Jimmy Bangs…smh. Fake is now the new natural. sMH

"I can't run or jump. There's like a range from 30-60 degrees when my knee is bent that I have no force and I can't catch myself," Ball told reporters Tuesday. "Until I can do those things, I can't play."

I can’t see him playing at all this season. I love his game, but he has been injury prone since
coming into the league. I really think guarding 1-4 as a tall guard put a lot of wear and
tear on his knees…standing your ground while guarding players like Julius Randle
definitely took a toll on his body.

I’ll never forget the game where he guarded Randle for the entire game…


Man, this isn’t good at all.

.

idk whats going on.

dude just seems like he doesnt fit with the flow of the offense. a lot of dribbling in place for no reason and either just passing or driving straight into his defender and trying to make some difficult off balance layup.

doesnt seem to be around the basket much to grab boards either.

and hes a turnover machine.

those games for congo when he was the primary scoring option...he was a volume dude jacking more 3s than he should be shooting and had bad footwork/handles on drives.

players like moody, wiseman, divincenzo, etc seem to be getting it. kuminga doesnt seem like a plus anywhere on the floor other than a strong body to defend/foul and a finisher for a pass off someone elses drive at times.

dude seems to be stuck at the same 'potential' level that doesnt look to be transforming into significant improvement in his actual play. he doesnt appear to be any different than the player he was beginning last year.

Volume scorer, turnover machine, not great "feel" for the game. But then he has games where he's on, and in those games, you're completely seduced by what he could theoretically become.

He's still only 20, so it makes sense that he's still raw. And it certainly makes sense that a kid like Moody, who was more polished from Day 1, would be ahead of him in terms of development.

I ultimately trust the Warriors' development system to get *something* out of him with time. But yeah, I was a little lower than others on Kuminga coming into the draft for all the above stated reasons.

That’s all I see

some of the best players in history. he's producing NOW despite the gaps in his game. dubs have the luxury of using him as a mismatch piece and this is only a couple of days into his 2nd training camp. i'm holding my kuminga stock and buying more.

i am hyped for this season. everybody was rusty (jetlag, 1st game), but i'm expecting everyone to be better this year.

as far as this game went, wiseman balled out. i love that he got work against porzingis. his ability to play half the game is going to extend loon's durability and effectiveness.

divincenzo - loved what i saw from him. i think he's really going to mesh well. he was good on defense, good on the boards, knocked down open 3s, distributed well. very nice pickup.

moody - looking for him to continue development as a solid rotational piece who comes in, hustles, is disruptive on d and doesn't make mistakes.

rollins - he got a bag. it'll take him awhile to figure out finishing against nba sized defense, but he had some nice moves and despite forcing it a bit, i think he'll be good. not a 'must play now' type dude, but warriors should hopefully have a bunch of blowouts where he can get run

baldwin - looked like a player. shot looks good (well, he airballed one and bricked another, but he made his first 3 and hit a nice turnaround fadeaway midrange. looks like a player and the staff is high on him.

jk, moody, wise, dante, jp. that has potential to be a helluva 2nd 5. divincenzo was a starting 2 guard for a championship caliber team. jp is a legit starting combo guard in the league. the other three could start for somebody.

teams really won't get a chance to rest on offense or defense against the dubs. oh shit. jamychal green (sp?), too. he's a great pickup also.



peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

=========================================
I'm an advocate for working smarter, not harder. If you just
focus on working hard you end up making someone else rich and
not having much to show for it. (c) mad

they are *really* high on moody, giving him 1st team minutes.

steph looks shiftier. handles are more crisp, feet are quicker.

dray looked very smooth going 2 for 2 on 3s today. if he can get his 3pt % back up. prollems.

white dante didn't play as well today offensively as he did in the first game but i'm very high on his contributions. he was getting after it defensively, though. love that.

speaking of which, kuminga was hustling his ass off all over the court, including in garbage time. i think he's going to be just fine this year.

they are going to have a LOT of floor spacing w/ the 2nd unit. moody, green, diV all shoot well. kuminga and wiseman shoot well enough. jp is a splash bro. that's going to leave a lot of space, and kuminga and wiseman are going to benefit on dives to the rim.


peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

=========================================
I'm an advocate for working smarter, not harder. If you just
focus on working hard you end up making someone else rich and
not having much to show for it. (c) mad

I compared him pre-draft to Steve Novak-- I have very serious concerns about how PBJ works on an NBA floor at basically anything *other* than 3 point shooting, where he has potential to be one of the best in the league. So where does that leave him? Probably what Novak was, a guy playing ~7-10 MPG at most if the team is good, and if you need him for more than that, you might be in trouble.

That said, he's also in one of the best dev programs in the NBA, probably the best possible place he could've landed. So we'll see!

trying to stem the tide a bit, with RW out. I'm one of those people who has always been a fan of Blake. He had REALLY become complete, right around the time he got to the Pistons. Played out past the arc, could handle it, a threat to shoot from distance and still had some spring left. His knee just wasn't having it anymore.

It's still remarkable he dragged that roster into the playoffs.

Not that Blake has the career Chris Webber had, but both players' severe injuries robbed them of their athleticism. Both players adapted their game but unfortunately couldn't recapture the production they had when they were healthy.

Keegan Murray belongs to me! All stock! No IPOs!


https://youtu.be/TzzfPq_L2QA

Right now they're running him and Damian Jones with Bron/AD/Russ as starting 5 in camp.

Lakers have essentially another overhaul makeover on the fly, but I do feel like they've got better pieces this year. Crazy to think of their average age last year (oldest roster in the league) - to this year when they've only got 3 guys over 30.

The back-court is stacked - I think by design (to ship Russ if they don't gel within 15-20 games). That is, if there are any takers lol and the FO actually has a plan.

But with Ham, I want to see what this group can do before Christmas with so much competition in the back-court. if Russ doesn't perform, he might himself coming off the bench real quick with Schröder, Nunn & Pat Bev itching to get time.

-->

>That is, if there are any
>takers lol and the FO actually has a plan.

No clue who'd take an expiring Russ deal on its own, and *especially* no clue who'd give anything of value in exchange. To make the money work, the Lakers would almost certainly have to send away picks with Russ. I'm not convinced there's a realistic plan in place.

>But with Ham, I want to see what this group can do before
>Christmas with so much competition in the back-court. if Russ
>doesn't perform, he might himself coming off the bench real
>quick with Schröder, Nunn & Pat Bev itching to get time.

Russ should come off the bench anyway, tbh. He has basically no value in an offense with Bron and AD unless he's shooting well from 3 (which he won't) or provided positive defensive value (which he won't). Nunn won't be a good defender, but he's a better shooter than Russ by a lot. Russ has the most value at this point as a sixth man bullying second units with his high-usage, high-volume play. If he can accept that role, he might be able to show some value in the market after this season. (I am skeptical he will accept that role.)

I'll be surprised if Beverly isn't in the starting lineup-- or at least the closing lineup-- by season's end. He's the only net positive point-of-attack defender they have in the backcourt (in a backcourt with a lot of mediocre to awful defenders), he shares the ball well, and when he was with the Clippers, he shot nearly 40% on standstill catch-and-shoot 3s. That's everything the Lakers need from their starting PG with Bron and Davis on the floor.

Frankly, I think that could be a solid squad. Not top heavy, but decent depth, and we'd actually have some size and decent shooting to go with our small guards. I like the idea of Josh and McDermott under Ham, next to Lebron and AD.

Especially if we could do it without picks, or only one first, that's a deal I'm comfortable with.

I do think better deals will show themselves in December, and a better deal can likely be had on draft day, when we'll have three picks. We'd have no meaningful salary to include, but we'd have some space, not to mention McDermott becomes an expiring.

That's the best overall scenario I can see, though I think the best overall scenario is had by flipping Russ for someone who values/needs the expiring enough that they don't make us give up any firsts, and doesn't make us take back crazy salary, and allows us to flip three picks come draft day.

My fear is, say, Brooklyn falls apart and we pounce on Kyrie, or some other aging malcontent headcase who will never give us a full season's worth of work.

Other teams can do much better, but I'd try to dangle Russ, both picks, and Nunn for Shae. Inside track on resigning nunn, two valuable picks, Russ goes home for a spell.

A guy can wish.

Because I think all three of these guys are awesome Trade Deadline commodities for contenders looking to shore up a slightly deeper rotation.

The Spurs have soooo much cap space already-- they're almost certainly holding all that cap space specifically this year to dangle it to a team desperate to unload a massive contract in order to milk them for more picks, because this year's draft class is so incredibly stacked in the top 4-5 positions. I imagine we'll see a couple teams not planning presently on tanking decide to shut it down and do a soft reboot if they don't get off to a good start. And San Antonio is in a great place to say, "Cool, you want to get a top 5 pick this year and next. Give us whatever salary you need to dump and a pick or two a few years from now, and we'll get it done."

So between this year's draft situation and the value of guys like Poeltl or Richardson on a playoff roster, I think they can get a good number of assets this season before the Deadline *and* be in contention for Wemby. Lowkey the Spurs are in a really good position for things to turn around fairly quickly imo.

I still think the Lakers should push as hard as they can to the Pacers and say "We'll give you Russ and two picks for Hield and Turner." (Or Russ, two young assets like Max Christie or whomever, and one unprotected pick. Either way.) I think a Beverly, Hield, Bron, AD, Turner lineup would absolutely be a top 4 seed in the West, and Hield and Turner have both been available for a while according to reports. It'll def take picks, but worth it for bolstering the roster around Bron and AD in such a fashion imo.

And I think there’s a reason he’s been available, and still available.

Because,”available” is something he’s not been for two years running.

The Lakers have little to no competition for him.

That’s a massive red flag, given his age and what he does.

I absolutely think anyone who signs him next summer, signs a money pit they’ll be desperate to get rid of in less than two years.

It is, IMO, a bad move to deal two future picks for a guy who is already missed so many games at his age, particularly when he needs to be resigned.

It’s a horrible gamble IMO. One pick, ok. Two? Ehhhh. Because there are just too many potential problems, and that needs to factor into this price tag

A deal with SA is much more assurance, but I would ‘t do that for more than one pick, and I’d make that shit top 7 protected.

Absent one of those scenarios, they need to hold onto russ until the deadline. And if nothing comes of it, ride it out and refresh this summer with cap space and three picks.

Throwing a hail mary with the potential pitfalls Myles brings, doesn’t put us on par with GS, Phoenix, or even Denver or the Clippers…. Nah. That’s a fools bet.

I don’t care about this delusion people have that we’re wasting another year of Lebron’s career. Fuck that. He plays for the Lakers, not vice versa, and if a deal doesn’t put us *squarely* in contention, one pick is already a lot to give up. Two is insane.

And for Myles, one pick is already a gamble. Two is too much.
I do like Buddy, and think he’ll be ideal. But anyone acting like Myles doesn’t have a massive potential downside, just isn’t paying attention.

That dude is NOT worth a pick, and Buddy isn’t worth two.

So what’s the justification for Indy getting two picks, apart from A. Lakers Tax, and B, the narrative where people are more concerned about Lebron losing another year, than they are about the Lakers making wise and prudent moves after overpaying for everything in the Lebron era?

And it’s not because I think the picks themselves are so important.
But because this is all we have left for assets. That cupboard is bare.

Myles is a gamble that has an excellent chance of going horribly wrong, and then we have nothing but more picks to flip down the road.

I realize health is a concern, but when he's on the court, he's one of the best defenders in the NBA in the post, and, most importantly for a possible Lakers lineup, he's got real pick-and-pop credibility, either as backup or working at the 5 while AD works at the 4.

He's not been able to traded, because Indiana has been waiting for a team to offer a pick and change for him, and most teams have their big man position more or less figured out and/or don't have a natural fit with him down low, so when you combine some of the health issues he's had last two seasons, it makes sense that they haven't found a trade partner for him yet. I think he's worth a pick given his obvious fit with the Lakers roster-- and Buddy's worth a pick too, imo. I wouldn't do the both-unprotected offer I've seen that they want, but if you could top 7 protect both, I'd absolutely do that deal imo.

I don't think they make that Spurs deal without offering at least a pick, and I think both Turner and Hield are better than anyone in the Spurs deal, hence why I prefer my deal. But if you don't like the value of Myles Turner, then your take makes sense. I just really like Myles, especially his fit with AD.

Having two seriously injury prone bigs anchoring our title hopes is a massive problem.

It’s not his talent that isn’t worth a pick, it’s the fact that his persistent injury history, that lends *no* reason to expect that to suddenly be gone.

IMO, your take on Myles is way too optimistic, to the point where his injury issues is just a footnote.

I think It’s objectively much more than a mere footnote. It’s the lead, his talent being secondary.

I’m not being snarky when I ask this question:

How much of a factor will his 3/D presence be, when he’s in street clothes for 40 games?

Because there’s a good chance that’s the case.

That’s a LOT to weigh when giving up assets, particularly when it’s the last available asset.

So it’s not just about how good Myles can be when healthy
It’s not just about how many picks he’ll cost
It’s not just about the fact that the current price is “everything”

It’s also about how heavy that cost weighs relative to the fact that it leaves us with nothing

And the fact that it necessitates that we resign him

And the fact that the chances of his health improving to 70 game pace, with playoff availability is slim

I iust don’t see how you can so heavily discount the impact of his injury history, relative to the fact that it would leave us with next to no room to tweak- which means that if his injury history holds up, we’re fucked, only with nothing of value to deal.

...there's no way Pop strikes a deal with the Lakers unless he is a clear winner. And I don't see Rob falling for that or feel secure enough in his job security to risk losing the trade.

But if it can’t, oh well.

Hell I’m good removing the protection if it gets a deal done.

I think we have enough to avoid the play in, IF AD and Bron are both healthy. I have faith in Ham. Unless Russ proves to be a cancer, I think Rob holds it down for a solid deal toward the deadline.

Those three guys heading out before the deadline should easily net them at least a first round pick and two second round picks, if not a first and a young asset of some sort. So if the Lakers would ask for them, you have to imagine Pop would only do it if the value was very real for the Spurs.

Just not two firsts.

>No clue who'd take an expiring Russ deal on its own, and
>*especially* no clue who'd give anything of value in exchange.
>To make the money work, the Lakers would almost certainly have
>to send away picks with Russ.

Obviously the market for Russ is limited (to say the least) - but a deal for him was always much more likely to materialize mid-season (if at all).

Many teams are hopeful they can do something to start the new season, but after ~35 games, inevitably some teams will already be out of the playoff picture, and will be looking to cut losses and deal.

For a team tanking and/or wanting a hard rebuild, that gigantic expiring Russ contract means considerable financial flexibility once it expires (in about 40/50 games at that point).

I think there will be takers for that expiring deal, but the question is whether you have to give up both picks for it, which Lakers have thus far refused to do (and have publicly stated that they would only do it if they were getting a championship difference maker).

>I'm not convinced there's a
>realistic plan in place.

Given the track record of this FO in past decade, I'm not either lol.

>Russ should come off the bench anyway, tbh. He has basically
>no value in an offense with Bron and AD unless he's shooting
>well from 3 (which he won't) or provided positive defensive
>value (which he won't). Nunn won't be a good defender, but
>he's a better shooter than Russ by a lot. Russ has the most
>value at this point as a sixth man bullying second units with
>his high-usage, high-volume play. If he can accept that role,
>he might be able to show some value in the market after this
>season. (I am skeptical he will accept that role.)

Yea I'd like to see Russ either come off the bench, or just let him start the 1st quarter & 3rd quarter when the game is more free/wide-open, then have Bev/Dennis/Nunn close games.

Patience will run thin at warp-speed if Russ is the same Russ from last year. He has to go through a Melo like metamorphosis and be a solid role player at this stage of his career, or this actually could be his last year in the league. Joking (kinda) - as I'm sure he could get a MLE somewhere, but his late-stage career dilemma reminds of Iverson, who just simply could not adapt his game late-stage when he was no longer elite.

>
>I'll be surprised if Beverly isn't in the starting lineup-- or
>at least the closing lineup-- by season's end. He's the only
>net positive point-of-attack defender they have in the
>backcourt (in a backcourt with a lot of mediocre to awful
>defenders), he shares the ball well, and when he was with the
>Clippers, he shot nearly 40% on standstill catch-and-shoot 3s.
>That's everything the Lakers need from their starting PG with
>Bron and Davis on the floor.

Yea I'm kind of high on Beverly for *this* team, because they desperately need some on-ball attack defenders and competent 3-and-D's - and Bev is exactly that.

I actually wouldn't be surprised to see Nunn/Dennis, Bev, Bron & AD all on the floor at the same time late-game.

>For a team tanking and/or wanting a hard rebuild, that
>gigantic expiring Russ contract means considerable financial
>flexibility once it expires (in about 40/50 games at that
>point).

... is that two of the more obvious candidates for a trade, Indiana and San Antonio, have more than enough cap space going into next season already. So while I'm sure they'd be fine adding more, they're not going to come over their tradeable assets solely for the allure of financial flexibility, since they already have so much of it. They'll absolutely want picks. And ones with minimal protections.

>I think there will be takers for that expiring deal, but the
>question is whether you have to give up both picks for it,
>which Lakers have thus far refused to do (and have publicly
>stated that they would only do it if they were getting a
>championship difference maker).

Yeah, I think if they tried to see if Indiana would take two firsts with, like, top 5 protection, it'd be worth it for Hield and Turner, personally. I think they'd be big difference makers. I know others disagree, but I'm very high on the upside that adding them would provide, both in terms of talent and fit.

I'm also someone who simply doesn't value Lakers first round picks as much as others might. I know they're tradeable assets... but the Lakers have had five Top 7 picks in the last 40 years (and they basically all came during that very down run middle of last decade). They've only had ten *Top 20* picks in the last 40 years. And I'm including, btw, the picks that technically were the Lakers that were traded before the draft. Historically, odds are just very, very high that a Lakers draft pick is going to come after the 20th pick. So of course teams like the Pacers and Spurs are going to be far more likely to ask for both.

They'd obviously prefer unprotected, because they believe that post-Bron-and-AD era could have speed bumps and they'd like to roll the dice... but odds are just so high that the Lakers will rebuild instantly in that era with new top-tier talent and thus only one pick won't have a lot of value. Like, Jakob Poeltl is worth more than a pick in the twenties. So is Hield, so is Turner... so, honestly, might be McDermott. So teams will either ask for no protection or for multiple picks.

And I get on the surface that that is a scary thing, no question... but it's also the Lakers, end of the day. Even at your lowest, you're one malcontent star away from being back in title contention at any given moment.

>Patience will run thin at warp-speed if Russ is the same Russ
>from last year. He has to go through a Melo like
>metamorphosis and be a solid role player at this stage of his
>career, or this actually could be his last year in the league.
> Joking (kinda) - as I'm sure he could get a MLE somewhere,
>but his late-stage career dilemma reminds of Iverson, who just
>simply could not adapt his game late-stage when he was no
>longer elite.

I actually wouldn't be surprised at all if this was Russ's last year in the league. Melo was out of the league until he convinced people he could play a role... but Melo still has that mid-range, jump-shooting game that's translatable in a role. I don't know what Russ does in a role that translates to wins unless he fully commits to being an off-the-bench burner who also actually tries on defense. Because you can never play Russ off ball. I know that was the concern about Melo too... but it's *such* a bigger concern about Russ, lol.

>Yea I'm kind of high on Beverly for *this* team, because they
>desperately need some on-ball attack defenders and competent
>3-and-D's - and Bev is exactly that.
>
>I actually wouldn't be surprised to see Nunn/Dennis, Bev, Bron
>& AD all on the floor at the same time late-game.

I think, with their current roster, their best closing lineup is Bev, Reaves, Bron, AD, and whichever other guard is shooting best. Nunn is the likely candidate, though he's been such a bad defender as an NBA player that I'd be a *little* concerned about what that would mean in a closing lineup.

I'm a huge believer in the Bev fit with this squad. Easily their best signing of the offseason.

That's my question.

I assume his injury problems are all gone, and there's nothing to worry about there, correct?

Do you see him being healthy and productive enough for, say, 70 games and fully healthy for the next four playoffs?

Also, and I know we've reached an impasse here, but I am still wondering if you're getting that "worth a pick" and "worth the only assets you have" are two different, though connected, things, and are separate pieces of this particular puzzle.

I say this, because it can be argued that taking Hield's money could be seen as the price for someone taking a gamble on Myles. You never, ever give any real credence to the fact that he's missed about half the season for two straight years, and missed about 17 games the two seasons prior.

He's yet another "when healthy" fantasy.

So I wonder what the optimism is about his health, since you only ever seem to focus on what he does *when healthy* while discounting the objective fact that *when in street clothes* means he does absolutely none of the things that make him so attractive to you.

We had a similar discussion about Wall, and as I said then, this is our rent money.

This is it. It's all we have to deal with. And, as with Wall, you're really high on giving up everything we have for a guy that's a huge question mark health wise.

I'm willing to bet actual money that he misses an average of thirty games, at a minimum over the next two years- and he'll pretty much be cooked after that.

>Yeah, I think if they tried to see if Indiana would take two
>firsts with, like, top 5 protection, it'd be worth it for
>Hield and Turner, personally. I think they'd be big difference
>makers. I know others disagree, but I'm very high on the
>upside that adding them would provide, both in terms of talent
>and fit.

Yea I was always hoping that would be the deal the Lakers would make for Russ this summer. Both give Lakers precisely what they need: wing talent/size/length & shooting - and both Hield and Turner operate at high levels within their respective roles. They would be real difference makers IMO.

Also - if there's still a push to land Kyrie (which I think there should be if it's true that he really wants to come to LA) - you can always take a shot at him in FA. Lakers also have some young assets right now as well that I think will be attractive in packaged deals to teams on the hard reset rebuild.

>I actually wouldn't be surprised at all if this was Russ's
>last year in the league. Melo was out of the league until he
>convinced people he could play a role... but Melo still has
>that mid-range, jump-shooting game that's translatable in a
>role. I don't know what Russ does in a role that translates to
>wins unless he fully commits to being an off-the-bench burner
>who also actually tries on defense. Because you can never play
>Russ off ball. I know that was the concern about Melo too...
>but it's *such* a bigger concern about Russ, lol.

Yea - Russ' game is aging horribly as his elitism was predicated almost entirely off his athleticism and physicality. He only marginally ever improved his shooting over the course of his career - and never shot at a high level to begin with.

I do think Russ genuinely loves being out there and playing, even when things aren't going well for him. So there's impetus for him to really refine his game and find his role-playing niche. To me, he's best equipped to come off the bench or play 1st & 2nd quarters; but he's got to prove that he helps you win in clutch moments (whereas last year he was an absolute liability in winning time).

>I'm a huge believer in the Bev fit with this squad. Easily
>their best signing of the offseason.

It's just experimental pre-season, but I like what the Lakers are doing with Bev and Nunn already. Bev could be this year's 2020 Dwight year for the Lakers (where Dwight was a real difference-maker and energy boost; legit was a key piece of that title team).


-->

For half the season

I’m truly baffled by the number of people that completely ignore that he gets injured more than AD

And NOBODY wants him

His playoff numbers are abysmal.

He's a gamble IMO, and I'd have flipped him by now.

I don't see him as a piece to build around. He's good enough to get paid, but I don't see him as the guy who does enough to get that next raise, and he'll be hard to deal if he doesn't perform, because he doesn't do anything to a particularly tantalizing level.

It's not like he's oozing potential.

You absolutely sign a guy like that to that contract.

Like, Butler's signed through 2026. You have to ride it out with this core until Butler's done. And if it doesn't work out and they need to reboot in the post-Butler era (I don't think this will happen, but if it does), then Herro's contract will be a really nice trade piece, because he'll still an only-25-year-old scoring weapon.

If I'm Miami, my biggest priority is trying to trade Duncan Robinson for whatever I can get, lol. He was borderline unplayable in the playoffs, and he's getting paid nearly 20 mil a year.

He played well in the bubble , but then again so did everyone

The deal is solid, given the cap increase next year.

But he could easily prove himself a playoff bust. So far that’s what he is.

Wonder if Riles and Spolestra will make him a starter given that heavy investment.

Also read online this contract was in reference to him feeling he was a better player than RJ Barrett. Interesting comparison because I don't see the need to compare the two as that they play different roles and different positions.

He ain’t Manu

But he’s still the kind of guy who can chew up second units and keep Miami in games that way.

But starting him is probably the best way to maximize his value.

I’m not sold on him ling term, but that deal was smart for Miami, considering the cap increase next summer. Unless it adjusts to a percentage of the cap, in which case he’d better ball out.

Miami has a bit of a window and this helps keep them in play without contract drama. He just has to show up ip in the playoffs.

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401474848

like they mean something?

Get outta here, dude.

No?

Get outta here, dude.

Liked a lot of what I saw from the starters. Nunn looked good, AD was aggressive, Russ looked more integrated, etc. Some okay bench moments but overall absolute garbage. It’s preseason, of course - but man oh man do we need wings/bigs.

I really do think that's the better deal as long as we keep one of the firsts.

I'm not saying it'll never happen, but it's not going to happen.

>I'm not saying it'll never happen, but it's not going to
>happen.

Most likely not.

That's just the best deal I can see at the moment without a serious potential downside.

I still think better deals can be had at the deadline.

as well as Jamal Murray.

Of course a huge “if” considering the involved parties but it’s there for them I’d they can manage themselves

Bron and Davis on the floor….the defense the offense….

I know it’s just preseason.

But This dude is cold as Fock.

AD still look gimpy as hell

Lakers gone be trash again. Lol

Another year with no POs coming right up.

But this is what we got
So I'm just gonna ride with em and hope for the best from here

like they mean something?

Get outta here, dude

Nicely played

Yeah that shit matters because they are wack regardless of which season it is.


LOL

Were they wack in 00, 01, 02, 08, 09?

Them youngins are going to run y’all out the gym

Not that you'd understand

?

I’ve been a Bulls fan all my life…are you trying to say the Bulls aren’t
an actual team?

They were better than the Lakers last year…that’s for sure

Hell, these past few years Lakers have been all over the place with
player personnel, and their management has been abysmal.

But now that you mention it, I do recall you making several Bulls post

My bad

When it doesn't? It's pointless.

>Jimmy Bangs…smh. Fake is now the new natural. sMH

yankees was on nets. by the time i found it on the yes app, nets had given up 40 pts in the 1st qtr and i was over it.

It was nice to see simmons out there and kyrie cut his hair.

and the yankees were on yes.

LOL

If all stay healthy, I can see that. Warriors reloaded and they got Wiseman back…so they could repeat.

Their staring five is very very strong…

The basketball gods elevated the Celts which is fine lol. That's the Final's I'd like to see this year.

https://www.tiktok.com/@houseofhighlights/video/7150823228292828462

ben was like oops. kyries face was like he already gave up on that nigga for life.

https://sports.yahoo.com/report-warriors-considering-discipline-for-draymond-green-after-physical-fight-with-teammate-jordan-poole-012038319.html

threaten.

Poole probably flexed on him and told him my next contract will be bigger than yours lol.

...the entire playoffs.

he averaged 17 ppg for the whole championship run and had postive +/- 14 outta the 22 games.

so, this is a weird take.

https://twitter.com/chrisbhaynes/status/1577846177793380352?s=46&t=sdWSrdondj-YzGN6zp3aMw

“ Draymond Green was apologetic in aftermath of the altercation with Jordan Poole, but there was a buildup stemming from teammates noticing a change in Poole’s behavior throughout camp with the guard on the verge of securing a lucrative extension, league sources tell @YahooSports.”

No biggie

and while i personally wouldn't put hands on the boy, i get it.

cuz steph and klay are still on this team, and if his ego got him thinking he's bigger than them, then he DEFINITELY should be checked.

now, if i'm Dray, and he's saying i can't guard him or something? i try a different approach for confidence. i tell him "he's right, and i want him to bust my ass cuz if you can beat me, one of the best defenders in the league, then you are gonna have a great season." but that's just me.

one thing is for certain: we now have something to watch during the season, and that is how the Warriors look chemistry-wise.

to keep Draymond humble and/or to get him to shut his mouth?

Main reason I say that is because it's entirely possible this could have been kept private to a larger extent.

shams isnt known as an intentional org leak guy. hes generally seen as a go to for players.

chris haynes is close to klutch (rich paul).

draymond is a klutch client.

Dude is apparently feeling himself way too much

probably some Michigan-Michigan St shit lol

Dude looks like he's coming back with a vengeance this year to set himself up for a bigger contract.

Lakers energy looks totally different w/ the new roster and Ham at the helm.

-->

Kareem stays firing off on his substack and taking personal shots with reckless abandon these days (why's the Cap so mad all the time though for real? lol)

Not Kyrie sharing Alex Jones InfoWars clips circa 2002 in 2022 though. Yikes.

Gonna be an entertaining year in Brooklyn for sure.

They might go full OddFuture this year with KD the Creator & Ky Sweatshirt wilding out (Simmons as The Internet? lol) Might get League Pass just to watch how it plays out. Call me crazy but I still think they finish at the top of the East (top 3 seeds) and threaten anyone.

https://sports.yahoo.com/kareem-abdul-jabbar-slams-kyrie-185847288.html


-->

And yeah, sharing Alex Jones clips is an awful look. That being said, this is one of those things where I kinda shrug and go “yeah, social media is bad.” It’s always worth noting that social media gives us too much access to these guys. If stars from the 70’s-80’s had Twitter back then, we would have learned way too much about them too.

people joke and say shit in hindsight like "we should have never got the internet" or "we should have never got social media".

they're right.

we were not meant to know other people's or share our own inner most thoughts at the click of a button.

obviously there's good that has come from these things. not sure those are outweighing the bad anymore.

too late to put the toothpaste back in the tube now though.

Ship Russ to Indy, give them their picks

GS gets AD and Buddy, Poole no longer has to compete for a starting spot, and they can pay him

Lakers get Dray, Klay, and Myles

Haven’t checked financial considerations but I’m sure that could be worked out

But I think that works well for all three teams

in a season or two i could see everyone benefitting from that.

Missed last night; will probably miss tonight.

I know you love that lol

-->

To be clear, a suggestion is not a prediction.

You ride Dray and Klay til the wheels fall off at this point. No reason coming off a title to believe that big a change would make your team better.

https://twitter.com/Phil_Lewis_/status/1578379846627069953

poole did push him first.

dray straight dropped him with one punch.

they tried to downplay the punch like it wasnt much but that shit was devastating lol.

i wonder who leaked this shit.

the quality looks like a camera phone recording off an official facility camera.

like, that's not like a little punch or one that didn't really connect.

that's one that hurts your pride if you're Poole.

Warriors chemistry gonna be interesting to watch.

Someone trying to ruin the chemistry leaked it...so...i'm going with the Celtics.

that was really humbling/embarrassing.

its gonna be hard to paper over this now that the whole world has seen it and poole is gonna be the butt of many jokes/memes.

i kinda respect draymond for it tho...and believe the stories about pooles head getting big (both klay and dray jokingly alluded to this before the incident).

if i had to bet...i think poole bounces for big money elsewhere as a starter and doesnt pan out like he thinks he will. much of his success is reliant on this system/culture.

low bar.

if you put hands on a man and push him...you better be ready for whatever comes after.

if you push a man like that?

what do you think are some of the likeliest outcomes in the real world?

i guess you're right. Poole put his hands on him first. After than it's kinda like all bets off. You can't dictate someone's reaction.

i still think the better thing to do would be to be the "bigger man" but...yeah.

there was prolly tension that led to the verbal exchange.

but i dont think he went over there like 'i need to put this young nigga in his place'.

but then when you get pushed like that with sudden full force...

i think most of us would have reacted similarly.

if you look at a lot of fight videos...generally after a push like that...the pusher takes a defensive stance because he knows a physical threshold just got crossed and retaliation is likely.

yeah dray hypothetically could have been the bigger man but that was an understandable natural reaction and dray aint exactly known for his de-escalation techniques lol.

but this isn't a random street fight where the guys don't know each other. I don't think Poole ever thought Dray would steal on him like that. Also, Dray went all-in and really sat down on that shot with bad intentions. Wasn't a proportional response at all.

Edit: Upon looking at it again, you can actually make the case that Draymond initiated the contact. Bumping into somebody like that with forward momentum is akin to a push. So Poole was actually responding to Draymond getting in his space when he pushed him. It didn't look like Poole wanted it to get physical; Draymond wanted it to get ugly and had bad intentions on that shot.

-->

that was impressive for a regular citizen wasnt it?

covering that distance and to still have curtain closing power at the end of it?

that shit was right on the button.

Beyond impressive for a non-professional fighter. The way he sprung off his front foot to shoot that shot straight down the middle. Short, fast and heavy af.

Looked like it unplugged the socket from Poole too. Crazy all around.

I feel bad for Poole though for real. Guys talk trash all the time and Draymond is gonna be Draymond. But I don't think anybody would've expected their teammate to go that Hammer on them like that.

-->

Dray planned that punch when he walked up on him. that walk up and get in his face is a set-up to get Poole to initiate contact, that way he can say “he pushed me first”

seen it a thousand times

thats why his punch landed the way it did. it wasnt reactionary

i feel bad for poole too.

bob myers was talking about this shit like a school shooting occurred. talking about the time and effort it would take to rebuild and shit. it seemed weird to me because that reaction didnt match the initial description of the altercation.

but damn. now that we got video. and you got the social media peanut gallery adding insult to injury. this is a serious hurdle for that locker room to get over. especially poole. i dont blame him if he asks to be traded or just mentally shuts down for the season.

>i feel bad for poole too.
>
>bob myers was talking about this shit like a school shooting
>occurred. talking about the time and effort it would take to
>rebuild and shit. it seemed weird to me because that reaction
>didnt match the initial description of the altercation.
>
>but damn. now that we got video. and you got the social
>media peanut gallery adding insult to injury. this is a
>serious hurdle for that locker room to get over. especially
>poole. i dont blame him if he asks to be traded or just
>mentally shuts down for the season.

this makes things awkward for sure, but I would hope Poole isn't that brittle in spirit to 'mentally shut down' because of this incident. You don't have to be best friends with everyone you go to work with. Just play ball and go on with your life.

Just to be clear, I'm not siding with Draymond with hitting Poole.

Draymond can bump his chest and Poole reacted like you want real me to act like.

Fuck him. Acting like he runs the team while scoring 5 a game.

If you push someone and they are literally in front of you and punch you in response, its not a sucker punch. Ha

specifically because of where that may leave this situation.

there was definitley a better way to handle that if you're Draymond, and i'm a huge fan of Draymond. only thing to justify that if Poole said something about his mama, his daddy, his wife or his kids.

that being said: who leaked this. i mean, it would seem easy to figure out you - you should have a very clear picture of who was there to even record it (and from the angle, where they were standing, etc.)

there was a better way for him to handle it as well.

coulda just gone back and forth barking face to face til people got in between them.

except that Dray has gotten in people's faces on the court, got pushed, and didn't do that.

i guess his brain is working different cuz it's practice and it's a teammate?

i dunno. i'm not really going hard on Dray here cuz maybe dude been running his mouth all offseason and it just got to the point where something needed to be done. but, i just 99% of the time think that's the wrong way to take it because the consequences of the punch are too great even if it's "deserved."

>coulda just gone back and forth barking face to face til
>people got in between them.

He pushed him semi-hard, but like, did Dray expect differently when he got in his face? Poole’s body language is not that of a man trying to fight. There is no part of this in which Poole is the bad guy.

That’s the first attack

The notion that Poole is somehow at fault, or the physical aggressor in this situation, is some bizzaro world shit

Draymond ran up on him.

Poole was soft and nice with the push. He should’ve swung first.

When a retarded ass mouthbreather is trying to start something….ALWAYS swing first. Period.

for the last 4 years, he's been mr triple single (points rebounds assists) and he shoots less than 30% from 3

all his dickriding defenders act like he plays basketball on some esoteric level that only warriors fans can understand/grasp lol

the warriors win IN spite of draymond, not because of him (and he actually cost them a chip with his nut punching/kicking)

and now that he's turning into a petty jealous weirdo, time to ship him out



>https://twitter.com/Phil_Lewis_/status/1578379846627069953
>
>poole did push him first.
>
>dray straight dropped him with one punch.
>
>they tried to downplay the punch like it wasnt much but that
>shit was devastating lol.
>
>i wonder who leaked this shit.
>
>the quality looks like a camera phone recording off an
>official facility camera.

I guess he had grounds to hit him, but he’s also supposed to be one of the OGs on the team. That might be what normal man-to-man conflict looks like, but that isn’t isn’t what leadership looks like when you’re a central figure in a billion dollar enterprise, period.

Stats-wise he’s a shitty player. He had a dogshit finals. He’s getting older. Output-wise he isn’t worth what he wants to get paid.

I dunno man. Clock may be ticking on his time there. And then we’ll really find out how big of a fuckin basketball genius he is when he’s starting for the Knicks, Pistons, or Rockets.

>I guess he had grounds to hit him, but he’s also supposed
>to be one of the OGs on the team. That might be what normal
>man-to-man conflict looks like, but that isn’t isn’t what
>leadership looks like when you’re a central figure in a
>billion dollar enterprise, period.

Showing restraint is a much bigger indication of maturity and level-headedness than "OH ITS EYE FOR AN EYE" rah rah bullshit with your own teammate



>I dunno man. Clock may be ticking on his time there. And then
>we’ll really find out how big of a fuckin basketball genius
>he is when he’s starting for the Knicks, Pistons, or
>Rockets.

edit, lol @ basketball genius. Warriors fans crack me up with that. Dude is great at setting illegal screens, moving picks, and throwing up bricks.

I'd be furious if the Pistons sign him to anything other than the veteran minimum

.

he crumpled that man against the wall. Like...he legit folded his body up. It's done.

given that most people in general, much less most NBA players don't know how to fight.

I'm assuming fights like this are somewhat common and the two main things that make this stand out are 1) the fact this is leaking more than once and of course that 2) Draymond is at the center of this.

I'm 60% certain that some disgruntled front office person from Golden State is behind this video and the initial news of Draymond getting suspended both leaking. All of this could have been done in house IMO.

Just to be clear, I'm not defending Draymond at in how nonchalant I'm reacting to this. I'm more surprised at how public all these leaks are, in addition to how fast they are occurring.

https://twitter.com/TheTraeYoung/status/1578391946883727364

Draymond is tryna get to LA.
Damn ! 😳

you know espn and the rest love a good dray and lakers storyline.

and dray is a klutch dude and nba twitter already jokes about how much dray loves/defends bron.

this dubs season is about to be interesting.

LOL @ all the pearl-clutching and people acting brand new about this, like there isn't a long history of fights breaking out in practices.

Only reason why this first made the news is because it was the Warriors and Draymond was involved. And the video just drags out the lifespan of the story.

Every game they lose, there's going to be pundits and "experts" saying dumb shit about this fight.

If they don't win the championship, pundits and "experts" are going to relate it back to this fight. Same if they win. Or if Poole leaves or stays. Or if Draymond leaves or stays.

I'll save everyone the time: Whatever happens over the course of this season and the subsequent off-season will have nothing to do with this fight. If Poole or Draymond leaves or stays, it will have to with Lacob Guber's desire to pay the luxury tax, not Draymond punching Poole.

and swore it was nothing and said it would have no bearing on KD leaving in free agency etc...

We saw how that turned out. The remainder of the season featured a toxic locker-room and they lost the 'chip.

Similarly, you said the Draymond/KD on the court/public beef would have absolutely nothing to do with KD leaving.

Turns out it had *a ton* to do with KD leaving.

-->

Looks like Dtaymond won that round. The Warriors won another championship, and KD signed to a team with an anti-vaxxer who posts Alex Jones' memes. A team he's already asked to be traded from. Back to the Warriors.

But warriors fans argue that KD was leaving anyway even if that incident didn’t occur


>and swore it was nothing and said it would have no bearing on
>KD leaving in free agency etc...
>
>We saw how that turned out. The remainder of the season
>featured a toxic locker-room and they lost the 'chip.
>
>Similarly, you said the Draymond/KD on the court/public beef
>would have absolutely nothing to do with KD leaving.
>
>Turns out it had *a ton* to do with KD leaving.
>
>-->

One of which Curry essentially didn't play.

And once they got back, they won a championship.

And in the above situation, KD clearly came out looking like the loser. Swearing unyielding loyalty to Kyrie Irving over winning championships in the Bay has not aged well.

Was the Finals MVP for those two championships, and you're throwing shots at him.

Cold world.

For the record, I'm not a Nets fan, nor am I a Durant fan (I'm a Knicks fan, so I have next to no reason to ever like Durant), but it's pretty odd not to show some small measure of gratitude towards Durant for helping Golden State hoist two Larry O'Brien trophies.

I take nothing away from the two championships he was instrumental in the Warriors winning.

That doesn't mean I won't side-eye him for leaving the team for the Nets. And then deciding he wants to leave again.

But yea , slight hyperbole on my part
>
>And in the above situation, KD clearly came out looking like
>the loser. Swearing unyielding loyalty to Kyrie Irving over
>winning championships in the Bay has not aged well.

Basketball savants but real life idiots/ fragile egomaniacs

(As someone who’s lived in BK the last 15 years I really wish they had both gone to the Knicks)

The nets had something cooking before they threw it away

this was some super unnecessary shit. and the video leak puts the whole shit on 11. ppl was already on some, 'we'll handle it inside type shit'. then the video gets leaked.

this was some quintessentially draymondian dumb shit. how this ni&&a bball iq off the charts and his emotional / situational iq is remedial af?

this that 2016 finals level of stupid shit all over.


peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

=========================================
I'm an advocate for working smarter, not harder. If you just
focus on working hard you end up making someone else rich and
not having much to show for it. (c) mad

Draymond started that entire situation. He confronted Poole and got in his face
and space. Poole pushed Dray off of him, and he every right to do that because
Dray charged first…..then Dray sucker punched him.

That’s a weak ass black man.

So because Draymond gets in his face Poole is now obligated to fight him??? He’s pushing him away cause he wants no part of Draymond’s nonsense. It’s a sucker punch.

him choosing not to defend himself doesnt mean it was a sucker punch

>him choosing not to defend himself doesnt mean it was a
>sucker punch

NOT supposed to push him off of you?

Its obvious that Green's fake-thug act has been wearing thing on a lot pf his younger teams. He wasn't doing that when they had veterans on the team team but now that he has "rings" he feels like that gives him the authority to be disrespectful to younger teammates and other "leaders" on the team like Steph and Klay are scared to say anything and are content to let "Dray be Dray".

If the Warriors wan to keep this thing going they might have to part ways with Green even though Steph wants to keep their "big 3" together.

>Draymond started that entire situation. He confronted Poole
>and got in his face
>and space. Poole pushed Dray off of him, and he every right to
>do that because
>Dray charged first…..then Dray sucker punched him.

>NOT supposed to push him off of you?

exactly. storyline still woulda been that poole got punked if dray can walk across the court and get all in his face and push him with no reaction. he prolly tired of the shit.

but he was right not to swing (prolly shoulda braced or whatever) because he is > this < close to a bag. swinging on dray would have been monumentally dumb on his part.

>
>Its obvious that Green's fake-thug act has been wearing thing
>on a lot pf his younger teams. He wasn't doing that when they
>had veterans on the team team but now that he has "rings" he
>feels like that gives him the authority to be disrespectful to
>younger teammates and other "leaders" on the team like Steph
>and Klay are scared to say anything and are content to let
>"Dray be Dray".

it puts everybody in a fucked up position. b/c the kd shit cost them another championship.

they should by all rights be looking at a repeat this year. reacting wrong could fuck that up.

>
>If the Warriors wan to keep this thing going they might have
>to part ways with Green even though Steph wants to keep their
>"big 3" together.

that will be interesting to see how they play. otoh, this may give the dubs front office the excuse to move on and try to make kuminga or wiseman into a dray replacement that plays way differently.

>
>>Draymond started that entire situation. He confronted Poole
>>and got in his face
>>and space. Poole pushed Dray off of him, and he every right
>to
>>do that because
>>Dray charged first…..then Dray sucker punched him.

this. i been in fights in sports. this is different from football where you grab each others facemasks and even if a muhfucka way bigger than you you just got to make it look credible until the coaches or refs break it up.



peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

=========================================
I'm an advocate for working smarter, not harder. If you just
focus on working hard you end up making someone else rich and
not having much to show for it. (c) mad

and Dray punched him.

That’s a sucker punch. They weren’t squared up in some focking parking lot.

They are teammates on the BB court. Poole wasn’t looking to fight, nor was he in a
boxing stance. He was simply pushing Dray OFF of him to clear his space…because
Dray pushed him first by bumping him.

That a focking sucker punch ….it’s some sucker as shit only a suck
ass nigga would do.

its strange seeing these soft types try to redefine what a sucker punch is

its the Carmelo situation all over again

listen, once another man gets in your face….ITS A FIGHT, period. now, whether or not YOU are ready for that fight falls on YOU

First of all, I know literally almost NONE of you are this aggressive in real life so let’s start from there. Calling bullshit on just about all you MASCULINE MEN ready to throw hands so quickly.

Let’s dissect the facts shall we?

Draymond instigated that incident. FACT.

Draymond got in Poole’s personal space. FACT.

When Poole told him to get away, Draymond didn’t. FACT.

Poole shoved Draymond to get him out of his face. FACT.

So save me the macho self defense horseshit take.

Furthermore, again, this club has evolved into the class of the NBA and he’s supposed to be leader 1B on the leadership hierarchy for that club. And this is how he leads? This is the example he sets? FUCK-ING DUMB. DUMB. DUMB. DUMB.

But Draymond has somehow always 4D-chess’d his way into convincing people he’s got a leg to stand on. He fucked with KD, the most unique talent and maybe greatest pure scorer ever, and people are like “well Dray had a point”. Who cares if he had a point or how sensitive KD is? That incident, like this new incident, was an IMPEDIMENT TO LONG TERM WINNING.

Winning is the most important thing. It’s all that matters. At this stage Dray does so little to positively influence winning but he sure as shit is doing a lot to impede it. FACT.

That guy did a lot of good for this club for a long time, but at this point he’s a loudmouth coattail rider averaging like 4 points a game and what he did was flagrantly out of pocket. In the most winningest basketball environment on earth he acted like a fuckin loser. FACT.

you dumb motherfucker, it aint about where you at, its about whats in front of you

like...I teach my sons...bro, keep your hands to yourself and stay out of another man's space unless you are prepared to get busy. You simply cannot predict how another man might react to a perceived offense. So, just keep it funky out there. That said...Poole couldn't have thought he would just get straight-up Dragon Punched in practice by a dude he done celebrated with, dapped up, hugged, and poured champaign on.

Keep your hands to yourself. Period. All day.

I don’t give a Fock about words, but as soon as something physical takes place the laws
Of nature get activated….and there will be a defense.

Dray running upon dudes and bumping them like a weak ass dude….and then violently punching him like he some nigga off the street

Fock that dude..never rooting for him again.

Even in an office. Even in a billion dollar environment.
Draymond wrong for doing THAT much but Poole got caught slipping.

>Even in an office. Even in a billion dollar environment.
>Draymond wrong for doing THAT much but Poole got caught
>slipping.

I’d have been cooler with Draymond grabbing Poole by the pennie and driving him into the wall. Still would’ve been hot headed and immature but with way lesser repercussions. But now? Indefensible.

>Even in an office. Even in a billion dollar environment.
>Draymond wrong for doing THAT much but Poole got caught
>slipping.

What an awful way to live your life. Walking around the office with your fists up just in case somebody tries you.

Draymond really has some dudes fooled.


What did Poole say to Mr Genius that got him so aggy? Lets start with how brittle that dude's ego is.


Folks in here acting like Hoagie breath wasn't the aggressor. Went charging at him (his much smaller teammate) like a lunatic...

Poole reasonably tries to push him off, probably not expecting his teammate to Clubber Lang him.


Yeah Poole is probably cocky and needs checked. Yeah scuffles happen in practice. But this shit?

And how does Draymond of all people get so triggered by someone talking shit?

And he is a veteran and alleged core leader of the team. Out here club punching a teammate over words? My goodness.


Draymond is an overrated, corny dweeb who at this point is more of a liability than a positive. Probably extra sensitive these days because as he ages and loses some athleticism he has very little skill to fall back on...other than running his mouth.


Not sure why more teams haven't exposed this weakness for GS in a playoff series. Just have some bench warming goon bait Draymond into a hissy fit and get him thrown out/suspended.


The "greatest defender ever" is about as mentally tough as an insecure school girl. Unreal.


LOL at grown men riding with this clown. Ship his ass to Orlando or some shit...I'd love to see Mr Genius's impact outside of the Warrior system.

>Draymond really has some dudes fooled.
>
>
>What did Poole say to Mr Genius that got him so aggy? Lets
>start with how brittle that dude's ego is.
>
>
>Folks in here acting like Hoagie breath wasn't the aggressor.
>Went charging at him (his much smaller teammate) like a
>lunatic...
>
>Poole reasonably tries to push him off, probably not expecting
>his teammate to Clubber Lang him.
>
>
>Yeah Poole is probably cocky and needs checked. Yeah scuffles
>happen in practice. But this shit?
>
>And how does Draymond of all people get so triggered by
>someone talking shit?
>
>And he is a veteran and alleged core leader of the team. Out
>here club punching a teammate over words? My goodness.
>
>
>Draymond is an overrated, corny dweeb who at this point is
>more of a liability than a positive. Probably extra sensitive
>these days because as he ages and loses some athleticism he
>has very little skill to fall back on...other than running his
>mouth.
>
>
>Not sure why more teams haven't exposed this weakness for GS
>in a playoff series. Just have some bench warming goon bait
>Draymond into a hissy fit and get him thrown out/suspended.
>
>
>The "greatest defender ever" is about as mentally tough as an
>insecure school girl. Unreal.
>
>
>LOL at grown men riding with this clown. Ship his ass to
>Orlando or some shit...I'd love to see Mr Genius's impact
>outside of the Warrior system.
>
>

It's still a wild over escalation of a shoving match that he started. If he did it to Steph, he'd have been cut a week ago

You know, the leader of the team who punched Steve Kerr in the face? During a practice before the '95-'96 season? After he initiated contact and knocked Kerr over? And then Kerr shoved him in return?

Man, that must have REALLY fucked up that Bulls team's chemistry. I don't see how those two guys could have played with each other moving forward. That must have killed the Bulls chances of winning in '95-'96 and years afterwards.

If Kerr ever went on to be a head coach, I really wouldn't be sure he'd know how to deal with that sort of situation.

>If Kerr ever went on to be a head coach, I really wouldn't be
>sure he'd know how to deal with that sort of situation.

kerr really might be uniquely suited to deal with this from the team chemistry angle because of what he went through personally.

They’re going back to the finals (I will never believe in the clippers , phoenix is a mess and no one else has enough experience to knock them off)


It just makes draymond look like what everyone knows / suspected all along, a dirty immature player like chris Paul and Greyson Allen and the morris dickheads

>>If Kerr ever went on to be a head coach, I really wouldn't
>be
>>sure he'd know how to deal with that sort of situation.
>
>kerr really might be uniquely suited to deal with this from
>the team chemistry angle because of what he went through
>personally.

and derail your whole season.

He loves me almost as much as he loves draymond

You’re dismissed

Michael could’ve murdered Kerr’s wife and been allowed to start the next day. FOH

I'm treating this like AEW: unless it actually effects the product on-screen, I don't give a fuck. Players fight. In practice. All the damn time.

And if Poole wants to be traded or demands Draymond be traded or not re-sign over this, then I'm fine with the team letting him leave.

but I think there's a pretty stark difference between Draymond's contribution to his team and MJ's to his. I'll put up with MJ before I'll put up with Draymond Green. So that's one difference.

But another HUGE difference is the fact that the Jordan/Kerr punch became a thing of legend LONG after it happened, relived entirely by word of mouth. This is ON VIDEO for the whole world to see. We have more context than the example you're citing which , just based on what we know, I think makes it way more inappropriate and in turn more humiliating for all parties involved.

But to your point and to be fair, we haven't seen it impact the on court product...yet. But we can't act like it's not a thing and couldn't be detrimental to winning because it definitely could.

>but I think there's a pretty stark difference between
>Draymond's contribution to his team and MJ's to his. I'll put
>up with MJ before I'll put up with Draymond Green. So that's
>one difference.

Yeah, clearly Draymond isn't as good of a player as MJ. But all accounts have him being intrinsic to the team's winning culture. And he's worked to set the tone before Kerr even got hired. Couple that with the fact he's been credited with helping the young players on this team develop, like Wiseman and Kuminga, both of which will essentially do anything that Green and Iggy ask them to do.

>But another HUGE difference is the fact that the Jordan/Kerr
>punch became a thing of legend LONG after it happened, relived
>entirely by word of mouth. This is ON VIDEO for the whole
>world to see. We have more context than the example you're
>citing which , just based on what we know, I think makes it
>way more inappropriate and in turn more humiliating for all
>parties involved.

The video does definitely add something to it. Because otherwise, this story is over by the time Draymond is off his two-day suspension. Which I believe he already is. He'd already apologized before the video, and the rest was being handled internally. I do think it would be REALLY dumb for the team to increase the suspension or how it drag into the regular season because of this video.

>But to your point and to be fair, we haven't seen it impact
>the on court product...yet. But we can't act like it's not a
>thing and couldn't be detrimental to winning because it
>definitely could.

That's all I'm saying. There is a lot of pearl-clutching going on. A lot of think-pieces are going to be written and there are going to be a lot of pundits screaming. But we have no idea is if this is going to impact the on court, no matter how many sports personalities try to will it into existence.

I choose to believe these guys are more mature than that, because, hey, this an ultra-competitive league filled with ultra-competitive players, and fights in practice between teammates happen. I would hope both Poole and Green have moved past it, video or not. Because winning a championship should outweigh bruised egos on either side.

The Athletic
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 26: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after a call during the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks in Game Five of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Finals at Chase Center on May 26, 2022 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Draymond Green has once again lost Warriors’ trust: Amick

Sam Amick
Oct 7, 2022
185
Save Article
SAN FRANCISCO — It was early evening in Boston on June 16, some six hours before Golden State would win its fourth title in eight seasons by taking Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Celtics. And Bob Myers, the Warriors’ lead executive who has been navigating dynasty dynamics for quite a few years now, had agreed to talk about a topic that was no longer taboo: The Draymond Green dilemma.

ADVERTISEMENT

These sorts of interviews can be tricky to conduct, as you’re asking a subject to reflect on a journey before it’s completely finished. But it came with this reality: If the Warriors had blown the series, this story that followed — “Inside the Draymond Green-Warriors partnership that perseveres and a plane ride to remember” — never would have been written.

While their latest title deed wasn’t done just yet, it seemed the roller-coaster relationship between Green and the Warriors was barreling toward a happy ending of sorts. Storybook, even.

There was no more need to rehash his tense locker room moment with coach Steve Kerr in Oklahoma City in February 2016, or the LeBron James crotch shot and subsequent Game 5 suspension in the finals months later that many believed cost them a crown. Enough with the talk about Green’s infamous blow-up at Kevin Durant in the Clippers game back on Nov. 12, 2018, or his podcast appearance with Durant two summers ago in which he openly blamed Myers and Kerr for how they handled the situation and inspired significant frustration within the organization in the process. In the end, even Green’s Game 4 benching against the Celtics was a false alarm for many people who wondered if it might derail the Warriors’ latest efforts.

The many wounds, it seemed, had been healed. And Green, same as he ever was, had reminded them all in those last few games why he was still worth all the trouble.

“Somebody smart told me a long time ago that you have to put equity in relationships because at some point, somebody’s going to upset someone else in a relationship — intentionally, unintentionally,” said Myers, who would watch Green finish with 12 rebounds, eight assists, two steals, two blocks and a plus-16 rating in the Warriors’ 103-90 closeout win. “And if you don’t have built-up equity, that can fracture the relationship.”

ADVERTISEMENT

And … now we’re back.

go-deeper
GO DEEPER
Warriors aftermath: Where does Draymond Green stand? How is Jordan Poole?
It has been fewer than four months since those words were spoken and just a week or so since the Warriors headed to Japan to tip off their preseason. Yet there was Myers up on that Chase Center stage Thursday in San Francisco, spending nearly 20 minutes discussing Green’s decision to punch young Jordan Poole in practice the day before and sharing perspective on the organization’s response to his latest misstep. It was, as Yogi Berra once said, déjà vu all over again.

I hadn’t seen Myers since the night the Warriors won it all. But to witness the extreme contrast in his commentary from our last visit to this latest spectacle, where Myers, Steph Curry and coach Steve Kerr all made it so clear during individual news conferences that Green made a major mistake here, was nothing short of surreal.

They swear this relationship isn’t broken, but the equity has taken a major hit. Again. And after video of the sucker punch was leaked via TMZ on Friday morning, it’s easy to understand why.

To the Warriors’ credit, they made the wise choice to take this situation head-on after our Shams Charania, Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson first broke the story on Wednesday night. If this sort of situation had happened with the Knicks, they would have just fired off a few more tweets about RJ Barrett’s extension while refusing to make key members of their organization available to the media. But I digress.

There was an understandable need to keep some information in-house here, but the Warriors’ power trio said more than enough to justify their shared disappointment. Myers said Green isn’t expected to be suspended for any games but declined to share details about the discipline that is coming his way. Curry detailed how Green had apologized to Poole and the team but declined to share more about how his mea culpa was received until Poole decided to answer that key question publicly.

Myers and Curry shared their belief that the contract situation between Poole and Green didn’t play a part here (both players are up for extensions, but Poole is widely seen as more likely to land a massive deal while Green will have to decide whether to pick up his $27.5 million player option for next season).

Kerr, who declined questions about the incident and wore his extreme dissatisfaction without saying a word, lamented the fact that this controversy would overshadow a training camp that had been otherwise positive and productive. Myers insisted that Poole, the 23-year-old who is pushing for a $130 million extension like the one Miami’s Tyler Herro inked recently, will be able to get past this ugly incident and join forces with the 32-year-old Green again. Kerr, when asked about his well-chronicled fight with Michael Jordan during a Chicago Bulls scrimmage in 1995, had no interest in comparing his plight back then with that of Poole’s.

“They had a documentary about that,” he said wryly. “Watch ‘The Last Dance.’”

But then came that moment of truth from Myers, the former agent who drafted Green 35th overall out of Michigan State in 2012 and knows all too well that impact players like him are worth, well, fighting for.

“I mean, without him, we don’t win,” Myers said. “And I want to win, our ownership wants to win, our players want to win. Our players want him on the team. And if you play, that’s the most important thing. Nobody’s saying we don’t want him around. We don’t want him on the team. They know what he does. They know what he needs. But yesterday wasn’t a good moment. That’s the bottom line. It wasn’t.

“There’s people in life that make mistakes, and don’t apologize or don’t earn your trust back. He always does that. I don’t think he likes putting himself in these spots. He’s in one. And I think he’ll find a way to earn the respect of his teammates and Jordan back. But that’s the work he has to do.”

There’s a painful premise that Myers laid bare with his remarks: Green, a future Hall of Famer and one of the greatest Warriors players who ever lived, has lost the trust and respect of his teammates and must now begin the process of earning it back. There’s just no way of denying the profound and harsh truth behind what he said.

Yet even beyond all the nuanced context that comes with Green and his complicated relationship with the Warriors, there was an uncomfortable reality of this scuffle that simply can’t be ignored. Green, who is nearly a decade older than Poole and listed as 36 pounds heavier, chose to swing on his much younger and much smaller teammate in a way that was seen internally as wildly unjustified. There is, it seems, a universal agreement on that much.


(Garrett Ellwood / NBAE via Getty Images)
Add in the fact that Poole has long since established himself as an invaluable member of this group — from the 28th pick out of Michigan in 2019 to G League stints to Warriors stardom last season — and you start to see why the stakes are so high here.

“I just said ‘You’re better than this,’ ” Myers said of his conversations with Green after the incident. “Like don’t, don’t, don’t do this. Don’t do this to yourself. Don’t put yourself in this position.’ Um, (you) still, still love the person. (You) don’t love what he did, but still love the guy. So he’s complicated.

“But he is a good person. He is a good person. He is. I’ve seen it. I’ve seen a lot of things he’s done. Yesterday wasn’t one of them. … He knows what he needs to do, and he’s got to make amends and he started with that this morning.”

What happens next, as Myers explained, will set the tone for the Warriors’ title defense.

“Yeah, look, (Poole) will speak — soon, I suppose,” Myers said. “Draymond will speak, (and) what he says is more important than what I say. That’s up to him. But knowing Jordan like I do, he’s a pretty resilient guy, and he’ll get through it. But I can’t (say). I’m not going to say how he feels, how he shouldn’t feel. I’m not going to say. Only I would know about me. But Steve and I talked about when he got hit (by Jordan). … You figure it out. You hang on to it for the time you need to, and you move on. But that’s a good question to ask (Poole). He’ll answer it. But I have confidence that it won’t erode the fabric of our team.”

go-deeper
GO DEEPER
Thompson: Draymond Green incident puts Steph Curry's leadership to the ultimate test
(Photo of Draymond Green: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)

What did you think of this story?
Rate as MEH
MEH
Rate as SOLID
SOLID
Rate as AWESOME
AWESOME

Sam Amick is a senior NBA writer for The Athletic. He has covered the Association for the better part of two decades while at USA Today, Sports Illustrated, AOL FanHouse and the Sacramento Bee. Follow Sam on Twitter @sam_amick
OPEN IN APP
National
Boxing
Bundesliga
Champions League
Championship
College Football
Culture
Europa League
FA Cup
Fantasy Baseball
Fantasy Basketball
Fantasy Football
Fantasy Hockey
Fantasy Premier League
Gaming
Golf
International Soccer
La Liga
League Cup
League One
League Two
LNH
Men's College Basketball
Mixed Martial Arts
MLB
MLS
Motorsports
NBA
NFL
NHL
NWSL
Olympics
Premier League
Scottish Premiership
Serie A
Soccer
Sports Betting
Sports Business
UK Women's Football
WNBA
Women's College Basketball
Women's Euros
World Cup
The Athletic Ink
Podcasts
Headlines
Real Time
The Athletic UK
US
Arizona
Atlanta
Baltimore
Bay Area
Boston
Buffalo
Carolina
Chicago
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Columbus
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
Houston
Indiana
Jacksonville
Kansas City
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Memphis
Miami
Minnesota
Nashville
New Orleans
New York
Oklahoma
Oregon
Orlando
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Sacramento
San Antonio
San Diego
Seattle
St. Louis
Tampa Bay
Utah
Washington DC
Wisconsin
Canada
Calgary
Edmonton
Montreal
Montréal (français)
Ottawa
Toronto
Vancouver
Winnipeg
Share
Buy a Gift
HQ
About Us
Careers
Code of Conduct
Editorial Guidelines
Business Inquiries
Press Inquiries
Support
FAQ
Forgot Password?
Redeem Gift
Contact Us
Newsletters
The Pulse
©2022 The Athletic Media Company. All rights reserved.
Policy Center
Support
Sitemap
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

Look at all that garbage at the end of it.

I don’t know you personally…..but you are forever swiping
Legal document long reads.

ole i wasnt ready asses

-Jordan wasn't prepared for a fight that had clearly already started

-Dray was crazy aggressive and had no business assaulting Jordan

It's not like one of these cancels the other

And yeah, a *lot* of us grew up without fathers.
Many of us would have read what was coming before Dray ever got there

walking up on me. especially if we're mouthing back and forth. everybody ain't build like that.

maybe I'm reading the comments wrong, but seems like you're blaming Poole for not expecting to fight. Of course, scuffles happen, but most folks ain't going into practice expecting shit to escalate like that. maybe he was expecting Dray to be the seasoned vet in this situation.

was either subpar or failed him in that instance.

still, he gonna err on the side of bag preservation. anyone who ever played sports knows there's a HUGE difference between a push and a punch. mfers push people all day and get thrown out of games or T'd up or flagged.

you throw a punch, you getting ejected, fined, suspended.

dude is within 10 days of life altering, generational money. if he got on some male ego shit and knuckled up, and it was construed that he threw the first punch, everyone would be frying him for fucking up the contract.

he was right to shove dray who walked across the court and then pushed him. he should have taken a more defensive posture after that, and been prepared to slip the punch if dray escalated shit (beyond all reason). that might very well mean jp ain't built like that and didn't have that experience.

but i don't fault him for it. i like draymond as a player but this was fucked up and uncalled for and, like the nut-punching summer of '16, is messing up his team's potential championship run.
peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

=========================================
I'm an advocate for working smarter, not harder. If you just
focus on working hard you end up making someone else rich and
not having much to show for it. (c) mad

Fuck him. Right place, right time ass role player and he wants to act like he runs the fucking team.

I hope Poole stabs him the next time they’re in the same place. It will be justified.

>Fuck him. Right place, right time ass role player and he
>wants to act like he runs the fucking team.
>
>I hope Poole stabs him the next time they’re in the same
>place. It will be justified.


All Poole has to do is go to the bank when he gets his extension while Draymond doesn’t and gets traded which is really what the conflict was probably all about.

Obviously I remember Rodman but I was also young enough that I watched Double Impact repeatedly and sometimes considered him more of a novelty WCW heavyweight than a basketball player


I can’t help but take Dray just a bit too seriously, in the same way a good Nick Young month always felt like a prank, but if those two dudes were just one dude? Man.


~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

says he failed as a man.

https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1578817681410531328?t=92bYscyJ6WTw2iH1Z92aSQ&s=09

But there's no way he can play in the opener.

If the Warriors don't suspend him for multiple games, the players association or the NBA has to step in. If this happened in a game, he'd be out at least 10-15 games

Another bully who thinks he's a victim

Plus Kerr sounding like a police union rep

>says he failed as a man.
>

.

Y’all focked up another thread….

Only in basketball

https://mobile.twitter.com/highkin/status/1578843638620037120

he said what I said above…but in much better detail. I’m sure Poole never dreamed he’d be getting his mouth gone into, by one of his teammates…at the practice facility. That said, you simply have to be aware that you cannot account for how someone else will respond to a perceived slight.

>That said, you simply have to be aware that you cannot account
>for how someone else will respond to a perceived slight.

People keep acting like the variable in this situation is Poole choosing not to defend himself when the variable is Draymond deciding to pick a fight with a teammate. Even if you think it’s dumb that Pool didn’t defend himself, who cares? It’s still all on Dray. He got in Poole’s face, Poole pushed him to get away from the situation (which Dray should have understood from his body language), and Dray decided to punch Poole when he wasn’t defending himself. Acting like “well they were both kinda wrong” is insane to me.

I've had my fair share of bball brawls
But to Dame's point, not since HS
All these... fights happen...plea cops are really bothering me
We're talking about adults
on the same team
at work.

The Kanye shrugging at this is wild to me
Especially considering the story is being deflected to the leak/video
GSW GM tried to brush this off as nothing to see here
That should be the story

...and if Dame got slumped in practice I think he'd have a different take...

WTF is wrong with people?

We can do/be better than this.

y’all are correct. We should be better. Dray was 1000% wrong. He should have been better. Unfortunately, we have not arrived at that place, yet…where people do the right thing all the time. Poole should not have to walk around the practice facility with his guards up.

Either he gets traded or I get traded. That’s what I’m saying to management.

And 2, draymond has to get touched. Period. The men in poole’s family
will let him know that.

3, anything goes. Since he was sucker punched, Poole
can come at him in any form or fashion.

Poole wasn’t punched. He was assaulted….growing up in Chicago, even death
isn’t off the table.

yourself

he’d like to have that one back.

Let's parse out the reality of this.

>Either he gets traded or I get traded. That’s what I’m
>saying to management.

Cool. That's one route. He's certainly entitled to that.

His rep probably takes a serious hit though, and he loses respect from other players. But yeah, he can do that.

What will you, the architect of this brilliant plan, do to keep him in good standing with other players?

Because not only did he get laid out, now he's asking to be traded.

Everyone will think he's a bitch, and everyone will test him.

What's your plan to correct that?

>And 2, draymond has to get touched. Period. The men in
>poole’s family
>will let him know that.

Has to? Based on what?

And to what end? For "honor", or some shit? What's the purpose?

>3, anything goes. Since he was sucker punched, Poole
>can come at him in any form or fashion.

Cool.

I assume this is the legal defense you have in mind?

You've already spoken to some top shelf criminal defense attorneys about this, got the legal fund up and running, etc?

And these exceptionally well educated legal minds all agree on this strategy from a legal standpoint?

By all means, put us all up on this cutting edge "Last Licks" doctrine you've announced with your chest out like that fucked up Captain America cover.

>Poole wasn’t punched. He was assaulted….growing up in
>Chicago, even death
>isn’t off the table.

Gotcha.

So you're advocating for Jordan Poole, a young, NBA millionaire an entire life and career ahead of him, to *murder* Draymond Green, over a punch to the face.

And the justification is, he's from Chicago, is that correct?

I assume you ran this by the legal team as well?

To recap, you think that a young, millionaire NBA player with a life and career ahead of him, should throw all that away because he's "owed" Last Licks.

All of which is fine, I'd just like to see the legal strategy, financial support, etc, that you've laid out.

Because there's no way you'd advocate for someone to make such a life-changing decision, for such petty reasons, without you being ready, willing, and able to help defend that person.

Right?

>>Poole wasn’t punched. He was assaulted….growing up in
>>Chicago, even death
>>isn’t off the table.
>
>Gotcha.
>
>So you're advocating for Jordan Poole, a young, NBA
>millionaire an entire life and career ahead of him, to
>*murder* Draymond Green, over a punch to the face.
>
>And the justification is, he's from Chicago, is that correct?

like, he could have taken Draymond's apology at face value, been cool with Draymond taking some time off to get his head straight, and just be ready to hoop.

now, he could also not be, and everyone would understand that.

but, this is one of the wildest takes in OKS ever. of course L Stah made it cuz he says all kinds of wild shit.

Poole should have Draymond murdered....just......wow.

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/LargeOrderlyHawk-mobile.mp4

units out. (or stress tf out of their 1st teamers while steph an nem chilling).

3rd quarters gonna be extra hell for opponents this year.


peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

=========================================
I'm an advocate for working smarter, not harder. If you just
focus on working hard you end up making someone else rich and
not having much to show for it. (c) mad

https://twitter.com/sportscenter/status/1579333721877929985?s=46&t=_dhL5FBf307aknUG3NArdg

No doubt he’ll miss games this year (Clips’ll have plenty of DNPs across the board), but if he can be this active in the playoffs, that’s some CONSIDERABLE value the Clips have added.

but i think he'll be a serviceable backup to reggie jackson who has actually gotten BETTER with age, where was this version in Detroit?

>https://twitter.com/sportscenter/status/1579333721877929985?s=46&t=_dhL5FBf307aknUG3NArdg
>
>No doubt he’ll miss games this year (Clips’ll have plenty
>of DNPs across the board), but if he can be this active in the
>playoffs, that’s some CONSIDERABLE value the Clips have
>added.

He doesn't need to be super-fast super-athlete John Wall-- he needs to be the guy who can carry more of a load when guys like Leonard and George invariably miss time. He showed me enough last night to show he can do that.

And Jackson's efficiency was terrible last year. Worst shooting percentages since he was a rookie, worse PER since he was a rookie. His usage was the highest last year it's been since he was in Detroit, hence his raw numbers going up, yet his assists per game were still down from his time in Detroit. And, needless to say, his analytical numbers, due to his high-volume, low-efficiency production, were terrible last year, worst since his rookie year. The Clippers were provably better on both ends with him off the court.

I do not expect Jackson to start over Wall-- at least for the lion's share of the season, assuming Wall is healthy. I kinda doubt Wall does back-to-backs, at least early on while he gets back into the swing of an NBA schedule, so maybe they rotate? But I expect Wall to be better for the Clippers than Jackson.

The different lineup experiments (outside of the garbage time where 11th/12th men are fighting for roster spots) have all played well, particularly in the first half of these pre-season games where Lakers have been dominant.

Last night's game v. the Warriors was competitive. Both teams were going at it. AD looked like 2020 AD. Nunn continues to impress; he'll be a difference maker - especially off the pick 'n roll/pop with AD & Bron.

Team is vastly improved from last year in all facets. They've got a tough schedule to start the season so they'll be put to the test right away. But I like how Ham has this squad looking.

-->

the board hates him, and I do to at times, but if hes on your team, hes that dude

then try to "walk through" Jordan Poole? That's the first physical contact, not Jordan Poole's push.

with the ring ceremony.

see how he reacts.

if he takes it in stride and is still contrite...bring him back and see if he makes serious efforts to mend wounds within the team.

if he gets pissed off and acts out...shut his ass down and keep him away from the team. and look for a trade partner.

better to get out from under him early than late.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fe1Brt4WQAA_Q4c?format=jpg&name=large

Even if they finish Top 4 with over 50 wins, he's a really safe bet.

much like jokic last year. no viable alternative so primary ball handler gets tons of touches and high usage %. dinwiddie is fine for when luka is on the bench but 99 times out of 100 i'd rather have luka running the offense

Apparently final straw that set Draymond off was Poole teasing Dray about how he pulled girls at Michigan State, asking him “Did they like the triple singles or was it the screen setting?”

A) if that’s really what set Draymond off then he’s just an insecure bully
B) that’s a hilarious line

https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/ballsack_sports_created_a_hilarious_reason_why_draymond_green_punched_jordan_poole_why_your_twitter_handle_is_moneygreen_when_you_are_going_to_be_broke_and_in_sacramento/s1_16751_37978618

person who texted it to me told me "from Athletic"

big L for me. Can only cop to it. Sorry guys.

https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1580057617518325760

happened more than you know. The Warriors coach was involved in one of the most high profile one.

he wouldn't suffer much. so my comment was confirming what I thought would happen.

it's the biggest crisis they have ever faced since he's been the coach...seems like a "crisis" would warrant more than a fine.

this is a huge crisis!

see you tomorrow big dawg!

>it's the biggest crisis they have ever faced since he's been
>the coach...seems like a "crisis" would warrant more than a
>fine.

the Draymond-Durant she was way bigger lol

I didn't have Garland lobs to Mitchell on the menu, even though I could have sworn seeing him and Rubio doing that in Utah at least once.

Okoro playing like he want that starting 3 spot.

LeVert (and Mitchell) playing like he want to "be a part of the puzzle" rather than freelancing.

Optimistic about those two, and those other two.

Evan Mobley gonna continue to rise.

There's one spot left. I wonder if they give it to Diakite (from them other Cavaliers).

One thing I know: if OKC gets Victor, that team is built to be the "Win Button" team.

I'm a big boy. This is shameful. I'm honestly a little disappointed in the Warriors. No suspension, but you're gonna fine him. What the fuck is a fine to Draymond Green? Looks performative. He hit Poole to hurt him. We can obviously play the result, but he could have fucked up his mouth/teeth, knocked him out...hell, he could have fallen and hit his head like dude who got punched at the Giants game and was left paralyzed because he struck his head when he fell. He gets to trot out on opening night and style with the banner. That would have been a legit punishment for him to not be able to participate in that. Oh well.

in general...i would say if jordan poole is fine with how the team handled it then who are we to be more angry than he is. jordan poole...by all accounts...is a complete professional and team player and is prolly putting a lot of his personal feelings aside for what he believes is better for the team/franchise/locker room.

thats fine.

but draymond has shown a documented pattern of behavior that puts games/series/championships at risk. unnecessarily. and now hes doing shit that strikes at the actual fabric of his own locker room. this isnt him pissing off refs and bullying opponents.

he basically showed up for 1 game in the finals at a championship level. only dude to get benched for bad play. in the finals. had a bunch of antics that risked suspension. was focused on his damn podcast and the controversy/beefs that spun off of that. and so on.

he was easily the worst warrior in the finals compared to what is expected of him.

yet when his teammates carried him to a championship through their hard work and focus on the main priority....instead of draymond being humble and reflecting on the unnecessary turbulence he was bringing down on the team...dude just felt more emboldened to talk shit and act like he was that dude.

and now hes apparently emboldened enough to try to knock out your best rising young star. dude isnt just self-destructive anymore...hes harming his teammates (physically and mentally).

dudes behavior is escalating and getting worse. but the punishment is not. he was actually suspended for a game for a *verbal* confrontation with durant. now nothing.

if he was a dude on a team other than the multiple time champions...all of the talk would be about how much he was a locker room cancer and whether/when they should move him.

how can the franchise ever expect him to change and stop being an unnecessary detriment to the team if they never levy the type of penalty that would make him truly reconsider his behavior?

they discussed all this with Poole (i'm SURE they did) and they came up with this outcome "together."

*IF* that's the case, then i see nothing wrong with the "punishment" here because that means Poole didn't want him suspended.

and, as far as correcting his behavior? we don't really know what they are doing behind the scenes (nor would they tell us). maybe as part of this he has to get counseling, etc. who knows?

i get what you're saying...this seems light. but, if all parties are comfortable with this then who are we to say if it's enough.

kerr mentioned it in the same press conference that he revealed the fine in. i figured most would comprehend my mention of jordan poole in my reply alluded to that. but maybe it wasnt clear.

>and, as far as correcting his behavior? we don't really know
>what they are doing behind the scenes (nor would they tell
>us). maybe as part of this he has to get counseling, etc. who
>knows?

fam be honest...you think theres a possibility of some additional backroom punishment for draymond that the warriors arent making public?

i mean...its possible. but given the way draymond has pretty much had free reign to do everything hes done up to this point?

an internal team issue. We don't know what is happening behind the scenes and how this will affect contract negotiations for both players going forward.

>they discussed all this with Poole (i'm SURE they did) and
>they came up with this outcome "together."
>
>*IF* that's the case, then i see nothing wrong with the
>"punishment" here because that means Poole didn't want him
>suspended.
>
>and, as far as correcting his behavior? we don't really know
>what they are doing behind the scenes (nor would they tell
>us). maybe as part of this he has to get counseling, etc. who
>knows?
>
>i get what you're saying...this seems light. but, if all
>parties are comfortable with this then who are we to say if
>it's enough.
>

.

.

Poole can and should be a big part of their future.

with that in mind i'm sure they are stepping lightly here and making sure he's comfortable as hell with whatever is going on.

also, the Warriors seem like the most close-knit team in the NBA. if there was one team i could bank on getting past this, it'd be them.

if draymond is falling on his sword for Poole, is really apologetic, etc and assuming they had a good relationship prior which it SEEMS like they did (especially if it was on some big bro/lil bro shit) then i could see both of them owning up to their faults (meaning whatever shit Poole was talking - we already know what Draymond did) and moving forward just fine.

He knows that, without Draymond Green on the floor, the Warriors simply aren't the same. We've seen it in years past-- if he misses time, the defense plummets, and the offense isn't as versatile without him running the show in his unique way.

Draymond being on the floor makes Poole better, makes the team better when Poole is on the floor, and makes Poole's chances at a huge payday better.

If I thought there were millions of dollars on the line for me, you best believe I'd make up with a guy who punched me in the face, lmao.

also, yes, you got punched.

it's embarassing, sure.

but if they had a good relationship prior, and if Poole has some level of internal maturity and confidence, you can get past your pride.

like, lets say Poole was talking cash shit...just talking too much and saying the wrong shit? that's one of those situations where, internally you can go "yeah, Dray was wrong for punching me he totally overreacted but i was also wilin'"

in THOSE kind of situations (i think a lot of us have been there) it's easier to move past the "embarassment."

But from Draymond's comments, he seems clear, authentic, and contrite. I think that's a big reason why the punishment did not include a suspension.

Not that this scenario is the same as the KD incident but in that situation, Dray was very dismissive and arrogant. If Draymond held that behavior here, I'd like to think they'd step in and severely punish him.

Maybe I'm being naive, but I give the front office and coaching staff the benefit of doubt. They've shown the ability to push the right buttons with the emotional management of the players. I'd like to think Poole had to be on board with this for the front office to lay down this punishment.

Team leaders stepped in and settled everyone's tense emotions from the reports that are out now. Again, I can be naive, but I think leaders like Steph and Looney knew how to acknowledge the significance of the breach of trust but repair the wound to help the team reach its potential.

And also, this went down in a practice. Former athletes have said these situations happen fairly regularly, even on great teams. So, while I don't support violence, I like that they seem to work out a solution that seems respectful to everyone involved. At least at the moment. I wonder what will happen if or when the team struggles. Especially if Draymond's play is the reason for the poor performance.

.

even if I were a fan of the Piss Patrol:

- dude ran KD out of town (thank the Matrix)
- sucker punched the dude who would keep that team relevant after both he and PBS Logo Face join the ranks of the washed

gets too many passes. possibly the one dude in the NBA today that I still got a storage space of hate for.

and he about to be a real liability as far as basketball is concerned

dude is pissed at the way warriors players other than jordan poole have discussed the incident because they werent the ones who were attacked by draymond.

kevon looney said draymond is gonna have to earn the teams trust back...and apparently sas thinks loon is out of bounds because he wasnt the one that personally got his jaw touched.

dude is a buffoon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgYj7EWKBIk

And that's how they handled it.

IMO that should be the model for shit like this.

It's cliche and all that, but it's also true.

This is one where the talking heads needs to bow out and defer. There are still nuances worth discussing, but in terms of what the punishment should or shouldn't be, I think it should be a team issue- players included. And it sounds like everyone got to chime in on this.

IMO the only issue here is, if we see a less significant player step out of line and get fried. One element that has been brought up in a few discussions is, that Poole talks a gang of shit too, and has been relatively close to Dray up to this point.

I do think the video getting released may force Dray's hand in pulling it together. That bully shit needs to phase it's way out at this point.

Maybe this will be a teachable moment to kind of phase shit like that out. It's not the end of the world. but it's an aspect of the game that can still be improved somewhat.

Dray has a history of transgressions
He would be the abusive family member
Bob Myers would be the family member making excuses for the abuse
Thinking he's protecting/helping Dray
While the abuse escalates to assault

Keep the assault in house/family...is a wild analogy in 2022.

LOL.

his point was we don't know everything going on in the "family" but by all accounts the aggrieved party got to have a say in the punishment and it sounds like all parties are okay with that moving forward.

it should really stop there. you should have read reply 261.

What more do we need to know?

I think the attempts to dismiss this are what's fueling the continuation of the story

because the team, and the involved parties sorted it out.

so, "attempt to dismiss" just means you, and others, aren't personally happy with the outcome.

get over it.

>because the team, and the involved parties sorted it out.
>
>so, "attempt to dismiss" just means you, and others, aren't
>personally happy with the outcome.
>
>get over it.

Yep. Exactly.

Dray fucked up.
Dray gets away with too much.
And this video should, ideally, be enough to course correct.

Everything doesn’t need to be punitive to the nth degree.

If Dray keeps trying to bully his way through the league, and other incidents like this occur down the road, than no, this effort didn’t work.

That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have the initial opportunity to deal with it their way.

It’s a goddamned analogy
Not an identical circumstance you fucking nincompoop
How dumb do you have to be to think that was a smart take

Derrrp keep the abuse in the home derrrpyderp

Lookie here, Gomer

It’s a fucking analogy

The warriors dealt with it their way
As it should be done
Nowhere am I justifying abuse

In fact I said the video may prove a catalyst for him to

Wait scratch that
I’m dealing with a goddamned clown
No reason to waste time explaining this to you, because you’re a blithering idiot

Carry on

the media clearly wants a season long soap opera.

but i think they underestimate this locker room.

wouldnt be surprised if the warriors capitalize on a bunker mentality and galvanize the team, lock jordan poole up with a healthy deal for years to come (and less than they would pay after the season), and also use this incident to get dray to accept a lesser deal than he wants in order to stay with the team.

just seeing the articles/interviews coming out about how poole, curry, iggy, looney, etc are helping deal with the situation behind the scenes is cause for a lot of optimism.

https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1580066614677995520

strong words.

https://mobile.twitter.com/DamonBruce/status/1580403718440202241

he's a made man in the NBA and nothing he does at this point will affect that.

…who failed to work on his biggest weakness, (lol how you a NBA pg and can’t shoot jumpers free throws or 3s 😂 ) by people who understand the dynamic of team basketball , ( fanboys enamored with running fast and dunking and scowling will continue shaking their pom poms )

LAL stupid as hell for holding onto those draft picks instead of dumping his ass in Indy , it was a win win situation. He plays his best ball surrounded by cornfields and cows ( it’s probably just like OKC, he would have been happy as a pig in mud putting up hollow numbers and going nowhere )


*This is where you try to divert the convo with something Conley* who despite being washed and done , even today would help the lakers out more just by not being a headcase and distraction.

hold this

LLL
LLL
LLL
LLL
LLL
LLL
LLLLLLLLLLL
LLLLLLLLLLL

Even though his efficacy has dipped a bit in the years prior, he was still contributing to winning basketball through, like, sheer tyranny of will, lol. He never missed games, he never stopped giving a fuck. It's why I thought, despite the bad playoff fit, he'd be a good regular season it, because he'd help the Lakers when Bron and AD inevitably missed games. That, of course, didn't happen, lol. At all.

And yeah, the tank is just empty and he fucking *refuses* to adjust. It's like the Carmelo thing times ten, because Melo wasn't as ball-dominant as Russ, isn't as petulant, and *did* adjust his game once he got back in the league.

I think there's a world in which Russ still provides value as purely a second-unit leader, a guy who only gets in the game 18-20 minutes, when the stars are out, to stem the tide and beat up another team's backups some... but I'm honestly not even sure that's true anymore, because Russ only plays Russ Ball, and while that used to work, it just doesn't anymore. Maybe if Russ adjusted his game, he'd still provide value and be a guy who can play another 3-4 years, but right now he's playing like someone who'll be out the league in the next 12-18 months.

Beverly is clearly a better basketball player today than Russell Westbrook. And in terms of the team construct, Austin Reaves is clearly better today, as he shoots the ball well and exerts effort on defense.

If I was the Lakers, I'd consider rolling out 3 guards-- Beverly, Nunn, and Reaves-- with Bron and AD, and I'd have Westbrook try to beat up second units off the bench. And I'd absolutely throw in a pick or two for anyone willing to take on his expiring deal for any sort of assets in exchange.

https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1580551050670788610

He's been doing that for years and years.

He sucks but let's focus on WHY and not these dumb things.

and make a symbolic show of it.

https://twitter.com/TheAthleticNBA/status/1580279888543567872

Last night was a debacle. Historically icy 3-point shooting (at one point they missed 15 straight I think lol) - no continuity, Walker playing really well and then getting injured (which looked like it could be bad) - and then of course Russ with the scorched earth anti-team posturing.

Ham got his work cut out for him to gel on the fly with a tough schedule from the jump. They've got good pieces but last night looked ugly in terms of chemistry - some of which to be expected. Dennis looked totally out of sync. Russ in sabotage mode lol.

I do like the young legs and the way they fight/play defense though. With how LA played offensively it should've been a blow-out but their defense and energy kept it close.

Bron looks good - as usual. Just crazy how he still appears to be an efficient high-volume scorer at this age.

-->

to this season

... is less about the supporting players than simply AD and LeBron missing more than 1/3 of the previous two seasons.

It's not like the 2020 roster was filled with talent, but they played well together and won at a high level. And the '21 team was the top seed until injuries derailed them.

I am NOT saying that this team, even with AD and LeBron playing 70 or 75 games is a contender. But 39-year-old LeBron, if he's playing at the level he did last year, can drag AD and the rest of the roster to at least a low-seeded playoff team.

Glad they're trying this, as legit the *only* way the Russ experiment works this year is if he's the captain of the second unit (and if he buys into that role).

Still not necessarily convinced he's a net-positive player if he keeps playing his current style of ball, but he's got a better shot at having gas left in the tank against second units rather than playing big starter minutes.

>Glad they're trying this, as legit the *only* way the Russ
>experiment works this year is if he's the captain of the
>second unit (and if he buys into that role).

Yup. And good on Ham for making a bold move like this now - early - before the season even starts to make the stance that this is a real thing to expect. That message needs to be received

>Still not necessarily convinced he's a net-positive player if
>he keeps playing his current style of ball, but he's got a
>better shot at having gas left in the tank against second
>units rather than playing big starter minutes.

He's been objectively awful playing with the 1st unit (could be the case w/ the 2nd unit too lol) - but at least he won't mess up the chemistry and flow of the 1st unit coming off the bench.


-->

final pre-season game of the year. I like the move from Ham.

If Russ is going to be effective at all this year for the Lakers (while he's still there) - it'll be w/ the 2nd unit IMO.
-->

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSzLE4bl4ZI

doesnt sound like someone who has done a lot of self reflection lol.

& beyond.

if thats the case he may as well retire cause he aint gonna be worth a damn if he's trying to be mr nice guy

In general, when someone is confronted with their wrongdoing they have an initial reaction. Hopefully, like Draymond, that reaction is contrition and genuine guilt.

But the real transformation requires lots of stumbles and failures to grasp the enormity of the wrongdoing and the challenging work of holding yourself accountable, even and especially when it's inconvenient and uncomfortable.

So, I don't expect much from Draymond given it's only been less than a week since the suspension. I think the kind of 180 people may have expected only takes place when a catasrophe happens and the person already has a high-resevoir of self-awareness and humility. Two qualities that most men much less 'alpha-type' pro athletes aren't in the position to cultivate.

And even if Dray did 'win the press conference,' the real work would need to take place in the locker room, on the practice court, and in huddles during games to earn the trust and respect of the team.

That being said, and I don't know if the team already asked him, I wish he would see a counselor or therapist to process what he did and begin to grasp how destructive it was to Jordan, the team, and ultimately to himself. He also needs to learn tools to help him better manage his power to cut down when his aggression boils over. Because if he doesn't get a hold of himself he'll go down as someone who self-sabotaged his career and prematurely pressed the brakes on a dynasty.

like everybody on the team.

better than usual.

especially around the rim.

with more athleticism. and more playmakers off the dribble.

just noticeably deeper overall.

https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1581310791965638656

I have questions about how a Curry/Poole backcourt functions defensively if, say, they lose Draymond Green... but he's obviously easily talented enough on offense to justify that payday.

https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1581395279755943936

wiggins is taking a pay cut (based on current deal). the pay cut is even steaper when you figure the raise he could have gotten in the new deal.

https://twitter.com/anthonyVslater/status/1581396963290845185

like, do people think the Warriors give a shit about and luxury tax?

i don't think they do. they are making money hand over fist regardless of what the payroll is.

Granted that limit is near $500M (yikes!). So, it's possible that Dray and Klay may need to take a hometown discount to stay.

Then again if Kuminga and the other young players come around, maybe GS will trade Wiggins or other players to free up cap space.

... also makes it easier in theory to trade for another star. When your best longterm assets are on rookie deals, you have to trade a fuckton to make the money match if you're looking to acquire a star.

With a guy like Poole or Wiggins, you can pair him with a rookie deal guy like Wiseman or Kuminga, toss in a pick or two, and that's a pretty tasty package for a team looking to dump their biggest star and start over. And there will be a number of teams doing that this year.

Next season is a player option, and Draymond isn’t going to opt out. And the Warriors won’t/can’t trade him, if for no reason than it means bringing in the same amount of salary and still paying the luxury tax.

People saying “This is it for Draymond!” or declaring that he’s gone are caught up in the moment. Let’s see how things shake out over the next two seasons. Or even just this one.

also, poole and wiggins are desirable players for most teams. this is the NBA. anyone can get traded.

also, if Dray has any REALISTIC view of himself, he may realize he's on the downhill and might wanna stay a Warrior for life, and take a "reasonable" contract.

who knows what'll happen.

Like, his career is set there. He got first round draft pick money already, and he was probably sick of the (justified) criticism during his Minnesota tenure. He'd rather be a winning basketball player than the absolute richest version of himself. I respect it.

they he can sign another and settle in as the experienced winner who is a gun for hire for another 4-6 years.

Nothing's guaranteed obviously, but he's in such a great position with the Warriors.

https://nba.nbcsports.com/2022/10/15/nba-roster-cut-down-roundup-matt-ryan-makes-lakers-roster/

3-time dunk champion Nate Robinson undergoing treatment for kidney failure

By Raphielle JohnsonOct 15, 2022, 8:50 PM EDT

Former NBA guard Nate Robinson announced on Saturday that he has been undergoing treatment for kidney (renal) failure, a situation he has been dealing with for the last four years. Stating that he was “never a vocal leader on the court,” Robinson stated his hope that going public with his diagnosis can help others in a similar situation.

Selected by the Suns with the 21st overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, Robinson played for eight teams over the course of his 11 seasons in the league. He’s best known for his All-Star Weekend exploits, becoming the first player in league history to win the Slam Dunk Contest on three separate occasions (2006, 2009, and 2010).

Robinson is also one of four players to win back-to-back slam dunk titles, with Michael Jordan (1987, 1988), Jason Richardson (2002, 2003), and Zach LaVine (2009, 2010) being the others. Since completing his NBA career after two games with the Pelicans during the 2015-16 season, Robinson has branched out into other sports. The former Washington defensive back tried out for the Seahawks in 2016 and fought Jake Paul in an exhibition boxing match in 2020.