Draymond Green is skeptical that the current Warriors roster can produce championship results, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. He doesn’t see how incorporating second-year centers James Wiseman and two first-round rookies into the mix with veterans who have won won multiple championship can deliver another title.
“Historically, we have not seen that work, where you have a mix of old … well, I wouldn’t say any of us are old. … But a mixture of experience and hardly any experience, historically, in just being a fan of the NBA,” he said. “I can’t recall the last time I’ve seen someone have success with that.”
Green, who also spoke of his relationships with coach Steve Kerr and GM Bob Myers, said he won’t urge teammate Andrew Wiggins to get vaccinated, feeling that it’s “none of my business” and “it’s not my place to tell what he should or shouldn’t do” in regard to medical decisions.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Who will start for the Lakers along with the Big Three of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook? It’s up for grabs and the speculation entering camp was that the two leading candidates would be Trevor Ariza and Kent Bazemore. Ariza still remains the favorite to claim the small forward spot but 3-point shooter Wayne Ellington is the current favorite to be Westbrook’s backcourt partner, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
- Suns star guard Devin Booker recently tested positive for COVID-19, but returned to practice on Friday. He confirmed he’s been fully vaccinated and has passed the league protocols, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic reports. Coach Monty Williams said it’s unlikely Booker will play in Monday’s preseason opener at Sacramento.
- The Kings are expected to show a lot of three-guard lineups this season. De’Aaron Fox said it’s up to those players to make it work, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee writes. “We’ve talked about playing three guards and, at the end of the day, what you give up is size, so that comes from rebounding and defense, but we have to buckle down and do that,” Fox said. “If we can’t, then obviously the three of us won’t be able to play together and coach (Luke Walton) is going to have to figure something else out, but we all want to play together.”
Draymond Green is absolutely correct on both subjects. On point 2, he has to let Wiggins do what Wiggins feels is Right. None of his business and none of my business.
On #1, you guys have heard me screaming about getting veteran help to push for a championship all year long. But the young people look promising.., for three years from now !!! LOL. A lot of good that does now. I want it now LOL.
If we are teammates and trying to win, it is my business. He is probably just scared of Wiggins. Personally if he was missing games because of nonsense I’d want him gone.
Draymond has 33 pounds on Wiggins, I doubt he’s scared of him.
Plus Wiggins is Canadian, is there a less scary nation of people?
Him being Canadian is what makes his anti vax stance even more puzzling.
He’s wrong. Pretty San Antonio won with Old/New combo.
Kuminga and Wiseman will help now. One could be ROY the other can be yr2 best player. At the very least both will be in running. More important they fit in and affect winning. Which both do as individual talent. And team players. Have faith
San Antonio twice. With Duncan. Then with Kawhi 2014. How about LeBron and Kyrie? Phoenix has youngsters.
Magic and Bird … Clyde.
Draymond Green brings up a great question. When’s the last time youngsters came in and joined veterans to win a championship?
Of course I immediately thought of Magic Johnson and his rookie year 1979 but he joined Kareem and Wilkes and Norm Nixon was a second-year guy. Jim Chones I think was on that team and another veteran. But really Magic Johnson was hardly a rookie. He was a stud right away.
But of course in the last say 20 years, when has a youngster (or 3) joined a veteran team to win it all? Great question.
I know there are fans like Marty who only seem to care about the team competing for a title in the short-term at the expense of the team’s future.
But the Warriors aren’t doing that after adding young talent in the last two drafts. And it will be difficult for them to help the team compete for another title over the next few years, as it will take time for them to develop.
@GreenWood Porter. Marty is not a Warriors fan. I guess you people in Houston haven’t discovered the modern world. He is a troll. He doesn’t care about the Warriors. It is amazing how you missed it. Is is only here to bait you.
Steve Kerr himself knows about a couple of rookies who were added to a championship core from 1999 and helped the team to a pretty decent run of success. Draymond Green is pretty ignorant of recent basketball history.
Count me in there too. Some of those years just flew by without knowing who won…
yes! bj armstrong.
The Kings will have to play a lot of three-guard lineup because those are their three best players !! Davion Mitchell can guard the shooting guards or maybe even small forwards and Halliburton will guard the other Wing player. We’ll see how it goes. Might have to outscore the other team to have a chance.
The other two starters for the Lakers are immaterial. They are only there for someone to blame when LeBron loses. He loves to throw teammates under the bus when he loses.
I’m wondering why they are starting AD at center instead of PF.
I thought the whole reason of signing Howard and Jordan was to reduce the time Davis spends at the five. Starting Ariza at the four makes sense, if he can stay healthy. Since Ellington is their best 3-point shooter, he should be the starting SG ahead of Bazemore. Can they make all of these pieces fit?
They will play AD at the 5 bc it gives them their best possible team
Lebron is going to play the 4 w Ariza at the 3 as well
Tho I expect Ariza will be pampered the first 3/4 of the season heavily shifting a bunch of minutes to Bazemore there
Never heard of the San Antonio Spurs?
Yes excellent. My memory is crappy now and I think during the ’99 young Tim Duncan championship I was working my assets off. Two jobs etc, etc. Bank manager in the daytime and loading trucks at UPS overnight. More than a year. Yikes.
Then in the 2014 young Kawhi Leonard Championship I was working night times, swing shift. Management, 65 hours a week. Horrible time. Had to sneak in the break room try to get glimpses of playoff games.
Good call, but yeah I don’t remember much. Some of those years were a blur.
a very young rondo ran a championship team too. a pg!
With Perkins starting at Center
I get so tired of all these guys talking about the Warriors need for a 7 foot center. The Warriors never won a championship with Wilt Chamberlain. Get over it.
Literally no one has mentioned a 7 footer besides yourself
Steve Adams is a 7 footer.
Lakers
1. Russ. Nunn. Rondo
2. Ellington. THT. Monk
3. Ariza. Bazemore
4. LBJ. Melo
5. AD. Howard. Jordan
Have to have Ellington for his shooting and Ariza for his versatility as a shooter and defender.
Off the bench Melo is the number 1 option. You have multiple guards and bigs you can throw out there.
Not that it will happen but I think they should’ve looked into a bench stretch 5 option and another forward. Instead of Malik Monk, James Ennis would make a lot of sense and maybe Mike Scott.
I agree with a lot of what your saying and you got a good grasp at the {actual} positions as opposed to other posters in this thread so kudos for that
I personally would have kept Gasol over DJ for that stretch element but who knows what was happening behind the scenes there-
Agree tho ,id like a stretch 5 option other than a redundant DH/DJ combo at b/u C
I like Monk a lot but agree id prefer one more versatile forward over a guard ….I would have swapped Rondo in all honesty for that forward …especially w Reeves on the upswing…Ennis and Scott are great options as well…
I didn’t get the Rondo DJ last adds whatsoever late, loved the rest of the offseason tho
Lotta pressure on THT to take a step up defensively this year , LOTS
Yeah Rondo to me was odd considering Russ can’t shoot, THT can’t shoot, and they already had Nunn aswell.
Yeah Gasol would’ve been better than DJ for the spacing element but obviously something was happening behind the scenes.
Personally I think THT was a huge overpay and your just buying into the hype.
He’s only played 2 seasons and is only 20, but he’s not a good shooter, not great defensively, not hugely crafty. He’s just kind of decent at everything. You’ve given him 10 mil a season for the next 3 years, that could’ve easily have gone to a more reliable player. For example bringing back Danny Green. Green who knows the players and coaches and could’ve easily taken the starting SG spot and been a dependable 3 and D guy.
I disagree respectfully on Tht
Think a better comp for the money would have been to resign Caruso – DG was needed salary to trade out last year and we couldnt sign anyone from another team this year
Tucker showed the ability to be good defensively his rookie year (maybe real good) but yea it slipped a lot last year. Its a concern bc he’s really gonna be that guy this year who guards elite players on the other team…Not saying Im 100 sold he can pull it off but thats what its gonna be
GSW should’ve traded Wiggins when they had the chance now because of his covid opt out he’s going to miss half the season. Making it a lot harder for them.
Should’ve done Andrew Wiggins and 2 second round picks for Steven Adams and Dillon Brooks.
Or Andrew Wiggins and a first rounder for Davis Bertans and KCP
Both of which are probably hard sells now, however the Wizards deal could still be an option possibly.
Oh, the Wizards were offering up Davis Bertrans and KCP for Wiggins? You still believe Steve Adams is a key to the Warriors success.
Both deals aren’t rumoured to happen or anything just my idea on how they could get better.
I still don’t understand why people think that the Warriors should trade for Steven Adams. Being 7 feet doesn’t make you a good player. 7 footer is kinda like a pitcher with 100 mph fastball. Who cares.
It’s not about his height.
Warriors were at there best when they had a big centre that did all the dirty work. ZaZa, JaVale, Bogut etc etc. Steven Adams is that kind of centre, he’s one of the strongest guys in the league, he sets some of the best screens in the league, he’s got a great box out, he’s good defensively, and gets some boards. He’s a great locker room presence and teams just love him. I can’t think of one player that hasn’t got on well with big Steve.
Plus you also get Brooks who’s a great return for Wiggins. Brooks averages 17-3-2, is a solid defender, and a decent shooter. In his 4 years in the league he’s been to the post season once where he was great and that’s what the warriors need. Brooks is a better defender and shooter than Wiggins and he loves to play in the big games which is something Wiggins has struggled at
Please. If Steve Adams was such a great Center, why is playing in Memphis. Memphis is in a clear rebuild. He is not a center you build a team around.
Steph Curry doesn’t need screens. Why you guys keep thinking that Curry needs screens is beyond me. Have you ever watched Curry play? He might need screens in a couple of seasons. He continues to break ankles and you think he is elderly. Jeez. You guys are pathetic.
BTW… MEM might very well be in a clear rebuild, but I think it is very clear they are ahead, way ahead in the rebuild than GSW!
As Dray said they have no chance at all to win, laughable to think they count, great season for them if they make it to the playoffs, through the play in, of course!
It needs to come to someone like Dray to talk some sense about the flipping vax, it is none of his, the teams or the fans business if Wigs wants to get vaccinated or not, that is his, & only his business!
Please. Steven Adams is the center piece of a team that wants to win an NBA Championship.
Your prediction about who will win the NBA Championship in 2022 is obviously wrong. Any nobody who predicts the outcome of a season is obviously a fool. You guys never get it right.
So, you say it is completely acceptable for NBA players to get drunk, or high, and drive home from a game. I don’t understand why you feel it is your right to pass on deadly viruses to other people. Viruses mutate and evolve quickly. Viruses have been around for billions of years. They don’t care about your political stance. They will continue to spread. I don’t know what you are fighting. But, the viruses are easily winning with your attitude.
Not sure where you seen Draymond say they won’t win and stuff. They have Curry Klay and Draymond. Plus a solid bench and great coach. They will definitely make the playoffs
Never said Curry needs screens but if you watch the GSW offence a lot of it is off ball screens for Klay to get open or Curry running off a screen with Draymond the facilitator.
Just cause Adams is in Memphis doesn’t mean he isn’t good. CP3 was traded to Phoenix who sucked and then he and Monty Williams turned them into a playoff team.
Plus they are building around Ja down in Memphis with JJJ and others Adams is just apart of that process.
I don’t know why you get so defensive and make up these false arguments. What I’m saying is facts and my opinion back up by facts. “He is not a centre you rebuild around” no one said he is your just making a blank statement
Just trying to have an opinion and a conversation
Umm…Look at the size of his contract and what you would have to give up to get him. Steve Adams at veterans minimum is fine. Steve Adams at a huge carve out of 17 million is not worth it. 17 million for a guy to set screens when you are salary restricted is not worth it. Wiggins will provide more than Adams ever will.
Get a a clue. Some unknown team is going to instantly trade some unknown player named Brooks, and a stiff like Adams, for Wiggins is laughable. Why would a team give up Brooks?
That doesn’t even make sense
Have no clue where this thread ended up but I must say I don’t think GSW needs a C at all-
Feel they have always been their best running small with that killer motion offence-
They just need to find more Iggy / Livingston type players that can keep that motion offence …well….in motion.
Agree with S>R
Adams is that kind of center + wiggins is a bad asset
@Maz Adams lost to the the Warriors when he had the chance. The Warriors put up an injured Bogut and still lost. Adams ain’t worth 17 million. Veterans minimum is ok.
Adams and Brooks both suit the GSW game style unlike Wiggins. Memphis could find value in Wiggins as they rebuild and lack a true SF. Wiggins could be a nice 3rd option beside Ja and JJJ
Adams is a stiff and cost to much. Giving up Wiggins means the Warriors lack a true SF. Brooks doesn’t have a position, for the Warriors. So, it would be a bad move for the Warriors.
Man by now Kuminga is sooo much better than Wigs… if he isn’t he will be a bust… but I can assure you that unlike Wigs, Kuminga will have a stellar career, make no mistake about it!
Brooks would take the starting SG spot with Klay out and then once he’s back take an impact role off the bench.
At SF without Wiggins, you’d have Kuminga, Otto Porter and Iggy all as capable starters.
I sure hope they ignore Green. I’d rather they trade him. His head has gotten bigger and his game is fading. I like the balance.
Would be a lot more interesting if the Lakers had added the wing they need, but I would say Ellington and Ariza make the most sense. Definitely Ariza regardless. I could see the idea of doing a couple of guards like Nunn, and spreading out the rotation a bit, but the first way makes the most sense. Losing Gasol, not signing another wing, and bringing back Rondo as depth make the rest of the rotation a little more difficult to 100% figure out. Had 2-3 ideas as the roster was being built, but those things alter that…space on the floor is going to be a really big deal, and defending that wing position. It almost makes Lebron a lot more important defending the wing at times, besides Ariza and Bazemore, and makes Bazemore and THT’s shooting a lot more important
Little scared about some of Vogels comments the other day expressing he wants to see RW and LBJ running like lightening bolts all game…….
While fun to watch and advantageous to them its a bit dangerous to realistically set as a staple to the offence in 2021 for the LAL
Going to be fun seeing LBJ’s game transform a little bit working his way down towards the block more and running a more point-forward centric half court set
I already feel like I’m underestimating how bad I’m underestimating how smooth the transition will be……..and I think it will be very smooth to begin with
In other words, Green is pissed that W’s didnt trade for Simmons.
Trade Green for Simmons .
It’s not about enough experience. It’s can they contribute enough to winning. Wiseman is the biggest key. If he just plays D. He brings a lot. He’ll get his 14 pts easy. But dominant D and 10-12 reb a gm. That will be huge. Kuminga brings the D and glue. Plus he’s good for 14-16 pts. That gives them plenty. Both these guys are high IQ guys. Still young but know enough to help when they can. Both are solid team players. I think the question marks are more Porter, Bjelica, Klay. Warriors are a better team. How good we won’t really know til after all star break. I like their young guys.