It’s A Splash Bros Reunion! Are You Kuminga To The Poole Party? Warriors 2022 Season Thread

Chabot College

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This team isn't close to being a contender yet. And Wiseman not amounting to shyt hurts more because it's the biggest weakness of this team, which is a lack of size.

Just have to hope the front office sees this before the playoffs, and trades Wiggins and Wiseman to fix the weak spots.
I disagree about this team not being a dark horse contender. Time will tell, we’ll revisit this conversation.
 
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I disagree about this team not being a dark horse contender. Time will tell, we’ll revisit this conversation.
This squad will be really good in the regular season (it'll be the most entertaining GS squad in years), I mean, Steph staying healthy and the depth they have will reflect that, but when the playoffs roll around, all its weaknesses will rear their ugly head. There are too many teams out there with a size advantage and greater scoring diversity. Like I said, just have to hope the front office sees that and fixes it, instead of resting on their laurels.

Look at it from this perspective:

If the Warriors didn't hit the jackpot on signing Bjelica, and instead signed the average vet big, the Warriors would've lost last night and you'd probably have completely different take of this squad. And Bjelica most certainly doesn't make-or-break this team.
 

Chabot College

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This squad will be really good in the regular season (it'll be the most entertaining GS squad in years), I mean, Steph staying healthy and the depth they have will reflect that, but when the playoffs roll around, all its weaknesses will rear their ugly head. There are too many teams out there with a size advantage and greater scoring diversity. Like I said, just have to hope the front office sees that and fixes it, instead of resting on their laurels.

Look at it from this perspective:

If the Warriors didn't hit the jackpot on signing Bjelica, and instead signed the average vet big, the Warriors would've lost last night and you'd probably have completely different take of this squad. And Bjelica most certainly doesn't make-or-break this team.
Speaking of Bjelica, here’s a interesting reply a Warriors fan had on Reddit responding to another fan about LaMelo.
No way to know the Warriors have the team they do this year if they get LaMelo instead of Wiseman. You can't just say "everything is exactly the same -- just with LaMelo instead of Wiseman."

Maybe they do better last year and instead of retooling with Bjelica and OPJ they run it back with Oubre and Bazemore. Also, if Warriors don't miss the play-in then maybe no Moody.

And also, if you're giving all those reps at guard to LaMelo in 2020-2021, does Poole improve as much as he has?
 
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Speaking of Bjelica, here’s a interesting reply a Warriors fan had on Reddit responding to another fan about LaMelo.
By interesting, do you mean that person is trying to justify the Wiseman selection by indirect consequences because they can't justify it by his play? They're essentially saying Wiseman was so bad that it made the Warriors good.

:lolbron:

The Warriors subreddit has a weird obsession with trying to see the best in Wiseman, which I can understand, because they had high hopes for him, and acknowledging that he isn't what they thought he'd be, would only break the spell that they were put under. I don't think they're ready to acknowledge that reality just yet. It's probably even more jarring for them that they're confronted with the worse possible outcome of him. I didn't even think he'd be this bad; he was unplayable last season.

I didn't think it was possible for any player to drag Steph down into being a net-negative, but he proved it. Now, just to put it into perspective how bad that is, Steph has lead the league in real plus-minus since 2014, which the stat itself isn't really a great indicator when comparing x-player to y-player, but it certainly is reflective of what influence Steph has in the lineups he plays in. Essentially, if you're on the floor with Steph, he'll raise your net-value more than any other player to ever play the game.
2013-14: 1st w/ +7.79, 26% higher than 2nd place (MVP Kevin Durant, +6.17)

2014-15: 1st w/ +11.41, 30% higher than 2nd place (Russell Westbrook, +8.80)

2015-16: 1st w/ +12.03, 65% higher than 2nd place (Russell Westbrook, +7.29)

2016-17: 1st w/ +9.25, 17% higher than 2nd place (MVP Russell Westbrook, +7.89)

2017-18: 1st w/ +9.09, 42% higher than 2nd place (LeBron James, +6.38)

2018-19: 1st w/ +8.58, 36% higher than 2nd place (LeBron James, +6.33)

2019-20: injured

2020-21: 1st w/ +7.08, 53% higher than 2nd place (LeBron James, +4.63)
To be that bad where you drag Steph down into the negative is hard to comprehend. You'd almost have to do it intentionally.

But I digress.

Of course, the team wouldn't be exactly as it is now if they drafted LaMelo, but I can say without a doubt, they'd be a lot closer to contending if they did draft him, maximizing this aging core's window, and they'd be set up with a superstar to take over once Steph retired. LaMelo on this team would only entice more free agents; both Bjelica and OPJ took less money because they wanted to be on this team, so there's really no reason to suggest those two wouldn't be here now, because LaMelo would only make it more enticing. They would've been able to sign a more suitable big man that fits their timeline, in place of the spot that Wiseman is currently taking up.

I can't see Oubre and Bazemore being on this team either because Kerr and the Warriors would've identified that LaMelo-Steph-Wiggins was the primary lineup, which would've still led to a dissatisfied Oubre who couldn't make an open shot last season, and simply wouldn't buy into the system, and Bazemore was looking for a greater opportunity, where he got more of a role, which needless to say would've been even less with the addition of LaMelo.

Poole would've still developed the same, because his greatest leap came during the offseason and what was an accumulation of working hard off the court to get better, where he'd still have his position in this team as the 6th man-instant scorer.
 
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You know the funny thing about Wiggins.

I think we all (I know I certainly did) were hopeful he'd basically be a better version of Barnes. Well, last night I watched the Kings game, and I came away thinking to myself, this version of Barnes is probably a better fit for this Warriors squad than Wiggins is.

Those harsh realities hit a lil harder when you don't see them coming.

:mjcry:
 
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