Warriors demolish Blazers; welcome Draymond back to team
Warriors demolish Blazers; welcome Draymond back to team
It's time to forgive, baby!
One thing I love about Dub Nation HQ is that this community stands as a time capsule for various moments in Golden State Warriors and NBA history. You can flip through our archives and get a true finger on the pulse of Warriors’ fans, especially in our world famous “My Worst Take” series.
Today’s word for the day kids is “forgiveness”, something that was on display after the Dubs throttled the Portland Trail Blazers 131-98 in an entertaining preseason tilt.
Forgiving Draymond
Coach Steve Kerr took the podium after the victory and informed the world that Draymond Green would be fined and not suspended for punching his teammate Jordan Poole in practice. Green had been on hiatus from the team as GSW figured out the best way for the team to move forward in the heated aftermath.
There were two snippets from the Kerr postgame presser that crystallized the depth of Golden State’s chemistry and the bedrock of leadership that supports the NBA’s reigning dynasty. In the first one Kerr references the conversation that Poole and Draymond had to get this point:
Kudos to Dray for owning up to his transgression, and an even bigger shout out to the young Poole for having the maturity and strength of spirit of to accept that apology. He got laid out in practice, humiliated on the internet, and yet had the strength of character to not pout about his grievances or publically rail against Green. Kerr spoke to that in the second clip:
Of course it helps to be in a humble and forgiving state when you’re surrounded by a team of stand up guys like Stephen Curry and Kevon Looney, both who were specifically mentioned by Coach Kerr as instrumental in starting the healing process.
During that press conference I thought alot about Dray and JP’s relationship through the 2020 lost season, when the Splash Bros were out of action with awful injuries. Draymond was the last All-Star left from the Hamptons 5 days, surrounded by an assortment of young unproven players and scrappy vets. Poole was a late first round pick trying to find his way in the NBA. The league gleefully kicked Golden State’s butt that year as the team stumbled to a 15-50 record after five straight NBA Finals trips.
Those tough times alongside Green are a big part of what forged Poole’s pro career, and now that he’s a budding star in Golden State’s reborn flying death machine, it’s clear that Green had a positive impact on the young fella’s development.
I’m not sure how right hooks to the jaw in practice help that process, but I’m eager to see how these two continue to grow together under the bright lights. Poole has grown up a lot before our eyes, and his mature response to this situation can only bode well for the Dubs.
Maybe that’ll keep bully vibes from spreading even more, as we saw a very alarming example of it last night with Klay Thompson and a rookie lolol.
Speaking of growing up and forgiveness…we may have to forgive all those who thought they were a better GM than Bob Myers.
Forgiving the skeptics
Yes it’s time to forgive those of us in Dub Nation who were too blind to see that the youth movement was the supreme answer to the question: how are the Warriors going to handle the tail end of the core’s career?
James Wiseman tallied 18 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block in 18 minutes. He shot 6-of-8 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line while also pumping fear into Portland center Jusuf Nurkic.
Hey folks, who knew that drafting a 7-foot freak athlete #2 overall in 2020 to completely solidify the center position for years to come was a good idea? OH THAT’S RIGHT JOE LACOB AND BOB MYERS.
Sophomore lottery pick Moses Moody scored 20 points in 23 minutes as a starter, shooting 6-12 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc with 2 steals. That seems pretty good, right? Maybe Myers knows what he’s doing in the draft, eh?
Speaking of Myers, how about those free agent acquisitions JaMychal Green and Donte DiVincenzo. J-Green scored 20 points in 20 minutes and grabbed 8 rebounds, shooting 8-of-10 from the floor and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.
DDV spent time as the de facto point guard with Stephen Curry out, and he responded with 10 assists, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 5 turnovers in 23 minutes. The former 2018 #17 overall pick knows where he’s supposed to be on the court and how to help his teammates be their best selves. I like that.
Forgiving the haters
Now we must forgive the league for the hate and the disrespect they poured on us. We’re the hottest thing going in sports, of course they’d be mad.
But one day, let’s hope that they go from being stressed by our domination to realizing they are blessed to experience in their lifetimes; one day they very well may become too grateful to be hateful.
But until then, Golden State’s path of destruction will continue from arena to arena and city to city. That’s that darn bully culture again, I guess? Bahahahaahah!
Lakers working hard to reinforce the notion that teams shoot threes against us better than their overall percentages. How many did Nunn hit last night? Yes.
So this is weird. I had a dream last night that Steph won the masked singer. (I don't even watch the show, so why I dreamed about it was beyond me).
In my dream, when he was revealed as the winner I was shocked, and then just thought "well it makes sense. All the guy does is win!"