"Free agent F Marcus Morris has agreed to a one-year deal with the New York Knicks, agent Yony Noy of LAA Partners tells @TheAthletic. Morris will have a chance to enter his 14th NBA season with the Eastern Conference contender."
The Lakers have decided to waive Blake Hinson in order to open a two way spot for Christian Koloko according to Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype. Did they make the right choice?
Blake Hinson was in our 2024 Draft Tourney and was worked out by GSW before the draft. There’s an outside chance he could end up back in the GSW organization, though I think the best they could do would be a SCW spot
Hi guys, latest news and/or rumors and/or b....hit from the boot-shaped paeninsula: Gary Payton II and Moses Moody traded for Broooooook Lopez (a foot tall for every 'o'). Any comment and/or insult and/or sleeper CIA former agent in charge of generic retaliation bombing?
I can nominally see the fit if he were 2-3 years younger — legitimately big center, elite rim protector, good shooter and FT shooter who spaces the floor, chill Bay Area dude who seems like a culture fit.
On the other hand: he turns 37 next season, has aged from slow to glacial, is not actually a great 3 pt shooter (.349 career), and is perennially a worse rebounder than Brandin Podziemski.
I also don’t see the motivation for Milwaukee, who doesn’t have another legit C on their roster (though maybe if you throw in Milwaukee’s own Loon it gets more interesting for them).
Fair and balanced but also pretty much what everybody on this board says about Kuminga. Letting Kuminga become an RFA at the end of the season still seems like the best move for the Warriors, the big question is "will Kuminga actually get enough playing time to improve?"
Nah. inking JK to the Poole is best if JK will take it. It’s not max, but $30M/yr is life changing. I have a hard time not seeing that as a value contract over the next 4.
I'm with you ... the extension is a risk, but there is a high-side risk if he has a good year.
The one good thing is that the extension deadline isn't until Oct. 20th, I think. So, they'll have a two week look at him to see how much he's added over the summer.
Just depends on the price, right? If JK doesn't budge off of the max request, then the only real reason not to wait and see what he gets in FA is to keep him happy.
I think anything under $35 mil/yr is team friendly, and around $40 mil is probably fair, given what others are getting this summer.
Assuming that the Lakers will not make any more free agency moves, here are the list of free agents they have missed out on: (list may not be accurate)
Hayward retired. That aside, the Lakers might not have been interested in a number of those guys so I wouldn't say they missed out on guys they didn't want.
"Free agent G Landry Shamet has agreed on a one-year deal with the New York Knicks, his agent George S. Langberg of GSL Sports Group tells ESPN. Shamet has career averages of 8.7 points and 38 percent on three-pointers."
"The Lakers and seven-foot center Christian Koloko have agreed on a deal, agent Calvin Andrews of Klutch Sports says. Koloko is expected to have an opportunity for a role in Lakers frontcourt after he receives clearance from league’s fitness panel."
"Restricted free agent F Isaac Okoro has agreed on a three-year, $38 million deal to stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Michael Tellem, Jeff Schwartz and Marcus Monk of @excelbasketball tell ESPN. Okoro — the fifth overall pick in 2020 — averaged 9.4 points a season ago."
Congrats to JTA and G League United for beating the Jackjumpers to get to the Intercontinental Cup finals. I guess there is men's basketball going on somewhere (in this case, Singapore)
25 min? That's a lot of highlights. Started watching, and it made me realized it has been a loooong time since the end of the season. But, only 3 weeks until the first pre-season game, it is coming.
The thing that jumped out at me most was how many clever ways Podz is capable of contributing to winning basketball…and it didn’t even show him taking charges.
Now that things have settled down regarding our roster . . . . am I the only one whose confused regarding how they feel?
On the one hand, I like all of our additions (Melton and Anderson especially, with Heild fulfilling a s skillset need). On the other hand, I'm not the biggest fan of our final rosters dramatic lack of shooting outside of Curry/Heild (Podz/Melton/Wiggins are situationally efficient shooters) and our lack of shooting from the big man position (Im not impressed with Post atm). On my third hand, I don't blame our front office because they did their best to swing a Paul George/Markannen trade either which would have solved a lot of our roster construction problems but they swung and they missed.
While I'm not a fan of the end look of our roster, I like the individual additions and our attempted end goal (aka the process).
I have no skill whatsoever at talent evaluation, but do enjoy pumping up our random late draft picks, and hey, every now and again they work out.
I'm interested in why you are not impressed with Post. Is this based on his college tape? I didn't see him getting enough run in summer league to really show anything one way or the other. Also, are you saying you are not impressed with his shooting? Or, that you don't think the rest of his game can keep him on the floor (if he even suits up) to allow him to use his shooting? Not trying to challenge you, I'm just genuinely interested in what people that can actually watch and evaluate tape are seeing or not seeing in his game, so I can calibrate if I should be regular optimistic or insanely optimistic.
When I evaluated Post's college tape, I quantitatively graded his game on things like pick and roll defenses (switch/hedge and recover/drop etc.), team defense (help/rim protection/rotations), post defense, perimeter defense (vs big/guards), offensive game (post up, face up, catch and shoot, pick and pop), screening, ball-handling, decision-making, rebounding (positioning/hands), physicality, athleticism (lateral and upward mobility, quickness off the bounce), footwork, and conditioning.
I was not happy with what I saw. Defensively in the pick and roll, was absolutely disgusting as he was thoroughly abused in the switch/hedge and recover/drop pick and roll schemes. While he had good rim protection, he was often slow to recognize the need to help minimizing the defensive impact of that rim protection. I can't tell u how many times he just DIDN"T rotate and stayed on his man while his teammate is screened. His post game is too simple and won't translate while his face up game is average at best. His rebound positioning is quite solid but his hands leave a lot to be desired when fighting in the trenches. Just so many negatives that I was left swimming.
Some positives I did see was that he was genuinely a great shooter, an excellent decisonmaker, and a solid screener with a sense of timing. But overall, I was just not happy with him.
This is great, well, not great news, but great detail, thanks for writing it up. Sounds like some of this is more about lacking feel of the game, which can be as hard to fix as lack of athleticism, but maybe he can figure some things out.
Did anyone hear about a new big man coach? Can't ever replace Deki, but I didn't see anything other than Stack and Stotts.
I wouldn't say I'm confused. I'm going to enjoy this team. I think the shooting will be better than last year, having Klay move on removed a major point of irritation for me, and I'm expecting good things from both Kuminga and Wiggs.
The rest is 'who knows?'
I am probably less invested than most of us in being a contender. It would be nice, but Steph is on the tail end of his career and we're in that process of sorting out the wreckage of an excellent team that got very expensive, and we've missed on at least a couple of draft picks that could have been the infusion of talent to keep the window open.
My (modest) goal for the team is to win a playoff series this year. If they got to the WC finals, I would be ecstatic, but given the competition (OKC, Memphis, Denver, Dallas, maybe even NO and LAL) that's very much a stretch goal.
If they get to the WC finals, I’ll be especially ecstatic, since the Warriors NEVER lose conference championships (at least not since ‘76 — thanks, Rick Barry).
Stats from play-in games don't count, so I figured the game results themselves were also lost to the nether. We have neither won nor lost any play-in games. There are no play-in games. Our quantum playoff bit was observed as false, but no one knows how it came to be.
Well-said. I cannot say the same for his detractors during the last two years. Andrew deserved better. Proud I am a fan of a pro team whose FO stood by him. Don't even want to think what a trade would have done to him.
Well, we finally 'know' the personal reasons that Wiggins was out so long a couple of years ago. Sorry for their loss.
I know Wiggs is a private guy, but it seems like it would have been easier on all to say that he was tending to his father and to please respect the family's privacy. Most everyone would have understood that.
We were, but then the internet got all conspiratorial and said Wiggins was lying about it because his brother didn’t take a leave of absence from his job.
Been there, done that...you'll be fine, hopefully, all ready for the season start I trust. A reminder of our mortality is not a bad thing from time to time but cancer still sucks. RIP Mitchell Wiggins and love and comfort to his family.
OT: Episode 17 of the Big Ass Road Trip is now available. Our first time visiting Wyoming! We checked out Devil’s Tower, Buffalo Bill’s town of Cody and a REALLY cool auto museum in Gillette. This video is 8 minutes long, so you might be able to watch the whole thing in one trip to the bathroom. https://youtu.be/2APkxSv0pyI?si=dyMtch0WDY2pxHc-
What was winter like, cold as hell? It’s still pretty much a blip on the map. Not much there other than a few old buildings and the little Main Street. The auto museum really stuck out as far and away the coolest thing there.
Yeah Gillette was plenty cold, with a fair but not huge amount of snow. I just looked at the city website and did some quick research, and the population has at least doubled since I was there in the mid 1980s, and there’s much more going on. I was playing in a band that had a house gig for the winter at a club with a restaurant attached, and we were the big entertainment in Gillette. There wasn’t much else. They have a community college now, which probably wasn’t even dreamed of when I was there.
Of course “blip on a map” is relative. It’s the third largest city in WY, as you know. I spent a fair amount of time in WY and the northern plains back in the day, and while Gillette is half the size of Cheyenne, at least it’s a city. 😊
Lindy is 5 years older than Moses, and is right at the age where some marginal players peak briefly into near-starter effectiveness, but then fall off pretty quickly. He could put together a month-long Linsanity-type run this season if everything goes right, but I wouldn't wager any money on that happening.
Moses is just entering his prime.
Odds are that Moody has an NBA contract 5 years from now, and Waters doesn't anymore.
Going to have to see them on court. Moody has the advantage of having played (somewhat) in the Warriors' system. Waters is a shooter on a team that could have used a lot more of it last year; seems like that alone would make a place for him if he isn't a total disaster on the defensive end.
It would be interesting to see them together off the bench as a 2/3 combo. Kerr likes to experiment, especially early in the season, so hey, maybe he'll check that out. They could provide spacing, Moody is a good perimeter defender, and Waters is reputedly a good defender. It might come in handy after GP2 has the first of his annual injuries.
This explains the strangeness with the TK show podcast last year. It was sometimes referenced on the athletic, but was never part of their podcasts, etc.
I'm not familiar with the North/South podcast. I'm more curious about Warriors +/-, as it's perhaps my favorite podcast during the season. It's been hard to beat the insider takes of TK/MT2/AS these past few seasons. I'll be sad if they split up the trio.
Totally agree—warriors +/- is my main bball podcast, with a sprinkling of Dunc’d On as well.
I wonder if TK also co-owns the “All 82” brand. If not, I wonder if the athletic just continues with the “All 82” branding and cuts Tim out completely.
And I'll add that I'm a co-owner of "Warriors Plus/Minus" and have every intent to make that independent, too. That's TBD, hopefully we'll know by the start of training camp, but might take a while longer to figure things out.
Possibly the most seamless trade for a ‘superstar’ type player on paper though:
Jimmy Buckets and a minimum contract for
Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II, Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga
Assuming they weren’t quite ready to match JKs demands for a max level contract in order to entice a potential trading partner.
Youre still a bit smallish with your starting lineup but i mean for me it doesn’t look all that terrible. Clears up some more playing time for some of the bench pieces and potentially allows the Dubs not to have to surrender much of any further trade capital.
BUT im not yet considering the financial implications of signing him to a monster contract
I can't see them doing that because they didn't do it for George, who was the most obvious trade candidate for them in years. Butler is a very good player but doesn't fit nearly as well as George would have.
BTW George said in his podcast that the Dubs deal was so close to done that he thought for sure he was coming here, which he was happy to do. He did not say why it ultimately fell through.
Why does everyone seem to want a ball dominant 3 that doesn't really fit our style in the name of adding another star? We likely will make a trade but I doubt we make a BIG one until February.
Until then, if we find someone who wants GP2 or offers something we want/need for Moody, a deal is going to happen but only so we can clear up some cap space for Post and maybe another back up athletic big. I think Kerr and the organization believe in Moody and want him to earn 20-25 minutes/night but between we have a lot of people fighting for the backup 2-3 spots.
Without a deal, we have to decide between releasing Santos, Beckman or Pat Spencer, depending on who we trust as the backup PG.
Kuminga has at least until February to prove he has taken the next step and then he gets a (near?) max deal and becomes Warrior for life.
Wiggins has until then to prove that he can return to form after his father's death (he can't really be traded except as a salary slot ATM but if he returns close to form he becomes a value contract).
And of course, both need to prove they can thrive together. If Wiggins can return to 2022 form, Kuminga can take the next step and Steph and Draymond can both play 65-75 games, we are a top 3 team in the west with tons of depth. A lineup of Steph, Wiggins, Kuminga, Draymond, and TJD can play fast, defend well and match up with almost everyone in the West. OKC and Minnesota are problems but they will be for everyone.
Move importantly, I don't see Butler improving our odds against either one unless you are simply swapping Butler and Wiggins. Even then, 2022 Wiggins was better than any version of Butler and late 2024 Wiggins was better than any 2024 Butler.
Finally, Melton, Slow-Mo and Hield are solid additions and I don't see us blowing everything up for Butler (we didn't for PG, we didn't for Markkanen) until it is proven this lineup can't compete.
Good post! One quibble: "Without a deal, we have to decide between releasing Santos, Beckman or Pat Spencer, depending on who we trust as the backup PG." Kinda sorta but maybe not so much. Is that definitive? 😊
Podz and Melton are probably the backup PGs. Both can play SG or PG. Podz has been working on his PG skills during the summer and has a good mindset for a PG.
Obviously Santos is a big wing/PF, and he currently has a regular roster spot on a non-guaranteed deal. My guess is he can hold it with a solid camp performance. If he blows it, maybe that opens a spot for Post, either directly or by promoting one of the current two-ways.
Assuming Gui holds his spot, one of the current 2-ways will probably lose out to Post. Beekman is an untested rookie, so this will be a G League development season for him. Spencer, to me, is a borderline "AAAA" player at best unless he has made a lot of progress this summer. Plowden looked very good in Summer League but we'll see how he looks against veteran NBA competition in the preseason, if he gets minutes. If we're relying on any of those guys, we're in for a tough season.
I agree on all of the above. My analysis of what we "have to" do is entirely cap driven but assumes that we find a slot for Post.
I agree that Melton Podz are the depth at point and both will see plenty of time at both the 1 and the 2. I also think we are more likely to give up on Beekman or Spencer (who, like Plowden, looked great in Summer League but is borderline on paper). I do like Spencer for those intangibles, notably toughness (Lacross!) and maturity. He is also a "great storyline". Not JTA but very likable.
I think Post takes a two-way, maybe with a wink-wink deal that he makes the main roster next year, if not before (they can add him at the end of the year, even without a trade).
Gui gets the year to prove himself. If not, he's either trade filler, or moves on next summer.
Spencer leaves now, because they have Melton, and two PF's who can handle the ball. So the three two-ways are Post, Plowden and Beekman, attorneys at law.
Having an open roster spot doesn't matter. Due to this season's arcane salary cap rules there isn't enough cap space to add another player. Depending on how Post performs in the pre-season, I wouldn't be surprised to see some kind of 2-for-1 trade or player for pick(s) trade to open up a spot for him.
So, they can't add Post now, since a full min is higher than that. However, as the season moves along, the prorated amount they would need to pay Post decreases. Even if nothing changes by trades or cuts, at some point, the prorated amount they need to pay Post will drop below that $533K figure (with roughly 1/4 of the season left), and then they could put Post in the 15th spot.
They can't add Post to the regular roster toward the end of the year unless they dump Gui. They could do that in some past years because they didn't fill the 15th roster spot but Gui has that spot now.
Not including Jackson Rowe, who is listed on the main roster at BBref. If he really is on the team (I have zero idea how he showed up there), then you're right, they are at 15. But, I think that's just a mistake.
If it was one of Wiggs or Moody, then maybe. But that's your (edit: third) leading scorer from last year, your two best wing defenders and an OK prospect (Moody).
Big money, getting up there in age and has averaged about 58 games played since COVID started. I'd rather take my chances with a younger and more affordable Wiggins at this point honestly
Definitely. and Kuminga and even Moody. And Wing depth would be gone. I think this makes the team worse not better (and I am an inveterate Butler admirer because the man is just relentless, but i think his time has passed)
There is not a single universe in which exchanging Kuminga, a player who took three seasons to be better at playing winning basketball than Anthony Lamb, for Jimmy Butler wouldn't make this team better by leaps and bounds.
So what Jonah already said, plus this post exhibits a shocking lack of understanding of Marvel multiverse theory, which essentially states that EVERY possibility exists, no matter how implausible, if said possible universe will allow another film or spinoff show to be made.
Except the universe in which 21 year old Kuminga takes one more jump (very likely) to near all star status. Or the one in which 35 year old Butler gets hurt.
The only things between Kuminga and All Star regulars are mental. And it isn't like he has ever destroyed team chemistry.
"Free agent F Marcus Morris has agreed to a one-year deal with the New York Knicks, agent Yony Noy of LAA Partners tells @TheAthletic. Morris will have a chance to enter his 14th NBA season with the Eastern Conference contender."
https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1835447451144040457
In minor Draft Tourney news,
[[
The Lakers have decided to waive Blake Hinson in order to open a two way spot for Christian Koloko according to Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype. Did they make the right choice?
]]
https://www.threads.net/@trevorlanenba/post/C_9YTZDsqL_/?xmt=AQGzoBMpQS1uEk-ARr_KRrkIDUolGpgAozbRR4WBzTSWvQ
Blake Hinson was in our 2024 Draft Tourney and was worked out by GSW before the draft. There’s an outside chance he could end up back in the GSW organization, though I think the best they could do would be a SCW spot
https://dubnationhq.com/p/dub-nation-hq-draft-tournaments?s=w
2 weeks till breathless commentary about training camp standouts!
Looney looks unrecognizable! JK has added all the moves to his bag! Draymond hasn't hit anyone yet! All good vibes.
Meanwhile, unreasonable optimism reigns supreme!
And the death rattle of trade idea season!
Hi guys, latest news and/or rumors and/or b....hit from the boot-shaped paeninsula: Gary Payton II and Moses Moody traded for Broooooook Lopez (a foot tall for every 'o'). Any comment and/or insult and/or sleeper CIA former agent in charge of generic retaliation bombing?
1. The money doesn’t work. You need to send MIL roughly another $10M in salaries. Replacing GP2 and Moody with Wiggins works, though.
2. What’s the incentive for the Bucks, and who becomes their starting center?
Looney but why in Hades would we want Brook Lopez at this point
I can nominally see the fit if he were 2-3 years younger — legitimately big center, elite rim protector, good shooter and FT shooter who spaces the floor, chill Bay Area dude who seems like a culture fit.
On the other hand: he turns 37 next season, has aged from slow to glacial, is not actually a great 3 pt shooter (.349 career), and is perennially a worse rebounder than Brandin Podziemski.
I also don’t see the motivation for Milwaukee, who doesn’t have another legit C on their roster (though maybe if you throw in Milwaukee’s own Loon it gets more interesting for them).
If we throw in Loon it makes less sense for us because of the reasons you cited about Lopez. Pass.
Fun summary of JK’s skills, progress, and gaps. No big surprises here for DNHQ, but a nice Sunday morning read.
https://open.substack.com/pub/basketballpoetry/p/jonathan-kuminga-human-onomatopoeia
Fair and balanced but also pretty much what everybody on this board says about Kuminga. Letting Kuminga become an RFA at the end of the season still seems like the best move for the Warriors, the big question is "will Kuminga actually get enough playing time to improve?"
Nah. inking JK to the Poole is best if JK will take it. It’s not max, but $30M/yr is life changing. I have a hard time not seeing that as a value contract over the next 4.
I'm with you ... the extension is a risk, but there is a high-side risk if he has a good year.
The one good thing is that the extension deadline isn't until Oct. 20th, I think. So, they'll have a two week look at him to see how much he's added over the summer.
I mean I honestly see almost no scenario where it’s not at least a fair value contract. JK’s game isn’t susceptible to the Poole regression.
Just depends on the price, right? If JK doesn't budge off of the max request, then the only real reason not to wait and see what he gets in FA is to keep him happy.
I think anything under $35 mil/yr is team friendly, and around $40 mil is probably fair, given what others are getting this summer.
But, I doubt JK takes even a $40 mil/yr deal.
Really?! I think It’d be real hard for him to turn down 40M/yr guaranteed.
"Did a rim insult Kuminga’s mother? I’m not sure why else he’d attack it so fiercely in transition " this author is one of us.
Assuming that the Lakers will not make any more free agency moves, here are the list of free agents they have missed out on: (list may not be accurate)
James Harden ❌
Jonas Valanciunas ❌
Klay Thompson ❌
Buddy Hield ❌
Bruce Brown ❌
Jae Crowder ❌
Taurean Prince ❌
Lonnie Walker IV ❌
Andre Drummond ❌
Precious Achiuwa ❌
Gordon Hayward ❌
Dorian Finney-Smith ❌
Hayward retired. That aside, the Lakers might not have been interested in a number of those guys so I wouldn't say they missed out on guys they didn't want.
"Free agent G Landry Shamet has agreed on a one-year deal with the New York Knicks, his agent George S. Langberg of GSL Sports Group tells ESPN. Shamet has career averages of 8.7 points and 38 percent on three-pointers."
https://x.com/wojespn/status/1834958162706780399
"The Lakers and seven-foot center Christian Koloko have agreed on a deal, agent Calvin Andrews of Klutch Sports says. Koloko is expected to have an opportunity for a role in Lakers frontcourt after he receives clearance from league’s fitness panel."
https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1835042672253583762
"Restricted free agent F Isaac Okoro has agreed on a three-year, $38 million deal to stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Michael Tellem, Jeff Schwartz and Marcus Monk of @excelbasketball tell ESPN. Okoro — the fifth overall pick in 2020 — averaged 9.4 points a season ago."
https://x.com/wojespn/status/1835023851115176051
If he stays in the league long enough, Shamet might give Ish Smith (13) a run for his money in terms of most franchises played for.
So far for Shamet:
18-19: 76ers and Clippers
19-20: Clippers
20-21: Nets
21-22: Suns
22-23: Suns
23-24: Wizards
24-25: Knicks
So thus far, that's 6 franchises in 7 years and there's no telling what the Knicks will do with him.
Congrats to JTA and G League United for beating the Jackjumpers to get to the Intercontinental Cup finals. I guess there is men's basketball going on somewhere (in this case, Singapore)
Some info here: https://www.fiba.basketball/en/events/fiba-intercontinental-cup-2024/games/124121-GLU-TAS
Full game is on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9LZwPvEMTU
Warriors dropped a Podz/TJD highlight reel, just in case anyone forgot how NBA-ready these two picks turned out to be last season https://youtu.be/ZmQz7MXv2_0?si=pK9_l6xVCB38Pluq
Reel running continuously (to great acclaim) on TJD Atoll.
25 min? That's a lot of highlights. Started watching, and it made me realized it has been a loooong time since the end of the season. But, only 3 weeks until the first pre-season game, it is coming.
The thing that jumped out at me most was how many clever ways Podz is capable of contributing to winning basketball…and it didn’t even show him taking charges.
Now that things have settled down regarding our roster . . . . am I the only one whose confused regarding how they feel?
On the one hand, I like all of our additions (Melton and Anderson especially, with Heild fulfilling a s skillset need). On the other hand, I'm not the biggest fan of our final rosters dramatic lack of shooting outside of Curry/Heild (Podz/Melton/Wiggins are situationally efficient shooters) and our lack of shooting from the big man position (Im not impressed with Post atm). On my third hand, I don't blame our front office because they did their best to swing a Paul George/Markannen trade either which would have solved a lot of our roster construction problems but they swung and they missed.
While I'm not a fan of the end look of our roster, I like the individual additions and our attempted end goal (aka the process).
I'm confused most of the time, and it has nothing to do with basketball.
I have no skill whatsoever at talent evaluation, but do enjoy pumping up our random late draft picks, and hey, every now and again they work out.
I'm interested in why you are not impressed with Post. Is this based on his college tape? I didn't see him getting enough run in summer league to really show anything one way or the other. Also, are you saying you are not impressed with his shooting? Or, that you don't think the rest of his game can keep him on the floor (if he even suits up) to allow him to use his shooting? Not trying to challenge you, I'm just genuinely interested in what people that can actually watch and evaluate tape are seeing or not seeing in his game, so I can calibrate if I should be regular optimistic or insanely optimistic.
Signed,
DubsNerd
Q-Post fan club secretary
When I evaluated Post's college tape, I quantitatively graded his game on things like pick and roll defenses (switch/hedge and recover/drop etc.), team defense (help/rim protection/rotations), post defense, perimeter defense (vs big/guards), offensive game (post up, face up, catch and shoot, pick and pop), screening, ball-handling, decision-making, rebounding (positioning/hands), physicality, athleticism (lateral and upward mobility, quickness off the bounce), footwork, and conditioning.
I was not happy with what I saw. Defensively in the pick and roll, was absolutely disgusting as he was thoroughly abused in the switch/hedge and recover/drop pick and roll schemes. While he had good rim protection, he was often slow to recognize the need to help minimizing the defensive impact of that rim protection. I can't tell u how many times he just DIDN"T rotate and stayed on his man while his teammate is screened. His post game is too simple and won't translate while his face up game is average at best. His rebound positioning is quite solid but his hands leave a lot to be desired when fighting in the trenches. Just so many negatives that I was left swimming.
Some positives I did see was that he was genuinely a great shooter, an excellent decisonmaker, and a solid screener with a sense of timing. But overall, I was just not happy with him.
This is great, well, not great news, but great detail, thanks for writing it up. Sounds like some of this is more about lacking feel of the game, which can be as hard to fix as lack of athleticism, but maybe he can figure some things out.
Did anyone hear about a new big man coach? Can't ever replace Deki, but I didn't see anything other than Stack and Stotts.
I wouldn't say I'm confused. I'm going to enjoy this team. I think the shooting will be better than last year, having Klay move on removed a major point of irritation for me, and I'm expecting good things from both Kuminga and Wiggs.
The rest is 'who knows?'
I am probably less invested than most of us in being a contender. It would be nice, but Steph is on the tail end of his career and we're in that process of sorting out the wreckage of an excellent team that got very expensive, and we've missed on at least a couple of draft picks that could have been the infusion of talent to keep the window open.
My (modest) goal for the team is to win a playoff series this year. If they got to the WC finals, I would be ecstatic, but given the competition (OKC, Memphis, Denver, Dallas, maybe even NO and LAL) that's very much a stretch goal.
If they get to the WC finals, I’ll be especially ecstatic, since the Warriors NEVER lose conference championships (at least not since ‘76 — thanks, Rick Barry).
Objects in the rear view mirror may be farther away than they appear. :)
Just don't mention their record in play-ins
Stats from play-in games don't count, so I figured the game results themselves were also lost to the nether. We have neither won nor lost any play-in games. There are no play-in games. Our quantum playoff bit was observed as false, but no one knows how it came to be.
I like the way you think
As long as we’re not in the play-in 5)3 play-in record doesn’t matter.
The name Lindy can mean "beautiful," "pretty," or "sweet".
After Cap'n Klay and Jordan Poole-Party, we can now confirm Lindy 'Sweet' Waters III as Steph's 3rd Splash partner 👌🏽
Let the Revival begin...
Or let the dance begin. Lindy's got hops.
Mitchell Wiggins has passed away. Rest forever in peace, Mr. Wiggins.
My condolences to the entire Wiggins family.
https://imgur.com/a/z79aR0t
RIP, what a tough situation for the whole family to go through for an extended period of time.
I bet Andrew will look back with pride in his choices and priorities the last few years.
Well-said. I cannot say the same for his detractors during the last two years. Andrew deserved better. Proud I am a fan of a pro team whose FO stood by him. Don't even want to think what a trade would have done to him.
Well, we finally 'know' the personal reasons that Wiggins was out so long a couple of years ago. Sorry for their loss.
I know Wiggs is a private guy, but it seems like it would have been easier on all to say that he was tending to his father and to please respect the family's privacy. Most everyone would have understood that.
Didn’t he reveal that it was related to his dad’s health after coming back from the first absence two years ago?
It came out, though I don't recall if Wiggs addressed it directly. I think he may have.
I thought we did know that tbh, we were told it was about his father after he came back from the first absence.
We were, but then the internet got all conspiratorial and said Wiggins was lying about it because his brother didn’t take a leave of absence from his job.
My bad. The old memory isn't quite working like it used to...
='(
Best wishes for a perfect recovery!
Been there, done that...you'll be fine, hopefully, all ready for the season start I trust. A reminder of our mortality is not a bad thing from time to time but cancer still sucks. RIP Mitchell Wiggins and love and comfort to his family.
Indeed. Here’s to a solid and quick recovery.
Wishing you courage, peace, and good health through this recovery, friend!
Praying for successful surgery and your speedy recovery to good health. We're here for you!
Sorry to hear, Goofus. Hope surgery goes well and you have a complete recovery.
I'm getting in line to offer my support Goofus. I wish you the best and the best for Ms. Goofus and the whole Goof troop.
Oof
Here if you need any support 🙏
Oh man, dude … sending all my good Sleepy karma from Mamaroneck, NY for a successful surgery and complete recovery!! ❤️ 🙏🏼 🙌
Sorry to hear that, but I'm sure you'll kick the shit out of that cancer. Sending healing thoughts.
Wishing you a speedy and complete recovery!
Good luck man
You got this Goofus, you'll beat it. Warrior strong!
Yikes. Sorry to hear that. Hope it goes very well.
Take care, Goofus. I'm sending you good, healing vibes.
Hey, good luck Goofus!
OT: Episode 17 of the Big Ass Road Trip is now available. Our first time visiting Wyoming! We checked out Devil’s Tower, Buffalo Bill’s town of Cody and a REALLY cool auto museum in Gillette. This video is 8 minutes long, so you might be able to watch the whole thing in one trip to the bathroom. https://youtu.be/2APkxSv0pyI?si=dyMtch0WDY2pxHc-
Man Gillette sure has grown since I spent the winter there in the mid '80s.
What was winter like, cold as hell? It’s still pretty much a blip on the map. Not much there other than a few old buildings and the little Main Street. The auto museum really stuck out as far and away the coolest thing there.
Yeah Gillette was plenty cold, with a fair but not huge amount of snow. I just looked at the city website and did some quick research, and the population has at least doubled since I was there in the mid 1980s, and there’s much more going on. I was playing in a band that had a house gig for the winter at a club with a restaurant attached, and we were the big entertainment in Gillette. There wasn’t much else. They have a community college now, which probably wasn’t even dreamed of when I was there.
Of course “blip on a map” is relative. It’s the third largest city in WY, as you know. I spent a fair amount of time in WY and the northern plains back in the day, and while Gillette is half the size of Cheyenne, at least it’s a city. 😊
Im curious about people’s thoughts about Waters vs Moody:
- Better player right now?
- Better fit on Dubs?
- Higher ceiling?
My subjective opinion of these two:
- Waters can be Damion Lee +/- 20%
- Moody can be Tyler Herro +/- 20%
Lindy is 5 years older than Moses, and is right at the age where some marginal players peak briefly into near-starter effectiveness, but then fall off pretty quickly. He could put together a month-long Linsanity-type run this season if everything goes right, but I wouldn't wager any money on that happening.
Moses is just entering his prime.
Odds are that Moody has an NBA contract 5 years from now, and Waters doesn't anymore.
I like Muddy Waters
Going to have to see them on court. Moody has the advantage of having played (somewhat) in the Warriors' system. Waters is a shooter on a team that could have used a lot more of it last year; seems like that alone would make a place for him if he isn't a total disaster on the defensive end.
But to your questions, we need more data...
To me, Waters is (nearly) a complete unknown. All I know is that he has decent size for a SG, and he's shot the 3 well on low volume (per game).
I think it may take some time to get a read on him, given that the Dubs run a different offense.
He and Moody are both still question marks. I doubt there’s room in the rotation for both of them.
It would be interesting to see them together off the bench as a 2/3 combo. Kerr likes to experiment, especially early in the season, so hey, maybe he'll check that out. They could provide spacing, Moody is a good perimeter defender, and Waters is reputedly a good defender. It might come in handy after GP2 has the first of his annual injuries.
Wow, TK is leaving The Athletic for another start up:
https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/tim-kawakami-leaves-the-athletic-for-standard-19761642.php
Not always a fan of his style, but he does have pretty deep Dubs knowledge and contacts.
This explains the strangeness with the TK show podcast last year. It was sometimes referenced on the athletic, but was never part of their podcasts, etc.
FYI, TK is keeping the TK Show, and he’s also bringing his North/South podcast co-host to SF Standard.
I'm not familiar with the North/South podcast. I'm more curious about Warriors +/-, as it's perhaps my favorite podcast during the season. It's been hard to beat the insider takes of TK/MT2/AS these past few seasons. I'll be sad if they split up the trio.
Totally agree—warriors +/- is my main bball podcast, with a sprinkling of Dunc’d On as well.
I wonder if TK also co-owns the “All 82” brand. If not, I wonder if the athletic just continues with the “All 82” branding and cuts Tim out completely.
From threads:
“
And I'll add that I'm a co-owner of "Warriors Plus/Minus" and have every intent to make that independent, too. That's TBD, hopefully we'll know by the start of training camp, but might take a while longer to figure things out.
“
https://www.threads.net/@tim.kawakami/post/C_yHVZOvDVN?xmt=AQGz9pKQV1de1KngvjsaURe5OynM5LTort-A1kJVRFUF7w
Triple threat? Vesting, lockup and non-compete all expired at last month?
Non-compete agreements are unenforceable by law in California.
Hallelujah.
I wonder who else he’s hiring away.
God no. Not the Jimmy Butler rumors resurfacing again.
Possibly the most seamless trade for a ‘superstar’ type player on paper though:
Jimmy Buckets and a minimum contract for
Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II, Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga
Assuming they weren’t quite ready to match JKs demands for a max level contract in order to entice a potential trading partner.
Youre still a bit smallish with your starting lineup but i mean for me it doesn’t look all that terrible. Clears up some more playing time for some of the bench pieces and potentially allows the Dubs not to have to surrender much of any further trade capital.
BUT im not yet considering the financial implications of signing him to a monster contract
That's nuts. We are NOT trading all of those guys the 35-year-old Butler.
I can't see them doing that because they didn't do it for George, who was the most obvious trade candidate for them in years. Butler is a very good player but doesn't fit nearly as well as George would have.
George trade fell thru b/c Clipps brass didn't want to potentially gift the Dubs a 'chip. Miami doesn't have those misgivings.
Do we actually know that for a fact or is that your impression?
BTW George said in his podcast that the Dubs deal was so close to done that he thought for sure he was coming here, which he was happy to do. He did not say why it ultimately fell through.
WTF people!
Why does everyone seem to want a ball dominant 3 that doesn't really fit our style in the name of adding another star? We likely will make a trade but I doubt we make a BIG one until February.
Until then, if we find someone who wants GP2 or offers something we want/need for Moody, a deal is going to happen but only so we can clear up some cap space for Post and maybe another back up athletic big. I think Kerr and the organization believe in Moody and want him to earn 20-25 minutes/night but between we have a lot of people fighting for the backup 2-3 spots.
Without a deal, we have to decide between releasing Santos, Beckman or Pat Spencer, depending on who we trust as the backup PG.
Kuminga has at least until February to prove he has taken the next step and then he gets a (near?) max deal and becomes Warrior for life.
Wiggins has until then to prove that he can return to form after his father's death (he can't really be traded except as a salary slot ATM but if he returns close to form he becomes a value contract).
And of course, both need to prove they can thrive together. If Wiggins can return to 2022 form, Kuminga can take the next step and Steph and Draymond can both play 65-75 games, we are a top 3 team in the west with tons of depth. A lineup of Steph, Wiggins, Kuminga, Draymond, and TJD can play fast, defend well and match up with almost everyone in the West. OKC and Minnesota are problems but they will be for everyone.
Move importantly, I don't see Butler improving our odds against either one unless you are simply swapping Butler and Wiggins. Even then, 2022 Wiggins was better than any version of Butler and late 2024 Wiggins was better than any 2024 Butler.
Finally, Melton, Slow-Mo and Hield are solid additions and I don't see us blowing everything up for Butler (we didn't for PG, we didn't for Markkanen) until it is proven this lineup can't compete.
Good post! One quibble: "Without a deal, we have to decide between releasing Santos, Beckman or Pat Spencer, depending on who we trust as the backup PG." Kinda sorta but maybe not so much. Is that definitive? 😊
Podz and Melton are probably the backup PGs. Both can play SG or PG. Podz has been working on his PG skills during the summer and has a good mindset for a PG.
Obviously Santos is a big wing/PF, and he currently has a regular roster spot on a non-guaranteed deal. My guess is he can hold it with a solid camp performance. If he blows it, maybe that opens a spot for Post, either directly or by promoting one of the current two-ways.
Assuming Gui holds his spot, one of the current 2-ways will probably lose out to Post. Beekman is an untested rookie, so this will be a G League development season for him. Spencer, to me, is a borderline "AAAA" player at best unless he has made a lot of progress this summer. Plowden looked very good in Summer League but we'll see how he looks against veteran NBA competition in the preseason, if he gets minutes. If we're relying on any of those guys, we're in for a tough season.
I agree on all of the above. My analysis of what we "have to" do is entirely cap driven but assumes that we find a slot for Post.
I agree that Melton Podz are the depth at point and both will see plenty of time at both the 1 and the 2. I also think we are more likely to give up on Beekman or Spencer (who, like Plowden, looked great in Summer League but is borderline on paper). I do like Spencer for those intangibles, notably toughness (Lacross!) and maturity. He is also a "great storyline". Not JTA but very likable.
I think Post takes a two-way, maybe with a wink-wink deal that he makes the main roster next year, if not before (they can add him at the end of the year, even without a trade).
Gui gets the year to prove himself. If not, he's either trade filler, or moves on next summer.
Spencer leaves now, because they have Melton, and two PF's who can handle the ball. So the three two-ways are Post, Plowden and Beekman, attorneys at law.
Having an open roster spot doesn't matter. Due to this season's arcane salary cap rules there isn't enough cap space to add another player. Depending on how Post performs in the pre-season, I wouldn't be surprised to see some kind of 2-for-1 trade or player for pick(s) trade to open up a spot for him.
Per Perks' spreadsheet, the Dubs are about $533K under the 1st apron.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aSo_Ni5pqrs6E9PbCZgfGKzq5qjklm60h6Ykw3lYSxE/edit?gid=1573241114#gid=1573241114
So, they can't add Post now, since a full min is higher than that. However, as the season moves along, the prorated amount they would need to pay Post decreases. Even if nothing changes by trades or cuts, at some point, the prorated amount they need to pay Post will drop below that $533K figure (with roughly 1/4 of the season left), and then they could put Post in the 15th spot.
That's my understanding, anyway.
They can't add Post to the regular roster toward the end of the year unless they dump Gui. They could do that in some past years because they didn't fill the 15th roster spot but Gui has that spot now.
I have them at 14, with Gui.
Not including Jackson Rowe, who is listed on the main roster at BBref. If he really is on the team (I have zero idea how he showed up there), then you're right, they are at 15. But, I think that's just a mistake.
Butler is always dinged up. Pass.
If it was one of Wiggs or Moody, then maybe. But that's your (edit: third) leading scorer from last year, your two best wing defenders and an OK prospect (Moody).
Big money, getting up there in age and has averaged about 58 games played since COVID started. I'd rather take my chances with a younger and more affordable Wiggins at this point honestly
Plus he has a player option for '25-'26 so he could opt out and it would be a one-year rental. That's a lot to trade for a rental.
Definitely. and Kuminga and even Moody. And Wing depth would be gone. I think this makes the team worse not better (and I am an inveterate Butler admirer because the man is just relentless, but i think his time has passed)
There is not a single universe in which exchanging Kuminga, a player who took three seasons to be better at playing winning basketball than Anthony Lamb, for Jimmy Butler wouldn't make this team better by leaps and bounds.
So what Jonah already said, plus this post exhibits a shocking lack of understanding of Marvel multiverse theory, which essentially states that EVERY possibility exists, no matter how implausible, if said possible universe will allow another film or spinoff show to be made.
Except the universe in which 21 year old Kuminga takes one more jump (very likely) to near all star status. Or the one in which 35 year old Butler gets hurt.
The only things between Kuminga and All Star regulars are mental. And it isn't like he has ever destroyed team chemistry.
If mental means hitting threes at >38%, I agree.
We need any three of Podz, Moody, Wiggins, or JK in that ballpark and we’ll be alright - without a trade.
but if he wants to come here for a minimum next year in FA I'm not complaining lol
He’s 35, showing signs of decline, and a poor/unwilling 3 pt shooter (0.8 threes per game over his career).
Pass.
Does this work in the trade machines ?