OT: I just noticed that Basketball Reference keeps track of "heaves" ā which means we can actually determine players' true 3FG% instead of the phony BS number they've been deceiving us with all these years?? I'll go to my grave ranting it: **buzzer heaves are not remotely the same as shot attempts.**
So, just to choose one notable example at random...
Steph Curry fake news career 3FG%: .433
Steph Curry actual career 3FG% (excluding heaves): .439
Goddammit, that is not a trivial difference! The NBA seriously needs to rectify this injustice post-haste. The current dumb rule affects a lot of other players' numbers, too, but Steph has to be among the most punished by it, as he's one of the few players who will always opt to heave it in order to marginally improve his team's chances of winning, rather than swallow it to protect his precious 3FG%
Quickie comparison of career heaves among fellow 3 pt bombers:
Curry 81
Harden 17
Lillard 17
Thompson 16
Durant 9
!!!!!
This must not stand. Don't be surprised to find me sleeping in front of Adam Silver's office with a "HEAVES ARE NOT ATTEMPTS" placard by my side...
I think we're already coming to the realization that while this year's squad is a huge improvement over last year's, it's still going to be a struggle just to get into the postseason this year. So let's get Wiseman all the experience we can this year - I'm really looking forward to how improved he will likely be at season's end and hope that Klay comes back strong next year and we manage our 2021 first round picks well. We'll also get a look at how well Oubre might fit in with next year's squad and can decide whether to keep him around or not.
I'm not sure, 3D, if breaking up your take into positive/negative can really do justice to the picture the Warriors have drawn for us. You can't have one without the other, just like offense without defense. If your view is about comparing this team with last year's model, there is much that is improved because of the new additions to the team. However, I am wearing a different pair of glasses than you and my conclusion is, this team doesn't work on the level that most of us have come to see/expect as the 'Warrior standard'. Expecting Curry to carry the team is a given, but that doesn't excuse the other players from elevating and executing their game, which they haven't. Wiggins, who I thought might change with Kerr's system, can't play in this system. Neither can Oubre. The Warriors are trying to force fit them into the mold and it's not working unless you consider a .500 team, successful. They need to trade out Wiggins and get out from his massive salary so they can bring in talent that fits with Curry and Dray. With Klay back, they will be better, but Wiggins will not be better and will still be hampering their financial ability to be bringing in talent for the support players. It's not that he is a bad player, he just doesn't fit on this team and the sooner they get the inevitable over with, they can begin again to refurbish the team.
The player I think they should be focusing on NOW, is JW. They need to give him more minutes and make him a scorer. The kid likes to shoot and has a shot from anywhere on the floor! Plus, he can get his shot. It's what he does best, so far. The defense will come later. We need points to stay in games and JW can provide the points, the allyoops, putbacks, perimeter shots and mid range. Forget trying to get Oubre going. He will be better coming off the bench and being replaced by DLee. JW will get his rebounds no matter what because of his size. Maybe later on, he can learn the finer points of positioning. He can defend the rim, block shots, and deter shots. But we need his offense. I'm convinced he can give us 20ppg if Curry and Dray focus on him. Wiggins seems to have settled on about 17ppg. DLee should give us at least 15ppg, and Curry will give you the rest. Dray is more or less finished offensively. He's in decline but he still sees the game very well and can be a great playmaker. The Dubs have to take this into account going forward. Without scoring points, they cannot go deep into playoffs.
In my estimation, we need a real PF on the level of Siakam, teamed up with JW. Atlanta's John Collins would be such a player but I've no idea of the reality in trying to get him. With Wiggins as a trading chip, and possibly Oubre, they need to pull something off. They will grab a shooter or two in the 2021 draft and this team will begin a serious rebuild that will compete again. With twin towers in the paint, they can play in any fashion they choose to. Stretch the floor, inside/out, they have options, but they need size and power at the PF and OFFENSE. Maybe JW is that PF and we find another C to anchor it all. The problem is Kerr and his small ball mind and what used to work for the Warriors but can't work with the current crop. He's tried just about every adjustment except what I've mentioned above. Focusing the offense on JW, will help the team more than anything at this point. This team is not capable of lock down D so why not focus on the offense, which is the main point of winning basketball games. The kid loves to shoot!
If they keep Oubre, he has to come off the bench. He cannot fit in with Kerr's motion and passing system. I'd rather keep Oubre than Wiggins because of Oubre's unique ability/motor that keeps him moving, rebounding, blocking, and creating diversions. Let others do the perimeter shooting. Use DLee and Mulder more, more, more. Replace Wanamaker next season. Keep Paschal and use Poole for quick points. Wanamaker is not enough for this bench. Involve Looney in the scoring off the bench. He used to be a scorer but they don't want to use him that way. Kerr needs to wake up and use the strengths of the players, not only the strength of his system. Adapt. This team need to focus on its future as the 'win now' motto is not gonna happen. Real changes, not hoping for the old championship Warriors, is needed. This iteration is done and dusted.
I officially hate the nets. Watching KD and Harden play together disgusts me. Iād rather LeBron win again then either of these 2. Throw in Kyrie and Iāll hate them even more. Hopefully Giannis can take them out in the East
Magical is a great way to describe it. With many prospects you generally have a sense of what they could potentially be and during the course of that season, you just keep an eye out for flashes of potential in those areas.
For me, I really have no idea how high Wiseman's potential is... after 3 years he could be a 7'1" 255lb prime Shawn Kemp with a three point shot... I can't rule that out. Before the DEN game, I thought maybe his passing game would be non-existent, but then he had that play where he picks up the loose ball and initiates the break, then makes a perfect lead pass to Wiggins for the dunk and I just think "OK, well the raw instincts are there".
> But, fit matters. The other top players were guards, and it doesnāt make a ton of sense to use your big asset to draft a bench player.
Beg to differ in two regards. One, Klay was injured when they made the pick, LaMelo (who it sounds like they would have taken) or whatever other guard they would have taken would have gotten plenty of playing time. Two, speaking of Klay, didn't they draft him with Curry and Ellis already occupying the starting positions?
Just watched Wiseman's highlights from last game. Didn't realize how much he played like Bosh that game
OT: I just noticed that Basketball Reference keeps track of "heaves" ā which means we can actually determine players' true 3FG% instead of the phony BS number they've been deceiving us with all these years?? I'll go to my grave ranting it: **buzzer heaves are not remotely the same as shot attempts.**
So, just to choose one notable example at random...
Steph Curry fake news career 3FG%: .433
Steph Curry actual career 3FG% (excluding heaves): .439
Goddammit, that is not a trivial difference! The NBA seriously needs to rectify this injustice post-haste. The current dumb rule affects a lot of other players' numbers, too, but Steph has to be among the most punished by it, as he's one of the few players who will always opt to heave it in order to marginally improve his team's chances of winning, rather than swallow it to protect his precious 3FG%
Quickie comparison of career heaves among fellow 3 pt bombers:
Curry 81
Harden 17
Lillard 17
Thompson 16
Durant 9
!!!!!
This must not stand. Don't be surprised to find me sleeping in front of Adam Silver's office with a "HEAVES ARE NOT ATTEMPTS" placard by my side...
I think we're already coming to the realization that while this year's squad is a huge improvement over last year's, it's still going to be a struggle just to get into the postseason this year. So let's get Wiseman all the experience we can this year - I'm really looking forward to how improved he will likely be at season's end and hope that Klay comes back strong next year and we manage our 2021 first round picks well. We'll also get a look at how well Oubre might fit in with next year's squad and can decide whether to keep him around or not.
I'm not sure, 3D, if breaking up your take into positive/negative can really do justice to the picture the Warriors have drawn for us. You can't have one without the other, just like offense without defense. If your view is about comparing this team with last year's model, there is much that is improved because of the new additions to the team. However, I am wearing a different pair of glasses than you and my conclusion is, this team doesn't work on the level that most of us have come to see/expect as the 'Warrior standard'. Expecting Curry to carry the team is a given, but that doesn't excuse the other players from elevating and executing their game, which they haven't. Wiggins, who I thought might change with Kerr's system, can't play in this system. Neither can Oubre. The Warriors are trying to force fit them into the mold and it's not working unless you consider a .500 team, successful. They need to trade out Wiggins and get out from his massive salary so they can bring in talent that fits with Curry and Dray. With Klay back, they will be better, but Wiggins will not be better and will still be hampering their financial ability to be bringing in talent for the support players. It's not that he is a bad player, he just doesn't fit on this team and the sooner they get the inevitable over with, they can begin again to refurbish the team.
The player I think they should be focusing on NOW, is JW. They need to give him more minutes and make him a scorer. The kid likes to shoot and has a shot from anywhere on the floor! Plus, he can get his shot. It's what he does best, so far. The defense will come later. We need points to stay in games and JW can provide the points, the allyoops, putbacks, perimeter shots and mid range. Forget trying to get Oubre going. He will be better coming off the bench and being replaced by DLee. JW will get his rebounds no matter what because of his size. Maybe later on, he can learn the finer points of positioning. He can defend the rim, block shots, and deter shots. But we need his offense. I'm convinced he can give us 20ppg if Curry and Dray focus on him. Wiggins seems to have settled on about 17ppg. DLee should give us at least 15ppg, and Curry will give you the rest. Dray is more or less finished offensively. He's in decline but he still sees the game very well and can be a great playmaker. The Dubs have to take this into account going forward. Without scoring points, they cannot go deep into playoffs.
In my estimation, we need a real PF on the level of Siakam, teamed up with JW. Atlanta's John Collins would be such a player but I've no idea of the reality in trying to get him. With Wiggins as a trading chip, and possibly Oubre, they need to pull something off. They will grab a shooter or two in the 2021 draft and this team will begin a serious rebuild that will compete again. With twin towers in the paint, they can play in any fashion they choose to. Stretch the floor, inside/out, they have options, but they need size and power at the PF and OFFENSE. Maybe JW is that PF and we find another C to anchor it all. The problem is Kerr and his small ball mind and what used to work for the Warriors but can't work with the current crop. He's tried just about every adjustment except what I've mentioned above. Focusing the offense on JW, will help the team more than anything at this point. This team is not capable of lock down D so why not focus on the offense, which is the main point of winning basketball games. The kid loves to shoot!
If they keep Oubre, he has to come off the bench. He cannot fit in with Kerr's motion and passing system. I'd rather keep Oubre than Wiggins because of Oubre's unique ability/motor that keeps him moving, rebounding, blocking, and creating diversions. Let others do the perimeter shooting. Use DLee and Mulder more, more, more. Replace Wanamaker next season. Keep Paschal and use Poole for quick points. Wanamaker is not enough for this bench. Involve Looney in the scoring off the bench. He used to be a scorer but they don't want to use him that way. Kerr needs to wake up and use the strengths of the players, not only the strength of his system. Adapt. This team need to focus on its future as the 'win now' motto is not gonna happen. Real changes, not hoping for the old championship Warriors, is needed. This iteration is done and dusted.
I officially hate the nets. Watching KD and Harden play together disgusts me. Iād rather LeBron win again then either of these 2. Throw in Kyrie and Iāll hate them even more. Hopefully Giannis can take them out in the East
Magical is a great way to describe it. With many prospects you generally have a sense of what they could potentially be and during the course of that season, you just keep an eye out for flashes of potential in those areas.
For me, I really have no idea how high Wiseman's potential is... after 3 years he could be a 7'1" 255lb prime Shawn Kemp with a three point shot... I can't rule that out. Before the DEN game, I thought maybe his passing game would be non-existent, but then he had that play where he picks up the loose ball and initiates the break, then makes a perfect lead pass to Wiggins for the dunk and I just think "OK, well the raw instincts are there".
> But, fit matters. The other top players were guards, and it doesnāt make a ton of sense to use your big asset to draft a bench player.
Beg to differ in two regards. One, Klay was injured when they made the pick, LaMelo (who it sounds like they would have taken) or whatever other guard they would have taken would have gotten plenty of playing time. Two, speaking of Klay, didn't they draft him with Curry and Ellis already occupying the starting positions?
Good decision to toss the first 2 games. It would have made your analysis skewed to the point of being...well, pointless.