• 2 days ago
Transcript
00:00I think the traditional thought every situation is different
00:03but the traditional thought when somebody comes out with a whole lot of bluster when they got a big comment to make is that a
00:10Coach of said team will kind of roll their eyes like oh, we don't need bulletin board material, right?
00:17So everyone through the all-star break with no access to Steve Kirk as he golfing
00:23everyone I think was kind of wondering how will Draymond's I
00:27Don't know if you call it a guarantee whatever his prediction
00:31How's that gonna land with Steve Kerr? So he addressed this yesterday as well. And
00:37This is what he had to say with regard to Draymond saying that they were going to to win the championship
00:43I love that. He said that
00:46You know, it's
00:49That's the goal and and I believe that we can win the championship. I just feel like
00:57Draymond putting it out there sets a good tone for our guys. Oh, I can also hold him accountable to that
01:04If we're gonna do that
01:06We got to be locked in we got if we've got to be together
01:10we've got to be able to play through every bit of adversity and
01:13So I love that he laid it out there and now that's my job to help him go do that
01:18Okay, that's an interesting answer to me because he's not like joining Draymond in the yeah. Yeah, he's right
01:25We're amazing it was more like okay Draymond
01:29If that's the assignment that you're gonna lay out here on the craft services table for everybody here in the warrior locker room
01:37Perfect. Thanks for doing that for me. Now. I get to hold everybody to it starting with you
01:44So, you know, he looks at it more as like a tone setter than any sort of like big prediction
01:50Yeah, and when you've won four of them
01:52It doesn't have the same amount of pressure where if they don't win the title and somebody wants to go to Draymond
01:59It's a poor Draymond. You said you're gonna win it boy. Were you wrong boy? Are you stupid?
02:03It's like no
02:04I've won four and you know
02:05I looked at what we had and I thought that we had what it took because I've won four and so yeah
02:10Maybe I'm wrong this time. But PS I've got four not that you have to rub people's noses in it
02:15When you make this declaration
02:17Having done it four times it holds a little bit more weight than if somebody on OKC comes out and goes, you know what?
02:23We're gonna win the title even though they're the one seed it still is like, okay young bucks
02:29You go show me you've never done it. I got a question for you
02:33because
02:35The Warriors have done this before four times. No, no, not win a title
02:39Oh, yeah, they've done this before where they tell us their title contender
02:44Then they don't win the title and then the season ends and they go. Yeah. Oh, we weren't actually a title contender
02:50What was that two years ago? It's every year
02:53It's every year. They don't normally come out and say it like he said it with his don't say it like that
02:58But that's Draymond all-star weekend. So to me I tucked that into dude
03:04You're just doing that because it's all-star weekend
03:07You have a huge platform and literally every time it was Draymond's turn
03:11He he said something that was national news
03:14Every time all-star game sucks
03:17Rising stars shouldn't be here NBA is boring. We're gonna win a title
03:22It was like every time it was his turn. He went with something that was quote board material
03:27But in a more subtle way Warriors have done this every year
03:31In fact, we learned after their most recent title three years ago
03:35That even they didn't think that was a title team even though it won the title and then the very next year
03:42They're like we're a title team and then they lose to the Lakers in in six games and they're like, yeah
03:47It actually it wasn't right and we had the whole Jordan pool thing
03:51And so it was just off and then last year they were like, are you kidding me?
03:57I mean Klay Thompson is staring into the rafters. He's mad after every game
04:03They're just like yeah, this is not a title team, but there's never been a February in the last six years
04:11Where the Warriors at a press conference have been like we're not there. We don't have the horses to do this
04:17They say it every single year and then a lot of times come April or May they're like not really right
04:24Oh, so this is still at the core of what I'm thinking. I want to know to what level
04:30they actually
04:32Deep down in their bones believe what they're saying right now
04:35I think more than if they said it last year or more than if they said it the year before
04:40Because of what happened when you got Jimmy Butler and you look at this team versus last year
04:45And I think Randy was sharing it on our thread last year
04:48They were 28 and 27 and this year is 28 and 27 and I think that's what they were last year 29 and 26
04:55Yeah last year one one game ahead. I didn't have the text in front of the greater point is they are
05:02What they were basically last year and I look at this team versus last year and I look at this team and think this team
05:08Is significantly better you don't have Chris Paul and you don't have Andrew Wiggins
05:13But you've got Jimmy Butler and you've got an improved Jonathan coming out when he comes back healthy
05:18hopefully next week pods is better and
05:21the rest of your
05:23Ancillary pieces I believe are better than what you had last year including you don't have grumpy clay
05:28Anymore so I look at this team versus last year's team, and I think this team is better, right?
05:34But you know what's terrifying about that when we keep doing that we keep going
05:37Oh, hey, this is where they were last year, and then this is what they did down the stretch
05:41I think Randy said what you're at 29 and 26, and then they won 17 of their last
05:4627 they went 17 and 10 to close the 17 and 10 out of those last 27 which
05:52Put all that together. That's 46 wins and what did that earn you?
05:58One game in Sacramento and you lost yeah, so like when we do that we're like hey
06:03they're like they're only one game behind where they were last year, and we think they're better this year and
06:09And here's where
06:1146 wins tends to get you historically my issue with this is the history starts to not matter
06:17We're only talking about this year and and
06:2146 wins or 45 wins and these numbers that we think that the Warriors can get to
06:26This year that might not be good enough
06:28Like if we're actually talking about the six or the seven seed
06:32Do we do we sincerely understand in this moment that that means you need to pass?
06:37Either the Clippers or the Timberwolves are both
06:40Not just the Mavericks and the Kings to be the six
06:42You have to pass them both or the Lakers or the Rockets somebody else is gonna have to careen out of there, so
06:50No
06:5117 and 10 no
06:53Not good enough
06:55That is not good enough. You are going to have to win at least a
07:01Clip of two out of every three games and maybe better well
07:05That's 18 and 9 right and and maybe better
07:07Well, here's my point you just never know and last year if you would have been
07:11What one game better or two games better you would have been a seven seed so which is huge right?
07:17but that is where the margin is and I'm looking back at the
07:2022 23 season where the Suns were the four seed with 45 wins
07:26So every year is different where this year it looks like 46 wins
07:31Might not be enough to get you to succeed you probably need 47 you might need 48
07:36But every year is different
07:38And you don't know what these other teams are going to do
07:40Down the stretch and you mentioned the Lakers who are off to a little bit of a rough start with Luka and all the other
07:47Dysfunctionality that's around the Western Conference. Yep, absolutely
07:49So yeah, it feels vulnerable and so that sort of makes me think about the power of now
07:55Now here's the good news for Jonathan coming a check this out Steve Kerr
07:59Did talk about this whole idea of Draymond Green as the team's center?
08:04Yeah
08:04I mean
08:05I think at the beginning of the season our feeling was we didn't really want to have Draymond be the full-time five from the start
08:11But now that we're down to the 27 games
08:14I'm much more comfortable rolling him out there as our starting five like we did in Houston
08:20You know playing him more minutes there for you know, a couple of months I think is very doable
08:28But I think we have good options to to play him at the four, you know
08:33Especially with Quentin shooting the ball. Well the way he is
08:37We can we can play dream on it both the four and the five and feel good about it
08:41Okay, but he did all he used the word starting. So I do think this is this is terrible news for Trace Jackson Davis
08:48Yeah, it's been bad news. It's been bad news. I think that that will continue
08:53I think that Quentin Post is going to be someone that they
08:56Experiment with on a night-to-night basis and then it will also go based on how his shot is or is not falling
09:04Looney factors into this as well
09:06But if I had to guess right now at a starting lineup the day that Jonathan Kaminga returns
09:12This is actually what I think it would be and again, I'm gonna tuck in
09:16Where we were when we last left you a week ago
09:20tonight the Warriors played in Houston and Steve Kerr took buddy heels minutes and he chopped him in half and
09:28They played a really good basketball game outside of about a five-minute stretch in the fourth quarter where things got wobbly
09:35That's the NBA turned into a clutch game Warriors win. So all is forgiven, but they played a pretty good basketball game that night
09:43Especially because Jonathan's coming off of a lengthy injury
09:46I think he's gonna start dream on at the five
09:49Moses at the four Jimmy at the three pods at the two and Steph Curry at the one
09:54Jonathan Kaminga coming off of the bench
09:57alongside
09:58Doses of buddy healed and Quentin post makes sense. That's probably what I that's I'm not gonna say what I would do
10:05Who cares what I would do. I'm not a basketball coach. That's my prediction on what Steve's gonna do
10:09I wonder about the buddy healed part of it because you know when he can be out there and he gives you great spacing
10:15And when he is right with his shot, he's something that you don't have outside of staff
10:20You've got somebody and buddy who can knock down the three
10:22But you saw it going into the break that you know
10:25Buddy wasn't struggling and he was searching and so his minutes did get cut in half and you know
10:30When Kaminga is healthy and he comes back. Do you want to start him with Jimmy and Draymond?
10:35I don't see that as being a real viable trio alongside any of the two guys
10:40So you want to kind of mix and match?
10:43Kaminga with Draymond with Jimmy Butler and have only two of those guys out there whenever you can. Yeah
10:48Look they're all gonna have to work together and Steve who was already on record when Jimmy Butler was acquired is like Jimmy will be
10:55On the court when Steph's not right
10:57So like if Jonathan Kaminga is going to play basketball for the Warriors
11:01Then you're gonna have to work with Steph sometimes you get to work with Jimmy sometimes and sure sometimes with both
11:07You know, like we're gonna spend a lot of time with this starting lineup
11:11It probably should be more about the finishing lineup
11:14For two reasons a that's more important basketball and be that's when the Warriors are really struggled
11:20Like can you do that?
11:21Can you finish with those guys?
11:24Can Draymond Jonathan Jimmy and Steph finish together final five every night?
11:30well
11:30that becomes the biggest question because
11:32Again, that's your problem as far as spacing and three-point shooting and I think it depends on
11:37where you are in the game if you've got a lead or if you're trailing and you need to to hit a three if
11:42You need to have something happen offensively
11:44You probably don't want to play Jimmy and Kaminga and Draymond all together
11:48Which means you're not gonna play Kaminga because you're gonna play Jimmy and you're gonna play Draymond and Steph late in the game
11:53You would figure right like I can't imagine a late-game scenario where you don't have those three out there, right?
11:59So this is dicey. I know we're excited about it. I am too
12:05Like get all your guys back, but it's also dicey. There's a lot of different ways this could go