How many games a year do you think a coach is worth? Let's put it this way. Suppose a certain team will, with the league average coach, win 45 games this year. If we give them the worst coach you know of, or fits them worst, how many games would they win? And if we gave them the best possible coach, how many would they win?
So, some think Jordan would be more Curry than Westbrook if the punch hadn’t derailed him?
I love this narrative, even if I don’t think it’s true. Let another team believe they can rehab JP, ala Wiggins to Warriors. We may get someone back who can defend (or has one year left on his contract). Because, whatever JP may have lost in offensive mojo this year that they’d like to blame on the punch, he is the same wanting player on the other side of the court. Our offense starts with stops and I’ll take GP2 all day - along side the core. Poole’s contract will hamstring us for years if he stays. I don’t see sufficient maturity to believe he will change.
People trashing Klay and Dray and saying Wiggs was better then both in Plsyoffs with certain disdain. Sure. But here is context for you
Dray : 73 games / 2297 total minutes
Klay: 69 games / 2279 total minutes
Steph: 56 games / 1941 total minutes
Wiggs: 37 games / 1190 total minutes
But let's just ignore what it took these guys to pull Dubs to 6th seed. There were multiple times where Dray came back and played the very next game after an injury.
Bottom line is I trust Steph. If he thinks Klay and Dray got it, gotta believe he sees something that we don't from the outside. Steph told people to not get on the bus if they were not ready to win before SAC game 7. I doubt that was aimed at Dray and Klay.
Some people choose the path of agony, and I can't tell others what to do. But I for one am feeling blessed that next year I likely will still have the fortune of watching at least 5 of Curry, Dray, Klay, Looney, Wiggins, Poole, and GP2 represent the Dubs, if not all 7. And that's not to even mention Moody, Kuminga, and the rising guys to track who may still be with us. Soak in the Cancun beams, recharge, ready to bring the joy back in the Fall!
One thing kerr hasnt tried yet but I think could work is Wiggins at the 5, he rebounds good enough to play small ball n we can run defenses that'll stop him from getting posted
Steph moody lamb kuminga wiggins could have been interesting
The Milwaukee Bucks have received permission to interview Phoenix Suns associate head coach Kevin Young for the franchise’s coaching job, sources tell ESPN. Young is also a candidate with Toronto and expected to interview with the Suns for the new opening there.
I believe based on the new CBA, we will also no longer be able to buy second-round picks by sending out cash, and we don't have any of our own until '27 per the article. Anyone know if that restriction is immediate or whether kicks in next year? If next year, we gotta buy all we can this year, and then try to trade them for future seconds on draft night.
Poole is KOj all over again. La Sigh. Why do we keep getting these young head cases with talent but not talent enough to put up with their antics/attitude.
"However bad or lethargic you thought Joel Embiid was in this game, James Harden was several levels worse. Harden spent most of Sunday's game actively undermining the Sixers as the rest of the group did their best to try to make up for the putrid efforts of the stars. It was a version of the same Harden stinker we have seen in so many big playoff moments in the past, whether they came in Philadelphia, Houston, or Oklahoma City."
So, after some time to marinate on this season and post-season, here's where I'm at:
1. In the end, it's a make or miss league and the team missed a lot of shots in the playoffs. The good news is, we got a lot of good looks, so the process is still mostly working.
2. By the end, the Warriors looked very tired and frustrated. It was a lot like the '21 season where we had a strong finish to the regular season despite injuries, and then narrowly lost the play-in (to LAL and then Memphis).
3. Moving forward, I think the team's goals should be to get rid of frustration and make basketball fun again. Play smarter, channel frustration in a positive way, and bring back weaponized joy.
[Aside: If we'd beaten the Lakers in 7 for the first round and then lost to the Kings in 6 in round 2, I would have been a lot happier with the outcome of the postseason even though it would be substantially the same for us. But I have more respect for the Kings and what Mike Brown has done with that team, and I do think the tough series against them wore us down and contributed to the outcome of the Dubs/Lakers series.]
How do we free ourselves from being tired and frustrated? It's multi-faceted, so let's look back and see what happened and what we can do about it.
1. Expectations and distractions. Nobody likes losing, but context matters, too. I'm mad we lost to the Lakers because I hate the Lakers and what they stand for. But losing in the 2nd round of the playoffs takes some weight off the team's shoulders. We don't have the burden that comes with defending a title next season. Expectations were also tough for a lot of players individually, too: Poole to live up to his contract, Draymond to fit in with the team and atone for The Punch, Klay to immediately be his former self despite being out of shape, etc. (Tangential, but Wiggins' situation was more complex, but coming back from a tough personal situation to play in the playoffs is not exactly a recipe for success either.)
2. The two-timeline plan and the offseason in general. This was a big whiff and ultimately responsible for a lot of the team's pain this year. Early on, the team racked up losses in part because Wiseman was so hopeless on defense, DDV+JMG were quite a bit below expectations out the gate, and running the youngsters together wasn't working. Topping that off, Andre's availability was even worse than anticipated. Those losses piled up and gave the team less margin for error as the season went on. Even after switching some things up like sending guys to the G-league and giving Lamb + Jerome as many major league minutes as possible, the center position was tenuous (thank heavens for Loon being an iron man this year) and rotations were weird.
3. Officiating and the team's handling of it. There were a lot of times that it felt like the refs were against us (more than usual). Poole getting picked on early in the season for carries, Draymond getting suspended "for history", and the disparity of calls in the Lakers games 1 and 3. To some extent that's out of the team's control, but it matters how the players respond. Remember when Steph got so mad at Marat Kogut over a no-call and subsequent technical that he went on a rampage ending in an insane dagger shot and Steph "T'ing up" the ref? That's channeling it in a productive way. Poole, on the other hand, seems to have let it tilt him and compound the frustration. I hope the team spends some time thinking about this and how to address it. Some people can be mentored on mindset things like this, and some people can't (aren't willing), so that'll be one of my preferences for how the team handles the roster going forward. Draymond's role in this is especially complicated, since I think he often handles things well enough despite loudly complaining, and I think his barking at the refs is actually productive sometimes, but he sets a terrible example for his teammates and then there are the occasions where he absolutely does not handle things well.
4. The mysterious home/road splits. I can't explain this one, but it seems to have been more than you would expect from just the other problems. I hope someone is taking a look at this though and maybe booking the team some nicer flights or something. I'll also lay some of the blame on the league for scheduling the Warriors the most B2Bs of any team in the league and a pretty tough schedule overall.
As far as the roster goes, I hope we have someone *fun* like JTA or Damion Lee to be a spark on and off the bench, a little more size/bulk in the frontcourt positions to help Looney, and I hope we have Steph Curry. Honestly I would like to keep many of our other guys, too, but the luxury tax makes it complicated. Thankfully, that's not my job, it's Bob's (or whoever else's) so I'll let them handle that and go back to cat curling videos.
The problem with trading both Poole and Kuminga is not only are they are as low in value as they've ever been, but they fill positions we will need to fill. Trade Poole, and this team badly needs someone who can create offense. Trade Kuminga and we lack athleticism and youth. But there's enough smoke now that they have to be traded.
Keeping both on the roster limits any options of improvement, it keeps the murky 2 timeline going, and finding the PT to keep guys happy becomes a full-time job for Kerr and one that may be impossible if we want to try to win a championship. We have to rip the band-aid off and have 15 guys playing for the same goal, which, frankly, I don't think we had this year.
Even combining the two, I don't think you can get sexy names for Poole/Kuminga. You're getting back a bad contract and maybe one useful player. I went through every team, and to me, the option that makes the most sense is Joe Harris and DFS. Brooklyn wants off Harris, and they don't have one of the plethora of young all offense guards that litter the league. They need to be taking swings on young guys. Maybe it's enough for them to say yes. Maybe the Poole contract is too negative for this to work.
The Dubs get better on defense with DFS and can now have three hyper-dangerous 3p threats. But they need a 7 footer to eat minutes still. They need a creator on offense who can fill in for the 20 games Steph misses. With #19, I target Kris Murray. I target Kevin Love for vet min. I pray Toronto buys out OPJ. But there's a lot of holes springing in this ship.
How many games a year do you think a coach is worth? Let's put it this way. Suppose a certain team will, with the league average coach, win 45 games this year. If we give them the worst coach you know of, or fits them worst, how many games would they win? And if we gave them the best possible coach, how many would they win?
(By "coach" let's assume "coaching staff")
So, some think Jordan would be more Curry than Westbrook if the punch hadn’t derailed him?
I love this narrative, even if I don’t think it’s true. Let another team believe they can rehab JP, ala Wiggins to Warriors. We may get someone back who can defend (or has one year left on his contract). Because, whatever JP may have lost in offensive mojo this year that they’d like to blame on the punch, he is the same wanting player on the other side of the court. Our offense starts with stops and I’ll take GP2 all day - along side the core. Poole’s contract will hamstring us for years if he stays. I don’t see sufficient maturity to believe he will change.
- prove me a fool Mr Poole. I’d love to be wrong.
People trashing Klay and Dray and saying Wiggs was better then both in Plsyoffs with certain disdain. Sure. But here is context for you
Dray : 73 games / 2297 total minutes
Klay: 69 games / 2279 total minutes
Steph: 56 games / 1941 total minutes
Wiggs: 37 games / 1190 total minutes
But let's just ignore what it took these guys to pull Dubs to 6th seed. There were multiple times where Dray came back and played the very next game after an injury.
Bottom line is I trust Steph. If he thinks Klay and Dray got it, gotta believe he sees something that we don't from the outside. Steph told people to not get on the bus if they were not ready to win before SAC game 7. I doubt that was aimed at Dray and Klay.
Saw that Klay is seeking a max? Dude got punked and outplayed by Austin Reaves. I love Klay but he has to be realistic.
Some people choose the path of agony, and I can't tell others what to do. But I for one am feeling blessed that next year I likely will still have the fortune of watching at least 5 of Curry, Dray, Klay, Looney, Wiggins, Poole, and GP2 represent the Dubs, if not all 7. And that's not to even mention Moody, Kuminga, and the rising guys to track who may still be with us. Soak in the Cancun beams, recharge, ready to bring the joy back in the Fall!
So did everyone see how Poole recently spent 500k on a date 🤯 dudes mind was definitely on his money this season.
Lol, he went to a car dealership on it. I don't want to judge dating tactics too much, but who goes to a car dealership on a date 😂
One thing kerr hasnt tried yet but I think could work is Wiggins at the 5, he rebounds good enough to play small ball n we can run defenses that'll stop him from getting posted
Steph moody lamb kuminga wiggins could have been interesting
The Milwaukee Bucks have received permission to interview Phoenix Suns associate head coach Kevin Young for the franchise’s coaching job, sources tell ESPN. Young is also a candidate with Toronto and expected to interview with the Suns for the new opening there.
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1658245009299349504
I believe based on the new CBA, we will also no longer be able to buy second-round picks by sending out cash, and we don't have any of our own until '27 per the article. Anyone know if that restriction is immediate or whether kicks in next year? If next year, we gotta buy all we can this year, and then try to trade them for future seconds on draft night.
Thanks for pulling all that together, Eric. So, after Steph, JP is our biggest liability....
Poole is KOj all over again. La Sigh. Why do we keep getting these young head cases with talent but not talent enough to put up with their antics/attitude.
Schadenfreude to soothe your weary souls:
https://www.phillyvoice.com/instant-observations-sixers-celtics-game-7-joel-embiid-james-harden-doc-rivers/
"However bad or lethargic you thought Joel Embiid was in this game, James Harden was several levels worse. Harden spent most of Sunday's game actively undermining the Sixers as the rest of the group did their best to try to make up for the putrid efforts of the stars. It was a version of the same Harden stinker we have seen in so many big playoff moments in the past, whether they came in Philadelphia, Houston, or Oklahoma City."
So, after some time to marinate on this season and post-season, here's where I'm at:
1. In the end, it's a make or miss league and the team missed a lot of shots in the playoffs. The good news is, we got a lot of good looks, so the process is still mostly working.
2. By the end, the Warriors looked very tired and frustrated. It was a lot like the '21 season where we had a strong finish to the regular season despite injuries, and then narrowly lost the play-in (to LAL and then Memphis).
3. Moving forward, I think the team's goals should be to get rid of frustration and make basketball fun again. Play smarter, channel frustration in a positive way, and bring back weaponized joy.
[Aside: If we'd beaten the Lakers in 7 for the first round and then lost to the Kings in 6 in round 2, I would have been a lot happier with the outcome of the postseason even though it would be substantially the same for us. But I have more respect for the Kings and what Mike Brown has done with that team, and I do think the tough series against them wore us down and contributed to the outcome of the Dubs/Lakers series.]
How do we free ourselves from being tired and frustrated? It's multi-faceted, so let's look back and see what happened and what we can do about it.
1. Expectations and distractions. Nobody likes losing, but context matters, too. I'm mad we lost to the Lakers because I hate the Lakers and what they stand for. But losing in the 2nd round of the playoffs takes some weight off the team's shoulders. We don't have the burden that comes with defending a title next season. Expectations were also tough for a lot of players individually, too: Poole to live up to his contract, Draymond to fit in with the team and atone for The Punch, Klay to immediately be his former self despite being out of shape, etc. (Tangential, but Wiggins' situation was more complex, but coming back from a tough personal situation to play in the playoffs is not exactly a recipe for success either.)
2. The two-timeline plan and the offseason in general. This was a big whiff and ultimately responsible for a lot of the team's pain this year. Early on, the team racked up losses in part because Wiseman was so hopeless on defense, DDV+JMG were quite a bit below expectations out the gate, and running the youngsters together wasn't working. Topping that off, Andre's availability was even worse than anticipated. Those losses piled up and gave the team less margin for error as the season went on. Even after switching some things up like sending guys to the G-league and giving Lamb + Jerome as many major league minutes as possible, the center position was tenuous (thank heavens for Loon being an iron man this year) and rotations were weird.
3. Officiating and the team's handling of it. There were a lot of times that it felt like the refs were against us (more than usual). Poole getting picked on early in the season for carries, Draymond getting suspended "for history", and the disparity of calls in the Lakers games 1 and 3. To some extent that's out of the team's control, but it matters how the players respond. Remember when Steph got so mad at Marat Kogut over a no-call and subsequent technical that he went on a rampage ending in an insane dagger shot and Steph "T'ing up" the ref? That's channeling it in a productive way. Poole, on the other hand, seems to have let it tilt him and compound the frustration. I hope the team spends some time thinking about this and how to address it. Some people can be mentored on mindset things like this, and some people can't (aren't willing), so that'll be one of my preferences for how the team handles the roster going forward. Draymond's role in this is especially complicated, since I think he often handles things well enough despite loudly complaining, and I think his barking at the refs is actually productive sometimes, but he sets a terrible example for his teammates and then there are the occasions where he absolutely does not handle things well.
4. The mysterious home/road splits. I can't explain this one, but it seems to have been more than you would expect from just the other problems. I hope someone is taking a look at this though and maybe booking the team some nicer flights or something. I'll also lay some of the blame on the league for scheduling the Warriors the most B2Bs of any team in the league and a pretty tough schedule overall.
As far as the roster goes, I hope we have someone *fun* like JTA or Damion Lee to be a spark on and off the bench, a little more size/bulk in the frontcourt positions to help Looney, and I hope we have Steph Curry. Honestly I would like to keep many of our other guys, too, but the luxury tax makes it complicated. Thankfully, that's not my job, it's Bob's (or whoever else's) so I'll let them handle that and go back to cat curling videos.
As a therapist I’m thinking of submitting a new disorder for approval in the DSMVI.
For now I’m calling it Fan Delusion Disorder (FDD). Please help me identify the symptoms.
Theres no reason poole cant be a dennis Schroeder level defender, I blame kerr for pooles defense season
The problem with trading both Poole and Kuminga is not only are they are as low in value as they've ever been, but they fill positions we will need to fill. Trade Poole, and this team badly needs someone who can create offense. Trade Kuminga and we lack athleticism and youth. But there's enough smoke now that they have to be traded.
Keeping both on the roster limits any options of improvement, it keeps the murky 2 timeline going, and finding the PT to keep guys happy becomes a full-time job for Kerr and one that may be impossible if we want to try to win a championship. We have to rip the band-aid off and have 15 guys playing for the same goal, which, frankly, I don't think we had this year.
Even combining the two, I don't think you can get sexy names for Poole/Kuminga. You're getting back a bad contract and maybe one useful player. I went through every team, and to me, the option that makes the most sense is Joe Harris and DFS. Brooklyn wants off Harris, and they don't have one of the plethora of young all offense guards that litter the league. They need to be taking swings on young guys. Maybe it's enough for them to say yes. Maybe the Poole contract is too negative for this to work.
The Dubs get better on defense with DFS and can now have three hyper-dangerous 3p threats. But they need a 7 footer to eat minutes still. They need a creator on offense who can fill in for the 20 games Steph misses. With #19, I target Kris Murray. I target Kevin Love for vet min. I pray Toronto buys out OPJ. But there's a lot of holes springing in this ship.