Trogdor meets Ron Adams, plus Dub Nation HQ Comments of Week, plus open thread

another No... YES... NO week

Helpful hint: Every commenter’s name is a link that leads back to the original comment.

Special Report by Professor Trogdor on seeing a game with Ron Adams

Sir Trogdor (42 ♡):

I INTERRUPT THIS HAND WRINGING OVER A SUCKY LOSS FOR A REPORT ON MEETING RON F***ING ADAMS!!!

So my co-worker essentially used to be roommates with Ron back in Fresno, CA a long long time ago (like 40ish years ago). They've remained good friends ever since.

Friday afternoon she got a text from Ron saying that he's in town for the Cavs game. Apparently he's semi-retired and doesn't travel with the team much these days but, there he was! He got us some tickets (upper lower bowl in the corner behind Warriors' bench). And away we went! (2 hour drive each way, but totes worth it!)

First thing that I noticed on arriving: the stadium was seriously like half Warriors fan. It was nuts. Not sure where they all came from Curry jerseys EVERYWHERE! Kids love him.

We went down and talked with Ron. Unfortunately couldn't go all the way down, but he came up to the security check point and talked with us there for probably about 15 minutes. Here are my highlights:

-Super nice guy. Really, just felt like an extremely down to earth, normal, approachable individual. He's only around 6 ft. tall as well. If I passed him on the street wouldn't think twice.

-Most of the conversation was him catching up with co-worker. Got some insights into his political leanings. They're... essentially what you'd think they are coming from the Warriors organization.

-He was not optimistic about the Warriors winning the game. He joked that we should probably leave after the third quarter to beat the traffic, and something about asking for mercy. He texted my friend throughout the game joking that he was keeping us there longer than expected.

-I asked if anyone was coming back from injury. He said that essentially everyone is back, although Wiseman isn't playing quite yet.

-I asked about Wiseman's development. His first statement was "I really like Wiseman. He's a really nice kid." His initial reaction was to talk about him as a person, which I was told is very much in like with Ron Adam's personality. He lamented his recent injury, muttering something about some idiots scrimmaging him when they shouldn't have and he got hurt. I didn't inquire further into details about that. He said Wiseman was coming along really well before the injury. He said the main issue with Wiseman is that he's an offensive player, and the team has plenty of offense. I asked if he thought his defense would get there as well and he responded that it absolutely would.

-On remarking about the plethora of Warriors fans, he said that it's like this wherever they go and that it's almost a bit embarrassing the large crowds the Warriors have in other arenas. He says the kids really love Curry.

-Most of the rest was talking a bit about life, etc. that wouldn't be terribly interesting here. He wished me luck on my upcoming move and says that he has several friends in Lawrence, KS. Maybe I'll get to meet them someday, too!

-We noticed that he wasn't sitting on the bench during the game, but standing in the hallway with some other team employees. My co-worker joked via text to him that you go semi-retired and lose your seat! He said that he gave his up because it's more important for the careers of the younger coaches to be seen sitting at/behind the bench. It seemed like a very gracious gesture on his part.

-When he had to go and was saying something about the team getting creamed tonight I said I expected Poole to score 60. I don't think he believed me, but it turns out that my prediction was closer than his!

If I remember any more details I'll add them here. Of course afterwards I thought of lots of things I would have loved to have ask, but would require a longer sit down to do so without just coming off as grilling him! He was there for my co-worker, not me, but it was still a pleasure to briefly meet him. The game was a whole lot of fun too, especially considering we won. I honestly didn't feel like I missed out on anything not seeing the four starters play, considering how fun of a night it was watching Poole, Kuminga, DDV, and co.

• sundaygirl (10 ♡):

  I couldn't love this more. Being from Fresno, I'm a long time Ron Adams fan -- as a coach but also as a human (the NYT did a great story on him a few years ago, worth reading). Fantastic that you got to meet and chat with him, thank you for sharing.

Warriors fumble away another win in loss to…

Kyrie loves to win on our court, eh?

• stopnpop (12 ♡):

  > What is the BIGGEST change you wanna see going forward

  More self-awareness all across the board.

  1. Steph/Dray: when we have a bad turnover can we be a little bit more careful the next possession? Channel your inner Andre and settle things down.

  2. Klay: if you're cold, you don't have to shoot... you still have gravity... use it to help the team.

  3. Everyone: recognize when the offense is stalling and run something

• rcknfn (11 ♡):

  I know SAC is better roster wise this year but Mike Brown must have a big part in having them at third seed. Mike Brown leaving may be one of the factors in us losing in margins.

• nomdesab (10 ♡):

  The OGs have earned the blind loyalty. Full. Stop.

• georgedime (10 ♡):

  "And at the risk of camping out in Asher-ville, last night I started thinking that Kuminga will be more important than JP to the Ws future."

  I don't think that's a farfetched position. Kuminga is a blossoming 2-way athletic wing. JP is an explosive but inconsistent scorer. One of the team's biggest needs is athleticism and bounce because our main dudes are over 30 and not as frisky as they used to be.

• TwoRingTest (10 ♡):

  I'd like to see more end of half/end of game structure.

  Steph and Klay going one-on-one is not going to win games that often. I was shocked that, even with Draymond on the floor, they weren't running any plays. Draymond hardly had the ball.

  Steph was just bringing it up (slowly), pound, pound, pound, then with about 8 seconds, he'd finally try to go one-on-one, because there was no action going, and it was too late to set something up.

  Really annoying. You throw away the main asset of this team (playing as a unit) right when you need it most.

• Truckeeman (9 ♡):

  I have to start by admitting that Kerr and his coaches know a tiny bit more about NBA basketball, the course of a season, the Warriors' system and players better than I do.

  OK. I just deleted 500 words that followed "do" above because if that is true, it's not my place to bitch and moan, while providing advice they've already considered. Go Dubs! (And please stop losing close games at the end, it negatively affects my state of mind).

• Dan goutz (9 ♡):

  Would it hurt the Warriors going forward if Kerr reduced the Steph/Klay/Dray minutes and leaned more on the rest of the core and bench?

  What was the Timmy/Manu/Tony trio averaging in their early-mid 30s?

• pooryorick (8 ♡):

  Klay has a habit of putting up quick shots when our lead is shrinking with the idea of “putting the game away”. His mindset ignores the fact that we still have the friggin lead and his misses are helping keep the opponent’s momentum rolling downhill like an avalanche.

• Tonkal (8 ♡):

  On Wednesday, the Warriors will have had 2 days' rest when they face the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies will be playing their 3rd game in 4 nights on the road (@ Suns, @ Kings, off, @Warriors). Looking for the Dubs to look fresh and run the Grizzlies out of Chase Center.

• rcknfn (8 ♡):

  >> What is the BIGGEST change you wanna see going forward

  - Anyone who had bad shooting night for 3.5 quarters needs to sit down - except for Steph, Dray and Loon. Like Kerr did with Wiggs yesterday.

  - Kerr calls timeout when team doesn't get back on defense. He should call timeout and break clipboard when people are heroballing in last 6 minutes

• fotd (8 ♡):

  I’d like to see the team work harder to free up Steph - screens, etc.. He seems an afterthought too often, used as a decoy to get others their shots. When Steph does shoot a three, too often he has to shake one or two already on him.

Post-game thread: Warriors blow big lead…

Ouch

• Duby Dub Dubs (14 ♡):

  Well, I know it's little comfort, but I had an absolutely lovely time at the game tonight

• Janet (14 ♡):

  Tbh, I’m not worried. They are exhausted from the road trip, getting home early Saturday morning, and reuniting with family. They will be okay!

• Sleepy Freud (12 ♡):

  Well, mostly I'm furious that we coughed up games v BOS and BKN that we had complete control of late, and nearly did the same v CLE. Feeling "we got this" and then watching helplessly as it slips away is one of the toughest pills to swallow as sports fan (e.g. Warriors 2016, Giants 2002, Red Sox 1986, etc. etc.)

  At the same time: none of these were elimination games, so the sun will rise. And I think the fact that they largely dominated three straight good-to-great teams (with various rotation players missing from both teams) for 3.5 quarters bodes pretty well. Our biggest concern earlier in the season was the bench ... now JP + Donte + Kuminga + Lamb + Jerome suddenly look like a super-solid or possibly even great #6-10.

  Unless we're now suddenly concerned that the *real* issue is not the bench but that Wiggins and Klay now suck, or that Steph is now totally unclutch, or that Kerr is now a terrible coach ... I see plenty of reasons for optimism. Half-empty is that we're just a game up on the #12 LOLakers. Half-full is that we're just three games back of #4 New Orleans and four back of #3 Sacramento, with every reason to think we have a significantly better squad than either of them if/when we get rolling.

  Also half-full: the Celtics started last season 23-24.

• Subhamoy (11 ♡):

  I started watching basketball in 2019 playoffs. I started supporting DUBS when Durant went down against Houston and everybody told they are done without him (I can never pass up an underdog story). Then they take down Houston, swept Portland and fell to Toronto only after Klay also went down. For the next two years, I saw DUBS failing again and again. Then comes 2022, and my 3 years of fandom saw the championship and the joy and the fulfillment that I can not describe in words.

  This year is up and down. We may win it all. We may not make the playoff. But this is not 2020, and this team is better than 2021. I am not sure why they are in this position, but at least we can keep our faith on Kerr, Steph and the team that they will find a way.

  And if we reach the playoffs, let us see first if any of the teams in Western conference can take us down in a 7 game series (did not happen since 2014).

• SD (8 ♡):

  The loss is a bummer, but I can't help but be happy about Looney and Kuminga. They both made some incredible plays.

• g8tgod (8 ♡):

  Color me slightly surprised at how pessimistic some of the takes are here. The team is frustrating, no doubt. But earlier this season, our starting five was the best in the league. They played stupidly tonight, especially late. But they still have the pieces. They just need to put it together.

  No guarantee of that, of course. But there's still plenty of season left. The Celtics just ran this gauntlet last year. Yes, that was an extraordinary run. But we're only mostly dead. I'll bury them when they're actually out of it.

• The Professor (8 ♡):

  They are wasting Kuminga’s prime!

• JoZeAlvaradoStan (7 ♡):

  I think what makes the Warriors go is how well oiled of a machine they are. I dont think Wiggins is still 100 percent. Doesnt have the same lift. Saw it on that hook shot over Kyrie thar barely grazed the rim late in the 1st

  In turn its just cascading downwards to the rest of the starters. I know we have this idea that an 85% Wiggins heck a 20% Wiggins is mathematically better than not having Wiggins at all but the reality is that Wiggs is a cog (a major one at that) in the machine and if hes not running at 100 percent efficiency or close to it it’s messing with the whole operation.

Do the Warriors need another big man? Like…

When it all comes together for Golden State, it will be because they lean into what they are - not who they aren't

• Dilly (16 ♡):

  Draymond is definitely the reason smallball works in Kerrball.

• Goldarn Staid Worrier (14 ♡):

  It’s fun to talk about trades, but this management group is really not that much into significant mid-season trades. Looking back over 10 years (because my memory is useless), I found one significant trade - the awesome Wiggins deal. Otherwise it’s a bunch of minor financial maneuvering, some of which included swapping end of bench players for other end of bench players. Though even those are pretty far back (like 2013 or 2014). I didn’t remember Steve Blake or Toney Anderson’s impact on the squad oh so many moons ago.

  So my hot take is that Lacob and company are only really interested in deals with significant upside for the team or that fixes a real problem. Partial season rental? Not so much.

• Goofus (13 ♡):

  I’m still excited about the last game and the peek into the future. I’m not looking forward to the core fading, but it’s not hard to see a competitive team in the making for when they do.

  Starters: Poole-Divincenzo*-Wiggins-Kuminga-Looney

  Bench: Jerome-PBJ-Lamb-Wiseman-Moody-Rollins

  The two-timelines might not be so crazy after all!

  *I’ve lit a candle in my window that will burn until DDV opts in and I don’t care how much wax drips all over the place.

• Bel (11 ♡):

  Another feather in Curry’s cap: Recognition from Celtics legend Sam Jones

  “Sam Jones asked his family back in 2019 to present this signed ball to Steph Curry when he passed away, saying Steph displayed a lot of similarities to those early Celtics dynasties.”

  https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2023/01/20/stephen-curry-sam-jones-bill-russell-basketball/

• Abaddon (11 ♡):

  And Steph. When you have the only unicorn top ten player in the history of the game who’s a small, it impacts small ball success.

• Janet (10 ♡):

  I love sports writing. “When it all comes together for Golden State, it will be because they lean into what they are - not who they aren’t…” is a beautiful maxim for life well lived. Thank you, 3D!

Explain: Steady Ty Jerome and defensive…

well that was unexpected

• Chasing Rings... (17 ♡):

  Because he has the uncanny ability to be thrown a last second hand grenade and somehow still hit the enemy target, I will hereby affectionately refer to him as Lambo.

• Nellie (16 ♡):

  The fact that Kuminga, at his size, can lock up Darius Garland in crunch time (on the road, in his first game back after a layoff) is just crazy. Sky's the limit for him on that end.

  My second-half/ offseason wish for him is just to get more comfortable dribbling the ball in traffic. Even if he doesn't get to the point where he's creating new advantages with his dribble, just being able to better maintain his innate athletic advantage on drives and post-ups would be huge for him.

• ServantOfLuna (12 ♡):

  Pacific Division offensive and defensive efficiency:

  Kings: #3 offense, #25 defense

  Warriors: #17 offense, #14 defense

  Clippers: #24 offense, #11 defense

  Suns: #15 offense, #12 defense

  Lakers: #18 offense, #23 defense

• TwoRingTest (12 ♡):

  Jerome absolutely could be an elf with that face ... we can call him Glorfindribble.

• Jonah Stein (11 ♡):

  Am I imagining things or has Poole's defense improved significantly the last few months. I know steals can be misleading but he is also showing some pretty good hands and some reasonable rotations.

• GlueAndBold (10 ♡):

  Curry is a generational talent among generational talents. If that’s your measurement gauge, then I got nothin. Poole is giving the team things the team needs and hasn’t gotten from other players, and he has a lot of room to grow. That, to me, is a pretty great situation.

Postgame party thread: the time is now old…

Second timeline? More like "the timeline is now!"

• Eric Apricot (26 ♡):

  I just wanted to tell you all I love you.

• Goldarn Staid Worrier (23 ♡):

  And into the dawning light, amidst the smoke and rubble of the past night’s destruction, quietly, calmly, but slashing like a knife, there appears a man.

  Just a man. But from his quiet, persistent smile, we see the confidence that the clouds will part. The two timelines converge and release …

  Kuminga.

• Dilly (20 ♡):

  We move up by winning. This is..... new.

• Chasing Rings... (19 ♡):

  Steve: Don’t cross the streams.

  Joey: Why?

  Steve: It would be bad.

  Joey: I’m fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing. What do you mean “bad”?

  Steve: Try to imagine all Kerrball as you know it stopping instantaneously and every fan in the bloggersphere exploding at the speed of light.

  Bob: Total Dynastic reversal...

  Joey obviously never watched GhostBusters growing up. This is the only way forward. NEVER mix the timelines!!

  ...Until Game 7, down 10 with 5 to go.

  Steve: I have a radical idea. The ball swings both ways, we can reverse the particle flow through the gate.

  Joey: How?

  Steve: [Beat] We'll cross the streams.

  Joey: 'Scuse me Steve? You said crossing the streams was bad!

  Bob: Cross the streams...

  Joey: You're gonna endanger us, you're gonna endanger our client - the nice FTX, who paid us in advance, before they became a dog...

  Steve: Not necessarily. There's definitely a very slim chance we'll win.

  (Beat while they consider this)

  Joey: [slaps Bob] I love this plan! I'm excited to be a part of it! LET'S DO IT!

  Guber: This job is definitely not worth eleven-five a year!

  Bob: We're the GOATdubsters!

  Janie McCauley: Who does your taxes?

• Eric Apricot (15 ♡):

  Excellent end to the road trip with inspired play to beat the Celtics and then great showing from the skeleton squad losing a close one in CLE. Excellent 1-1 split of the back to back.

  Wait

Game thread: Warriors send the kids to work…

No Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, or Thompson; Kuminga and JMG are back though!

• Bel (14 ♡):

  Great game by Jerome. Played 41 minutes. 22 points. 8 assists. 1 TURNOVER.

• Sleepy Freud (12 ♡):

  He's a fucking treasure.

• Faye (11 ♡):

  I’m back home with my parents this week and they’re watching the game with me and my mom who has never watched a warriors game in her life has said “this is too close, I can’t watch” and “this basketball game is longer than normal, isn’t it?!”

  So. She’s one of us from day 1, I think.

• Duby Dub Dubs (11 ♡):

  It's happening!

  Just got my tickets for an invite to a luxury box for Sundays game!!! Can't wait to embarrass myself in front of the suits!

• Dilly (10 ♡):

  Loon had 2 more rebounds than mobley & Allen combined.

Post game OT heartbreak thread: Brown gets…

close but no cigar

• Eric Apricot (19 ♡):

  I like watching the team and I think we absolutely deserve to be a playoff team. GSW just went into the home of the best team in the league which had this game circled for months with white-hot Celtics intensity and GSW were a shot away from getting the win.

  Steph and Wiggs are still getting in shape and the team is figuring out how to play with them again. Poole is figuring out how to use his talents and cool it with the wildness. When we have JK back it will bring back the GP2-ish dimension.

  Are they as good as the dynasty finals teams? Are they an inevitable thing like the Five Finals teams? No, but they’re still good enough to go far in the playoffs and be plenty fun.

• JoZeAlvaradoStan (12 ♡):

  Heh more encouraged about a loss than ive been encouraged from about 10 wins this year.

• Eric Apricot (12 ♡):

  Intense, fun game. Kerr got to try a few small lineups. It might be that the same lesson he learned in the Finals is coming through: they need Looney more of the game.

  Also, it seems like GSW might be on to something with the whole full court pressure thing. I suspect they are going to pull that out at surprise key moments in the future.

  I felt encouraged by the game on the whole. On to the next one…

• Golden Gate Warrior (11 ♡):

  Curry has to take a majority of the blame here IMO - those two lazy turnovers in the 4th were backbreaking and shifted everything when the Dubs had a chance to go up double digits.

  Absolutely gave life to a lifeless team. As the leader and best player, it's unacceptable.

  The fact that this team is completely undersized and there is no emphasize or recognition on boxing out is just mind boggling.

• DFiB (9 ♡):

  Also would point out a few things trending in the right direction:

  We had a 104 defensive rating tonight, and are the #3 Defensive rating team over the last 12 games, and up to #15 overall.

• Tonkal (8 ♡):

  Hey, at least no one got hurt from Marcus Smart diving onto people's legs

• DFiB (8 ♡):

  Damn... when Klay just dropped that ball outta bounds...

  At the end of the day, this game shows that this team can hang with the top of the NBA. Foundational 6 plus DDV & Lamb is a tad bit weaker than Foundational 6 plus GP2 & OPJ, so it's good that we've got Kuminga and JMG coming back. And we'll see if Wise can give a few minutes in tightly controlled matchups... but there's bench versatility and decentness.

• TwoRingTest (8 ♡):

  Preach. Barring injuries, I think they're going to be a top-tier contender ... not dominant, but in the mix of the top 3-4 teams.

  You can't spend 6 weeks figuring out how to use a bunch of young players, then drop another 5 weeks to injuries to two of your top three players and have a great record. We've been bad, and we're just starting to get better.

  What we've lost in the muck of the early season is the margin of error. If Dray or Steph goes down for a significant length of time, we may not make it to even the play-in. Can't worry about that, though. Just get better and aim to have at least some of the youngsters and JMG ready to go in April.

• Being (8 ♡):

  This is a game where they really really needed Kuminga's 20-25 minutes off the bench.

• Dilly (8 ♡):

  Steph looked gassed when he was on the bench before he came back in the game in the 4th. His play did not make me think differently.

  I ate ice cream of sadness early. May even go to bed early. *sigh* I was ready to celebrate.

• alv66 (8 ♡):

  This game wasn't on Poole (it was on Steph). Still, with over half the season in the books, I don't see what Poole offers in crunch time. Having him on ball takes the ball away from Steph, and he's not that threatening off ball. He struggles against tight physical defenses, ala crunch time defense. His own defense is bad and he's always the target of iso mismatches. He makes poor decisions and turns the ball over in the worst moments. I'd rather have Poole as a starter if it means keeping him out of the closing lineup in games that matter.

Golden State still trying to get right as…

Will the Warriors add any help? Do they need to?

• Tonkal (15 ♡):

  All I want tonight is for Marcus Smart not to injure any Warriors

• nomdesab (12 ♡):

  [On Iguodala] Last I checked....he's still a doofus for dunking with a bad hip.

• Abaddon (9 ♡):

  > If the Dubs only play .500 ball (or, Threesus forbid, worse) and no changes are made, it's time to bury hopes for the season

  LOL, no.

• funleavyfotofun93 (8 ♡):

  Wiggins has been fire on defense tonight

• jeckyllhouse (8 ♡):

  only watching intermittently, but I see that we still have a Steph, and they still do not

• Goldarn Staid Worrier (8 ♡):

  Ok, I’m going to take a contrarian position: The regular season matters.

  Getting into the playoffs is the goal and, healthy, from any spot in the rankings the Dubs have a decent shot at winning. Sure, I’m on board with that. And I really don’t think the difference between the 3rd and the 6th seed is all that big a deal. Getting to start the playoffs against a borderline 7 or 8 seed is about the best thing going for positioning, but our chances of the 1 or 2 seed are slim indeed.

  But still. The regular season matters.

  Reason? Because losing games is not fun! And losing games to mediocre teams (Magic, Pistons, no-starters Suns) is deeply not fun. It’s a very long season, and I watch every game. I savor the joy of brilliant play. I chat about it here with you. I don’t need 79 wins (but hey, that was pretty cool), but 40 losses on the way to a low seed is a lot of pathos to stomach. I’d like high 50s … say, 57-25 as a record. A whole lot more winning than losing, not a ton of agony. Lots of smiles every month through the dark cold winter. Confidence that we’re going somewhere. No need to talk about blowing the team up all the time.

  Dear Warriors: please give me a full season and playoffs of fun winning pleasure. Don’t save all the smiles for May.

Dub Nation HQ Comments of Week, plus open…

another week of panic and glee

• Eric Apricot (11 ♡):

  We are also not certain of the long-term effects of too much flashy-thingie

• DFiB (10 ♡):

  I WONDER IF THAT LOCKER ROOM STILL SMELLS LIKE CHAMPAGNE!!! WHAT ARE THEY GONNA SAY NOW?!?!?!?

• Dilly (10 ♡):

  Good to re-read most of these & some for the first time. FiveAlarmFreddy & his daughter was one of the latter. She needs a kitten to hold. Everyone in the world needs a kitten to hold. The world would be better for it.

  • Dilly (19 ♡):

    And as I was re-reading his comment for a second time, I wondered on what other sports fan page would anyone feel accepted enough to write that except on DNHQ.

    This is a wonderful, rare place you guys have created. I hope you know that.

    [And on cue, my big kitty Boots jumped onto my lap for a snuggle. And he was joined a few minutes later by his little brothers Smokie & Opie.]

  • Five Alarm Freddy (22 ♡):

    Yeah, looking back at it you're right. I would never have shared that anywhere else. Pretty special place for sure.

    By the way she's feeling better. She had her first two basketball games, hasn't scored a point yet, but leads the team in rebounds and steals. Plus, she set two of the meanest screens I have ever seen. For the second smallest girl on the team, she channels her inner Draymond and Loon. Makes me feel confident she'll be good.

  • GlueAndBold (15 ♡):

    I love how this place is basically the marvelous distilled essence of the old GSOM, created out of a need and sense of purpose, and absolutely surpassing the original. “Wonderful and rare” indeed!