Golden State Warriors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Warriors, Lakers, E. Payton, Preston

March 25th, 2022 at 9:06am CST by Luke Adams

Since starting the season with a 41-13 record, the Warriors lost 12 of their next 18 games, prompting Draymond Green to call out the team after Tuesday’s loss in Orlando for “playing stupid” and “getting punked,” as Kendra Andrews of ESPN writes.

The Warriors immediately responded to that criticism in impressive fashion on Wednesday night in Miami, beating the Heat by 14 points without Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, or Green active. According to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic, Wednesday’s victory made it clear that Golden State has enough pieces on its roster to make a legitimate run at this year’s title.

How far the Warriors go will ultimately be determined by how much they get from their stars, but if Curry, Thompson, Green, and Andrew Wiggins are healthy and playing well, a supporting cast made up of players like Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney, Otto Porter, Jonathan Kuminga, and Gary Payton II is good enough to make the team “incredibly tough to beat,” writes Thompson.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

The Lakers, who are currently tied with the Pelicans in the Western Conference standings, view Sunday’s game in New Orleans as a “must-win,” according to Russell Westbrook. Dave McMenamin of ESPN has the story and the quotes.
Elfrid Payton‘s 10.9 minutes per game this season are easily a career low, falling far short of the 28.5 MPG he had averaged in his previous seven seasons. However, he has been willing to embrace a reduced role for the NBA-best Suns, per Dana Scott of The Arizona Republic. “I’m just trying to do my job and stay ready, try to keep this thing going in the right direction,” said Payton, who likely won’t see much action going forward with Chris Paul back in the lineup.
Clippers rookie guard Jason Preston has yet to make his NBA debut after undergoing foot surgery in October, but he has impressed veteran teammate Reggie Jackson with his understanding of the game. “Selfishly for me, it’s like having another coach,” Jackson said of Preston’s presence on road trips (Twitter link via Mirjam Swanson of The Southern California News Group). “Smart kid.”

Andre Iguodala Upgraded To Questionable

March 25th, 2022 at 7:32am CST by Luke Adams

Andre Iguodala, who has missed the Warriors‘ last 19 games due to a back issue, has been upgraded to questionable for Friday’s game in Atlanta, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Even if Iguodala isn’t able to play tonight, it sounds like he’s very close to returning.

Should Warriors Tweak Starting Lineup?

March 23rd, 2022 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area makes the case that the Warriors should consider replacing Kevon Looney with Otto Porter Jr. in their starting lineup to help jump-start their offense.

NBA Fines Draymond Green $25K

March 22nd, 2022 at 5:05pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The NBA today has fined Warriors power forward Draymond Green $25K after he cursed at a referee during Golden State’s 110-108 loss to the Spurs on Sunday, per a PR announcement (Twitter link). Green was ejected following the incident.

Green had been playing in only his third game since returning to the team from a back injury that held him out of the Warriors’ lineup for 29 consecutive contests. Prior to the defeat, the 32-year-old had made his first All-Star team since 2018 and had been clearly on the hunt for Defensive Player of the Year hardware.

The 6’6″ vet out of Michigan State is averaging 7.6 PPG on 52.9% shooting, 7.5 RPG and 7.1 APG for the 47-23 Warriors, currently the third seed in the Western Conference.

As JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors points out (via Twitter), the Green fine marks the league’s fourth such penalty announced today. Timberwolves point guard Patrick Beverley, Bucks reserve guard George Hill, and injured Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic were all fined between $15K and $40K.

Curry Optimistic About Being Ready For Playoffs; Payton To Return Tuesday

March 22nd, 2022 at 11:36am CST by Luke Adams

Reports have indicated that the Warriors are optimistic Stephen Curry will return from his foot injury by the time the playoffs begin next month, and Curry confirmed on Sunday that’s the plan. “Yeah, we’ve got enough time for that … but I’m an optimist,” Curry told reporters, including Joe Stiglich of The Associated Press. Curry added that he didn’t view the Marcus Smart dive that caused his injury as “malicious or dirty.”
Warriors guard Gary Payton II, who initially hoped to return on Sunday from a left knee injury, remained sidelined for that game, but is no longer listed on the injury report and will play on Tuesday in Orlando, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Payton has missed the team’s last eight games.

Warriors Considering All Frontcourt Options

March 21st, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

With James Wiseman‘s return up in the air following a recent setback, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said on Sunday that head of basketball operations Bob Myers and the front office are “constantly looking at options” for frontcourt help (Twitter link via Kerith Burke of NBC Sports Bay Area). Golden State hasn’t made a change to its 15-man roster since re-signing Gary Payton II to be the team’s 15th man on October 19.

Jordan Poole Proving He's Ready For NBA Spotlight

March 20th, 2022 at 6:53pm CST by JD Shaw

Warriors guard Jordan Poole is proving he’s ready for the NBA spotlight, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. Poole is averaging a career-best 17.1 points on 46% shooting this season, establishing himself as a valuable scoring threat in his third season.

Pacific Notes: Wiseman, LeBron, Mann, Fox

March 19th, 2022 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

James Wiseman‘s latest setback comes at a bad time for the Warriors, who were hoping to get him back on the court before the end of the season, but coach Steve Kerr said that won’t be a factor in any decisions about Wiseman’s health, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Wiseman has playing in the G League, but will have to miss Sunday’s game after experiencing swelling in his right knee.

“We can’t make a decision based on the schedule,” Kerr said. “We can’t make decisions based on the playoffs. Every decision should be made around James’ career and his future.”

Wiseman hasn’t played an NBA game since undergoing surgery last April for a torn meniscus that ended his rookie season. He had another procedure in December and recently returned to play three games with the Santa Cruz Warriors. The swelling started several days ago, Andrews adds, and the training staff decided Friday to keep him out of action.

“I feel terrible for James,” Kerr said. “I will just keep going back to the fact that he’s 20 years old. He’s got his whole future ahead. We just have to be really, really cautious. We have to do what is best for him long term.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Lakers star LeBron James passed Karl Malone tonight to move into second place on the career scoring list with a 38-point performance at Washington. He now trails all-time leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by 1,440 points. “What an incredible feat. He just attacked tonight,” coach Frank Vogel said. “A signature performance in which he passes one of the greats.” (Twitter link from Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN)
Terance Mann‘s versatility has been valuable for the Clippers, per Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. Coach Doc Rivers viewed Mann as a point guard when he came into the league, even though he played shooting guard and small forward in college. Now coach Tyronn Lue uses Mann wherever he fits in best. “We don’t have him do too much,” Lue said. “Just guard the best player, defend and rebound … handle the ball and make plays and attack the basket.”
Kings guard De’Aaron Fox had his right hand X-rayed because of pain and swelling, tweets James Ham of ESPN 1320. Fox was held out of Friday’s game (Twitter link), but the injury is not expected to be a long-term issue.

James Wiseman Suffers Another Setback

March 19th, 2022 at 2:43pm CST by JD Shaw

Warriors center James Wiseman has suffered another setback in his return from a right knee injury, Marcus Thompson II and Anthony Slater of The Athletic report.

Wiseman is experiencing swelling in his knee and won’t play for the team’s G League affiliate on Sunday. He has been “temporarily shut down.”

Thompson and Slater caution that Golden State hasn’t determined Wiseman’s status for the rest of the season, but time is running out in the campaign. The Warriors are 47-23 and have just 12 games left before the playoffs begin.

Wiseman underwent surgery for a torn meniscus last April. He had a second procedure in December after dealing with some swelling, then returned to play in the G League last week. He logged 62 minutes across three games.

Wiseman was selected No. 2 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. He has yet to play in a game this season and appeared in 39 contests last year, averaging 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per outing.

Warriors To Reevaluate Stephen Curry In Two Weeks

March 18th, 2022 at 2:59pm CST by Luke Adams

After reports on Thursday indicated that star guard Stephen Curry had suffered a sprained ligament in his left foot and would be out indefinitely, the Warriors confirmed that injury diagnosis today.

The team stated in a brief press release that Curry will be reevaluated in two weeks, which suggests he’ll be sidelined for at least the rest of March. Golden State has seven games during that stretch and will have just five contests left in the regular season by the time Curry is reassessed.

The 47-23 Warriors are, of course, in no danger of losing their playoff spot, and still seem relatively likely to hold onto a top-three seed, since they have a 3.5-game lead over the No. 4 Jazz.

Still, it’s an unfortunate turn of events for a team that just got Draymond Green back on Monday following a 29-game absence and has had Klay Thompson miss so much time since 2019. The Warriors’ three stars have shared the court for just 11 minutes so far this season and it appears they won’t do so again until either the final week of the regular season or the postseason.

As long as Curry remains on the shelf, the Warriors will likely lean more heavily on Jordan Poole, with Gary Payton II poised to immediately reclaim a regular backcourt role upon his return from a knee injury. Two-way player Chris Chiozza could also see a little action in a reserve role.