe because he was a really good player. Your presumption is that JK admiring Kobe is guilt by association and offends anyone who wants a reasonable analysis of the situation.
You claim that there are "easy dots to connect here." What dots? The ones you want to connect, those are the right ones?
Mabye JK's admiration for Kobe means that he wants to be a lifelong Laker, like Kobe? Maybe it means that he understands he needs a dominant center to win a championship, like Kobe needed.
Or are these inconvenient conclusions for you? Why do you get to pick and choose that the only appropriate conclusion is that "dude wants to be a star?" Which, by the way: A. how do you know that, and B. What is so evil about wanting to be a star? Don't most players want to be stars?
If JK professed his admiration for Brian Scalabrine, would that make some kind of difference to the salient isssues here?
Also what are the "things needed to be a team player" that he's not doing? Not hitting free throws, not improving handle, not shooting the three well? Turns out that those are things that Looney never did well at all, never improved at, and somehow he's everyone's avatar of team play.
I also deeply lament your diagnosing LeBron with some mental health disorder for leveraging his position. Speaking as a mental health professional, it is only appropriate to diagnose someone after meeting with them and assessing them, and if I had done so with LeBron, I wouldn't then announce it to anyone, it's a private matter. I've met with some individuals who have symptoms that qualify for narcissistic personality disorder. It's a severe disorder and not a matter to brandish lightly.
I think your propose a series of potshots at players' characters and I deeply disagree with this apporach. Even the "Of course that would bother Kerr." How do you know what is going on inside Kerr's mind?
Sometimes people improve at things at a slower rate, some faster, some stagnate at a current point. Doesn't mean they aren't trying or don't want to improve at those things. Just want some people to understand that
I thought this was a pretty good interview. It also happened to confirm an opinion I had, which was the cut Steph had during the run that included his 62 point game was the worst of his career. Turns out he had those cornrows for a couple of games and was terrible, so he just undid them and then immediately started seeing success, so he didn't want to get it cut :)
Now that Bradley Beal is no longer available, I'm on board with making it work with Kuminga.
Kerr and Kuminga have an amicable personal relationship. Based on Slater's update, it sounds like Kerr is promising JK consistent regular season minutes, and JK's concern is if Kerr is going to bench him in the playoffs. If Dray, Steph, and Jimmy reach out to JK, it might be enough to persuade JK and get this resolved. I know there's a gap with the money (maybe JK's agent wants 30M, but MDJ can only offer 23M). But at least it's not like the Cam Thomas - Nets situation.
Got to be one of the worst, most illogical, ill-informed takes I have ever read. Kuminga's agent couldn't have done worse.
It's fair to disagree, but it might be more compelling if you explained /why/ you consider it illogical and ill-informed. With what, specifically, are you taking issue?
Well, it's a long, rambling post, and not worth a correspondingly detailed critique, but the OP, like most Kuminga-stans, is obsessed with Kuminga's athleticism and ignores his many flaws.
He compared JK (laughably) with Iggy, HB, KD, and Wiggs. The KD comparison is so ridiculous that I won't justify it with comment, but ALL of these guys were solid to great DEFENDERS. Kuminga isn't. His talent AND EFFORT on D are nowhere near those guys. Ultimately, Kerr won't consistently play guys who can't or won't defend,
Then OP says "the talent is there." It isn't. Kuminga has a weak handle, he shoots inconsistently from distance and midrange, and his BBIQ is low. He doesn't understand spacing on offense or defense, and this limits his team contributions on both ends. He is also a black hole on offense; he refuses to recognize when he doesn't have a good opportunity and doesn't give the ball up.
OP then makes the pathetic observation: ". . . Kerr was given the full two timelines experience to juggle and responded by playing a ridiculous and low-key sabotage lineup of Kuminga, JaMychal Green, and Wiseman . . ." According to online data, that combination played together for a total of SIXTEEN MINUTES, which to me indicates that Kerr recognized very well that it didn't work.
There's much more that is illogical, ill-informed, and frankly stupid, but that's all I have the energy for.
Moody on Draymond's influence on him:
> "I couldn't even narrow it down to one," says Moody in a one-on-one interview with RG about the influence Green has had on his career. "He teaches me so much, not even just about basketball, but I'll go to his room, hang out and talk to him all the time about all types of things. We actually went to his house when I was in LA last week, and he showed me different things and was teaching me about art. That was a cool conversation. He's just been that guy for me. He's taught me about finance, about money, about the league, about being a professional. He's taught me about all types of things."
Moody on Looney's influence on him:
> "I learned a lot from Kevon," says Moody. "He's more of a verbal leader than you would think because he's not going to stand in front of the team and preach to the congregation. He's more so going to have an individual relationship with everybody on the team and be able to have those conversations personally. That's something that I really appreciated because he did that with me as a rookie. He introduced me to yoga, so we did that together every game day."
https://rg.org/news/basketball/moses-moody-credits-steph-curry-draymond-green-warriors-growth
Moody and Looney practicing yoga together on game day 🥰
I like how Draymond teaches the young guys how to invest, whereas Looney teaches them how to transcend the Cartesian mind-body dualism endemic to Western thought and achieve a higher plane of unified consciousness.
Moody is such a levelheaded and mature young man. Hope he goes all out this season and be more aggressive. We’re going to need the young ones to step up because our aging vets will need all the help they can get.
But-but according to social media Draymond is a big bad meanie!
Never hear these stories about Kuminga with any of our vets… just saying
Seemed like Andre was in JK's ear. Not totally sure what the young guy heard, though.
JK isn't a native English speaker, and at least for the first couple of years, when did we hear him speak about anything?
My impression (which certainly could be wrong) is that he is either uncomfortable with public speaking/interviews, or his camp tries to limit his appearances.
Moody grew up in the States and was in a medium-profile college program. He's used to it.
I just think JK is shy and not very bright. Got this when asked why he wouldn't do the slam dunk competition when everyone was betting him to do it watching him blush saying that's not really his thing. Which was too bad because why would you not want to show off your freak athleticism.
I know JK isn't a native speaker but he's been in the US since highschool.
Actually since he was 13.
I've known people who have been in the country for 30 years and still don't like trying to speak English.
As someone trying to learn Spanish is finding out, learning a language ain't that easy.
JK at one time credited Draymond too but that was a couple of seasons ago.
Notice our vets aren’t talking about it, the players themselves are. What that means? Who knows.
Draymond also went to Moody's event in Little Rock, which I think Klay did as well a couple offseasons ago:
> “I’ve watched him do the work on and off the court. To show up for him, it’s a no-brainer. I will always show up for him.”
> Draymond Green (@Money23Green) spoke highly of Moses Moody (@mosesmoody) at Moody’s fireside event here in his hometown of Little Rock #DubNation | #WPS 🏀
https://x.com/_joshonair/status/1948942531305083090
r/warriors
•
3 min. ago
Perksofthesewalls
emoji:poolewired:
[Chepkevich] Following his NBA Summer League run with the Warriors, Gabe Madsen has agreed to an Exhibit-10 contract with the Miami Heat, I’m told.
Boy, he was fun. Wish him the best. What a good problem that the Warriors have more good SL players than they can accommodate.
But he can shoot!
Hypothetical question for the group: If the Warriors and Kuminga were to kiss and make up,come to terms with the assurance that he would be featured when the old heads rest and get 20-30 minutes a game (depending on whether the old heads are sitting out or just resting) who else would you play with JK? For arguments sake, it can’t be an old head since they’re resting together.)
For me, I think it would be Melton, Buddy, Post and Moody.
This is not the way Kerr does his rotations. The old heads would start together and close together, but the rest of the game only 1-2 of the three would be on the court at the same time, and JK would end up playing with them.
So, there wouldn't be a full B-team except during garbage time or when the old heads rest or are injured.
Perhaps you skimmed over the first word of the post. 🤷🏼♂️
Hypothetical question: If the Warriors and KLAY were to kiss and make up,come to terms with the assurance that he would START when the old heads PLAY and get 20-30 minutes a game (REGARDLESS OF whether the old heads are sitting out or just resting) who else would you play with KLAY? For arguments sake, it MAY be an old head since THEY MAY NOT BE resting together.)
For me, I think it would be ANYBODY.
There, a bit of a fix, and we are ln the road to CONTENTION...a bit of hopium and only 16m/yr...
Death, Taxes, and DinoKlay... If you really love Klay, do you *really* think he would be genuinely happy coming back and playing for the team that 'did him so dirty'?
The least MDJ may do is ask him...with help from STEPH, DRAY, AND JIMMY...KLAY was happy here till MDJ lost sight of what made DUBS BALL A HISTORIC WINNER...I think anyone that wants this team on top the next two years would want to do at least that...A bit of a reminder for anyone that got lost with all the BS experimentation of the last 2 years, it was SHOOTING, SPACING, GRAVITY, PACE, TRANSITION, AND DOGGED DEFENSE. JIMMY adds to it, and with KLAY AND HORFORD, WE KICK BUTT.
Mostly agree, though that unit needs someone to tie it together, and the starting unit needs more shooting, so I’d bring Podz off the bench and put Melton in the starting lineup.
Yeah, even then, there’s still just one playmaker.
And he’s not even the best at that. So, you’d probably want to sub out Jimmy early from the starting lineup to come in and provide some playmaking. He plays well next to Podz, too. I don’t know who’d I’d swap Jimmy for, though. Glad I don’t have to make these decisions professionally. ;-)
Kerr may want to always have either Jimmy or Steph on the court except in garbage time.
True, and if they were both younger, that’d be a lot easier to do by playing them heavier minutes. But maybe there could be a stretch at the beginning of the fourth where Dray and JK run a unit together with Steph and Jimmy playing all of the third and then the second half of the fourth together. Or something approximating that.
So you're thinking maybe Melton, Buddy, JK, Dray, Post? That could be a nice lineup. Or if Post has been playing with the starters, make that Horford. The defense would be pretty good then.
Wouldn't be a ton of D, but what a fun unit to watch. Co-signed.
Off Topic: GS Valkyrie game, Podz sitting courtside with Lacob and rookie Cryer. Good sign for Cryer.
I think Cryer is on an Exhibit 10 so he is probably headed for Santa Cruz and will be in the Bay Area at least this season
And GSV wins!
Whoa. I’m embarrassed to say I had no idea who Nick Kurtz is, but have yourself a night!
I had the same reaction. I haven't even been following baseball much last two decades, but this is absolutely out of control. If he can just hit four homers a night for the rest of his career, I think he stands a good chance of being considered one of the greats.
No, for real I think his peak isn't that performance of course, but it could be quite high. What a slugger.
That’s your 2025 AL ROY
At the very least. If he's gonna keep going 6-6 with four homers a night, just give him all the awards for the next decade. Heck, throw in the Cy Young. That's unbelievable. I love when a rookie in any sport goes nuts at the early part of their career because there's a part of me that wants to believe it will just keep going like this. The potential is endless, the reality probably less so.
He has 239 AB, 23 HRs, 18 doubles, .305 BA, .686 SA, you don't even need to get into advanced metrics to see he's having an awesome season — and for a rookie, wow!
That amount of power to the opposite field is crazy.
I expect the league will figure him out a bit next year, and bust his OPS down to a still great, but not Bondsian number.
Probably. But man, what a ride. Those are better numbers than Ohtani had as a rookie.
Kuminga the Enigma makes for a great villain name to the Buddy/Alfred Batman sideshow we got at the end of last season 👌 Let's see if our own Dark Knight Knight can rise again...
I would send the Enigma to Gotham right now
[[ Update: The San Antonio Spurs signed Lindy Waters to a one-year, partially guaranteed deal worth $500K, sources told @hoopshypeofficial.bsky.social. Waters is a career 37% 3-point shooter over his four NBA seasons combined with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, and Detroit Pistons. ]]
I really liked him when he was with us...
Me too, I was hoping he'd make it. He started out pretty well during that hot first dozen games; then he faded, and his shots stopped falling. He wound up at 33.1% from 3 with us. But he seemed to find his 3-pt shot again in his brief time with the Pistons.
Yep. Well, if there is one thing we have learned over the last 15 years of observing the Warriors, it is HOW you UTILIZE shooters is KEY.
A 1 yr deal can be partially guaranteed? I thought that label is for minimum 2 yr deals, where the last year is a team option. How does that work for 1 year?
it works exactly the same way. There's an amount $X guaranteed and a part $Y that only gets paid if the player is still on the roster after a certain deadline. Players can (and frequently do) get waived midseason, it's not only triggered by accepting/declining an option.
Ohhh. Thanks for explaining. So the $500K is NOT the guaranteed part. Hope he can work his way towards more security.
Lindy Waters III signed a 1 year, $2,461,463 contract with the San Antonio Spurs, including $500,000 guaranteed, fully guaranteed 1/10/26
Thanks. *That sounds uncomfortable. Like a weird lottery ticket. **But I hope he’s able to get some of the of the rest.
I still think the Warriors are probably trading Kuminga this summer and that you can't believe a lot of what you hear right now because there are a lot of negotiating/leverage plays through the media going on. Like for instance the idea that Kuminga would take the QO, I don't really think his camp is dumb enough to do that but they have to give the appearance that they are considering it.
Might take all offseason but hopefully Ranadive's trigger finger gets itchy.
Good point about leverage.
If Melton and horford were not essentially done deals, I would think the Warriors would be acting more desperate.
I don’t get that feeling. Under MDJ, they seem pretty steady.
No doubt, he let go TWO vital members of our last DUBS BALL DYNASTY 'Ship Team last season, KLAY/WIGS, and another one this season, LOONS...2 more to go...talk about self-destruct for STEPH/DRAY LAST RUNS...
I don’t understand what this has to do with my comment. The topic is, will the FO make moves out of desperation. The transactions you cited were not conducted in a rushed, irrational manner.
Wigs was traded for Butler, and that turned our season around for the better. Love me some Wigs but I'll take that trade every time.
One thing I can believe is JK not wanting to come back here if we don't promise him the world.
I think Kerr putting him out of the rotation at the end of the season was the point of no return, although I'll admit I've thought that once before about Kuminga and it wasn't. Even if they are forced to re-sign him I assume it will be a short term thing.
I love Steve Kerr and will back him as coach until the end. But I did wonder why JK ended up so far in his doghouse. It's one thing not to start him or give him heavy minutes. It's another to outright DNP him, and it seemed intentionally harsh, like Kerr was making a point. Even before Steph got hurt, I wondered why JK didn't minutes against Houston, either in the regular season or in the playoffs. He had been effective against them before.
Anyway, after that, I agree that it didn't look good for his relationship with the youngster. It felt like he had moved on, and not surprisingly, JK moved on too. If that's how things stay, I think it's just sad.
https://www.sfgate.com/warriors/article/warriors-nba-exec-kuminga-screw-dubs-20786607.php
Gabe Fernandez is suggesting that JK might screw the Dubs by taking the qualifying offer, but if it's a strictly financial decision it doesn't add up over even the next 2 years. If he takes the $8M qualifying offer and then signs with someone else for his desired $30M/year, that's $38M in salary. If he accepts $25M/2yrs from the Dubs with an agreement that he'll be traded, he makes $50M for 2 yrs and perhaps gets even more like $35M+/4yrs after that. Taking the qualifying offer also risks the Dubs not caring about his development or playing time since he won't be in their future so Kerr might just sit him on the end of the bench for an entire season which could easily tank his value. If he accepts a 2yr deal, the Dubs would be motivated to feature him more to increase his trade value.
I'm not sure the dubs have offered 25m a year. Could be closer to 20, or even less. Cam Thomas is being lowballed 14m aav
If JK took the QO, it would free up salary for the Warriors to add more players this coming season. That would most likely decrease JK’s playing time even more, when he would be wanting to play to show his value for FA. Seems like a losing situation for JK (playing time and money-wise). Though not impossible, it seems unlikely JK signs the QO (from my perspective at least)
That really illustrates the opposing argument... even IF he were to get the $30M he wants next offseason, he would still be financially better off taking a 3 year $75M offer with the last year being a player option. And his experience this offseason should illustrate why he shouldn't expect $30M easily.
I doubt the Warriors are offering $25/yr, but the general point holds.
JK may become a great scorer, but he will never be a great basketball player because he doesn't make those around him better. It's all about him. I've pointed out before that JK reportedly learned basketball by watching Kobe Bryant highlight clips on YouTube so his entire focus is on beating his man one-on-one to score. He has no appreciation or real interest in all the dirty work of screening, passing, rebounding and defending that is required to make a team successful. Unlike Steph, I'm not sure that JK takes any joy in the success of his team mates.
Odds are JK will never be a great player as he isn't a great player right now, most players never become great, and while everybody (including myself) brings up his youth, pretty much every great player you want to name was already pretty great by age 23. In particular, they could all shoot free throws or were elite defenders and rebounders. It could still happen, but he needs to get to very good basketball player first.
Yeah. I don't see him becoming a star anymore. He'd be showing more signs of dominance at something by now (four years with NBA-level coaching).
That said, I think he could still be a very solid starter for us or someone else in the not-too-distant future. Really hoping we sign him and at least keep him to the trade deadline.
I'd still like to see the team keep him, period, but I'm guessing if they do sign him, it will be with a handshake agreement to trade him at the deadline.
The only thing I'd say to that is many people (including myself) thought that sort of thing about Wiggins in March 2020, with a lot of evidence behind it, and were proven conclusively wrong.
Too soon to say this, in my opinion. JK's only 22. He's still learning and growing as a basketball player and as a person.
The case of KLAY for JK is a no-brainer...especially if we get HORFORD, also....instant contention for next 2yrs....Make it happen MDJ, STEPH, DRAY, JIMMY...
bro stop trying to make KLAY happen https://imgflip.com/i/a1clju
Hey, it may be a bit ''hopium'', but I want 2 more years of contention before the inevitable rebuild...I am 74 and a bit selfish, as I won't be around to see the next title methinks...
Your suggestion won't work. It's like speaking into the void.
LOL, TRUE, except you get an echo back in this void: "GET KLAY BAAAACK MDJJJJJ"
LOL. Line of the day.
I thought today was going to be the day where I didn't see Dino make a request for the Warriors to get Klay.
I was wrong.
I'm not sure why you would think that. Klay hasn't applied for Social Security, as far as I know.
Every day is KLAY DAY for Dino. 😊
FOREVER A WARRIOR...
That part we agree on!
You are wrong...since before MDJ missed the opportunity to keep him AND JIMMY, by not getting back to KLAY and making an offer his last season, jerking him around, and idiotically letting him go. Anyway, last season lost and counting, notwithstanding, still have an opportunity to fix it the next 2 yrs, as Dallas is going nowhere next season with KYRIE out...
Do your thing Dino. Honestly I wouldn’t mind Klay returning after the haircut but it’s not realistically happening so I’m living through your “bring Klay back” posts
Hey, we may have till trade deadline the way things are going to make it happen...weirder things have happened...
I am both appreciative of and yet critical of the above article, the latter more in the way that it represents problems I have with the ongoing debates about Kuminga and Kerr, rather than for some massive sin of its own.
To be clear: I have no issue on anyone forming a position on Kuminga's *observable* shortcomings and strengths as a basketball player, nor on Kerr's *observable* strengths and weaknesses as a coach. That's how we ought to do it as fans: offer our energetic opinions *on what we actually see.*
But what bugs me is when we stray from observable things like Kuminga's free throw percentage or Kerr's substitution patterns to something else -- an evaluation of the situation based on *personality* or internal worldview of the player or coach, when we don't know what those are.
I liked the above article, I'm interested in the lineup ideas. But I think this kind of thing as seen in the article is counterproductive:
"Honestly if my coach had nine rings with three of the greatest players of all time I wouldn’t be working out with murals of Kobe on the walls, and mid-range iso YouTube highlights playing in my mind, I’d be listening to everything he said and doing that."
This is the sort of "Kuminga isn't focused and doesn't listen well" narrative that seems based on no evidence, and strikes me as unfair to the player and to the discourse. It doesn't matter what murals are on the wall, and we don't know what YouTube highlights are playing in his mind, and we have no evidence that when the coaches talk he doesn't listen. It's in fact the case that, last we heard on the matter, Kerr has been going out of his way to say that JK did everything asked of him in rehab, during the benching against Houston, etc. Praised his work ethic and team spirit.
I'm similarly guarded about conclusions about Kerr's coaching. Does he curse out Kuminga to his closest friends and then put on a smile in public? No one here knows. Does he have an unmitigated bias against him because Kuminga is not "his type of player?" Does he put Steph and Jimmy and Dray in for heavy heavy minutes and leave Kuminga on the bench because he just doesn't know how to develop young players and is biased against change; or simply because those guys are really fucking good?
The most frustrating of these *Psychoanalyses of Kuminga TM* is the narrative that claims "He is so greedy for money, he doesn't realize he's a role player, he is trying to get much more than he's worth, when he should practice free throws." That's ridiculous stuff. EVERY player is trying to get paid. If his agent is NOT trying to get him top dollar according to their plan, he should be fired. If Kuminga wants as much as he can get, that's the business of the NBA. Moody doesn't get $12 million a year because he's so very humble, unassuming, and pure of heart. He gets that because that was what the market for his skills dictated.
I would love if we could move on from character analysis and disparagement.
In a non-Warrior example, there is this narrative over the past decade that LeBron is too full of himself and is "LeGM" and teams have just been capitulating to him. Nonsense. Yes, he has ambitions and plans, but so does everyone and unlike most other players ever, he has *accumulated great influence* by being pretty much the GOAT, and the biggest box office draw. If I were the front office of a team and he said "Trade Kuzma and Ingram and five other guys for AD" i would be quite likely to do it, too, because the threat of LeBron leaving is too great.
But that doesn't mean LeBron is arrogant, or spoiled, or "doesn't know his place." (which has racial overtones that trouble me). He is leveraging his power to try to get what he wants. That's how it is in a workplace sometimes. It's not some condemnation of his soul.
Generally a fair point and I much I agree with here, and I can see the narrative device to illustrate the point you quote could be construed as OTT. But it is observable fact that he and his camp have repeatedly said he wants to be a star, that Kerr keeps asking him to do other things, and it only happens sporadically. Quite a lot of the ins and outs of this are public domain at this point and have been credibly reported over recent years, and indeed many public statements made by Kerr and on one notable occasion Kuminga himself. It is impossible to analyse where we have gotten to and how we can go forwards by ignoring this fundamental conflict - especially where that is reportedly what is driving Kuminga to think the unthinkable and pick up his qualifying offer (though this is likely leverage BS).
My point is though not that he doesn't listen, or is lazy, or is greedy (I would never criticise a player for attempting to maximise earnings from billionaire owners when they are the labour and everyone else is profiting off that - any issues around that are related to the CBA can choices teams have to make). My fundamental point is that actually when given a fair shake he has shown he can actually do what he is asked to. So maybe we should try that!
I'm tired, boss.
Tired of? Not sure what you mean.
The whole thing. Talking about Kuminga. Kuminga himself. The drama surrounding him. And before him, it was Klay. Before Klay, it was JP. Before JP, it was KD. And Dray peppered throughout, love him as I may. It’s just been years of drama with diminishing returns of joy. Thank freaking heavens for Stephen Curry.
That's the NBA nowadays though, not just the Warriors.
Perhaps. I have always enjoyed rivalries between players and teams, so I’m not averse to all kinds of drama. But the intra-team drama has been such a drag.
If it's so much trouble and exhaustion, why do you bother? You're not required to be a fan or follow the stuff beyond the game. I find the stuff interesting and thought provoking, if indeed often frustrating. But it also brings up to me some larger questions about how people are and how they can be and what we perceive the right thing to be.
It sounds like all of that tires you, so I'm not sure what brings you here.
I’m conflicted.
On the one hand, I abhor psycho-analysis because I’ve noticed a trend where it typically is applied to players and not coaches/FO. And perhaps my brain has been corrupted by all this woke critical race theory, but I start to wonder if this differential is not influenced by race/class. Perhaps we have a greater willingness to call players unfocused/not good listeners/entitled/arrogant, might be influenced by the fact that they’re young black men who are also working class.
At the same time, I engage in that same type of psychoanalysis in order to try and put myself in Kuminga’s/Kerr’s shoes. This process helps me find empathy for a player whose game I’m not at all a fan of. It’s helped me understand Kerr’s decision making and be more sympathetic to the difficult situation he finds himself in when making decisions as to playing time.
Hence, I’m conflicted.
I agree, there *appears* to be a race and class aspect to it -- but that does not mean that we can conclude from a position of judgment that any individual analysis or any individual post or any commentator is biased. It's the accumulation of many voices that has me viewing things in that manner, not anyone I've met here or online except obvious trolls.
I think your other matter isn't really psychoanalysis, it's empathy, as you've named it, and I'm all for that. I tried to put myself in LeBron's shoes above, but I happen to dislike his career as a Warrior villain, dislike some of his public relations maneuvers "Taking my talents ..." and thoroughly dislike his positioning of Bronny into public humiliation -- but I, too, aim for empathy. it's not always that I get there but I think it a good goal.
I've never described him as spoiled or used the phrase, "doesn't know his place," but every time LeBron "crowns" and proclaims himself "King James," he shows me his arrogance.
LeBron supposedly got the nickname "King James" in his freshman year in high school after helping his team win the Ohio state championship. If his friend Randy Mims' story is accurate, he didn't choose the nickname but he liked it. It's an obvious nickname for a dominant young player named James who seemed headed for stardom even then. Besides, is it arrogant if you can back it up? He surely has done that in full measure.
I've seen bits of this story in a few places but this one has slightly more detail:
https://bolavip.com/en/nba/lebron-james-childhood-friend-reveals-the-true-origins-of-king-nickname-20210823-0009.html
EDIT: Also, think about the other nicknames NBA players have gone with: The Answer, The Truth, Superman, Magic... the list goes on.
Like I've said, I don't mind people who celebrate and recognize their acheivements; again, more power to them. You say his friend, gave him the nickname and he liked it? Also fine. To use it, though? And the "crown" gesture to boot? I see it as arrogance; YMMV.
His childhood friend tells the story, he didn't give LeBron the nickname. According to him, kids at the hotel where the team was staying gave him the nickname, he was amused, and the name stuck. It's in the story at the link.
Maybe it's arrogant for a 15 or 16 year old to go with a nickname like that, even after winning the state title, but y'know, he was a kid. He was still a teen when he entered the league. However, he has gone on to be arguably one of the best five ever to play the game, so I'd say he has justified the nickname in the end. But as you say YMMV.
I don't share the widespread dislike of LeBron. Oh, I get irritated with his whining at refs and begging for foul calls, and there are other things one can criticize, no doubt. But he seems to be a decent man who supports good causes, he gives the game 100% at all times, and I have the impression that he appreciates the fans. And he seems to have a great mutual admiration society going with Steph, which speaks well of him.
To clarify: anyone doing the "crown" gesture and calling themselves "King" would annoy me. When Steph called himself or implied that he was the best point guard ever, I thought he was being arrogant and didn't like him for saying it. When Klay flashed 4 fingers at Devin Booker, I thought he was being arrogant and didn't like him for doing it. When QP was trash talking LeBron I thought he was being confident and wanted more of that from him.
I also never said anything about LBJ's charitable causes because I admire and support people who help others. I applaud that side of LBJ. In fact, when he was ridiculed for reading books (can't actually remember what brought it about), I was incensed because as he is a role model for kids, anything he does that influences kids to read, I'm all for it.
Maybe I just don't know the difference between arrogance and confidence. I thought I did, but live and learn; thanks everyone!
Edit: I apologize for hijacking the OP and thread.
Arrogant or confident? Mocking or celebratory?
Is it arrogant when Steph does a night night?
Is it arrogant when virtually any player does a muscles flex after an and one?
I, like you, would not put a crown on my head or call myself King anything. But I hardly consider LeBron the lone offender in terms of self-promotion in a league replete with same.
Even Steven Adams has done a shimmy or two and I like that guy, far as I can tell. Was Mutombo's finger wag acceptable? What are the definitions here?
Steph shimmies and night-nights and makes "Home Alone" faces to the crowd and if I were an opponent I would take all of that as pretty annoying arrogance.
I do not begrudge anyone's celebrations; in fact, I'm all for it. The very nature of the crown and king is what irks me. Yes, I do agree with abolishing all royal titles and monarchies.
Edited to add: I wouldn't have minded at all if he called himself the GOAT (not that I agree), but if he thinks he is, then good for him.
Lol.. great discussion, though it is hard to quibble with LBJ's place in all-time history of the NBA ''kingdom''...lol ...on an afterthought, maybe a claim to the ''crown'' comes with the territory for the MJs, LBJs, STEPHs, etc, of the game, whether it is self-promoted, or, assigned...perhaps, a bit of arrogance is essential to maintain that supernova level of performance...
Kuminga has shown no growth in terms of rebounds, passing, or team defense. That’s my observation, backed up by numerous stats- you can ascribe it to whatever you want, but Kuminga’s contingent is talking about him being an all-star and the Kobe stuff comes from JK himself, so I think there are easy dots to connect here. Dude wants to be a star, and is not doing the things needed to be a team player. Of course that would bother Kerr.
I also completely disagree on your Lebron take. What he is leveraging is one thing. That he is an arrogant narcissist is another.
True, and, maybe, just maybe, they are inseparable twins of greatness, regardless of how they may be displayed, or, not....
I’d contend with the claim that Kuminga hasn’t shown growth in passing. He had career high per possession assist numbers and FAR more importantly, his assist % at 14.6% was a career high as well.
What stats are u relying upon which indicate that he hasn’t improved in that regard?
The stats are what they are, agreed.
The Kobe thing -- several million admired Kobe because he was a really good player. Your presumption is that JK admiring Kobe is guilt by association and offends anyone who wants a reasonable analysis of the situation.
You claim that there are "easy dots to connect here." What dots? The ones you want to connect, those are the right ones?
Mabye JK's admiration for Kobe means that he wants to be a lifelong Laker, like Kobe? Maybe it means that he understands he needs a dominant center to win a championship, like Kobe needed.
Or are these inconvenient conclusions for you? Why do you get to pick and choose that the only appropriate conclusion is that "dude wants to be a star?" Which, by the way: A. how do you know that, and B. What is so evil about wanting to be a star? Don't most players want to be stars?
If JK professed his admiration for Brian Scalabrine, would that make some kind of difference to the salient isssues here?
Also what are the "things needed to be a team player" that he's not doing? Not hitting free throws, not improving handle, not shooting the three well? Turns out that those are things that Looney never did well at all, never improved at, and somehow he's everyone's avatar of team play.
I also deeply lament your diagnosing LeBron with some mental health disorder for leveraging his position. Speaking as a mental health professional, it is only appropriate to diagnose someone after meeting with them and assessing them, and if I had done so with LeBron, I wouldn't then announce it to anyone, it's a private matter. I've met with some individuals who have symptoms that qualify for narcissistic personality disorder. It's a severe disorder and not a matter to brandish lightly.
I think your propose a series of potshots at players' characters and I deeply disagree with this apporach. Even the "Of course that would bother Kerr." How do you know what is going on inside Kerr's mind?
To add nuance, there has been growth in all those areas, but not enough to make him above average or at the level thats needed.
Sometimes people improve at things at a slower rate, some faster, some stagnate at a current point. Doesn't mean they aren't trying or don't want to improve at those things. Just want some people to understand that
I’ll accept that
Arguable but fair indeed. A basketball based analysis, thank you.
The hyphen makes all the difference 🤣
Lol. Other versions have been available at different points!
😂
TBH, I'm good whether Kuminga resigns **or** re-signs as Warriors lightning rod — just want clarity one way or the other!
Stephen Curry On Drake Loyalty, Retirement Date & Trash-Talking Kobe | 360 With Speedy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDzEoNyo4ag
I thought this was a pretty good interview. It also happened to confirm an opinion I had, which was the cut Steph had during the run that included his 62 point game was the worst of his career. Turns out he had those cornrows for a couple of games and was terrible, so he just undid them and then immediately started seeing success, so he didn't want to get it cut :)
Now that Bradley Beal is no longer available, I'm on board with making it work with Kuminga.
Kerr and Kuminga have an amicable personal relationship. Based on Slater's update, it sounds like Kerr is promising JK consistent regular season minutes, and JK's concern is if Kerr is going to bench him in the playoffs. If Dray, Steph, and Jimmy reach out to JK, it might be enough to persuade JK and get this resolved. I know there's a gap with the money (maybe JK's agent wants 30M, but MDJ can only offer 23M). But at least it's not like the Cam Thomas - Nets situation.