Just quickly catching up with some videos and transcripts below, especially re-referencing Draymond Green’s quip that they better start winning some games, which Gary Payton II brought up yesterday at practice the day before facing Jordan Poole and the Washington Wizards.
Crazy thing is, what Green said on the podium after the win at home against the Phoenix Suns, “You better win some games or, I told the guys, we all gonna get traded outta here” (transcript is in the Comments of the below video embed)…
…that was a good ten games ago back on December 28th, but then again that was four games before Jonathan Kuminga got injured. With Kuminga and after what Dray said to the team, the Warriors actually went 3-1, the loss coming against the Cleveland Cavaliers. With JK out, they’ve gone 2-4.
And since then, Dean “of Positivity” Chambers and I have just about covered every topic under the sun for DubNation as various narratives have unfolded on social media. Here are some of our highlights:
• It is correct that there is not a trade market out there that makes good sense for Mike Dunleavy, Jr. to indulge in, but the issue is that the asking prices are too high. What one Wardell Stephen Curry said about “Twitter fingers” and not making desperate moves, as seen here…
…and here…
…makes me think that the asking prices from other teams probably include Kuminga and/or first-round draft picks. I mean, of course they do. We are not yet near the deadline, so why would opposing GMs be actively selling their assets? They should be sitting around, placing high price tags and waiting for buyers to get antsy. That’s how human sales and supply-and-demand works, but of course the kids on social media are all running around with their heads cut off, reacting to every emotion and jettisoning logic. And the Warriors can’t even consider Dennis Schroder in a trade until February 5th, per CBA rules. I’ve said all along, I agree with Draymond: Kuminga is a future All-Star or at least has shown talents thereof. He should not be traded until an obtainable elite player becomes available, maybe this summer, maybe not at all.
• And yet, Jimmy Butler on paper, perhaps even packaged together with Nikola Vucevic in a three-team trade, looks doable in scenarios where we do not include Kuminga. This would effectively turn a marathon into a sprint, as Dean has said, but lately, there’s been more narratives about Butler’s toxicity — even a T’wolves fan has mentioned it — as well as the reporting of Anthony Slater of The Athletic. This has resulted in the sentiment that Jimmy to the Warriors is most likely not happening, not to mention that Pat Riley is probably in no hurry to trade him and likely has a really high asking price as of today.
• Fans often forget that the other team(s) involved in a trade with the Warriors have to want the receiving players — we’ve covered a ton of these scenarios — and often times we deduce that other teams probably don’t really find a whole lot of value in the contracts of, say, GP2 or Kevon Looney, aside from the fact that they’re expiring, and so at that point you’d have to attach a draft pick to the deal. That’s where deals become too high of an asking price, whereby (a) the upcoming 2025 Draft is too deep to trade away, (b) the 2026 Draft also looks pretty deep so far as well, (c) Mikal Bridges went for four first-rounders so you’d figure you’d need to spend at least two or three of them to get an elite star, (d) and Golden State can’t even trade three of them yet because the 2030 pick is protected, plus due to the Stepien Rule where they have to definitively have a pick at least every other year, and (e) they only have two second-round picks left available to trade! Whew! 🥵
• The Warriors did construct this roster correctly. The only problem is, one of their two-way starters tore his ACL. There’s not a lot of teams out there that have recovered from losing a starter to a season-ending injury. From there, the dominoes fall.
• Kuminga looked like a future All-Star in the 20-5-5 in 25 minutes game, getting either to the nail or the hoop and spraying out to his teammates. That was the next level I didn’t expect him to get to already. Fyi, JK racked up 13-2-2 in one half of play the next game against Memphis, when he sprained his ankle. This resulted in yet another new identity for the Warriors, which takes time to adjust to, but I just don’t see how any fans can possibly be mad at any result during JK’s absence. I talked about this ad nauseum in the Warriors Therapy livestream the other day.
• And yet with the trade deadline coming up and the Joe Lacob only about $6 million over the luxury and, probably more importantly, being a luxury tax repeater franchise, don’t be surprised if he sheds some salary to duck under the line. I would say Looney is slightly more expendable than Payton because there’s probably a traditional-big playoff team out there willing to spend a second-rounder on him especially due to the fact that whatever this team is, it’s already a playoff team and probably doesn’t need a second-rounder. For example: the Indiana Pacers. The other contracts that would immediately get the Warriors under the luxury tax, namely Kyle Anderson or Buddy Hield, those are actually pretty good-value contracts especially as the cap will increase the next few years. You can always sign Loon or GP2 back during the summer and there’s a high likelihood that either would be more than happy to come back to the franchise that has treated them so well over the years.
• Gui Santos, to me, is a keeper. This is based on film study of the Minnesota Timberwolves game. I am a former defensive-minded coach and love it when can stay in front on point-of-attack plays and hustle their butts off. I went through the film last night and Santos deserves his own dedicated video and/or article for his performance. Imo, Gui is probably the fourth-best defender on the team after Draymond, Gary, and Andrew Wiggins. Steve Kerr and his coaches have got to play Santos from here on out, if only for his defensive instincts — all the great things he does on offense are icing on the cake, to me. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful story if Gui, again as the team’s fourth-best defender, changed the trajectory of the squad (#TheWatcherVoice)? Incidentally, while we are on the topic of defense, I’d say De’Anthony Melton was the Warriors second-best defender when he was on the team — Wiggins is solid as a 1v1 guy but he’s actually not that great at point-of-attack, although he is great at recovery and mini-chase-down blocks, and GP2 is just as good as Melton, but Melton is/was bigger, more consistent and didn’t gamble as much. That just goes to show you his value and that Dunleavy-Lacob had indeed constructed this roster the right way.
Transcripts below, but again please note that every transcript is published in every Comments section of every video…
00:00 A year since Deki passed away today. Just what was today like for you guys as a team? And then how significant is it for the organization to name an award after him in his honor?
00:10 STEVE KERR: Yeah, it’s a tough day. It’s, obviously, toughest on Deki’s family. And we’re thinking about them today, especially, and of course thinking about Deki and how much he meant to us and our organization. And it felt fitting to announce the Deki award today, on the anniversary of his death. And, I think it’s a great honor for us to be able to name an award after Deki and to award it to a person in our front office and basketball operations who best exemplifies his joy and passion and love for the game and love for each other.
00:54 And then just beyond that, how was practice today, how was it? A long, relatively long stretch here in northern California, how significant is these next couple of weeks here as you guys — ?
01:05 We’ve got a good stretch here at home and today was a good practice. And we need to pick up where we left off, carry forward the momentum that comes from beating Minnesota on the road and go get another win tomorrow and just keep stacking good days together.
01:27 Steve, do you have any update on Brandin?
01:30 Brandin will not play tomorrow. He scrimmaged today for the first time and we didn’t go for long, but it was important for him to get that first run in, but he needs more time before he’s ready to play in a game.
01:43 Obviously, getting Gary back was big for you guys. He’s had some injury history here. I mean, he’s such a weapon for you, especially defensively. How do you maybe pick and choose when to use him, to both keep him healthy and just utilize him the best way?
01:58 Well, yeah, he’s — we call him the Ferrari. I mean, he’s an incredible engine, but he’s in the shop quite a bit. I hope Ferrari is not one of our sponsors. Yeah, I didn’t say that you did. Yeah, but he told me this year that he wanted to be a Lamborghini, not a Ferrari, because I guess they’re not in the shop as often. That’s — I was a Honda Civic. Gary is a Lambo or a Ferrari. But the point being, this guy is an elite, elite defensive player. I always think back to the Boston series in ’22. He misses the first game, we lose. He comes back, we win four out of the next five. His defense was a huge part of it. Gary was an integral part of guarding the best players in the world. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, those guys. So we know he’s a crucial part of our success as a team. And so the ability to put him on Anthony Edwards the other night, Wiggs started on Edwards. You asked, “How do we decide how to play Gary?” We try to match him up. We don’t want to waste his minutes on guarding somebody who’s not the star player. So we generally match him up with the best players, try to play him in short bursts because of how fast he is at both ends of the floor. And we want him going full-bore, for all four or five minute stretches. And then maybe four stretches, five stretches and he’s — that puts him around 20 minutes. That’s kind of the formula.
03:46 How much do the way that Western Conference standings are bunched up, how much does that give you guys hope that you can stay the course and keep fighting?
03:56 It’s a big part of the messaging to the group these days. Other than Oklahoma City, Memphis and Houston have made good pushes, too, so maybe they’re a little bit ahead of the pack, but we’re right there with everybody else. And yeah, we have to keep reminding ourselves that it is a marathon and not a sprint. And so we gotta stay with it. And there’s no reason why we can’t get on another hot streak like we started the season with, and make some hay in the playoff race.
04:30 And with Gui Santos, he obviously wasn’t part of the immediate plans going into this season, but has the way he played on the road trip changed what’s possible for him in terms of being involved?
04:42 For sure. And we’ve always loved his energy and the ball movement and his feel for the game. The tricky part, basically, is that we’re loaded with players at his position who we feel strongly about. But he is doing what any bench player should aspire to do in the NBA, which is just make it impossible for the coach not to play you. And I have felt so good putting him in the game the last few nights. It feels like he deserves minutes. So we’re gonna keep putting him out there, but that very well could be at somebody else’s expense and there are repercussions to everything. So we have to sort through all of that.
05:32 Gary, Steve was saying that this year you want to be a Lamborghini instead of a Ferrari, just if you can kind of further explain that?
05:40 GARY PAYTON II: The Lamborghini got a maintenance too much, so I mean, Ferrari, you gotta maintenance too much, so I switched to a Lambo.
05:48 What would your Lambo look like, color-wise? What does it have, interior? What do we got there?
05:52 That’s a good question. When I get one, I’ll let you know.
05:57 How was practice?
05:58 It was great. Good energy, high energy. Starting to get our guys back, so I think we’re just waiting on JK and BP.
06:07 Steve mentioned Brandin scrimmaged today for the first time. How did he look?
06:10 Like Brandin, excited to get back out there, being himself. So now we gotta work on JK.
06:16 It’s the one year anniversary of Deki’s passing and the team just named an award after him. What does that mean, for him to have that kind of honor?
06:25 Rest in peace at Deki, but I already know something was coming for what he brought and just the joy every day and the energy that he brought early in the morning. Most of us guys aren’t early morning guys. So he changed the energy in the arena in practice every morning. Just getting those guys going early in the morning. And I’m glad that we did something for Deki today, one year. So, loved that and miss Deki so much.
07:01 On the Lamborghini thing, what are, I mean, before this season, you’re talking about how you’re trying to bulletproof yourself in the offseason. What have been some steps you’ve taken towards like injury prevention and staying on the court?
07:15 Oh nah, it’s just, sometimes I get caught in vulnerable positions in the game. Sometimes you get hit, sometimes you don’t. So that was just a — I was just in a vulnerable position and unfortunately Mike Conley hit me in the air, but we talked, me and Mike talked about it, so we’re cool. But he hit me again last game, too, so it’s kind of a thing with Mike, trying to play big, so — but I was just in a vulnerable position. I don’t — nothing, like — I’m not changing nothing or nothing because nothing really happened. I was just in the air, can’t really do anything about that. That’s it.
07:54 It did look like you were limping a little bit last game?
07:57 Oh yeah, I just told you. Mike hit me again when I dunked it, so it took three minutes for everything to calm down.
08:03 It wasn’t the calf again?
08:03 No, no, no. It wasn’t. Third leg. Third leg. Got hit in the third leg.
08:08 Yeah, that’s what I thought. Groin?
08:09 I’m good. I’m good. I’m good. Yeah, I’m good.
08:12 And we talked a little bit to Buddy about the interaction you guys had. Normal teammate stuff, but could you take us through what happened on that play and what you guys were talking about?
08:22 Oh, he’s good. Miscommunication on rotation, but we figured it out. We’re good.
08:29 What’s the battle like with Anthony Edwards? And how does it can maybe compare to the battle you’re probably gonna have tomorrow with Jordan (Poole)?
08:35 Two totally different players, different styles. Ant’s hunting them. Jordan’s hunting them, too. They just hunt in a different way, but they’re still both killers. Ant knows. He’d be running around half of the year, freely however he wants, but he knows he’s gonna get touches when he sees me, like, he knows it, so, like that. Jordan knows it, too. But Ant’s mindset is just, he’s just always in attack mode, always wants to get it done, always wants to be aggressive. Jordan is, too. But like I said, they’re two different, two different beasts. And I’m excited. I tried to not let them get as many touches as they usually do on other nights, but they both know, like, aight, we’re gonna have a good conversation most of the game, so. He knows and that brings the best out of me for both of them because they’re great at what they do, putting the ball in the bucket, I mean, in the basket. So just try to limit it and make it as hard as possible for them to get what they want to get.
09:45 I know you and Jordan were close when he was here. You guys had a really good relationship. Does it add a little extra spice though, I mean, having kind of that friendliness with him being able to be like — ?
09:55 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Me and Ant are cool too. So it’s kind of the same. We know it’s all love at the end of the day, but darn it, we’re probably gonna talk shit for sure. And Jordan knows what I like to do. And I was with Jordan all summer, so I know what he likes to do and what he’s been working on, so. It’s time to see what’s good. So he already knows. So tomorrow’s gonna be fun again, once again.
10:20 Does Ant talk the most trash of guys you match up with?
10:23 Right now in the league? Probably. Yeah, absolutely, and I love it. We go back and forth. It’s just not a lot of people can talk and play. And Ant’s one of those guys who can do both, which is a skill. And it’s fun for me because I know he’s gonna bring his best and it makes me dig deep and bring my best.
10:44 How much are you guys looking forward to trying to take advantage of this homestand? I mean, I know you guys have had kind of ups and downs, but when you guys are kind of clicking on all cylinders, this can be a pretty good home court advantage for you guys?
10:54 Absolutely. Like you said, I think Dray said it best: if we don’t win games, it’s about to be a fire sale. So, we better start winning some games.
11:02 What are the things you guys can carry on from the win in Minnesota with this long homestand and the one game in Sacramento?
11:09 BUDDY HIELD: We just gotta come in and just get back to where we’re playing, like, carry over that same physicality, moving with it, being assertive on offense and defense, being more physical, scrappy, team getting out in transition, making plays, making the right plays, being free to letting it rip and just trust your work. And I think Steve has done a good job of all year giving us confidence, just us being ourselves. And we were down bodies, but our next-man mentality up and as we just stay true to ourself and being scrappy and letting it start from the defense end and then after that, the offense will come through.
11:51 You’ve been such an offensive weapon throughout your career. What’s it like playing with someone who’s such a defensive weapon with Gary being back for you guys?
11:58 Ah, he’s good at what he does. And I don’t know if y’all see the clip, the clip of me and Gary arguing. I saw, like, the Twitter reaction, me and Gary. Gary’s just so competitive. We just, he wanted to stay on Ant and it was just miscommunication by us, but it shows how competitive he is. He wants that matchup with Ant so bad, and we love that from him and he cover up so much for us on the defensive end and allows us to be free on the offensive end, too.
12:30 Buddy, you had your struggles making some shots, but I know, I think, that game in Minnesota, you did really well off the bench. Why do you think you’re having some shooting struggles for a while?
12:38 Don’t worry about that. It was — that’s for the past. We’re moving forward.
12:46 On that play you were talking about with Gary, what happened there? Did you switch on to Ant?
12:51 No, I just, he wanted to stay on Ant and his reaction was he wanted to stunt and go back to Ant, but his rotation was to get to DiVincenzo and I go to Ant. And he wanted to keep the matchup because we as a team want Gary on Ant because he’s that good slowing Ant down. And, but it was just a miscommunication and it was his rotation and after that we talked about it in the free throw and he said — we scrapped it, we’re brothers and Gary’s one of the guys you can talk to and, I tell you, he’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever been around, too.
13:29 How much do you pay attention to the standings and just the logjam in the Western Conference?
13:33 I know if go on a four-or five-winning streak — win streak — you’re gonna be fourth or fifth place. So, but you can be in tenth place and if you stay win one, lose one, win one, lose one, just this Western Conference is tough. It’s fun, but you just gotta figure out ways how to stack up some games and stack up some wins, win four or five in a row and just see where we’re at as a team. And this team is in a good spot. We had some ups and downs, but I think that we’re gonna be able to turn the corner. I know we all preach that because we all believe that we’re gonna turn the corner, take one game at a time and keep moving forward.
14:21 Hello, Buddy. So this is your first year at Warriors. And how you describe the Stephen or Draymond, their leadership, especially in this tough time?
14:32 Oh, they’ve been even-keeled, They’ve seen it all. They’ve — actually, for the past 16 years, him and Steph has been in the majority of the Finals. It was — so they’ve seen what it takes to win and they know how it feels to lose and — especially at a high level. And you understand, too, I know being on the Warriors — it’s my first time being here — but everybody’s gunning for the Warriors because of what they have done in the past. And you have to put the — I told Steph and Draymond when I came here, when I was in Indiana or Sacramento, I always wear my best fit because I’m playing against the Warriors, I gotta come correct. If I feel that I’m dressed well, I’ll play — I feel I can play well because they have set the mark. The mark’s so high for guys around the league. And they have took them where everybody wanted, was the championship rings. And that shows respect level around the league. So every time anybody plays the Warriors, they can get the best shot. So you take initiated that too, but we still gotta be ready and be locked in and dialed in and don’t live off what they’ve done and think they’re gonna save us. We gotta come ready and play every night.
🫶💙💛