Everyone loves the 49ers, but for my money the most interesting franchise in the Bay Area is the Warriors.
As a .500 team, with the NBA trade deadline (Feb. 8) looming, it seems impossible the team isn’t going to make a move. Maybe something drastic, a big splash trade.
Because it is very doubtful that owner Joe Lacob is going to be content to hand out the largest payroll in all of the NBA for a team that is not even a sure thing for the playoffs.
Something has to happen. And we’ll discuss that.
But first, legally required disclaimers.
We are HUGE fans of Steve Kerr. He’s smart, funny and effective. To those who doubt him, I’d offer up what he said to me at practice one day when I was rude enough to ask what he’d say to his critics.
“See those banners?” he said, pointing to the championship pennants on the wall. “Sheeeeeet.”
Also, Steph Curry is a national treasure. He should never play for another team. Ever. Period. He’s a transcendent basketball talent, a team leader and has consistently not only said the right thing, but backed it up with countless public service programs and appearances.
That said, the numbers are undeniable. As we write this the team is 15-16, coming off a terrible, sloppy, listless loss to Miami, and in 11th place in the Western Conference.
Much was made of the five-game winning streak earlier this month, but look at who they played. They beat the Nets (15-16), the Trail Blazers (8-22) twice and the Wizards (5-25 and owners of the longest losing streak in NBA history.)
It was a signature win to beat the Celtics in overtime, but if you remove Boston’s gaudy 24-6 record, the other four wins were against teams who were a collective 38-85.
The trajectory is not up, in other words. And it is worth asking, how did we get here?
Let us count the ways:
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The draft (part 1): You’ve followed the team, you’ve been through the draft choices – Eric Paschall, Alen Smailagic, Jacob Evans, Damian Jones and others. Even recently there’s been Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins.
So yeah, it has been said the Warriors don’t draft well.
The counter-argument is, few of those players have gone on to have success with other teams. So it isn’t as if they overlooked future stars.
As Kerr once said, in the glory years of NBA titles and Finals appearances, the team was drafting at the bottom of the draft order. And players drafted down the list have a low success rate in general in the NBA.
Either way, not much production out of the draft.
The draft (Part 2): James Wiseman was a huge whiff. When you get the second pick in the entire 2020 draft, you expect to get a foundational piece to your roster. Instead, he was shipped out after two-plus disappointing and injury-filled seasons.
I’m a little stubborn about Wiseman. He can run like a gazelle, he’s an eager lob-dunk option and even has a little shooting touch. He apparently never picked up defensive concepts well enough to earn playing time. And he’s not setting the league on fire with his new team, the Pistons – 14 minutes a game, 6.5 points, 4.2 rebounds.
Still, the Warriors won with a limited seven-footer in Javale McGee. Couldn’t Wiseman have been a version of him? (Now if you want to say he was too expensive, given his high draft choice, I’d say you might have a point.)
No matter. Water under the bridge. The #2 pick came and went without making a difference.
The draft (Part 3): Wiseman is only part of this. When the history of the Warriors is written, a chapter will need to be devoted to the two years when they had three lottery picks in two years.
That was the genesis of the famed “two track” system, which the team is now denying ever existed. Funny, cause it sure looked like it.
And why not? If the league hands you a list of the top 15 players in the draft and says pick three, you’d expect better results.
Wiseman (2), Jonathan Kuminga (7) and Moses Moody (14) have not re-launched the team.
I remain a fan of Moody’s, although my guess is he has no idea what his role is, since he’s in and out of the lineup constantly. I’m not thrilled with some of the threes he jacks up, but maybe he’s been told shooting from deep is his ticket to success.
Kuminga is every fan boy’s fav. Did you see that dunk? Yep, saw that and those turnovers – six in 20 minutes vs. Miami – and the number of times his man zipped past him.
He’s tantalizing. But is that all?
He’s also done a little public griping about playing time. He’s definitely a marketable trade piece. If the Dubs are going to do something drastic, I’d consider it.
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Small ball: Picture us waving our hand over our head, the NBA universal signal for “too small.” The Warriors are going to say they won the title with a relatively small lineup just two years ago, so . . .
Yeah, but it seems like the league has gone through a transformation. Bigs dominate. And no slight to Joel Embid, but a lot of them are big Euros.
Two-time MVP Nokola Jokic is the prototype, but it seems like most teams have one – a big guy who can pass, handle the ball and dominate the glass.
It is probably unfair to bring up Kerr’s young and undersized World Cup team this year. Granted, it wasn’t a roster of superstars. The LeBron James’ and Jayson Tatums’ didn’t play.
But the clearly smaller USA squad lost to Lithuania, Germany and finally, depressingly, Canada to finish out of the medals. Maybe Kerr and company felt there wasn’t an available big guy to pick for the team. But they could have used one.
So could the Warriors. The times when somebody goes right over all the Dubs rebounders for a putback, or keeps the ball alive after a missed shot, are depressing. It’s tough to win like that.
Draymond Green: Honestly, this may be too complicated a topic to settle. Maybe it is better to just lay it out and let you make the call.
No need to go over the basics. You know the script. Draymond is extremely passionate. He’s an other-worldly defensive player and strategist. It is true that, as Kerr often says, the team would not have won four championships without him.
But he is, demonstrably, out of control at times – kicking, punching and stomping players. His routine when he gets a technical foul – refusing to let it go, haranguing the official until he gets a second and is thrown out – is maddening.
That’s all on the record.
The issue is, did the Warriors enable Green? Did they excuse bad behavior, and in doing so actually encourage him?
Probably. The reaction to the video of the infamous punch of Jordan Poole was instructive. Kerr’s first priority was “Who leaked the tape?” Then Green was disappeared from the team for a while, but no suspension was announced. Finally, he was allowed to come back in time for the championship ring ceremony.
Obviously that approach didn’t work. At least that’s what the league thinks. Rather than get the Warriors to suspend him, the NBA did it, and made it an indefinite period of time.
Clearly, that’s a message to Green. And to the Warriors.
Could Draymond derail two straight seasons?
Jordan Poole: Talk about complicated. Poole is another topic you can expect the Warriors fans to chew over for years.
The take of Poole as a selfish, defensive-indifferent flopper has a life of its own.
And trading him to Washington and immediately signing Green to a $100 million contract made it clear. The Warriors were picking Draymond and giving up on Poole.
Frankly, Poole can be an annoying twerp. Even Andre Iguodala joked about his penchant for “falling down” and failing to play defense.
But Iguodala also added that last year Poole was the second-leading scorer on the team at over 20 points a game. And he played all 82 games. He was, Iguodala stressed, an important part of that 2022 title.
Was he really incorrigible? At one time Poole was cited as a Warriors success story. Failing to get playing time his rookie year, he re-dedicated himself, spending hours in the gym. Demoted to the G League, he kept his poise, played great and earned a spot back on the roster.
And by the way, stories have begun to surface that say Poole is a popular and sunny presence on the Wizards. Maybe not such a bad guy.
Poole has a ring. He clearly can play at an NBA level. The Warriors couldn’t have found a way to use the good in his game and minimize the bad? Isn’t that the definition of good coaching?
But again, that ship has sailed.
So now, today, the Warriors stand at a crossroads for their franchise. How did they get there?
Well, as we say, it isn’t just one thing.
But given all that, we’re down to one question:
Now what?
Contact C.W. Nevius at cwnevius@gmail.com. Twitter: @cwnevius
As usual, readers are smarter than the author. It is the Pistons who just set a consecutive loss record, not the Wizards. The newsletter regrets the error. And thanks to those who pointed it out.
Rebuilding can be painful to an organization and its fans (see SF Giants). The Warriors have depth at all the positions except center. Keep Kaminga, Podz, & Moody, Jackson-Davis. Place Wiggens on the 2nd unit and perhaps trade him. As painful as this might be don't resign Klay unless you can for a significant reduction in salary. Green is bringing down his team with his lack of emotional judgement. Trade him now and get a player for the future. Kerr's weakness at time is his loyality (Bochy had this issue too) to his veterans. His future success depends on his ability to develop his young stars and intiate the rebuilding process. Small ball worked (4 championships) but it's time to big and athletic (see OKC, Minnesota & Houston). We are waisting Curry's golden years! Difficult and painful decisions need to be made!