[Canellis] Giannis and his representatives reached out to the Bulls about a potential deal, and the Bulls said they weren’t interested. They were not interested in breaking up their young core or changing their course of direction
>>> On the other side of the equation, the Warriors have eschewed size - at least when they couldn’t find it. Andrew Bogut aside, no traditional big has ever played more than a spot role in coach Steve Kerr’s frenetic, motion-heavy offense.
This ignores Pachulia’s contributions in ‘16-17 in particular. He started 70 games and all but 2 postseason games on a championship team. 18 minutes might not be huge, but he was pretty ideal absorbing/delivering early game body blows when both sides are trying to soften things up. He could also pass out of the high post like Bogut.
If the Bucks are gonna tear down and rebuild, Myles Turner doesn’t fit their timeline. Podziemski would be a hometown hero with a midwestern work ethic and Kuminga is a much easier to pronounce African name.
Ill take Portis for Moody (preferred) or even Kuzma for JK before id consider a Giannis trade that has us giving up Dray and multiple first round draft picks.
I’m in the equivalent of central time and it was brutal here. Mrs fell asleep when the Warriors were getting their asses kicked and I didn’t have the heart to wake her up until the Warriors came back to within 3.
Warriors struggle with explosive small guards and the Sixers are all about that and also the Warriors are a flat out bad team on the road when Curry is out so I think it's going to be a tough one
Is the smallball identity their issue? They are top ten defensively. Seems to me like their issue is on the offensive side, which in theory should be a strength of smallball. But they don't seem to have enough dynamic perimeter play.
Absolutely offense is their issue. Our perimeter offense have been too hesitant to take shots - often QP or Podz or Buddy pass up the first shot and get it much later in the clock for a tougher shot. The only non Steph offense that seems to work is the Jimmy mid/low post catch and score or Pat Spencer penetration and kick out or score. Melton should help there, I think Pat has shown enough to get more minutes to be the creator.
Also "smallball" is too vague a term I think, the smallball the Warriors are playing now (3-4 guards at a time) is completely different than the smallball they played 10 years ago (Draymond at center but a bunch of lengthy wings around him).
Yeah, I think the lineups post 2022 has been true small ball. Steve didn’t know how good he had it to choose 2 closers along with the trio when those options were S Dot, Andre or KD
GP2 was playing power forward a lot in that 2022 run as well tbh.
The other big change has been using smallball as a closing lineup back in the day to using it as a starting lineup now. Kerr did sometimes use it as a starting lineup back then (2019 Rocket series for instance), but now it is a much more common occurrence. Which speaks to the lackluster center rotation the Warriors have, but also to an older Draymond who needs to play his best position more often especially after they traded for a player like Butler who is not a shooting threat.
Back in the day, he could start Draymond with Bogut or Zaza because they didn’t need a floor-spacing big with the best-shooting back court in NBA history.
Edit: It’s why I’m wondering why he doesn’t start Post, or at least play him more. To my eye, he’s not getting his ass kicked out there and his progress in blocking-without-fouling is looking legit.
BINGO. Your point is valid and true. Small ball was used most-effectively for a quarter to break open games or catch up. Its most-effective use was in the 3rd quarter, though there were match up exceptions. METHINKS it has evolved into an all-game strategy out of sheer staffing desperation, losing its explosive effectiveness in the process. We manage to stay competitive with it, but that is about it...ergo, a .500 team is not exactly a strong one...nor is small ball as utilized a...strength.
Buddy closing was indefensible. He wasn't even shooting well. SGA and J-Dub just constantly toasting him on ball and he got lost off ball multiple times. He was in there instead of Podz for awhile and instead of Moody (or Seth or Spencer etc etc).
Defensive rating is not an individual statistic, it is a team statistic. Post is not the 5th highest rated defensive player in the league by any statistic that actually measures that.
The Hield question is a good one, although up until the Warriors signed Seth they've only had three guys who have some sort of shooting gravity in Curry/Hield/Moody. But Hield in his career has only really been playable when he's the guy shooting 40+% from three, and he's certainly not doing that now.
And yet, no other Warrior is even close in this “non individual statistic”! He’s actually now #3 in the league. All those little guys are really helping poor QP pad those stats! 😂
On QP: There is obviously something wrong with the ratings. Small sample size or something but I can name 5 better defensive players ON OKC than our beloved friend Quinten.
On Buddy: You tell me. Put Seth in there. Buddy can lead bench celebrations, he has great energy.
He did almost the exact same thing to his left calf in a playoff game against the Celtics a couple years ago. Obviously hoping it’s minor, but I do think he’s probably hurt.
This is interesting. A couple of related things it makes me think:
1) Small players have traditionally had a lot more skill than bigger ones, which is why a team could somewhat reliably compensate for lack of size with better shooting/passing/ball-handling. While that’s still somewhat true, the gap seems to be shrinking, and more and more teams these days are stockpiling larger skill players. I’m thinking mostly about guys like Luka, Shai, Cade, or Avdija, but it’s also true of Chet, Mobley, Wemby, et al, as well as any number of sub-all-star rotation players. So I fear the advantage of going small may be diminishing, in general.
2) For the W’s specifically, even as the number of these skill players with size has increased league-wide, we have really struggled to acquire them. Butler and Draymond are probably the only two guys on the roster with exceptional skill-to-size ratios (apart from Steph, who is an outlier at any size). Do we think this is because of bad scouting, or because the W’s scheme has an even higher bar to meet (in terms of skill/feel) than most?
"But the Warriors promise to remain one hell of a ride." As long as they play with joy I am all in. It is a tough slog even for the youngest guys, but when they play with smiles it can make even a ho hum night worth watching. GPII is every bit as entertaining as the Harlem Globetrotters. And its not like a few years back when you had to hold your breath every time Dray was in an altercation.
Three things the NBA needs to work on. Unevenly called games (especially when they change the results), scheduling that is "cruel and unusual punishment" and the trend to allow more physicality which is really just a code word for wrestling matches.
On the plus side we can start to see the youngsters picking up the slack. If one wants to criticize Kerr (and generally I don't) he is constantly fiddling with rotations. Take Spencer. He never got a fair shot until the last couple of games. Then we have JK who has flashes of his former brilliance mixed with almost deer in headlights type play. I know they are trying to showcase him for a trade---but it isn't going that well.
Looking forward to Melt back, but as Dray said we can't look to him as a savior. One thing is good about everyone being beat up so early (and it's every team not just the Warriors) is play time for the bench matters. And DEPTH will matter when we get to that gruesome schedule in March. It's reminiscent of a death march--last men standing. The NBA needs to clean up its act. Risking players, fans and ultimately the bottom line.
Keep that losing energy Bulls. lol.
r/nba
•
49m ago
howser343
emoji:chi-1: Bulls
[Canellis] Giannis and his representatives reached out to the Bulls about a potential deal, and the Bulls said they weren’t interested. They were not interested in breaking up their young core or changing their course of direction
Source: https://www.audacy.com/stations/670thescore/shows/rahimi-harris-grote-show-bf1c2/episodes/dfb9f58f6202/chapters/f51506d7412f
Starts around 2:30
Lou Canellis is a sports anchor for Fox32 Chicago. Quote was aired on 670 The Score broadcast
Bulls' front office is said to be committed to their core
My one gripe about the article:
>>> On the other side of the equation, the Warriors have eschewed size - at least when they couldn’t find it. Andrew Bogut aside, no traditional big has ever played more than a spot role in coach Steve Kerr’s frenetic, motion-heavy offense.
This ignores Pachulia’s contributions in ‘16-17 in particular. He started 70 games and all but 2 postseason games on a championship team. 18 minutes might not be huge, but he was pretty ideal absorbing/delivering early game body blows when both sides are trying to soften things up. He could also pass out of the high post like Bogut.
If the Bucks are gonna tear down and rebuild, Myles Turner doesn’t fit their timeline. Podziemski would be a hometown hero with a midwestern work ethic and Kuminga is a much easier to pronounce African name.
I don’t know how much we’ve talked about him since last season’s big trade, but I’d love the roster:
Starters: Curry-Moody-Jimmy-Draymond-Turner
2nd string: Melton-Seth-Moody-Horford-Post
And holy shit, even the 3rd string is a bunch of guys who can move up to second string if a 1st or 2nd stringer is out: Spencer-Richard-Buddy-Gui-TJD
Ill take Portis for Moody (preferred) or even Kuzma for JK before id consider a Giannis trade that has us giving up Dray and multiple first round draft picks.
I'd trade everyone on the team besides Steph and Jimmy and all the picks we have for Giannis. Those 3 and anyone else are title contenders.
absolutely with you on that!
Giannis is admittedly an upgrade for Draymond at PF. I'm not sure it solves the issues at C though.
Giannis is functionally a center and has had a ton of success playing with a stretch 5 like Post.
Yeah you're right. No reason he can't switch back and forth like Draymond.
Early game time alert.
WHEN: Thursday, December 4th, 2025; 4pm PST
thank goodness for us Eastcoasters, that OKC game at 11pm EST was brutal!
I’m in the equivalent of central time and it was brutal here. Mrs fell asleep when the Warriors were getting their asses kicked and I didn’t have the heart to wake her up until the Warriors came back to within 3.
Doc Rivers did say Giannis had an MRI.
Shams Charania
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to be sidelined for approximately 2 to 4 weeks with a right calf strain, sources tell ESPN.
Tyrese Maxee is the #3 scorer in the NBA currently, right behind Luka and SGA at 32.8 ppg - he is going to be more than a handfull tonight !
Warriors struggle with explosive small guards and the Sixers are all about that and also the Warriors are a flat out bad team on the road when Curry is out so I think it's going to be a tough one
very true - and Embid might be playing too!
That might be a net win if he's still so hobbled.
Is the smallball identity their issue? They are top ten defensively. Seems to me like their issue is on the offensive side, which in theory should be a strength of smallball. But they don't seem to have enough dynamic perimeter play.
Absolutely offense is their issue. Our perimeter offense have been too hesitant to take shots - often QP or Podz or Buddy pass up the first shot and get it much later in the clock for a tougher shot. The only non Steph offense that seems to work is the Jimmy mid/low post catch and score or Pat Spencer penetration and kick out or score. Melton should help there, I think Pat has shown enough to get more minutes to be the creator.
Also "smallball" is too vague a term I think, the smallball the Warriors are playing now (3-4 guards at a time) is completely different than the smallball they played 10 years ago (Draymond at center but a bunch of lengthy wings around him).
Yeah, I think the lineups post 2022 has been true small ball. Steve didn’t know how good he had it to choose 2 closers along with the trio when those options were S Dot, Andre or KD
GP2 was playing power forward a lot in that 2022 run as well tbh.
The other big change has been using smallball as a closing lineup back in the day to using it as a starting lineup now. Kerr did sometimes use it as a starting lineup back then (2019 Rocket series for instance), but now it is a much more common occurrence. Which speaks to the lackluster center rotation the Warriors have, but also to an older Draymond who needs to play his best position more often especially after they traded for a player like Butler who is not a shooting threat.
Back in the day, he could start Draymond with Bogut or Zaza because they didn’t need a floor-spacing big with the best-shooting back court in NBA history.
Edit: It’s why I’m wondering why he doesn’t start Post, or at least play him more. To my eye, he’s not getting his ass kicked out there and his progress in blocking-without-fouling is looking legit.
BINGO. Your point is valid and true. Small ball was used most-effectively for a quarter to break open games or catch up. Its most-effective use was in the 3rd quarter, though there were match up exceptions. METHINKS it has evolved into an all-game strategy out of sheer staffing desperation, losing its explosive effectiveness in the process. We manage to stay competitive with it, but that is about it...ergo, a .500 team is not exactly a strong one...nor is small ball as utilized a...strength.
It will be fun seeing Melton, though I'm sure it will be on a pretty tight minutes restrictions.
Starting to be a bit concerned about how banged up we are. I was hoping we'd start winning a few more games about now (after the road-hell month).
The amount of hype surrounding his return is going to be a big disappointment if he is just pedestrian.
I’m considering the combined hype of Seth and Melton’ debuts already lived up to no matter what Melton does.
TBH, I'm not expecting much. But, it will be nice to see where he's at.
I'd be pleasantly surprised to see him get back to form by the end of the regular season.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/47196967/giannis-trade-guide-five-bucks-deals-alter-nba-title-race
#5: Golden State Warriors get:
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Thanasis Antetokounmpo
Bucks get:
Draymond Green ,Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield, 2026 first-round pick, 2028 first-round pick , 2030 first-round pick (if 1 through 20), 2032 first-round pick
Absolute no brainer but I see no chance in hell it happens
C'mon MDJ, make it happen
Draymond player option next season kills this trade or nah? You think they are going into a rebuild....
So, uh, who do we have to give our approval to?
Why is QP, the 5th highest rated defensive player in the entire league, only getting 18 minutes? Why is Buddy getting 28? This is nonsense.
Buddy closing was indefensible. He wasn't even shooting well. SGA and J-Dub just constantly toasting him on ball and he got lost off ball multiple times. He was in there instead of Podz for awhile and instead of Moody (or Seth or Spencer etc etc).
I do not understand it.
Rim protection from the now #3 rated defensive player in the league is just overrated! 5 guards FTW 😂
Defensive rating is not an individual statistic, it is a team statistic. Post is not the 5th highest rated defensive player in the league by any statistic that actually measures that.
The Hield question is a good one, although up until the Warriors signed Seth they've only had three guys who have some sort of shooting gravity in Curry/Hield/Moody. But Hield in his career has only really been playable when he's the guy shooting 40+% from three, and he's certainly not doing that now.
And yet, no other Warrior is even close in this “non individual statistic”! He’s actually now #3 in the league. All those little guys are really helping poor QP pad those stats! 😂
Buddy's had only one season of greater than 40% on threes since 2019
On QP: There is obviously something wrong with the ratings. Small sample size or something but I can name 5 better defensive players ON OKC than our beloved friend Quinten.
On Buddy: You tell me. Put Seth in there. Buddy can lead bench celebrations, he has great energy.
Yes, the stats are lying and small ball is winning our games 😂
Dr. Brian Sutterer’s analysis of Gianni’s’ injury might lead one to believe it might not be real https://youtu.be/-jHu5WjP1is?si=YVb5Z9GI-MRZVgeF
I believe Twitter doctoring to not be real
Getting MRI for a fake injury is certainly...a choice.
We don't actually see the player get an MRI. They can just say he got one.
Okay now we're getting the NBA involved. Is the league so corrupt to go along with all this deception? Don't answer that.
Its very relaxing laying down in those tubes
Relaxing?!
He did almost the exact same thing to his left calf in a playoff game against the Celtics a couple years ago. Obviously hoping it’s minor, but I do think he’s probably hurt.
The dreaded Knick-itis (bonus points if he's still on the injury report and then jogs out of the tunnel in a Knicks uniform)
This is interesting. A couple of related things it makes me think:
1) Small players have traditionally had a lot more skill than bigger ones, which is why a team could somewhat reliably compensate for lack of size with better shooting/passing/ball-handling. While that’s still somewhat true, the gap seems to be shrinking, and more and more teams these days are stockpiling larger skill players. I’m thinking mostly about guys like Luka, Shai, Cade, or Avdija, but it’s also true of Chet, Mobley, Wemby, et al, as well as any number of sub-all-star rotation players. So I fear the advantage of going small may be diminishing, in general.
2) For the W’s specifically, even as the number of these skill players with size has increased league-wide, we have really struggled to acquire them. Butler and Draymond are probably the only two guys on the roster with exceptional skill-to-size ratios (apart from Steph, who is an outlier at any size). Do we think this is because of bad scouting, or because the W’s scheme has an even higher bar to meet (in terms of skill/feel) than most?
Its cause we whiffed on a #2 and #7 pick and hit singles with a #14 and #19 pick.
(But we crush those picks in the 50s)
#2 and #7 were also attempts at getting bigger players.
"But the Warriors promise to remain one hell of a ride." As long as they play with joy I am all in. It is a tough slog even for the youngest guys, but when they play with smiles it can make even a ho hum night worth watching. GPII is every bit as entertaining as the Harlem Globetrotters. And its not like a few years back when you had to hold your breath every time Dray was in an altercation.
Three things the NBA needs to work on. Unevenly called games (especially when they change the results), scheduling that is "cruel and unusual punishment" and the trend to allow more physicality which is really just a code word for wrestling matches.
On the plus side we can start to see the youngsters picking up the slack. If one wants to criticize Kerr (and generally I don't) he is constantly fiddling with rotations. Take Spencer. He never got a fair shot until the last couple of games. Then we have JK who has flashes of his former brilliance mixed with almost deer in headlights type play. I know they are trying to showcase him for a trade---but it isn't going that well.
Looking forward to Melt back, but as Dray said we can't look to him as a savior. One thing is good about everyone being beat up so early (and it's every team not just the Warriors) is play time for the bench matters. And DEPTH will matter when we get to that gruesome schedule in March. It's reminiscent of a death march--last men standing. The NBA needs to clean up its act. Risking players, fans and ultimately the bottom line.