Where do Warriors stand in final regular-season stretch after NBA trade deadline?| Dubs Talk
The shorthanded Golden State Warriors rallied from down 17 to beat a lackluster Memphis Grizzlies team 114-113. On "Dubs Talk," Bonta Hill and Monte Poole break down the Warriors' comeback victory before looking at the bigger picture of where Golden State stands going forward the rest of the regular season. Should the Warriors' focus be turned more towards next season? (03:00) - Will Warriors sleep happy after their 17-point comeback victory over the Grizzlies? (06:30) - Golden State has two comeback wins in the last three games. Warriors' rallies came with Draymond Green on the bench for both wins (13:00) - Who does Kristaps Porzingis fit next to in the front court? (14:30) - Mike Dunleavy has been a little "spicy" in his press conferences lately (21:00) - Dunleavy backpedaling on the possibility of the Warriors trading Green brings up a lot of questions (24:30) - Are the Warriors front office, coaching staff, and players all on the same page? (28:00) - The Warriors' star power is fading, what does that mean for the future? (31:30) - Golden State is firmly in the play-in tournament at the moment, should it be more cautious with Steph Curry? (34:00) - Will Steve Kerr bring Green off the bench going forward? (43:00) - Gui Santos is playing how Kerr hoped Jonathan Kuminga would play
Where do Warriors stand in final regular-season stretch after NBA trade deadline?| Dubs Talk originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Video Transcript
Oh, baby, oh, baby, oh, baby!
All right, we had a bizarre game last night, Monty, to say the least, against the Memphis Grizzlies.
One fourteen, one thirteen, the Warriors get the win, stop their three-game home losing streak.
We're gonna get into it, some of the things that are happening with this basketball team right now.
But as always, the Warriors Insider, Hall of Famer, two-time Emmy award-winning, two-time Monty Poole here on the Dub Talk Podcast.
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Monty, huh Look, one of our I'm gonna just read this mailbag question right now, so we can knock it out, one of them, and we appreciate everybody for the mailbag questions.
Thank you so much for 'em.
'cause this is what I was thinking.
This is a great question.
It is from Masood Masood, I'm gonna just say MasoodF95366 on Twitter/X.
"Awesome!
I can finally go to sleep happy knowing that the Warriors won tonight against the Grizzlies."
Now, after that game last night, which the Warriors rallied from a seventeen-point deficit and overcame eight fourth-quarter turnovers, can they go to sleep happy knowing that they beat that version of, of the Memphis Grizzlies?
I'm not sure if they're going to home sleeping happy.
Maybe they're just relieved that they got it done, Monty.
Yeah, well, yeah.
After the game, Steve Kerr said, "I'm not sure we deserved it, but we g- we'll take it."
We'll take it.
I mean, twenty-three turnovers?
Twenty-three, man.
Eight in the fourth quarter!
Yeah, they, they overcame a lot because they played tight defense in the last four minutes, you know.
that eleven-nil run got them the win, but I mean, yeah, there's only so much you can take from this game.
Yeah.
Okay?
And keep in mind, too, and the Grizzlies' two best players last night, Ty Jerome, Taylor Hendricks, what were they doing as the Warriors were rallying?
Sitting on the bench.
And I'm sorry, if Memphis was determined to win this game, the first sign of the Warriors coming back, you get those guys back in the game.
I mean, Ty Jerome was, like, plus fifteen, I think, nineteen points.
Yeah.
You know, Taylor Hendricks had fifteen points, ten rebounds.
N- nineteen to seven for Ty Jerome.
Yeah, yeah, plus fifteen, and he's on the bench as his team is giving away the lead.
So I mean, I don't wanna say the T word, but, you know, I mean, how can you not think about that?
We saw it a lot in the NBA last night, Monty.
Yeah.
We saw it in Salt Lake City.
It's like, do the Grizzlies wanna win this game?
evidence says not.
So, so but the Warriors got it.
They got it, and it was there for the taking.
They found a way to get it.
I thought Al Horford was huge the whole night.
Yeah.
sixteen points, nine rebounds, six assists.
he played with the kind of energy that you just It's k- not shocking, but it's like- Yeah ... from a thirty-nine-year-old, it's like- Yeah ... he was out there l- running around like he was twenty-four, and he was plus twenty-four.
It's hard to be plus twenty-four when y- when your team is playing from behind most of the game and need a crazy comeback to win the thing, but he was plus twenty-four in a game the Warriors won by one.
I think that's In that case, I think that gives you a pretty good indication of how much impact he had, on the Warriors.
But as far as sleeping good, I mean, you take the win, man, and run with it, you know?
I mean- Yeah, they, they- They didn't play This was not a gem.
They committed sixteen second-half turnovers last night.
Yeah.
Sixteen second-half turnovers.
Yeah.
And we're gonna get to plus/minuses 'cause I see you're on the height today with the plus/minuses, and there's some bad plus/minuses on this roster right now, that we're seeing something develop.
And you brought up Al Horford, who's playing really well, and it's got me thinking about the addition of Kristaps Porziis.
Yep.
We talked on trade night, and we both were kind of, you know, up in Not up in arms but a little befuddled by the move because of the availability of Kristaps Porziis.
Right.
He's only played in seventeen games this season.
We talked about last season, where he only played in forty-two games.
But I could see a fit with him on his basketball team- Sure ... the type of player that Steve Kerr wants.
whether you agree with Steve Kerr, Kristaps on the three-point line, rim protection, and I actually do believe he could play next to Al Horford.
Now, I have to look into how much he played with Al Horford on the floor in Boston.
Not sure how much.
Gotta look into that.
But I'm only mentioning that because of the way Draymond Green has played recently.
And as the Warriors were making that rally last night, for the second time in three games, they made a rally.
In Phoenix, they were down eleven with 7:04 left.
Draymond Green basically sat on the bench the, the rest of the way up until the final possession of that basketball game.
Yeah.
He played what, twenty-five, twenty-eight seconds- Yeah ... down the stretch in the last seven minutes.
They win the game.
They go on a twenty-two to five run.
They beat Phoenix.
Last night, they were down one off eight to ninety-five.
Now, yeah, Ty Jerome being benched had something to do with that.
Memphis not really wanting to win the game had something to do with that....
But the Warriors in that game on a 19 to five run, and in the last 8:23, Draymond Green was on the bench.
And I'm not sure if he was happy or not being on the bench, because you saw, you, you had a better vantage point than I did from the gatehouse, so you could tell me what it looked like.
But look, he was hitting his shots, five to seven, 14 points, made four threes, but he was also a minus 17.
And the reason why he was a minus 17, those turnovers.
A big reason, yeah.
He committed seven turnovers last night.
So he didn't play the last 8:23, and for the second time in three games, the Warriors rally ain't get a win.
And when I'm thinking about Porziis entering the lineup, the defense with Draymond and Porziis, that could be, that could be really good.
Yeah.
But it could also be really good with Al Horford and Kristaps Porziis.
And with the, you know, the rise of Guy Santos here re- recently over his la- his last seven games, we'll get to that, Steve Kerr's gonna have to make some tough decisions during the All-Star break because Draymond Green is not playing good basketball right now, Monty.
Yeah, he went three, he went three games where he was O for 16, I think, from three.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, no, it was, When Jimmy got hurt with the torn ACL, he had a stretch up until the Utah game, or excuse me, until the Sixers game at home, where he went five of 25 and O for 16 from three.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I'm looking at these, at it right now, and yeah, he was really His three ball was just not there.
And, and Draymond's three ball has to be, it has to be really good.
I'd say really good, meaning in the high 30s.
'cause he's gotta be open, he's gotta shoot it.
We know that already.
But you mentioned the defense, and I, I think that Draymond and KP, again, if KP can stay healthy, there's always the if there, can be really good on defense.
Really good, because KP will give Draymond the freedom to do what he does best: be disruptive, just kind of break up teams' offensive flow.
he's really good at, at being disruptive in that way.
So, but, you know, I- to me, the energy he brought before the trade deadline was actually probably a little bit better than what I've seen since the trade deadline.
It's kind of weird.
And then after the game the other night in LA, you know, listening to Draymond at the podium, he didn't seem He just seemed to be going through the motions, which is not Draymond usually.
Yeah.
When he gets to the podium, he usually goes through He can be up there sometimes for 15 minutes.
Right.
And he kind of went like, went at it like he just wanted to get it over with, you know?
And I'm like, okay, he's not- mentally, he's not where he wants to be.
Now, I don't know if it's related to what the general manager, Mike Dunleavy, said, you know, before the game- Right ... about Draymond's name was never mentioned in, in trade discussion or never There was no consideration.
We'll get to that, Monty.
That was bizarre.
Yeah.
That was bizarre.
You know, and, and so if you're Draymond, how do you take that when you know?
When you know.
So that could affect you a little bit.
It's like, "Wait a minute, what's going on here?"
So, we'll get more to that later.
But yeah, it's like right now, mentally, he doesn't qui- appear to be all the way there.
And Draymond, if he's not all the way there mentally, he's just an average player.
Yeah.
You know, he needs to be totally dialed in to be his best self, and he's not looking that way right now.
No.
So And last night in the game against the Grizzlies, yeah, seven turnovers is like, whoa, that was a relapse to where we saw earlier this season.
And I think, I don't know, Steve didn't wanna put him on the floor maybe because of that.
Yeah.
He didn't play the last 8:23, Monty.
Yeah.
And if you watched his body language Hey, look, I'm not trying to be a body- Like, I, I get it, he's a prideful guy.
He's walking into the Hall of Fame one day, but he was not up off that co- off that bench.
He was there in the quarter, he was sitting- Yeah ... and he did not look pleased from the television angle.
No, I was talking to- Some of the reporters who were there, they said the same thing.
Yeah.
He did not look too thrilled- Nope ... not playing in the last 8:23, Monty.
Yeah.
And, and so, you know, I think this re- requires, you know, another conversation between Steve and Draymond just to see where things are, because it was a bad look.
It's a bad look.
And I've seen Draymond at times when he's on the bench, and he's the first guy off the bench when something good happens.
That's not the way it went down.
And so, we've seen this occasionally before, but it usually indicates to me that something's going on mentally with him, and I don't wanna speculate on what it might be.
Right.
But obviously, the trade stuff could be playing a part in this.
We don't know.
No doubt.
No doubt.
but, but he's with the Warriors now.
He's back with the team- Right ... and he could, gets the opportunity, if he wants, to come back next season.
It's up to him.
He has a player option.
So he's still in the driver's seat for the rest, for his, this season and next, in terms of where he wants to be.
He can just, he can determine that on his own.
if he wants to come back, good, because he did talk up Porziis when they first made the trade, and how he thought they could play together, and I believe they can- Yeah ... because KP stretches the floor.
He gives this team three things that they need, okay?
That they've been needing for a while.
Obviously, size.
He's a legit seven two, man.
Yeah.
Walk in the locker room, and it's like, whoa!
Yeah- You know ... tall dude.
Yeah.
He do.
Two, rim protection.
And he comes- he's that rare guy who gives you rim protection on one end, and three-point shooting on the other end.
He s- he spaces the floor.
So yeah, the only question, of course, is, is, is his health.
If he's on the court for 20 of the last 27 games, that's a win for the Warriors.
They get to evaluate him, see what he looks like.
He gets to e- evaluate them and see what he want- whether he wants to come back.... for what would be a reduced salary.
He's making 30.7 this year.
He's not getting out on the open market, I don't think, with his injury history.
No.
So, well, I think Draymond Yeah, I think Steve and Draymond, maybe Mike, too, need to kind of have a- I think it's gotta be Mike, too, involved- Yeah.
-um, Monty, because of what happened- Yeah -Saturday here.
Now, you talk about the three-point shooting of Kristaps Porziis.
Part of me is like, "Yes, that's a great thing," but also they need some balance offensively, and they, they did that for the most part in the last three quarters of the game against Memphis.
They shot 21 threes in the first half.
they ended up with 33 three-pointed tips, which is good, because they've now jumped over 50% when it comes to shot selection.
Yeah.
More than 50% of their shots come from the three-point line.
They've got to get more balance, and Jimmy Butler has a lot to do with that because of his ability to get to the free throw line and play in the post.
But Dunleavy Saturday We worked the pre and post-game show together, Monty, Saturday night.
Yeah.
And we all kind of looked at each other and was like, "Oh, that was bizarre."
Now, this is, to me, two straight pressers that Dunleavy's conducted, in which I thought, "Oh, Dunleavy's getting a little spicy here."
The first one was when he talked about Jonathan Kuminga.
In order to demand things, there has to be a demand.
Yeah.
Whoa, whoa.
You don't, you don't really hear GMs say that.
Heard from exi- you know, sources around the league said, "Whoa, you don't, don't hear GMs talk like that."
It's a little shocking, especially coming from Mike Dunleavy, who's really mild-mannered, usually mild-mannered, subdued, cool dude.
Then Saturday night, Saturday night happened, and we hear from Steve Kerr on 95.7 The Game.
We hear from Draymond Green on his podcast.
We heard from Draymond Green Tuesday night after they lost to the Sixers, and basically what he said, "Look, man, it's part of the business."
Yeah.
"This is it.
This is it."
They acknowledged that he was part of the trade discussions for Giannis Antetokounmpo, and for whatever reason, Dunleavy basically said, "Yeah, we get calls about Draymond, but we weren't trading," like What?
No consideration.
Never considered.
No consideration whatsoever, and he was spicy.
So where did that come from?
What, what is the follow-up What is the fallout after that, Monty?
Because I know you're tapped in, and that happened on Saturday night.
I was befuddled on why Dunleavy I, I said this earlier today when I was on 95.7 The Game, had an off night.
had an off night.
It wasn't his, wasn't his best showing.
I, I was, I was stunned, Monty.
That's, that's putting it politely.
Um- Try to be politically correct.
Let's go back, though, to the beginning with Mike.
you know, as a player with the Warriors, he was not popular, you know?
Yep.
People wanted more from him than he was able to give.
True.
Really true.
Then when he left, then when he left, when he was traded to Indiana, you know, he made some took some shots at the Warriors, at Warriors fans.
Well, don't forget that stuff.
You know, he, he said it was something along the lines of, "I'm glad to be in a place where they appreciate good basketball."
You know, and people don't forget that kind of stuff.
Wow.
So when the Warriors brought him back under Bob Myers, there was a little bit of skepticism as to why you bring this dude back in, you know?
Did that resurface?
Has that resurfaced?
I don't- No.
I remember those quotes.
Yeah.
Wow, I- No, no, but that, but that was 20-plus years ago.
Right.
You know, but there was You know, people, some people were like, "Mike Dunleavy?"
You know, but to Mike's credit, he bided his time, worked with Bob, and I think as a general manager, he's done okay.
I think he's done okay generally.
I mean, I think you can question the Jordan Poole move, but, you know, for Chris Paul, but you knew Jordan probably had to go somewhere else.
You knew that after what happened with Draymond, and you understood that Chris Paul was bringing a salary that the Warriors could use.
They didn't make the best use of it, but they There was a salary slot right there with, with Chris Paul.
but I thought when he got Jimmy Butler and the way the team took off, that showed To me, that was a winning move.
Yeah.
That was a winning move, and there was some skepticism at first.
I was not even sure, like, "Wait a minute, Jimmy gonna be healthy?
Is Jimmy gonna be..." And turns out that that was a shrewd move, man.
And so to me, you know, what- the moves that Mike has made, for the most part, you can understand them.
You can understand them.
There's, there hasn't been a way you go, "What the heck are they thinking?"
And so we knew that they were, at one point, looking at Jaren Jackson Jr., which would have been a great move, I thought, if they pulled it off.
But when Giannis came available, the Warriors said, "Whoa, whoa, oh-ho!"
You know, "We got here a two-time MVP that's on the market."
'Cause Giannis went from being kind of, sort of, on the market to being fully on the market, and the Warriors pivoted.
And when they pivoted, Danny Ainge pounced and got Triple J.
Three first-round draft picks, but Danny Ainge has many first-round draft picks to move.
You know- Yeah ... he, he has more than the Warriors.
So, so he loses out there, and they don't get Giannis, which is always gonna be a long shot because we were never sure that Milwaukee was serious about moving him, either now and maybe this summer.
We don't even know if they're serious about moving him then.
But now, for him, he pivots to KP.
If KP can get on the floor more often than he's off the floor, it makes sense.
It makes sense, and again, expiring contract of $30.7 million.
So y- you can say, "Oh, I can understand this move."
But for him to get up there and say- Last nugget on that, Monty, real quick before you move on to that- Yeah.
You were not playing Jonathan Kuminga, and you weren't really fond of playing Buddy Hield at that point, so you get a player that you will use in this lineup.
Yeah.
So I, I mean, you know- Makes sense.
Yeah, it makes sense.
Yeah.
So now you h- you have But then he gets up there and says that they never considered trading Draymond.... when any fan with the rudimentary knowledge of the NBA and how trades work realize you can't get Giannis, you can't get Triple J, you can't get a big salary guy without moving a big salary guy.
They're not moving Steph.
No.
Mike said he had no- he didn't envision moving Jimmy.
Like you said, Steve said, "I..." Steve, Steve speaking, "I spoke with Draymond."
So it was pr- Draymond, hey, yes, it became real when Steve talked- Right ... talked about it and asked me about Hazel, his wife.
Hey, you know, it's So we knew already- Yeah ... that Draymond was being considered part of, of a package.
So why would Mike go that route?
And say, for Mike to get there and say, "Never considered," it was true that they were never close, but it- to say it was never considered, everybody's like, you know, "Whoa, what..." Giving that Nick Young look.
Yeah.
Yeah, that GIF with the question marks.
Yeah.
Eh.
My, my thing is, Monty, I- first of all, they don't owe Draymond an explanation.
They've had Draymond's back through thick and thin.
They, they all both on- they both- both parties understand the business.
So my question to you is: what is the point of saying what Mike Dunleavy said Saturday night?
Like, I, I, I just I don't get it.
I, I don't understand why he would go that route.
Is it to save face?
Is it to make amends with Draymond Green?
Is there gonna be some friction there?
I don't believe there's gonna be friction whatsoever.
I think both parties understood the deal.
Like, look, Giannis Antetokounmpo, somebody's gotta go if we're going to pull that move.
Now, they didn't.
But why would Mike And then our boy Danny Aberman from the SF Standard- Yeah ... asked a follow-up, "Well, was Jimmy in?"
"No, no, I'm not gonna go down the roster, start naming players, putting words in my mouth."
Look, it was I hadn't seen that side of Mike Dunleavy since he's been the GM of the Golden State Warriors.
Monty?
Yeah, I don't know what his purpose was, but he obviously, I think it really damaged his, his integrity.
Um- Ooh.
No, when you do something like- Oh.
when you s- when you tell somebody, when you say something that people already have evidence to the contrary, it's like, okay, you- at the very least, you're gonna begin to question whatever he says from here on out.
Yeah, no doubt.
You know?
Yeah.
You're gonna I mean, you might not say, "Oh, he's a liar," but you gotta go, "Okay, was he telling the truth here?"
And I don't think that was much of an issue before that, before those comments.
But there were rumblings, right?
Because of the Jordan Poole, like, "Hey, Jordan Poole's part of our future," and then 24, 36 hours later, Jordan Poole is in the nation's capital.
Yeah.
But you understand how that works sometimes.
No, no doubt.
Yeah.
I do.
Just like when he said he didn't envision trading Jimmy.
If they had traded Jimmy, it would've been like, "Okay, yeah, things change."
We would've understood that.
Yeah.
Things change.
But this is different.
This is evidence to the contrary that we all had already We already knew.
We already knew better.
And so it was a statement that just reeked of insincerity, and you don't want that from a general manager.
You don't want that from a team executive.
And so a lot of Warriors fans were like, "Done with him."
You know, like, "Dude, what are you doing?"
And so the, the last thing you wanna do is put your fans in a situation where they're going, "Okay, can we trust this dude?"
And when he says something like that, that we all know, we all know the evidence says otherwise, you can't help but start to wonder from there on out and kind of be a little bit more skeptical about what gets said and why it gets said.
Now, maybe Mike had a reason for saying it the way he did, but I, I would love to unders- be able to understand what that reason is, because to me, again, it just, it, it, it was a blow to his integrity and his credibility, I thought, you know, as a speaker.
Does it speak to the front office and the coaching staff not being on the same page?
Is everybody on the same page here when it comes to the way they're moving forward?
Is it there's misdialogued here?
I mean, I mean, 'cause Mike, he said It was, was it this presser or the last presser where he's like, "You know, I know there's talks of us being a fading dynasty or whatnot, but we had the fourth-best record"?
We know Steve said it about a month ago, "We have a fading dynasty."
So it almost felt like a shot at Steve, saying like, "Hold on, we had the fourth-best record since we traded for Jimmy Butler.
We're not fading.
We just got hurt.
We like our chances if we're healthy."
There seems to be mixed mes- messaging from a player- A coach ... a coach and a GM, and we haven't heard from Joe Lacob yet- Yeah ... who a lot of people have heat for right now.
Yeah.
yeah, I, I think Mike just kind of went off, got- went out of pocket.
And the, the truth is, when Steve said the word You know, he realized it's- we're, you know, a fading dynasty, that's not a lie.
Yeah.
The Warriors, who once ruled the NBA, have been fighting to They've been fighting, g- they've been doing a play-in team, what, three of the last four years?
Right.
You know, so the dynasty part is over.
It is over.
Right.
They're just trying to be a quality team to make a run in the playoffs.
Nobody's looking at the Warriors and say, "Oh, my God, how are we gonna beat them?"
That's not what's happening anymore.
They've been They had one third-place finish- Right ... in h- in the last how many years, you know?
So- We had five.
Yeah, a- and so it's been a team that either had to get to the play-in tournament or barely escaped it with a sixth-place finish.
Right.
Yep.
And, and so that tells you the dynasty part is over.
They're still a quality team.... but in this season, they've been in eighth place for more than two months.
I know.
That's why, that's the whole Jimmy thing, where people were like, "Oh, what are the expectations now that Jimmy got hurt?"
Well, they're an eighth place team with Jimmy and without Jimmy.
It, it is what it is.
Yeah.
So that's why this off-season is so massive.
Exactly.
Maybe the pressure, maybe the pressure knowing that, that Steph is 37, knowing- 38 next month.
Next month, 38 next month.
Jimmy Butler's not gonna be back until January.
You don't know what's gonna happen with Draymond Green.
Al Horford has a player option.
DeAnthony Melton has a player option.
Brandon Podziemski's extension eligible starting in the summer.
Don't want that Lord knows where that conversation's gonna go.
Yep.
And so to keep the butts in the seats, because that was the one thing yesterday.
I went in after halftime in the third quarter.
First of all, there's about four minutes left until the s- beginning of the third quarter.
The only one out there warming up for the Warriors was Brandon Podziemski.
Very strange.
Nobody does layup lines anymore for the third quarter?
Nobody wants to get warmed up?
Not always, not always for a third quarter, not always in halftime, not- Well- But one person is rare.
One person.
Yeah, that's rare.
And they were down 17 in the frame, so- Yeah ... maybe somebody wants to get some shots up during halftime.
But there was a lot of empty seats in that lower bowl yesterday.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And the energy- Yeah ... it wasn't preseason vibes, it was open practice vibes.
I mean, it was Monty, it was bad.
It was.
It was- I- Like, like, like, we're getting to the point where ticket prices are gonna be slashed.
Folks are gonna be like, "You know what?
I'm gonna give these tickets away."
And that's what you don't want moving forward- Yeah ... because you can end up like the Giants, where you're begging to get 30,000 butts in the seats on a given Saturday afternoon for a baseball game.
Yeah.
One, the, the, it's the star is fading, it's starting to fizzle, but you could see it last night, and you're like, "Boy, this could be a long 28, 27 games the rest of the way if you don't figure out a game plan here that can sell these fans on it."
Now you're getting into that territory, Monty.
Well, yeah.
If, if Steph comes back, you know, they still think he'll come back right after the All-Star break, and I, I'm not sure about that.
But, if Steph's on the court, that automatically boosts the tickets, the, the event- the, the fan experience.
If KP's on the court, that also boosts the fan experience.
So if Steph and KP come back sometime later this month, that, I think, will, will close the gap, and you'll see, you'll see fewer empty seats.
'Cause you're right, there were a lot There were a lot Monday night.
There were a lot.
Super Bowl hangover, maybe.
In the lower bowl, it's like- Yeah, lower bowl.
Yep.
Yeah, and you up- I mean, the upper bowl, people, those Most of those seats are people gonna buy because they can't afford the lower bowl.
So they're gonna They'll sit up there, and they, they were actually more full, filled than the lower bowl seats, which are most pretty much pre-sold.
So there were people who just didn't come.
Tickets were sold, they just didn't show up.
And yeah, I, I think the, the, that's Part of that is maybe Super Bowl hangover.
Part of it, too, is that, you know, the Warriors without Steph are not the same watch.
And, and three, I think the Grizzlies without Ja Morant aren't the same watch.
Yeah.
You know, if you got Steph and Ja on the floor, I think it's a little bit different.
No doubt.
It would- And, and, and you have neither one of those guys.
So some fans are like, "You know what?
I'll just watch it on TV."
And so, yeah, I just think when you When they come back after the break, they're hoping like hell that Steph will be ready to go- Yeah ... and that KP will be ready to go.
And it will be 20 days for Steph since his last appearance, and from what I understand, runner's knee, three weeks is usually about a minimum- ... to get back right.
So that, if he comes back for that Celtics game, you know- It's right on that cusp.
Yeah, on the 19th.
Yeah, it's right there.
Yeah.
So I know they've been working his, working his tail off to try and get it ready.
I know he wants to be on the court.
But I personally think that it would behoove the Warriors to slow-play this and really keep an eye on Steph because this year's ceiling dropped when Jimmy went down.
And they gotta be thinking at least, "Can we do it next year if we can get Steph right, get Jimmy back at mid-season, re-sign KP, re-sign Melton?"
You know, they have all these things.
They gotta think about all these things because this year, you don't wanna burn out Steph this year.
I realize he'll turn 39 next year, but what are you really playing for this year?
Well- Trying to get to Trying to get to make it to the first round?
Well, that's my point, Monty, here about the standings, right?
You can sit out Curry for another two weeks.
When you look at the current Western Conference standings, they're three games up on the Clippers in the loss column.
They're four games up on the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Warriors are not falling out of the top 10 of the Western Conference because the teams that are below the box- Yeah ... bottom five teams in the West- Way below.
... Sacramento, New Orleans, Utah, Dallas, and Memphis.
And what do those five teams want to accomplish this, the rest of the way, Monty?
2026 draft, baby.
There you go.
'26 draft, baby.
They have no ambition whatsoever to try to win basketball games.
Yeah.
So they're gonna win some on accident, but the Warriors are not gonna finish below 10th place, so the playing is all but a guarantee.
It really is, Monty.
'Cause getting to sixth is pretty dang impossible right now.
Yeah, getting to sixth, I mean, you're three games behind Minnesota in the loss column.
Yeah.
I mean, it's doable- Yeah ... but- Yeah, I mean, you got some teams that are above them that are kind of in a free fall a little bit.
Minnesota right now is kind of a mess, you know, they don't know what they're doing and, you know.
But the Warriors, it's good, I guess, that they're winning games like the, this game against the Grizzlies, the game against the Suns, to sort of kind of give them something.
Because if they lose those two games, which they were in the process of losing before crazy comebacks, they will have lost eight of their last 10 games.
And instead it's four of the six of their last 10- Yep ... which isn't quite as bad, you know?
Right.
So, but yeah, I, I think when you look at the rest of this season- Right ...
I think they gotta be extra cautious with Steph.
I think it's more important to see what KP can give you this team.
Right.
And if he can get him on the floor, I think that's a more productive use of time and player.
So that's why, you know, the whole handling of Stephen Curry, I'm with you there.
You can rest him until March.
You're not falling out of the top 10.
And if you wanna make a run at the first round, so be it.
Play the playing game, see what it looks like, but rest is imperative for Stephen Curry- Yeah ... and it is about next year, because the expectations have changed for this organization for at least this season.
You're not winning a championship.
It's just not happening this season, so that's unfortunate for them.
real quick, let's get another question in here before we end the podcast, Monty.
"Curry, @30GSWarriors.
Curry, bang, bang.
Gritty win last night.
Will Steve Kerr bring Draymond off the bench moving forward?"
Well, Steve's been asked that question before this, you know, during this season, and said he's not there.
That's not, that's not part of the plan.
Things can change.
Things can change.
And, you know, if you look at Draymond's, wear and tear o- his mileage, not his age, his, his mileage, Draymond's played some hard miles, man.
I mean, he's generally guarding guys that are four and five inches taller, 30 and 40 pounds heavier.
that's a rough, that's a rough toil.
And so I kinda think that Steve would at least consider that.
but what they've done carefully, if they've monitored M- Draymond's minutes all season, you know, there haven't been too many games where he's in the mid-30s.
No.
He's usually in the high 20s.
And- Played 24 last night, I believe.
Yeah, he's usually in the high 20s.
Yeah, 20 for 33.
So, you know, they will push Jimmy and Steph into the mid-30s, but Draymond really, you know, he usually in the high 20s, and there's a reason for that.
They know what's has what this game has done to his body.
And so I think Steve has probably thought about it, and may, he may do it, but again, so much depends on, the health of Porziis and, you know, monitoring the minutes for Al Horford, who was terrific, the other night, or last night against, the Grizzlies.
So it's just a thing that I think is plausible, but I don't think the Warriors are I don't think Steve is quite there yet.
And I know he won't be there if Steph- when Steph comes back.
Well- If Steph's back, he's starting Draymond with Steph.
Well, I think that's a mistake to go with that philosophy if you're Steve Kerr.
I think it's a massive mistake over these last stretch of games here, where the Warriors Look, they're 29 to 25.
You've got, what is that?
54 games, so you got 28 left.
I think you gotta put everything on the table.
Um- Not everything.
I, I, I think with this situation Look, Draymond, okay, he's gonna play with Steph.
Draymond's turning the ball over left and right.
Guy said to us over his last seven games, he's averaging nearly 16 points a game, four rebounds, and he's shooting over 65%, well, hold on, 68% from the floor and over 50% from the three-point line.
Now, he's not the same defender- Right ... but he hustles his ass off.
He gets the loose balls.
He's in the right spots.
He's a threat offensively.
I think if you're Steve, or who Like, okay, next year's next year, but I need to maximize what it is on this team here moving forward, and I need to throw everything on the Hey, look, we're playing with house money at this point.
You're gonna be a playing team.
We'll see if you crack the first round.
Why not just see what it looks like to see Porziis or Horford in the front court, or Porziis and Guy Santos, and you got Moody and Melton at the three and the two, or and, and Stephen Curry?
Why not just see it?
Like, like we saw this with Klay Thompson.
He came off the bench for 14 games.
We saw it with Jordan Poole, left and right.
I think we saw it once or twice with Andrew Wiggins.
I don't, I don't really remember, but they reduced his role at one point.
Why not see it?
I, and this season is almost lost, Monty.
I don't see the harm in that.
There's a difference between not starting a guy and I mean, I think what's it- well, it makes sense to me at least.
And first of all, I don't see Steve breaking up the Steph-Draymond combination.
I don't see that happening, unless Steph says, "Okay..." Unless Steph Green likes it, I don't see it happening.
Well, the combination's got about- It's kind about the slow starts this season.
Oh, yeah.
Combination has not worked.
Is that why?
No, the slow starts have been something we talked about all season long.
Yeah, but I don't know if you can say, well, they're, they're starting slow because the Steph-Draymond combination is, is, is no longer any good.
I don't think that's ne- exactly it.
I think it's more than that.
I mean, Steph has been carrying that combination, and it's almost disrespectful to Stephen Curry to say that, "Well, he can't really play without Draymond Green."
I know you're not saying that.
No, no, I'm not saying that.
I know you're not saying that.
I'm saying that combo- ... Clear, man.
Like I said earlier, Steph's minutes can creep into the high, mid and high 30s.
Right.
Draymond's won't.... so he's obviously playing without Steph and without, without Draymond, you know, 10, 12 minutes a game.
A- and we had, we saw that adjustment with Jimmy Butler, where he was getting yanked in the first four minutes of the game to let Steph and Dray, S- Steph and Dray lead that unit, and then Jimmy comes back with the second unit.
I get that.
Right.
But they're getting off to a slow start.
Even last night, they were down 17-7 before we even settled in- Of course ... to the, I don't even know if that was the Memphis Grizzlies or the Memphis Hustle, their G League affiliate.
They were down 17 to 7, and I get it, no Steph.
But let's not act like they haven't gotten off to slow starts in the first quarter all season long.
It's been an issue all season.
It's been an issue all season long.
Yeah.
Not every game, but most games, yeah.
They've juggled everything ar- we know Steph's not leaving the starting lineup whatsoever.
Here's what happens- It's never happening.
Here's what happens in the first quarter with the Warriors: they come out shooting threes.
The balance is bad.
And in the game, when the threes are falling, they get off to fast starts.
We've seen some games where they hit, like, eight or nine or 10 threes in the first quarter.
Those are games they get off But if those threes are not going in, and they, they f- they don't go in more often than they do, then y- you end up giving the other team a lot of easy buckets because your def- it, you cramp your defense.
And so you're now looking at a Warriors team that, like last night, you know, in that first quarter, they were launching threes, threes, threes, threes.
If they're not falling, the other team is taking it the other way, and- No doubt.
You're right, the balance of the offense is an important thing because what has to happen is that when they see they're not the threes aren't going, go to the hoop.
'Cause most NBA teams do not have a great rim protector.
Some do, but most don't, and so you can get to the hoop.
I know the Warriors don't have a bunch of guys who can get their own shot off the dribble.
That's another problem.
That's another problem.
You know, you got Steph, you got Melton, who can kind of get that, you know, get to the line, Jimmy, when he's out there.
But right now, with the current roster, who on that roster can, can take a defender off the dribble?
Who?
Who?
So they, they So that's why you end up seeing guys around the perimeter passing the ball, passing the ball, passing the ball.
Like hot potato.
Until you get down to, like, "Oh, the shot clock says you better shoot it," and you're shooting a three.
But would it be better to have five threats on the floor offensively right now moving forward?
I'm just saying, you can't just Like, we've seen Podziemski in and out the starting lineup.
Yeah.
Melton in and out the starting lineup.
Al Horford- No, Melton's out, and now he's in.
Now he's in, he's out.
Yeah.
Al Horford, you know, Guy Santos has gotten some starts, and he hasn't gotten some starts.
Quentin Pulse in and out.
Qu- QP in and out.
Why not just see it?
Let's see what it looks like.
Well, and we see what?
Steph without Draymond to start the game.
Like, that, that combination, is it really that effective?
Okay, that, that could happen.
That could happen- Because, because if we're gonna be- That's right.
It, it could happen, right?
I just, I wanna see it, Monty.
Yeah.
Like, if we're evaluating everything- Yeah ... and everything is on the table- Yeah ... and we're an open book going to the next season, we know the mainstay is gonna be Steph, and right now, the mainstay is gonna be Jimmy, unless things change.
But let's just see it.
I don't even know, I don't even know if Draymond's gonna be on this roster next season.
True.
So let me just get a look at it.
It doesn't have to be the reticent way, but the fact- Might be four ... that they didn't close with Draymond in two of the last three games- Yeah ... he's turning the ball over left and right.
You've gotten off to slow starts in the first quarter.
Why wouldn't that just be on the table?
Like, we don't- like, this loyalty program we have right now- It- ... you gotta do away with that.
Like, that's over.
It might be.
It might be, but, I know that would be something that Steve would do almost in case of emergency.
But I will say this in regards to that, though.
Right.
Guy Santos has done something that I think the Warriors were hoping Jonathan Kuminga would've done.
Agreed.
That is, one, he has learned how to play with Steph.
Yep.
He has.
He's learned how to play with Steph.
Two, he has found his role, and it was the role that the Warriors kept saying, "We want JK to go out there and just run the floor, grab rebounds, and take off."
Guess what Guy does?
Runs around, brings the energy, takes off.
I think Jonathan's offensive, ceiling is way higher than Guy's.
Yeah.
But Guy is maximizing what he has.
And over these past few years, as he's gone from Santa Cruz to Golden State, Santa Cruz- Right ... Golden State, he has put himself in a position where if you're a coach, you're wondering, how can you You're wondering, "Well, how w- would my team look if he's not out there?"
Because every time he comes out there, he brings something.
No, I, I'm with you.
He brings something.
And I, I think if, if they had, if Kuminga had been willing to, to follow that process, you know, going from, okay, a guy who ain't giving you much to a guy who you really gotta have out there, he'd probably still be a Warrior.
Probably still be a Warrior.
And, and so the difference, of course, that JK was a draft, a lottery pick, and Guy a second-round pick, and therefore, being a second-round pick is more humbling than being the seventh overall pick.
You come in with expectations then.
So it's tough, but I think Guy Santos has done exactly what you wanted.
He's been, so far, a Warriors development success.
I, also think they're different players.
They are different players.
And- For sure ... and, and, and Guy's a better fit here, there's no doubt.
I, I still like Kuminga the player- but Gee can hit the three more consistently than Jonathan Kuminga ever has.
That's one thing.
Gee can play without the basketball right now, a lot better than JK can.
his rebounding, and now he's getting minutes.
You know, it's tough when some players can thrive in four-minute bursts, and what you mentioned there, a second-round pick, where he's been humbled a bit, and he's just fighting for any breadcrumb to get playing time.
So he'll take three-minute spurts.
He'll take four-minute spurts, where Kuminga's like, "Dude, I want my 30 minutes," and wasn't gonna happen on this team.
So yes, Gee is a better fit for Steve Kerr's system, which I think we kind of agree with that.
W- I, I thought it could work, but it didn't.
It is what it is, but they're different players.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
And Gee's skill set is better suited for this roster and better suited for Steve Kerr than JK was, ever was, and that's why he's a force last three.
I think everything's gotta be on the table when it comes to the starting lineup moving forward, and it's not the end-all-be-all.
It's not saying bench Draymond forever and don't play him, but those turnovers have been a bugaboo for this team, and again, they're not getting off to slow fast start.
So I don't know, man.
I think Steve Kerr's gonna have to think about a lot of things during the All-Star break to maximize this current roster.
Yeah, I don't know, I don't know if it'll change the starting lineup, but I know you'll see S- Steph without Draymond.
You've seen some of that already.
Now, maybe you'll see more of it, you know, and, and certainly you will see more of it maybe if Draymond's ineffective, but that's been the issue.
And, and I, I wouldn't say it's off the table, but I know that, their Having Draymond on the floor gives Steph a certain level of comfort, and that's why Steve has been pretty much leaning into that without making sure they minute- their minutes mirror each other.
Steph's minutes don't always mirror Draymond's, but Draymond's minutes pretty much always mirror Steph's minutes.
Hey, Steph, you ready to get uncomfortable?
Are you ready to get uncomfortable?
At age 37?
Ready to get uncomfortable?
Let's try something new here for a second.
That's all I'm saying.
Let's- They've done that.
They- They've done that, but they didn't do it in starting lineup.
They- They've done that but not in the starting lineup.
They haven't changed the starting lineup.
Yeah, I know.
Rotations have changed that.
Rotations have changed.
Yeah.
I wanna see a first five.
I, I just, I just don't You know, we could continue this- I get it ... on another podcast, but I think there's gonna be some uncomfortable conversations with Draymond Green during the All-Star break, with Steve and Mike.
That, that, that's 'Cause I, I 'Cause what you mentioned, the closing, I know he wasn't thrilled with last night- Sure, he- And I'm sure he wasn't thrilled with it in Phoenix.
Something to watch.
Yeah.
Something to watch.
Yeah.
the Warriors will, in the All-Star break, against the San Antonio Spurs to see what happens in that game, and they were off for a while until they take on the Boston Celtics coming out of the break.
Maybe they'll work this during the break.
I don't know, Marty.
But so you know what somebody told me, at the tailgate?
They listened to the podcast.
The fan was like, "Oh, man, love the Dove Talk podcast.
Well, man, they working y'all dudes."
"They working y'all."
Well, yeah, they Yeah, yeah.
I guess it's better to be overworked than not working at all, right?
We did back-to-back podcasts on back-to-back days last week, so- I know.
I, I couldn't do it.
I was like, "Dude, I got no voice."
Yeah, you were struggling Wednesday night.
I did.
You did.
I was like, "I, I got no voice, dude.
Yeah.
I- I'm struggling.
Yeah.
What do you guys want from us?"
Yeah.
Anyway.
So but yeah, I mean, I, I think I do believe that Draymond, Steve, and, and Mike need to have a discussion.
Yep.
I do believe that, just based on Draymond's current energy and just kind of what he's projecting- Yeah ... right now.
So I mean, I can see that being beneficial- No doubt ... for everybody.
No doubt.
Well, hopefully we see Kristaps Porziis when we do get back from the All-Star break, as well as Stephen Curry, who's been out with runner's knee.
The Warriors are four and six since Jimmy Butler has torn his right ACL, but currently in eighth place in the Western Conference.
They'll make the play-in, but how deep can they get into the playoffs?
That's all yet to be determined.
But that's it for us here on another edition of the Dove Talk podcast.
Shout out to everybody who sent us questions with their mailbag.
We'll get to more of them on our next episode here.
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