How do the kids say it these days? “Fxck it, Warrior videos and transcripts”?
These are from the last three days of practices, in near-chronological order. The only thing missing below is from postgame Lakers where Brandin Podziemski and De’Anthony Melton talk about Jerry Stackhouse. I’ve already started writing an article and video script for that one, coming soon.
And I know only a crazy person would actually read through all of these, but there’s this thing called Google that might index all this and, you know, maybe I’ll get another subscriber or two someday from that. Plus, I did spend hours and hours on this already (every transcription is available in the comments on our YouTube channel) 🤷🏻♂️
00:00 Steve, how would you just overall assess the these last three weeks as preseason in general?
00:06 STEVE KERR: We’ve had a great preseason. We’ve — I think had a lot of competition. We’ve had every guy coming in in good shape and playing hard and playing well and playing together. And tonight, obviously, was not a fair fight, given that the Lakers sat all their guys, but it didn’t take away from the way we played, how hard we played. And and so, yeah, I’m really pleased with with our progress to this point, and it’ll be fun to get started for real.
00:45 Steve, you guys’ first five made shots were all assisted. You had 37 assists on 51 made shots. How encouraged were you with the ball movement tonight and throughout the six games?
00:54 Yeah, it’s great. And we took good care of the ball as well. And a lot of good offensive flow tonight and throughout the preseason, so I think we’re getting to where we need to be, but it’ll get a lot harder, obviously, once it starts for real.
01:12 About the first five-man group. Obviously, Steph’s not there, Melton in his place, but those other four, we’ve talked about, kind of an interesting combo with Wiggins, JK. What did you see from Draymond and Trayce? What did you see from them tonight? Was it the step forward you wanted?
01:26 Yeah, I thought Melt really did a good job of kind of connecting that group and Draymond played a fantastic first half, didn’t take a shot, but controlled the whole game. And I like the size and athleticism with that lineup, so it sets a good tone for us on the defensive end.
01:46 Steve, what was your message to Trayce at the end of last season and how has he looked to you over the summer and into the preseason now?
01:56 The message was keep working, keep getting better and run the floor. I mean, that’s — we talk to him all the time when he sprints the floor. It’s — You can feel it. And I say the same thing to JK and Wiggs. We need those guys to get out and sprint and so I think Trayce, the last three games in particular, has really been doing that. And Melt — he and Melt have a nice connection on those lob passes and, yeah, Trayce has had a good camp. It’s fun watching them.
02:33 I know it’s hard to take stuff away from this game in particular, but how would you evaluate the way that JK played today on both ends?
02:39 JK was good. Again, we’re really pushing him to run the floor. I mean, that’s his gift, his athleticism, his speed. And he has a tendency at times to kind of get into a home run trot instead of going Usain Bolt and sprinting as fast as he can. And when he does that, you feel the impact. He sprints the floor, he might get a dunk or he’ll pull a defender with him. Somebody else gets an open shot because of him. So the last two games, he’s run the floor harder and he’s done some nice things.
03:21 And then Moody being the 11th player to touch the floor in the first half and starting the second half. What was the, decision-making, the thinking with that?
03:30 We have a whole roster full of guys who are capable of being in the rotation. I have some really difficult decisions to make Wednesday night in Portland. I — literally every guy on our roster is capable of being in the rotation, which which bodes well for the 82-game season. I think we’re gonna be well-suited to play through injuries. And in any other absences, we’re well-prepared and well-stocked to put a really good group of players out there. So, but it makes for difficult decisions and we’ll see where we go on Wednesday. But there’s there’s going to be, no matter how you slice it. We’re gonna — we’re gonna have to leave some good players out of the rotation. I don’t know who that’s gonna be right now. I haven’t made up my mind because I haven’t seen the separation, because they’ve all been, been really good.
04:32 To kind of follow up on Danny (Emerman)’s question about Kuminga, how do you see — what do you see from him, defensively? You mentioned yesterday, he still needs to get better on defense and seemed like some possessions I was watching, he was engaged and active and others, he kind of drifted a bit. What did you think?
04:47 Yeah, we’re just — we’re working with him every day to improve his defense. He obviously has the gifts, the athletic gifts to be a great defender and it’s really more a matter of being in the right spot so that when he closes out to players, he’s on balance and understanding what other teams are trying to do. So, it’s — he’s getting better and he’ll keep working, but he has his moments where you, see it and you know that he can be more consistent.
05:24 How quickly have you seen Andrew (Wiggins) kind of catch up to speed over the last two games and over the next five or so days until Wednesday? What do you have to — what do you want to continue to see from him as he continues to ramp up?
05:36 And so, yeah, I mean, I thought he looked good tonight. He was moving well, we got him up over 20 minutes and so his conditioning is getting there after the illness. And we’ve got three more practices, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday to get him another level up. And he’s such a great teammate, great guy, hard worker. So he’s doing everything he can to be as ready as possible.
06:07 How would you characterize just how the chemistry of this group has evolved on and off the floor, just kind of the emotional tenor that you’re gauging so far at this point?
06:15 It’s a great group. We have kind of a clear leadership at the top with Steph and Draymond and I love the vets that we’ve added, Buddy and Kyle and De’Anthony. They’re really right in the primes of their respective careers. And then we’ve got these group of young guys. So I think it’s a well-constructed roster, both from a basketball standpoint, but also a chemistry standpoint. These guys like each other a lot, and they’re having a lot of fun. They’re competing. It’s a good group.
06:49 Trayce what, if anything, can you take away from a game like that?
06:53 TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: Just execution. I felt like we went out there, played well on offense, played well on defense and did what we had to do to get the win.
07:02 I think we’ve talked a little bit about the chemistry that you and De’Anthony are developing. Have you felt that progress even more in the past few days?
07:11 Oh, yeah. Obviously, he was out last game, but the game before that against Detroit, felt like we established something. Even through practices during leading up to preseason, I felt like we kind of had a little thing going and then just getting used to each other on the court playing five on five. It’s definitely something developing.
07:32 Trayce, what was Steve’s message to you at the end of last season? And what are the things you wanted to take into the summer and into preseason to get yourself ready for the season?
07:42 The biggest thing that he said to me was, just playing with force. And then I think in preseason, another thing that was huge was running the floor, sprinting, getting guys open shots just by putting pressure on the rim. So, those are things that I’ve really taken into consideration.
08:00 So how do you feel you’re doing so far?
08:03 I felt like in the last three games, I’ve done a lot better job just trying to sprint out, rim run, stuff of that nature.
08:11 And are you able to sort of visualize the potential defensive potential that you and Draymond can have?
08:17 Yeah, absolutely. Last year, I think we had a solid repertoire on the floor together. That’s just something that’s going to continue to grow. He’s taught me a lot already and just can’t wait to learn some more.
08:34 Does does it feel at all different when you’re playing against Bronny?
08:39 How do you mean?
08:40 Just him being LeBron’s son and knowing the history behind that?
08:46 Not really. I mean, I just consider him another player. He’s trying to make a name for himself and — It’s crazy though, having a father-son duo out there, that’s kind of surreal to see though, I’ll say that.
08:59 Steve said that yesterday was your guys best practice and he gave a lot of credit to Draymond for locking you guys in. What does that feel like when Draymond is really kind of on his A-game as far as that goes, practice-wise?
09:11 Draymond, first and foremost, he’s always on his A-game, but this practice, he just went above and beyond, was teaching guys, was doing a lot of things, a lot of really, really good things that really helped our team, and then when a guy does that, a lot of us young guys feed off of that, and so we continued to do that, and it was just all-around a great practice.
00:00 General roster situation right now. Where are you and health update, if there’s any?
00:06 STEVE KERR: Everybody practiced today, right Raymond (Ridder of Warriors PR)? Nobody missed practice. Everybody practiced. Health-wise, we’re good. Wiggs came out of that game the other night really well. We just had a great practice. And roster-wise we haven’t made any decisions on the back end. But we feel like we have a pretty good handle on our team.
00:38 I’m sure you see tomorrow night as a bit of a dress rehearsal. What do you want to see out of this team before going into Portland and everything?
00:46 Yeah, it’s a case where we know the next one counts after this. So let’s just be sharp with the stuff we’ve been teaching, the rotations defensively, the coverages defensively and then getting into our stuff with precision and force. I loved the running the other night, made or missed. We really pushed the ball well early in the game and I thought that set a tone. And so I just want to see more of that. And we’ll continue to address the mistakes that are inevitably made and just try to clean that up. But I think we’re in a good position to be ready for that Portland game Wednesday night.
01:32 You just brought up the running, but how pleased are you after five games with setting an identity, like, this preseason because it feels like you guys did that from the start of Hawaii to all the way through now.
01:42 Well, yeah, we had a — I would say a little slip up in the middle of it all which is totally normal. I thought the Sacramento home game was not our best. And then I thought the Detroit game, when they would score, the ball was bouncing three or four times and we can’t have that either. It’s just way harder to score against a set defense in this league than it is in transition for everybody. So pace is everything. And the guys are starting to really catch on.
02:17 You mentioned that everyone practiced today. I just wanted to check in on De’Anthony ’cause his back was bothering him a bit, like, no concern there?
02:24 Nope, he was — he went full today.
02:27 How much conditioning has been baked into these practices, just kind of naturally?
02:35 it depends what day we’re talking about. Today, there was a lot. We played a lot of live, both transition and half-court today and we did a lot of defensive drill work, live against coaches. So not me or Ron, but some of the younger coaches and it was, yeah, a high conditioning day, but we’ll have other practices that are more walkthroughs and skill work and just kind of depends day-to-day.
03:06 I guess just generally speaking, to play fast requires a certain level of conditioning, right? Just how would you gauge that at this point of the season, just a preseason with where guys are at and how does that kind of come along throughout the course of the year?
03:20 Yeah, that’s the tricky part is once we get to Wednesday we’re not gonna have many practices like this one. And so you have to take advantage of them in camp when they’re available to you, which we’ve done. And if you do that, then the guys build up their conditioning to the point where they’re just about ready. In my experience the first week or so, the guys who are playing 30-plus minutes, it — they’re not quite there yet, but they get there that first week.
03:59 Pretty much every team in the preseason says things like, “We want to shoot more threes. We want to play faster. We want to improve our defense,” all things that are valid and things that you guys want to do. But what makes you confident that you’ll be one of the teams that actually establishes those things and carries it into the regular season?
04:16 Yeah it’s a great point. Everybody in the offseason, their guys get bigger, stronger and faster and hungrier, every team. So you make a good point. We are pushing it every day in practice. We’re talking about our identity. We want to be feisty. We want to be really tough defensively and scrappy and get to the loose balls. But it doesn’t mean anything unless we do it. So I’m confident we’ll do it because we’ve got 13 possible rotation players and only 10 spots. So if you don’t do it you come out.
04:51 Steve, you’ve talked previously about the importance of Jonathan being able to play 3 in addition to 4 and that you’ve thought of him as a 4 in the past. What has he — has he done enough to to convince you he can play 3 and what specifically does that mean, handling the ball better, shooting threes better, defending the perimeter better? What goes into that in your mind?
05:16 Well, the first thing for us is pace. So the other night he played the 3. And we — he played fast. As soon as there was a change of possession, he was sprinting. He has to do that. We can’t be a half-court team and play lineup combinations that don’t make sense in terms of spacing. But if we play fast, then a lot of that stuff is mitigated. And if we are tough defensively, then a lot of that stuff is mitigated. So he’s got to be better defensively for sure, making sure he’s in the shell and and not leaking out of our shell, making sure he’s on a string with the other guys. He’s gotta be better on his closeouts the last couple games. He’s been blown by a few times. We’ve talked to him about it. But what I loved about that last game is the force and it came from his speed running in both directions. That makes up for for a lot of stuff. And so that’s the number one priority for me.
06:23 And this distinction between 3 and 4, at a time when we’ve been hearing for years of how basketball is becoming position-less in some ways, it sounds like that distinction is still critical to you and looking at your lineup and the puzzle, as you call it sometimes, or is the game becoming more position — how close is it?
06:42 It is becoming positionless and I would describe a lot of teams out there as positionless. Boston is positionless, a lot of guys who can all dribble and have the size to guard multiple spots, that kind of stuff. We have been positionless in the past with Kevin and Andre and Shaun Livingston, Klay, all kind of able to do lots of things. We didn’t really designate a 3 or a 4. But if we’re going to play Trayce and Draymond or Loon and Draymond then you gotta have a 3, right? It’s — it kind of comes down to shooting. If you’re going to play a more traditional old school, two-big lineup, then you’re gonna have a more defined 2 and 3.
07:40 So the other night, essentially Wiggins was the 2.
07:43 Wiggins was the 2, JK was the 3, Draymond was the 4, Trayce was the 5. And you don’t see much of that in the NBA today. But one of the reasons we’re looking at it is because it’s got great size and length. And so if that group can be great defensively and run, then it can work. But if not, then it won’t work.
08:06 Did you like the way it looks? It kind of speaks to — it seems like you got coming away and dream on guys who can do a bunch of different things.
08:13 Yeah and that’s kind of the point of playing with pace, that you’re not playing against a half-court set defense. If we tried to put that line up out there and just run high pick-and-roll, yeah, that’s not gonna work because you just don’t have the spacing. But if you play that lineup and get deflections and rebounds and you get out and run and you get to spacing and then the ball starts to move, then you can have a lot of success.
08:39 I’m curious from your perspective, which came first, the roster and then the ideology or the ideology and you built the roster around now becoming Paul Westhead?
08:48 I don’t think Paul Westhead’s teams played defense, did they? At least not the Loyola Marymount version. But his Lakers teams —
09:00 You’re the new guru of go.
09:01 Yeah, that’s right. Look, this is not — this is not a huge shift for us. Like, we’ve always wanted to play fast. I think we’re — So the answer is somewhere in between. It’s — We’ve — we finished last year saying we’ve got to get better-organized offensively. We can’t just expect to run the — some of the random actions that we’ve run over the years, expect everybody to understand it. So we’re — we started that way. Then you get to the roster where you add some players and, in effect, you get younger. And then you’re thinking about playing Wiggs and JK together. How can we best utilize their skills and put them together. That’s what you come up with, is kind of let’s play faster, but let’s get better organized. That’s probably the best way to explain it.
10:10 And then you mentioned 13 guys, effectively 10 spots. We know an NBA season will never afford you actually 13 guys to work from. But is this a fun part of the job or the worst part of the job —
10:21 No.
10:22 –having to figure this out?
10:22 Yeah the worst part is having — assuming everybody’s healthy going into Wednesday night, the worst part is telling three, at least two, maybe three — we have a lot of very worthy position, rotation players — that they’re not in the plans that night. The best part is when those guys aren’t available and you can still play with depth and try to play the way we’re playing and feisty defensively, sprinting, running like we have the depth to do that for the season but.
10:58 no fun telling guys that — especially guys who have earned it. Because I would say, including Lindy Waters, I think we have 13 players who have earned a spot in the rotation.
11:14 You’ve used the word feisty now twice to describe defense. I think we all kind of know what that means. But to you, what does it mean?
11:20 Feisty means multiple efforts. It means getting to the loose balls first. It means being proactive rather than reactive. Those are the things we’re looking for.
11:32 Is there a player that comes to mind on your roster when you think feisty? I think, well, Draymond 100 percent. Draymond is feisty. I think Brandin Podzidzemski from the beginning, a guy who leads the league in taking charges. That’s a good sign of being proactive, getting to the spot first before the driver’s coming, rather than reactive and then having the guts to stand in there and literally get your nose broken. It’s not easy, but if you can build that type of mentality in this league, it goes a long way.
12:12 Is Andrew still a guy that you want to see on defense, be like that point-of-attack defender, taking on the opponent’s best wing player, best guard player, best scorer, whoever it is?
12:22 Andrew is that guy. So is Gary. I think we will just figure out matchups and lineups. We’ve — we have a lot of flexibility this year and that’s what I’m really excited about, is maybe what we’re talking about with rotations, maybe it’s not the same ten every night. We gotta see how it plays out.
12:51 Just wondering with Draymond, what have you seen from him, from whether it’s a playing standpoint, a leadership standpoint, this longer preseason and how eager do you think he is to get it going?
13:01 He’s been fantastic. He’s so locked in today. It was our best practice of camp today. And a big reason why was Draymond was basically stepping in and coaching in spots where guys needed guidance or if he saw something. And he carries a big voice and he’s the ultimate winner and competitor. And when we get the best version of Draymond, there’s nobody like him in the league and that’s why we’ve hung banners. That’s why Draymond is here. That’s up to us to help him be the best version of himself. And he’s had a great camp. Thanks.
13:47 Oh.
13:49 You — Steve, you’ve had depth before with teams. That’s kind of a tradition around here, but have you had as many shooters, guys who can three-point shooters as this? Where does team stand in terms of just three-point shooting variants?
14:03 Yeah, it’s definitely the most volume we’ve had from a shooting standpoint. And that even ticks up when JK shoots the ball like he’s been shooting at this camp. And I think it’s a sign of the times. All these guys now in their off-season workouts are all taking hundreds of threes. So I would venture to guess that most teams have more shooting depth than ever before. So it’s a great — great thing as a coach to have a lot of options to shoot the ball.
14:41 And lastly Draymond, you’ve said in the past that any scoring is a bonus, but you kind of edged toward him being able to shoot and score a little bit more. Do you want him shooting threes more than he did last year when he shot it pretty well last year?
14:53 He shot it really well. I thought last year was the right mix, right template. He shot when he was open. He shot a lot of corner threes. What’d he shoot, 39% I think? We don’t want him shooting off the move and coming down and pulling up in transition. But he’s not gonna do that. He knows exactly who he is. So we just want — we want smart shots. For Steph, any shot is a smart shot. And for Draymond, he knows what that means, too. And so each guy sort of has to get to that point where they understand wh what’s expected of them.
00:00 Moses. Congratulations. What does this — what is it like signing this extension? What does it mean to you? What does it mean to your family?
00:07 It’s a lot. It’s a lot coming to the NBA. You’re — it’s a good thing, but you gotta work for it. You gotta make your place here. You gotta kind of solidify yourself over your first contract, your first deal. So being able to do that, even though there’s more to come, but just not getting too forward-thinking of being able to embrace the moment and appreciate it.
00:24 What does the actual moment feel like when you put that pen to the paper?
00:32 Yeah, it’s that moment, is still right now. Kinda, I did it a couple minutes ago. But just the — in the NBA, things change so fast. In this world, things change so fast. So even though you — Something is probably going to happen or then it’s never solidified until it actually does. So being able to put the pen to paper is that solidifying moment.
00:58 Throughout these discussions, as your agent was talking to the GM and stuff, was there anything coming back to you about what the Warriors want for your future with the team?
01:10 Not necessarily word for word, but I mean, actions speak louder than words. So kind of just amongst the growth, evolution, conversation, different things.
01:25 I know you have no control over your playing time, but how much does it help when you’re able to have this deal that it kind of gives you some security and more than likely it’s going to mean that you’re a more vital part of the team?
01:37 Yeah, it’s good. It’s good in the sense, just separating the two, being able to go through an NBA season, the highs and lows of it, having some security, having that feeling, more than anything, is definitely a good feeling to have, some good security to have, but the season will go how it does.
02:01 Moses, you’re an extremely level-headed person and always just very composed with yourself. How have you been able to navigate some inconsistencies, just with maybe playing time or opportunity over the last three years, where you really do feel comfortable investing in your future with this organization?
02:20 I’m 22, so I feel like everybody kind of in this phase of life — I know I’ve said it before — it just goes through different troubles and different things and how hard life can be at this stage. So realizing that I’m not the only one going through the highs and lows and inconsistencies and things like that. It’s that time of life for me, for everybody. So that helps me stay level headed-with it. And then just expecting — Steve always say, like, smooth sailing never makes a skill for a sailor. It’s just expecting the — expecting it to be bumpy, expecting it to be problems that you’re going to have to overcome. So you’re not surprised when you do.
03:02 Well, as we can all see how deep this team is, and whatever the rotation spots are going to be you could have put this off a year, right? And see what your role was really going to be. How did you think through that? And was there any part of you saying, ‘Let’s wait a year and see what my role really is,’ is going to be here?
03:22 A lot of that comes through conversations with my agent, Rich (Paul) and we had talked through different scenarios and feel it out. But being able to come to this conclusion is, I feel like, was the best route.
03:37 Do you — have you — maybe not as conjunction with this negotiation, but have you a sense of what your role is going to be to start this season just with the basketball team?
03:49 I really don’t, right now. I guess we’ll figure it out over the next couple weeks.
03:54 Kerr mentioned, I’m sure Dunleavy and others agree, that they’re — they want you, they just want you in part of this organization. They love your personality, they love your skills. Just hearing that, what does that make you feel? And do you sense that, that you’re as part as a player, as a person, as much a person, as is making this deal as a player?
04:16 Yeah, that’s a good question. I feel like that’s one of the things that I like about this organization so much, more so is the people here. Obviously, it’s really good basketball. People know basketball and are really good at their jobs. But just individually, a lot of the people here are really good people. And I was talking to Yusef, Steph’s security guard, my rookie year and I was asking him, I forgot the question I asked him, but it was just like on the advice tip or something like, well, ‘What’s something that you look for in life that you want?’ And one of the things he was saying was, ‘I want to be respected by the people that I respect.’ And that really stuck with me because you want people to like you. You want to be respected by everybody. But then what about the people you don’t like? Are you gonna be different so they can respect you? But the people that you respect, for them to see you and have that ‘real recognize real’ type of interaction is what — is something that I take a lot of — I put a lot of weight behind. So to answer your question, those people like Steve and Mike, Steph, Dray, like, guys that I really think highly of outside of their profession, for them to have those feelings, to have those things to say about me is really cool.
05:23 Moses, I know you’re big on family. How surreal is it to have your brother film you on this special day?
05:28 Yeah, that’s cool. It’s always cool to see him around the facility for one because it feels like back when we was in school and I’m younger than him. So we go walking in the hallway and I get to see my big brother and I get to be cool because I know the older kids and stuff. But on this day in particular, I got — I really liked a lot of the people around and in my work life and all that. But then to have that home feeling that my brother — you can’t get no closer to that. So that kind of definitely adds to the personal aspect of the business.
05:58 When it became official, who’s the first person you called and what were those conversations like?
06:03 First person I called was my parents. They back — they both back in Little Rock right now. So we just slow it down. Things get fast, especially when money get involved. So you get excited and all of that, but really just slowing down and appreciating what it is and the opportunities that it opens up. So yeah, that was the first conversation. But it’s just Draymond calling me shortly after. He’s just showing love. That’s all. Appreciate it.
06:34 Did you always feel this was probably going to get done? Or at what point did you feel this was going to get done?
06:40 Like I said, the way that I really operate, is nothing is solidified until it’s solidified. So, but when I was in college and everybody was saying, ‘You probably gonna be a Lottery pick, you probably gonna get drafted.’ I didn’t talk to no agents, I didn’t think about it until after the season was over. And then it was time to think about that same thing here. I wanted it to happen. But I pay my agent to do that. Like, I — that’s his job. That’s his job to worry about, to care about and feel out. So as much as I know that I can’t completely be oblivious because it is my situation, but it’s preseason. I got a job to do. I got a — I got something I’m trying to accomplish and I’ll think about this when it’s time, was mainly my mentality, although I did have to put some thoughts behind it before then.
07:26 The way you played, it didn’t look like you were concerned about anything. You just went there and balled, but what’s training camp been like for you? And I mean, did you come in with a specific mindset of specific mentality and how that play out for you over the course of these past three weeks?
07:39 Klay had said something to me a while ago talking about shooting. He was saying you see it with all the other sports and, like, he talks to other guys and shooting is, like, what they say about their professions. You can’t try a hundred percent. You gotta try, like, 80 percent and then the rest of it, like, be free and kind of relax and have that feeling to it. So as much of a high pressure situation as it could have been, I’m impressed with my ability to not allow it to be more so just saying, ‘It is what it is and it’s gonna happen how it’s supposed to.’ So I’m gonna just do what I do.
08:14 Is that like the difference between shooting and aiming?
08:17 Yeah, yeah, essentially. Yeah.
08:20 How much do you feel like the way that you played in training camp and preseason led up to this deal? How big of a factor was that?
08:28 I don’t know for sure, but I’m sure it probably was just like I’ve been saying, the work that I was putting in over the summer and just learning and figuring out so many different things, I feel like opens up a lot of possibilities on the player that I can be, rather than coming back and showing the same thing that I showed last year. Then it’s like, ‘Okay, where are you going?’ But I think the organization is able to see the trajectory. .
08:53 And now that you have this massive life-changing money secured, is there any big purchase that you’re excited to make?
09:02 No, not really, honestly. People talk about — a lot of people live paycheck to paycheck, no matter how much money you make, so it’s just, the more — you get more money, then your lifestyle changes so much. So, I’m a slow motion type of dude. I ain’t trying to do too much, too fast. Learning — I ain’t never had this much money before, so — and I still don’t technically, but trying to learn about it as I get it, as I grow. Still learn about financial literacy, real estate is something I’ve been interested in, meet people, hang around people that I can talk to and get game from. That’s kind of where I’m at, more so than spending it.
09:40 Slow motion. We got two Slow-mo’s on the team. Who first introduced you to Rich Paul?
09:48 So, it was my dad. He, like I said, my whole time in college, he was — Well, I don’t know the rules and all that. So, he was talking, he was talking to different guys whenever he was supposed to be. And that was a conversation that he had. And he, I think I told the story before, he talked to a lot of guys and kind of narrowed it down to a smaller number. And then I went out to LA and met with five different people and it just kind of went from there.
10:19 Gotcha. And then along with Danny’s question, maybe if there’s not a thing you want, is there something you would like to do to celebrate your extension, favorite food, favorite place, whatever, a little treat for yourself?
10:29 I should. I don’t necessarily know. Right now, kind of, we getting on a flight tomorrow. Things happen so fast. But I don’t want to take it for granted and move too fast and don’t be able to enjoy the fruits of my labor. So, I gotta figure that out. And also, I definitely do want to thank the organization, Joe Lacob, Lacob family, as well as Coach, Bob — I mean, Mike. I was just — for the opportunity, for the trust and, just show my appreciation for that, because it’s definitely there.
00:00 How was practice today? It seemed like it went pretty long with the scrimmage and the film session afterwards.
00:06 KEVON LOONEY: Yeah, it was a pretty long one, but it was good. We got a couple of days before our first game, so we wanted to be — go over everything, make sure we know our plays and our defensive schemes and make sure we’re locked in on everything. It’s good to get up and down, blow it out a little bit, so it was fun.
00:21 It seemed like today was kind of like the last day before the season starts, just in terms of all the work you’re going to do. How much have you seen this group grow from Day One until now?
00:33 I think we’ve grown a lot. I think for training camp, this has probably been the best that we probably communicated. Everybody’s out there talking. We’re loud on defense. We’re talking to offense. For us to have so many new guys, that’s kind of unique. We’re picking things up pretty fast. And I think our offense and our defense has grown a lot since our first day of training camp in Hawaii. So, we still got a lot to work on, but we’re going fast.
00:59 What have been the keys to implementing, new players and whatnot? What are the, I guess, what’s that process look like?
01:07 I think the biggest thing is communicating. Communicating what’s new, what we’re used to. I think Steve’s doing a great job of, he’s been mixing up groups and lines, so everybody has a chance to kind of play with each other, get a feel for each other and kind of know how guys play on offense and defense. I think when you mix it up like that, you’re able to kind of build and get to know the new guys instead of being just separated and just being in different groups. So, I think the — Steve mixing it up and that’s just talking, adding a new coach in Stack (Jerry Stackhouse). Terry (Stotts) been really talkative and implementing what they want to talk about what they want to see on both sides of the court. I think it’s been great.
01:45 What have you seen from Steve just in terms of his competitive — like, what ways have you seen his competitiveness come out these last few weeks since you guys got back together?
01:54 Steve’s been — he’s been great. He’s been really locked in. He’s been on us. He’s been pushing us in every practice. He’s holding us accountable for everything, for the turnovers, missing rotations, small things that maybe he maybe wouldn’t have got on us in the past. Maybe it’s in a drill where somebody step out of bounds, he’s on everything. He’s about the details right now, about our cuts, about our screens, about getting in two feet and making the right passes, all those little things he’s caring about. He’s been on us. I think it’s gonna translated for us. And I think each other, from Draymond, Steph to the rookies like QP, we all hold each other accountable for the small things.
02:31 You talked about the communication for so many years when that core group was together. There didn’t need to be a lot of communication. It was so much unspoken. But with Klay not here, a lot of new young faces. Is that maybe the most important thing for you guys right now, is being able to communicate on both ends?
02:48 Definitely. We got new guys and we kind of doing some new schemes on defense and offense. Having communication that we’re all on the same page is important. We used to thrive on chaos in the past, where it was kind of more random and we could do whatever. We just knew how to read off each other. It was kind of an unspoken thing that we had, but to start the season off with a new group and new faces, different lineups, we need to be on the same page. You gotta talk it out As we continue to build our chemistry and get to know each other more, we need to kind of have that unspoken chemistry on the court, but to start we need to be on the same page. We gotta talk it out. For us, we have some of the best talkers. You got a guy like Draymond who talks on both ends of the floor. Adding guys like Kyle, Buddy, who always talking and know the game, De’Anthony, guys know the game. They’re very vocal. So, adding those guys to the group has helped a lot.
03:35 You’re part of that core group that has been here for so long. But with the new look of this team, does it kind of re energize you that this is a new squad and a new attitude and everything about it?
03:48 Definitely. Adding new guys and the way that last year ended, not making the playoffs, that’s all the energy kind of we needed. You fall real short of what our actual goal was, to not even be able to compete in the playoffs, I think that put a battery and everybody’s back to know that we gotta — everybody had to look each other, ourselves in the mirror and see how we can get better coming into the next season. I think everybody did that. The guys coming in that’s new had a chip on their shoulder as well, and they’ve been bringing a new fire. So it’s been great. I think everybody’s been re-energized, from the top, from the staff to the training room. So I think, we’re on the right page right now.
04:23 You’ve been around long enough to know how this league works. You’ve seen people get traded, sign deals, everything. What would be your message to guys like Kuminga and Moody in the next day or so, when there might be a little bit of uncertainty over if they’re going to get extension — extended before tomorrow?
04:40 For those guys, just try to control what you can control. . You only can control how well you play, how hard you play, how you carry yourself, how to be professional and that’s the most (important) part. When you do the right things, play the right way and go out there with the mindset to win, usually things could take care of themselves and good thing that JK and Moses are two of the most professional guys I know for being that young. They carry themselves really well and they’ve been part of this culture, so they know what it takes and we know what our ultimate goal is and they know that if they sacrifice for the team and go out there and perform at a high level, usually this th eam rewards their players. So hopefully things work out for them.
05:19 We see it all the time with Moody, just in terms of his professionalism and maturity. Where do you see it with Kuminga, with him being so professional?
05:28 He — the way he carries himself, you wouldn’t know that he was 22 or whatever how old he is. He — I think in this league, guys, they want to put — it’s a lot on, on, on a lot of young guys. This is talking about his future of his career. He gotta take care of his family, all that at 21, 22. He might carry himself as a 30-year-old, but he’s still a young guy for him to be able to carry himself, be able to navigate the NBA, the — he’s not a, he’s not a born American, navigating a new country, providing for his family, Just the way he — he has kids now, just to see him kind of grow from his rookie year to now you see the professionalism, he comes in and gets his work in. Some days he might not be happy about what’s going on, but he still comes in, does his job. He doesn’t never show it. He might have things going on at home, but you’d never see it. He’s come in, he’s gonna talk basketball and he loves the game. So, he has always been the most professional, but I’ve seen the growth over the last few years.
06:30 Buddy, how did practice go today? We just heard that you guys had a long film session, did a bunch of scrimmaging.
06:35 BUDDY HIELD: Yeah, it was good, fun. Competing. I think it’s — sorry I got something in my mouth, but starting off with Draymond, his intensity, his leadership, just keep everybody intact, getting ready for the season.
06:49 Do you feel like you’re ready for the season to start at this point? Six preseason games, training camp, Hawaii, all that?
06:55 Yeah, I mean, you get support after a while, you’re playing, you’re getting better, each and every day, learning the principles, the terminology, and I feel like we’re getting the feel for it, and you get (inaudible) anxious to play a game.
07:09 Buddy, where have you seen the most, I guess, growth in this team since the beginning of training camp to now? How do you feel like you guys have come together?
07:19 Just, like, everybody’s sacrificing and coming and being together. And everybody just sacrificing for the culture. Steve preached about culture and identity. And I think everybody’s accepted their role and just come together. And it’s one of the best groups I’ve been a part of, from preseason to now. Just everybody come together, serving each other, sacrificing each other, and just making the right plays on and off the basketball court. It’s been great.
07:45 It seems like this group is having fun together, just even the Open Practice last week. Just in general, how would you describe the, just the atmosphere amongst you guys?
07:52 I mean, it’s all from the top, just from Steve and Steph and Draymond, implying their culture, what they’ve been used to, and just, I think, serving us and, like, you see how, how they go about their day. And it’s like, talking to the young guys and I’m showing them how they do it the Warrior way, just everybody’s feeding in and buying in and learning from them.
08:13 I guess you guys are obviously playing with a lot of pace and up-tempo. In the past in your career, when you’ve played against teams that run, what kind of stress does that put on defenders?
08:24 A lot of stress because there’s a lot of indecisions, a lot of read-and-react, miscommunications. I thought this, I thought that, and that’s why I love to play. I come in here (inaudible) and, a guy like Steph, Draymond, the lineup we have over there with Looney, all those guys who are willing to push the pace. It was fun.
08:49 How much — I’m sure you always do — but how much have you emphasized defense in training camp and preseason, and how much have the coaches asked you about your defense and ramping it up, intensity-wise?
09:01 They, talk about the NBA goes by — analytically they go by, like the past five championships, they’d be in top five in defense, top 10 in offense or whatever, the top 10 in defense, top 10 in offense (inaudible). Steve preach about getting back to that championship habits when they won in ’22, they’re top five and top 10 in defense and offense, so just getting back to that because the numbers don’t lie and I feel like, when you get to that point, anything can happen.
09:32 Where do you feel like you can make an impact on defense?
09:35 Just being, like, using my speed and just being open and being open in gaps and just communicating and just, I feel like when you communicate, it’s, like, eliminate a lot of confusion. So, that’s over-communicating, that’s keeping the ball in front of me. They’re not asking me to do too much on defense, just pick up the ball when I need to.
00:00 Awfully long practice today. Now, I mean, just what did you guys go through? And how important was it for you to get another one of these really big sessions and —
00:08 Yeah, we had a heavy day, scrimmaging, station work. This is probably kind of the final day of camp for me. That’s how I look at it. The next two days will be pretty light as we prepare for Portland. So, yeah, yeah, good day coming off yesterday’s off-day and the guys really put in good effort.
00:30 What did you see in that scrimmage today that you liked? And I know we’ve been talking a lot about lineups and combinations, but are you starting to get an idea of what you want to do for Wednesday, if this was — that last scrimmage that you’re gonna get?
00:43 Yeah, I liked seeing Steph Curry scrimmage and being healthy. And that was the main reason that we scrimmaged, for as long as we did to get — since Steph’s missed Saturday’s game. Friday’s game, so we got a good, good run. He got a good run and I have a, yeah, I have a sense of what I’m going to do. But it’s — this is the most difficult decision-making I’ve ever had since I’ve been here in terms of who’s playing off the bench. ‘Cause we, like I’ve been saying to you guys, I’m comfortable playing every single guy in the rotation and I can’t do that. So I’m excited, but I’m also not going to feel great on Wednesday when I leave a couple of guys out.
01:32 When do you expect to have some of those conversations and make those difficult decisions?
01:35 Next couple of days.
01:39 And Steph, obviously is — he practiced today in full and is on track to play Wednesday?
01:43 Yeah. Yeah.
01:49 Six games worth of preseason tape now, right? Six games worth of tape. what jumped out when you were reviewing the film? I know film session today, right? What stuck out? What do you like that you’ve seen? What do you still want to see?
02:01 The last few games, we ran the floor a lot harder, which is a point of emphasis. I wasn’t thrilled the first few games, a lot of standing around on change of possession. We’re getting out and running faster and more quickly now, which is great. I’m struck by the fact that the quality of play never waned, didn’t matter who I put out there, including the non-guaranteed camp invites. Our two-way guys, our Santa Cruz guys. The quality of the roster, top to bottom is really, really, fantastic. And I give a lot of credit to Mike Dunleavy and his staff, and Seth Cooper, our development coach. He and his staff, the last couple of years, they’ve put in so much work and it really is showing in not only in our young players, but in the quality that they provide our practices, which elevates the whole team.
03:02 I remember after the game in Hawaii, you said you felt like an identity was starting to form with this team. Has that continued throughout the course of this camp? Do you like the identity of this group with where they’re at?
03:12 I do, but we’re not there yet. We’ve got to be much sounder defensively. We’ve got to continue to work on coverages on certain actions that we’re going to see consistently. And we’ve got to continue to learn some of the new offensive things that we’re putting in. We’re running some very different things that Portland ran with Terry (Stotts) and they’ve been really effective for us, but we need to start to build out and learn the nuances of those things, too.
03:45 In terms of actions that you guys want to — is there anything that’s jumped out, actions that you guys have struggled covering or that you feel like you need to cover better so far?
03:53 You mean at either end or defensively? Defensively? Yeah, I mean, we’ve made some mistakes with point switches, letting people get behind us. Lakers ran some good actions the other night and we’ve read them wrong and — but that’s — those are things that you go over and camp and tighten up. So, we’re working on them and we’re looking at tape and it’s so early in the game that I’m really confident we’ll get a lot better with them.
04:27 Knox, Rowe, and Hinson, how would you evaluate their camps and do you know if they’re staying in the organization with G League?
04:33 I really like all three guys. Jackson Rowe, we’re very familiar with since he played with Santa Cruz last year. Good player, very active, good shooter. He’ll be in Santa Cruz again, which we’re excited about. Blake Wesley (Steve meant Hinson) is a big, strong athlete, can shoot it, fearless. So we’re excited to keep him in the program, assuming he ends up in Santa Cruz, which I believe will be the case. And then with Kevin (Knox), I think Kevin belongs in the NBA. He’s a really good player. And obviously has been in the league for a while, but he’s got a chance to get back in, and I think he can play and really build a career. He’s got to decide what he wants to do, from here, after we waived him. So, if it doesn’t work out elsewhere, we’d love to have him back in Santa Cruz, but that’s going to be his decision.
05:32 The deadline for Kuminga and Moody to reach extensions is tomorrow. As both their coach and someone who has at least some degree of input on personnel, does that ever put you in a tough spot, just maybe a conflict of interest, getting pulled in different directions. Do you know what I mean?
05:53 Yeah, yeah, no, I’m part of the decision-making process, but ultimately it’s not my job, which I’m thankful for. It’s a really hard job to negotiate those contracts and talk to agents and, trust me, I’ve got enough work on my plate. So I trust Mike and his group. And then I talk to my players because those are the guys who I’m coaching and leading and helping. And so I really want — I would love it if both guys sign extensions, but I also understand they have to weigh the pros and cons. But I’d love to have them here long-term because they’re both — both JK and Moses are great to coach and they’re getting better and better all the time. And they’re — for me as a coach when I see our players sign contracts that are life-changing, it’s really gratifying. That’s a big part of the job is to help these guys become the best players they can be and to be able to take care of their families. So I hope we get them both done. We’ll see how it turns out.
07:03 Have they sought your advice with this particular contract situation?
07:09 I’ve talked to both of them, about the — what it’s like as a player to be in this spot. So I — unfortunately nobody offered me an extension. I — Raymond’s got a joke here somewhere. But I know what it’s like to be worried about contract — I’ve played on minimum contracts, non-guaranteed, trying to make the team. I’ve done that and I’ve been in other situations where I was — I had more leverage and every circumstance is unique. But, as a former player, I like to share my thoughts with them and offer any advice if they need any.
07:52 What’s up Reece?
07:52 How you doing?
07:53 Doing alright man. So what’s it been like your first, I guess, three, four weeks as a member of an NBA team?
08:01 It’s been exciting. it’s a different environment from college, you know, the talent level is increased majorly. So, just compete against those — these guys every day, I think it’s just, bettering myself and I’m just grateful for this experience. I’m learning a lot. We’ve got a veteran group here and younger guys. So just getting the different — hearing different stuff from different people for certain situations has been very helpful. Everybody’s just very encouragement, great energy here. So it’s been a good start to the season, I feel like for me.
08:36 When you’re not necessarily a fan, but when you’re not part of a team, you can sometimes form opinions about what somebody is like. Has anybody been more or less than what you thought they were going to be, I mean, different? What are your opinions of the guys you’re playing with?
08:52 I don’t know. I didn’t have much opinions about the guys coming in. I watched basketball, but just from like a player perspective. So I kind of try to see it that way. But I don’t know, I didn’t know Buddy Hield coming in, but he brings a lot of energy every day. It’s exciting, great vibes, there’s great energy. I feel like that really helps the team out. Some mornings are rough, but he comes in excited, just ready to go. And I feel like he’s a great part of the team here and a great addition.
09:27 Are there one or two things that have happened so far, whether in practice or wherever that you thought, okay, this is something that I need to kind of put in the back of my mind and keep there.
09:40 I don’t know. Maybe not yet. A lot of things didn’t happen that I kind of seeing like this is — this isn’t college anymore, stuff like that. So it’s a lot of little things that. I could see just like, okay, this is not going to work. This is going to work. So just trying to, like you said, kind of put that in the back of my mind and just remember them going forward.
10:02 What’s up, Reece? How would you describe what it’s been like, playing for Steve the last three weeks being in his practices and whatnot, just what it’s like playing for him, overall.
10:13 Yeah, he’s a great coach. He brings a lot of energy. I feel like he really believes in his guys and he wants everybody to succeed. So he reminds me a lot of my coach at UVA, Tony Bennett. Just kind of like the energy they bring the practice, just very encouraging. And then just like the attention to detail. So I see some of the similarities between the two, and I like that about them. So, I didn’t know that coming in, but now seeing him at practice and getting to talk to him, meet him a little more, I could see he’s gonna be a great coach and he’s excited for the season, which I like.
10:50 Yeah, as it pertains to stuff on the court, just conceptually or with different actions or different things required to play, what have you picked up on or learned so far just in your time with Golden State?
11:01 I just say, just have intent with everything that you do, great energy. You’re playing your hardest, things happen, but if you’re playing your hardest, that’s all you can do. So just continue to try to be in the right positions, follow the kind of like our principles, principles that we have and kind of just go from there. At the end of the day, it’s basketball, but we stick to what we do. We kind of, we live with the results.
11:29 The word vibes keeps coming up. It’s like a — how would you describe that positivity here? What are you feeling?
11:36 It’s just, everybody’s happy to be around each other. I feel like everybody gets along, some teams don’t have that. But I feel like we have a good group and I feel like part of it is buying into what we’re doing. I feel like we have a chance to do something special this year and if everybody’s not on board, it doesn’t work. So I feel like everybody’s in the right headspace, have the right mindset going into the season. Because I feel like, we kind of feel the energy is picking up, the — just how we did in preseason, we did, undefeated. I know it’s preseason, but I feel like we play very well. It’s always room to improve, but I feel like that was a good start, and I feel like that energy is just going into the season is just building off that preseason, wins and stuff.
12:23 Milwaukee, right? Yeah. Did you know about Milwaukee Loon before you came here?
12:27 Milwaukee Loon?
12:28 Milwaukee Loon. Looney.
12:29 Oh, Looney. Yeah, of course. He was probably one of the biggest names to come out of Milwaukee, from — I was younger when he was growing up and high school and stuff. So his name was everywhere, went to a couple of his games, seen him play. But yeah, I did know about him. He was a big-time player out of Milwaukee, so…
12:51 Who were some of the players that you admired as you were growing up?
12:56 I would say, I mean, Kyrie was one of my just favorite players growing up. Just the way he plays. I was a point guard. He’s a point guard. So kind of trying to learn stuff. I wouldn’t say my game is like his, but just enjoy watching him play. And then, I mean, that was — I didn’t have — I mean, my brother, he played basketball, so I looked up to him. We have similar — little similarities in this game. So that was kind of easier to kind of model my game and steal stuff from him.
13:29 I just tried to review the Open Practice, the song that you sang. How did you decide on that? And what grade would you give yourself?
13:37 That was a lot of back and forth. I had about four or five songs that I had in mind. But, I don’t know. My mom was like, I think you should do that one. So I kind of just went with it. She said I did — she thought I did better than what she expected. So that was good. She thought I wasn’t gonna do that good, but I don’t know. I’ll give it like an eight. I was kind of — I kind of stayed in one spot. Everybody else kind of moved around, kind of got the crowd involved. But I had to focus in on the words and make sure I was singing on point. So I stayed in one spot. Nah, that was fun. I really enjoyed that. I like singing, I mean, not in front of a crowd like that, but by myself. So, but that was fun. I really — I really enjoyed that.
14:19 You really had the gusto. That was—
14:20 Yeah.
14:21 That was brave. Was your mom here to see that?
14:23 Yeah, my mom was here. She was here for about a week and we talked about it beforehand because I knew I had to do it. So, game-plan some songs. We were just — one night, we were just listening to a bunch of songs through the playlist. It was like, we’ll keep this one or this one doesn’t work. And we just came to that decision.
14:40 You mentioned coach Bennett earlier. Were you — what’s your reaction when he decided to retire? Because he’s still, like, 55.
14:47 Yeah, I was honestly shocked, just because I know him as a person. And just for that to happen that quick, it’s kind of — I know how much he loves the game, loves the team. So the timing was a little shocking, but I feel like he’s doing what’s best for himself, like, mentally wise. And then just for the team, he wants the team to be in the best position. So I feel like if he’s not all the way there mentally, he’s kind of hurting the team. So, and I feel like the coaching staff that he has now can do a great job with them as well. So I think he’s gonna still be a part of the program, still help out around. But yeah, I think he kind of said it and I think his press conference, like his time is up and I fully agree when your time is up, your time is up.
15:41 Did you get to connect with Tony at all and talk to him about his decision?
15:46 Not too much. I just sent him a text saying that, it was an honor to — for you to be my coach and stuff like that. But I haven’t really talked to him. I know he’s going through a lot right now and getting different calls, just different emotions right now that he’s going through. So, down the line, I’ll probably give him a call when things settle down, but right now I just probably want him to have his space for a little while just to — until things are kind of settled down a little bit.
16:18 That it?
16:18 Thank you. Yep.
00:00 What do you remember about that, your NBA debut game in Portland?
00:06 STEVE KERR: Yeah, I mean, I think it was — I know it was my first basket. That’s what I was in my very first game that I ever played. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So Raymond did his homework today. About time. Yeah, I was so nervous and first NBA game and we were getting killed. And as the lead — or the deficit grew. I thought I might get in tonight. And yeah, so got in, fourth quarter. I think I played five or six minutes. Hit a big corner three to cut it to 30, as Raymond (Ridder) said. And, I thought we were gonna carry the momentum forward and come back and win, but it didn’t work out.
00:50 Feel good to get that first one off your back?
00:51 Yeah, that was fun.
00:54 After the last three weeks from Hawaii through six preseason games, how do you describe this group, this team?
00:59 Deep. First thing that comes to mind. Just a deep, deep team. Everybody deserves to play. Not everybody can, obviously. My gut is, we’re gonna look at a lot of — a lot of combinations and — but when we find one, we’ll stay with it. We’ll — we got a team that is capable of playing different styles and if we find a little groove, then I’ll stay with that group, and the next guy’s gotta stay ready to come in then.
01:36 You’ve asked — you’ve been asked all these questions about the depth, who’s going to play, who’s going to have to sit, but at the end of the day, it is an 82-game season. I mean, Steph’s going to have to take some time off, Draymond. I mean, how does that depth come into play to you guys, been a factor, at the end of the day, for an 82-game season, with the regular season?
01:52 Yeah, I mean, I think that’s going to be a strength of ours, is just being able to withstand injuries. I think Kyle being ready to step in for Draymond, if Draymond is out, back-to-back, whatever it is, that’s a huge addition for us because Kyle is such a good player and a similar kind of point-forward player, huge basketball IQ. So — and I can go down the list. We got — We’ve got a lot of players who can fill in if we have injuries, so I’m excited about that.
02:32 So is the plan over the first handful of games of the season to kind of continue what you did in the preseason in using different starting groups or lineups kind of throughout or is it–?
02:45 We’ll see. We’ll see. Yeah. I mean, we’re — I think we just have to start. We’ll see how it plays out. Just like I’m telling the players, everybody just gotta stay ready. Have you had some more of those conversations with players?
03:03 Yeah, 24 hours since last seeing you. Literally talking to every every guy on the team about role and what to expect to start the year. And we go from there.
03:12 Kind of following up on that, do you expect at any point that you’ll get a start a regular starting unit or with the depth? Do you see that kind of being so flexible throughout the year that–?
03:22 I’d like to have one starting lineup for the whole year and hopefully the group that I start tomorrow becomes our consistent starting five-man group. But it has to lead to wins and that’s what we’re looking for.
03:40 Are you gonna tell us who?
03:42 No. Why would I do that? Yeah. I’ll tell you tomorrow.
03:47 (Inaudible from Raymond)
03:51 How many people knew any of those guys? The young — that’s a young crowd. That was the Dodgers infield in the 70s. Yeah. Yeah. You’re gonna have to up your repertoire for the younger generation.
04:07 I know coaches before games will give pep talks and everything. Do you give any kind of — send a message to the team before the season? Any kind of pep talk or is it just–?
04:18 It’s not Knute Rockne. Anybody know who Knute Rockne is? It’s not like that. Yeah, I mean, I talk to these guys every day, individually, as a team. Some days it’s more animated than others, but 82 games, you can’t give them a TED talk every day. So, you really have to pick your spots and as it — as the season unfolds.
04:46 Along those lines, how would you define like a successful season for the 2024-25 warriors?
04:52 A successful season. I want to, number one, be in the playoffs. Like, that’s our goal is to get there and then our next goal is to do damage and our goal after that is to win the West. Our goal after that is to win the championship. So those goals are all in play, in my mind. At the end of the season, regardless of what happens, it’s not for me to tell you if it was successful or not. It’s for you guys to write. We know what we’re looking for,. but we also know we can’t sit here and give you statements that you can then put in headlines and use halfway through the year and use against me. So it’s modern-day sports, modern-day championship rings culture. What I tell the players all the time is everyone’s going to judge us, but only we can really assess our success or not, or whether we’re getting better every day, whether we’re connected, whether we are fighting for each other, all those things lead to success. And that’s what we measure every day.
06:09 After seeing some of those newcomers throughout the entire preseason, how have they fit into your vision for this team?
06:17 Yeah, I mean, I’m thrilled with these guys. I mean, Buddy Hield is gonna be a Sixth Man. He’s gonna come off the bench and give us scoring like he did throughout the preseason. He is one of the best three-point shooters in the league. He was, I think, first or second in plus-minus for our preseason games. I mean, he was fantastic. So he’s filling that role. Melt is a two-way guard who can play either guard position. It gives us line of versatility. Kyle’s one of the smartest players in the league. Another two-way player, can play multiple positions, 3, 4 or 5. So I think the key with those three guys is that they all can play multiple roles and can play in different positions, variety of lineups, which gives us flexibility. All right. Thanks.
07:18 BRANDIN PODZIEMSKI: How do you feel going into tomorrow, just about your game, the group, just in general, what you’ve seen the last few weeks?
07:23 I think we’ve done what we’re supposed to do during camp to be ready for this. I think we’re all kind of ready. There’s no really super-young guys that are going to probably play. So I think everyone’s had their fair share in the league of playing their first game. But I think we prepared both offensively and defensively for tomorrow.
07:42 How do you explain just the vibes from the last three weeks, Hawaii through the six games of the preseason?
07:48 Yeah, I think Hawaii really set a tone. It was like a vacation, but also a work trip. And I think that just kind of set our kind of vibe within the locker room amongst each other. And it’s just kind of carried through since we’ve been back here. And it’s been smooth. Everybody’s getting along, playing for each other, and that’s what matters.
08:06 Since the time you got here, you’ve seen your relationship with Draymond really grow. And, my question is more so, like, this last Thursday, we were told that you guys had your best practice. He was a tone-setter there, the night before he’s having fun at the Open Practice. How do you describe Draymond, maybe your first interaction with him, last year as a rookie compared to having that full season and seeing him eager for this season to begin?
08:28 Yeah, I mean, obviously you guys know my first interaction with him was telling him not to turn the ball over in a 3-on-3 game in Sacramento. But I think we took a lot just from that conversation in that moment and kind of carried it through last year to now. And I think he’s — I’ve earned his trust and vice-versa. And I think in terms of the energy he’s bringing consistently now, I just feel like there’s just new life to him. He knows it’s a new season, obviously going through the suspension last year and games missed, it’s hard to kind of get your mind back right after something like that. So I think he’s done a great thing during the summer, and it’s kind of carrying into now of just being there for everyone else.
09:13 What are the internal feelings of sitting on the eve of Game 1 of your sophomore year versus rookie season?
09:21 Not knowing what to expect. I feel like last year going into Game 1, I thought I knew what to expect just based on preseason. I was like, ‘Oh, this is kind of like preseason.’ But then you get to your first game and the vibe and the arena is different. Obviously, in this case, we’re on the road now instead of at home. But for me, just kind of knowing what I bring to the table and knowing what’s asked of me. Last year, this time I wasn’t playing, I didn’t play in the first game last year. So, I kind of knew that going into it, whereas now is I’m kind of — I kind of know what’s going to be asked of me out there amongst my teammates, amongst the staff. So it’s more at-ease factor that it gives you, your second time around.
00:00 MIKE DUNLEAVY, JR.: I guess I just will address having done the contract extension here for Moses. We’re excited to get him signed up for another few years, really pleased with Moses as a person and as a player. And I think that extension we’ve done reflects that. And from that point on we’re excited for him to have a good season and really looking forward to what he can do, not only this year, but for the length of the contract. So you guys have questions in regard to this, I guess, or anything on the season.
00:34 Yeah, just with with Moses in particular, where do you feel like you’ve seen him grow the most, just in his time here these last few years?
00:42 Yeah, I mean, I think first of all, he’s a great kid. He means really well. He puts the time in that. That’s all kind of remained the same. That hasn’t changed. That’s who we drafted. But in terms of his growth, I think the biggest thing you really see at this preseason is the work that he’s put in has paid off in terms of the game slowing down for him. He’s playing faster, yet the game is slower. And that’s what you want to see in a young player in this league. And I think that’s what we’ve seen sort of some, over the first few years and then really over this summer and this preseason. So that’s what I think really gets us excited about what this guy can become. We’re seeing the right signs. He’s making the right strides and optimistic about him being a really good player in this league.
01:25 I asked Steve this yesterday. I think, and it’s kind of following up on that. We hear a lot about Moses’s work ethic and as a player who hasn’t seen as consistent of a role or playing time, how can you kind of take us behind the curtain with said work ethic and just what he has shown you guys when he isn’t playing 20-plus minutes every single night?
01:46 Yeah, I mean, I think we love his approach. Not only does he work hard, but he’s resilient, keeps coming back, doesn’t get deterred if has a tough night or doesn’t play or all that. And that’s part of what we factor in on these things and sign up players in new deals. So he’s proven it in many ways, not only on the court, but off. And I know he’ll continue to do that. And that’s just kind of the fabric of who he is as a person. So we felt it warranted a contract extension.
02:14 Can I ask about Jonathan? Just, I guess, where did those negotiations fall off? You guys didn’t find an extension with Jonathan. And where do you sit with his future with the team now?
02:28 Yeah, I mean, I don’t think much has changed in regard to our hopes for his future with the team. Sometimes these things get done. Sometimes they don’t. Don’t really want to overreact either way. And so from that standpoint, really good communication and conversations over the course of the summer to get to where we got to, didn’t get a deal done. It’s got to work for both sides. Totally reasonable. Saw some deals get done out there in the league. Some didn’t. We’ll have him as a restricted free agent this season. And I think the most important thing for JK is just have a great year. I think that’s what’s best for him, the Warriors, the whole deal. So I think we’re in great alignment and move forward and hope to get something done in the offseason.
03:09 As far as like the mentality and mindset for JK, there’s one way of thinking that he could be extra motivated and there’s another way of thinking that this could be in his head a little bit as far as getting the bigger contract. Where do you fall on that? And is there any concern about that being in the back of his mind at all?
03:25 Yeah. I mean, I think that approach is up to him. That’s his call. But I think ultimately, like I said, the most important thing is he has a great season and that should be his only focus. And that should be the focus whether we got to an extension with him or not. And so it’s pretty simple and straightforward to me. I mean, his motivation shouldn’t change. Now, how he gets there and what he thinks about and all that, you have to ask him about that. But I think it’s set up pretty well for him to have a terrific season. And that’s really the main thing that matters.
03:52 And then after these last three weeks, six preseason games, how do you describe this team and where does it maybe compare to how you were building it in the offseason, maybe like your vision right now?
04:02 Yeah, I’ve been really pleased with the depth, and the combination of depth and synergy. I mean, these guys are really playing well together on both ends. There’s great unity. And I think sometimes when you have a bunch of guys that all feel like they can play and minutes and all that, it can get a little tough, but it’s been nothing but positive this far. Let’s see as the season begins, what it’s going to look like and what happens. But I think right now, I think we’re in a great spot, knock on wood, health-wise. We’re good. We got a full complement of our roster and the premise of this thing was built on depth and that’s what we’re going for. So, so far, so good.
04:37 This might be getting a little ahead of things, but where — how long into the season do you kind of look at the group and just take it in as like sample size before getting that construction mind going again and saying, as February approaches, these are things that we actually don’t have as the season goes on, or we we need to make adjustments. When does that start?
05:01 Yeah, good question. I think we’re constantly evaluating from game to game, week to week. That starts early. It’s already started. It’ll really start tomorrow when the season begins. Generally your first 20 games are pretty good barometer for how the team’s doing, which will be something to look at. But we also got to look at things individually, how guys are performing. So we’ll be evaluating throughout, constantly have a pulse of this team and we’ll see how it goes.
05:27 What do you take away from just your childhood experiences or adolescence in Portland that you carry with you today?
05:33 Oh man, I love going back to Portland, went to high school there, had great memories, awesome friends and Portland’s a unique place. It’s beautiful. Got a lot going on. And I love the basketball fan base there, whether it’s the Blazers or high school sports, college, just a cool place to go. Good restaurants. I love Portland. I wish I got there more often.
05:59 There’s a Potbelly —
06:01 Raymond, come on, man. You’re the guy — you’re the guy that goes to Sbarro in New York City for pizza. Come on, man.
06:10 I asked Steve this, what would you define a successful season for this year’s team?
06:16 Great question. I think we’re just so focused right now and the process, building this thing up and having a great year and we know what that’s gonna feel like at the end. But anytime you’re competing for the Golden State Warriors, you’re in the NBA, winning your last game is what you’re going for. Sweet. Thank you.
06:41 Appreciate it. All right. We’ll see you guys out there.
06:43 BRANDIN PODZIEMSKI: When we were in Hawaii, you said that you were having a lot of conversations with Steph, just in terms of as you guys kind of play with an offense with more set play calls and just making sure everyone’s on the same page and needing to know what you have to do for the other guys. I guess from that point early in training camp to now, the day before the game, where are those conversations at, but more so just the understanding of what needs to be done for this newer group to be?
07:11 Yeah, I think for me and him and De’Anthony as well, guys who handle the ball, we’ve kind of grown in our understanding of the new stuff Terry (Stotts)’s putting in on offense, but also playing with Jonathan, playing with Wiggs and guys who like shots in certain spots, playing with Buddy. I feel like conversations with Steph and with De’Anthony about those kind of things, as well as those players, understanding what they like as a point guard, you’re supposed to kind of know all those kind of things on the floor. And so for me, it was just the ability to catch up to that, because last year I played a lot of off-the-ball with Chris (Paul) here. And so now, it was just kind of learning from Chris and Steph last year and implementing it into my own kind of style. And I think for me, I have a pretty good understanding of, ‘Hey, if we haven’t scored in a while, what can we get to that’s going to get us a bucket.?’
08:00 Moses Moody was your guys’s top scorer in preseason. How impressed are you with him? And how happy were you for his contract extension?
08:06 Yeah, as a teammate, as a friend, as a brother, you always want to see your peers succeed. That’s — people may not say it, but that’s a part of the reason you play the game is to help support you and your family and so to see that for him, obviously, his road has been a little up and down his first three years, but to have that extension, I know he’s super happy and I know us as a collective whole, super happy. But him in preseason, he knows what he’s good at, right? He knows he’s a scorer. He can defend multiple positions, so he doesn’t ever get outside of his box. He knows what he’s good at. And the thing about him is, he’s always so even-keeled, whether he’s not playing or he’s playing and he’s always ready for the moment. And I think that’s kind of holding well. And that’s, I think, part of the reason why he’s got a contract extension.
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