Let us take a moment to simply enjoy Brandin Podziemski’s response to Monte Poole’s question yesterday on if anything about the NBA has surprised him so far. I mean, I’ve talked about BPodz having a “dawg” mentality such that hardly anything ever fazes him. But there’s always Wardell:
Just Stephen Curry. That’s it. Really. Nothing in terms of terminology, or flow or stuff like that has really changed for me. I’ve been able to pickup on that really fast. But just the shot-making by Steph is something I’ve never seen before, for sure. Goes in every time, I don’t know. I don’t know how he does it but, I mean, really, I mean, he’s out there right now working out and for him, everything he does is really realistic and the stuff that he does in the game. So when we see it here and when we see it translate into the court, it makes sense… Yeah, I mean, his form is like none other. Even he said it, if he could teach somebody how to shoot he would try to teach them like Klay because I think Klay has a picture-perfect form, per se. So I would agree with that for sure.
The rest of that interview and Moses Moody’s and Steve Kerr’s is positioned in this post at the bottom, per usual. Maybe the most noteworthy development was that Jonathan Kuminga jammed his thumb (details and views below), but is expected to participate fully in today’s practice. Here’s some news that flowed in on Day 2, Tuesday, of Week 2 of Golden State Warriors training camp (or possibly earlier)…
MORE LACOB/WNBA
Remember how I said earlier a few days ago that the AP’s Janie McCauley recalled how Joe Lacob had a scrum with reporters after the main WNBA Golden State announcements and he got a bit emotional? Here’s the quote from the article on 10/5 on Tara VanDerveer, although it’s not much:
“I wouldn’t care as much about women’s basketball if it weren’t for her,” Lacob said of the Hall of Famer, the winningest women’s coach of all time. “She’s the goddess of women’s basketball.”
DRAY PICKED UP A FACETIME TUE AM
AJ Hoggard of the Michigan State Spartans was able to get Draymond Green on FaceTime Tuesday morning for MSU Media Day. We included it in the video for Week 2 Day 2, at the bottom of this article.
CP3 OFF THE BENCH = DWYANE WADE
In case your Twitter friends are still arguing about this 🤣 Keith Smith of SpoTrac — we had him on our livestream last season — reminds us that CP3’s good friend Dwyane Wade came off the bench his last two seasons with Miami:
Dwyane Wade, who is one of Paul’s good friends, came off the bench for the majority of each of his final two seasons. And he did it at roughly the same age Paul is now. And, finally, Wade didn’t exactly do it on a title contender in his final season, which made his sacrifice even more noteworthy.
Paul could help stabilize bench units, which have often bled points and leads during the Warriors title-contention run. And it would help Kerr keep Paul’s minutes in check, which should hopefully keep him fresher and productive into the springtime, when games matter most.
LOONEY ON PLUS-MINUS PODCAST
Kevon Looney was on The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami’s 37-minutes Plus-Minus podcast. I haven’t gotten a chance to hear it, so idk what timestamp Loon appears not how long he talks for, but this is the quote from the one-minute snippet they posted on Twitter/X: “I am a starter in the NBA but I feel like the other guys are starters as well.”
So, more talk of the whole CP3/starter narrative, which incidentally will get the inevitable re-up when Draymond comes back (again, possibly before Opening Night as Kendra Andrews had reported last week in an ESPN spot).
W. KAMAU BELL x STEPH x STEVE
W. Kamau Bell x Steph x Kerr for @bradybuzz aka The Brady Foundation to prevent gun violence and save lives, on Tue 10/17, day before SAC-GSW 2nd-to-last preseason game:
TRAINING CAMP W2D2: STEVE
The embedded videos now go below the bullet points. Incidentally, welcome Jason Mastrodonato of the SJ Mercury News to the beat! He subbed in for Madeline Kenney, who has departed to cover Michigan State (of all places!). Kenney will be on our livestream tonight at around 7:00PM PDT, so we can find out how she chose that destination. Here’s Steve’s transcription from yesterday…
• On if JK, CP3 practiced: “Jonathan missed the contact part of practice today, jammed his thumb… We had a tough kind of back to backs days, two days yesterday and today with scrimmaging and we went pretty hard… (CP3) precautionary… I don’t think JK or Chris will be limited in any way going forward… (Kuminga) hit (his thumb) on the backboard going up either for blocked shot or rebound; he said he didn’t feel anything when it happened because of the adrenaline and then got sore overnight.”
• On Dray x CP chemistry: “They spent a lot of time together this summer. Both in LA and then up here playing pickup. Those guys have really connected well. I think the on-court stuff will just have to unfold on Draymond comes back. And that’s going to be a case of two incredibly smart players learning how to play together, but they do occupy a similar part of the floor… Draymond is going to need to dive (on PNRs) and the good thing is, Draymond understands that already. I don’t even have to tell him, you know, so he’ll vacate that spot, give Chris that space. And then there will be some nuances, some of them may be installed some of them maybe that come out organically in our offense where we just are able to put them in spots where they can work together and both be effective… I think they’ll figure it out pretty quickly.”
• On Podziemski (and Trayce Jackson-Davis and team chemistry) being mature beyond their years: “(BPodz) definitely leads the team in deflections in the first week or 10 days… one step ahead of the play on both ends, rotating defensively… catching the defense off guard with a cross-court pass, attacking close-outs… the job the front office did, adding Dario (Saric) who really connects the game for us as a big who can shoot in space, but also punish people inside with his strength and his size. Cory Joseph hasn’t played yet but very, very smart player, one of the top guys in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio; Chris — that goes without saying — his intelligence. So this feels like a really high-IQ team.”
• On if he had a conversation with Klay Thompson about rebounding: “the rebounding conversation was first had with the entire team… the conversations with Klay both this year and at the end of last year, it really centered around adapting your game as you get older; there’s just going to be certain things you can’t do anymore, so you’ve got to add other things and I think Klay staying in the play and not leaking out is a really big deal for us this year. If he stays in the play, we’re gonna get a lot more long rebounds at both ends. So we want him crashing on the offensive glass. We want him staying in on the defensive glass, hitting bodies. If he can pick off a few extra rebounds a game, it’s going to help him, it’s gonna help us.”
• On if that means Andrew Wiggins will be more on the perimeter on defense: “I would agree that if there’s a there’s a matchup where you got a more dynamic player on the perimeter and a stronger guy on the interior, Klay will be on the stronger guy, Wiggs will be on the dynamic guy, that’ll generally be the case.”
• On how he grew as a coach this offseason and reflected on the challenges of last season: “That’s a part of every offseason for me, looking back at the season, especially once you get a chance to get away and breathe and you get away from the pressure of it all and you can look back in a more even-keeled manner. So you think a lot about how you handled things and there were definitely things that I wish I had handled differently last year. I’m an avid reader of coaching, other coaches, other sports, what people are doing. I’ve become a big fan of European football. Read a book about Carlo Ancelotti, the Real Madrid coach. Another one called ‘The Barcelona Way’ which really highlights Pep Guardiola. Guys are such incredible coaches and they’ve taken the time to write books and really reflect on coaching and what they do well, what they regret, that sort of thing. And I find just reading about other people in other sports is hugely impactful. It really makes me think and gives me ideas for the following year.”
• On if he pulls out a clipboard during the off-season to write down ideas: “You’re always thinking about it, but it’s okay because we love what we do. So it’s fun to think about. We try to adapt to our personnel every year. I think teams are doing different things all the time. I know when I was in Manila with Team USA, I was clipping lots of stuff that FIBA teams were doing, saying,‘Hey, this would be a good, like a good play for Steph or CP or whatever.’ And I think we’re all kind of doing that all the time.”
• On the annual GM survey not having the Warriors as championship favorites: “I don’t care. It’s no different than non-favorite… I mean, it never did anything for me when people picked us and doesn’t do anything for me that they don’t, so it’s interesting stuff for fans to read, but nothing that helpful or harmful to us and definitely not any bulletin board material. I’m not posting that on the locker room wall. ‘No GMs picked us to win the title, how does that make you feel?’ Like anybody cares.”
• On if BPodz is easier to mold because he only had one year of college vs four: “That’s a good question. I’m not sure that it applies in that manner. I think every player is unique and different from one another. Generally, I would say I like getting players who have more experience. But he has very little experience and he seems to have a knack… he’s in the middle of the scrum every time, long rebounds. He’s there first, finding an open guy, cross-court pass. Like, he makes that pass attacking the rim when there’s a gap. He’s attacking that gap. Other players, sometimes you get a guy who’s had three or four years of college and he doesn’t see that stuff. So I think every case is different, really. But you are looking for guys who have a good feel and a good foundation of fundamentals. And I think Brandin has a really good feel and now we’ve got to add to that and help him get better.”
• On Trayce Jackson-Davis’ college experience helping him: “With Trayce, I think 125 college games, something like that, it manifests itself offensively. As a big where he understands (to) immediately catch the ball, the top of the key as a center, go dribble-handoff with somebody on the weak side. He understands the value of swinging the ball in the opposite direction. He’s pretty early, rotating defensively for blocked shots and rebounds. All that game experience definitely has helped Trayce.”
• On how BPodz fill the void(s) left by Donte DiVincenzo: “I thought Donte was so important for us last year because he was just in the mix all the time. He played with such good energy. And his intentions were always great. I mean, he impacted the game as soon as he got out there. That’s why the fans loved him. And so we’re gonna miss Donte, but that’s an open spot for somebody to step into. Maybe it’s Brandin, maybe it’s Moses, maybe it’s someone else I don’t know, but we do have to replace what Donte gave us.”
TRAINING CAMP W2D2: MOODY
The video for Moses Moody is in the same one as the podium visit by Podziemski, as well as sights and sounds from practice (CP3 working out, Steph working out, and Wiggs x Steve)…
• On the vibe: “…the energy has been electric… being around each other even before training camp started, getting to be around each other in the summertime, that kind of propelled us in the right direction… last year, we went to Japan and all that; we had a lot going on. So training camp kind of felt like a pitstop before the season and it was real quick, but this year… it just seems longer. It seems like we’ve been here around each other for a long time and the season hasn’t started yet. So that’s a good thing.”
• On filling the void left by DiVincenzo: “Donte was a really good corner rebounder… knowing what to do, how to do it.”
• On what he worked on over the summer: “A lot of shooting, just rhythm. Rhythm shooting, rhythm dribbling, just rhythm in general. Working on movement in basketball… some defensive stuff and I watched a lot of film… just seeing areas… maybe if it’s a rebound, if it’s something I could do for improving.”
• On Kuminga: “Yeah, he’s been here, putting in a lot of work. I’ve been around him a lot this summer.”
• On paying attention to anyone else to emulate shooting: “I’m not really big on watching, taking other people’s shot or taking things. I mean, maybe a thing or two, but really, everybody that can shoot the ball kind of has a similarity when it comes to just rhythm. Like Steph and Klay… forms are completely opposite. But they both have that same rhythm; you can see when they’re going into that shot.”
• On who’s his vet: “…I’ve taken a little bit from everybody. But if I pick one person I say Draymond… he’s very observant. So it can be offensive or defensive… he kind of just knows where everybody should be or has an opinion… He’s gonna think and figure out what you mean… all aspects of the game. So he has a lot to say if you ask him questions and and that’s basketball stuff, that’s off-the-court stuff. Like I’m a student of the game… when it comes to life and figuring things out. He’s older than me and he’s willing to talk and like I said, he’s very observant, not only on the basketball court, but just dealing with all that type of stuff, right? There’s investments, financial literacy stuff that I haven’t really been exposed to at this point. He’s been here for awhile. So he’s got a lot of game to dish out and I’m just willing to listen.”
• On how the groups are organized after practice on the court: “…you can go, you can leave, you can shoot if you want to… never really real thought behind it. I just wanted to workout with Wiggs today… I worked out with Klay yesterday, just moving around. I actually want to get in with Loon soon, too, to play some post, one-on-one or something.”
• On if he really wants to post up Looney: “I don’t, but that’s how you get better.”
TRAINING CAMP W2D2: BPODZ
• On taking pride in being scrappy: “Yeah, I think I take a huge amount of pride in it. I notice my role and that’s my job on this team. And like you said, I’ve always kind of been like that. Just not having the athleticism in my favor. I gotta find other ways to impact winning. And I think just by being in the mix, always helps our team win.”
• On being a rookie alongside TJD: “Yeah, our relationship has grown since June 22 together. A lot of the summer it was just us and kind of the Summer League guys and they all left and it’s really me and him left. So our relationship especially off the court has grown. We’ve done a lot of things in the city together, which has been cool. And just to get to know his history and his family. Just being together has been super cool.”
• On who’s in his ear the most about having active hands for steals and deflections: “Yeah, Gary Payton (II), for sure. Like I had mentioned after the game on Saturday, I take a lot from him. And I listen to everything he tells me because I know it’s gonna benefit me in the long run. And, like I said, my athleticism’s not in my favor. So, just being smart about playing defense and knowing passing lanes knowing tendencies, I think gives me an advantage.”
• On DiVincenzo: “Looking at what Donte, Ty Jerome and Anthony Lamb did last year, I kind of just put it all together and kind of envisioned that’s how my role could be, just impacting winning in any which way. Sometimes it’s scoring, sometimes rebounding. It’s different each and every night. So just from watching them… just seeing our roles and how they impacted winning, I think it’s something I could do.”
• On Klay rebounding more and being an example for him: “Yeah, I think so. I think Coach Kerr mentioned playing him at the 4 sometimes. So I think he’s gonna have to, but I talked to him during our trip to Vegas, and I told him that he could average you know, six to eight rebounds, at least, just from his size and the minutes he’ll be able to get, so I think it’s an underrated skill for him. And if he unlocks it, I think he can take our team to another level.”
• On anything that’s surprised him about the NBA: [see opening paragraph of this article at the top]
TRAINING CAMP W2D2: SQUAD
• Steve spent some time with Wiggs on free throws, as Wiggs had promised at the podium (I think it was Media Day) that free throws would be something he wants to improve on. He shot a career-low 61.1% last year, although his career average is still at 72.0%. I wonder what the specific suggestions are. Free throws are such an art.
• Kuminga was seen shooting with his left hand. He actually banked in one shot from the top of the key. The rest of the time he was dribbling. He feigned one right-handed shot. As you can see from the video below, the thumb wrap looks pretty restrictive.
• Javan Johnson posted a clip of the Bay from a boat after practice. I’m trying to find out if it was with Klay, which would make sense, but I haven’t heard back.
• Other notes not in the video: Kendric Davis showed up back at the facility Tuesday evening again. He has done this at least once before.
👍👍💛💙