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00:00You look at the Golden State Warriors and it's like, okay, Steph's going to get re-evaluated
00:05Friday with the left ankle sprained.
00:08The NTD Belt is going to get re-evaluated with the back strain.
00:11Oh, what do you know, Andrew Wiggins is probably out tonight against the Pelicans with the
00:17back injury.
00:18And all of a sudden, that depth that we talked about, the first two games, all throughout
00:24the preseason, will get tested right away.
00:27So as we try to relax and feel good about the 49ers, we look at the Golden State Warriors
00:31and we say, I'm not saying they're in trouble here, but you look at these next two games
00:37against the Pelicans, this operation split, in my mind, and then you go on this five-game
00:41road trip, Shasky, to Houston, Washington, Boston, Cleveland, Oklahoma City, and don't
00:45look now, but Jordan Poole's playing well.
00:47All of a sudden, it's like, boy, you've got to try to stabilize the season early.
00:51You've got to try to dodge some blows here.
00:53How long is Steph going to be out?
00:55Because that's, with all the depth, everything revolves around number 30.
00:59There's no doubt it does.
01:00And so, you know, I think a lot of people haven't had an opportunity to hear any of
01:06your Warrior opinions.
01:07You know, they played a game Friday night, it was a big-time win, blowout of the Utah
01:11Jazz, and then they play again on Sunday night during the middle of the Niner game.
01:16And I don't know how many people were locked in to the Warriors, you know, as closely as
01:22maybe they were the football game.
01:23So I've got a bunch of questions that I want to throw at you today.
01:27And so maybe you can kind of give your opinions, and then I would love to hear from the audience
01:31on these as well.
01:33Let's just start at the very, very, very top.
01:35The Steph Curry injury, Bonte, that you're alluding to, who's the guy that you're looking
01:40at that you think needs to step up the most in his absence?
01:44Well, I think it's an obvious one, right?
01:46It's Jonathan Kibica.
01:48And I mean, let's be real here.
01:51This is a guy who is looking for new money, and the Warriors are far apart under the contract
01:57extension.
01:58They have one deal on the table, and you can make the argument maybe Kibica should've taken
02:01that deal just to get it done, just to kind of not have to play this season, thinking
02:07about, boy, am I going to get paid here, am I going to get a long-term deal, what's my
02:11value going to be if I don't play well, will I still get the same money, will I not get
02:15the same money?
02:17It's obvious, Jonathan Kibica, because you watched those last five minutes on Sunday,
02:20and you saw a young man who was indecisive on what to do with the basketball.
02:26Do I shoot the three?
02:27Do I go to the lane?
02:28Do I pass it?
02:30It was like his brain was moving a little too fast there.
02:33And so he's a hell of a player, and he's got a lot of athleticism.
02:36But the start of the season has not been great for Jonathan Kibica as he tries to find his
02:41way with this deep team.
02:43You know, once he starts, does he get pulled, does he not play for a long time?
02:48So it's an obvious one, Shaski.
02:49Jonathan Kibica has to lead the charge here, getting to the free-throw line, getting buckets,
02:55getting himself, you know, and maybe Steve Kerr draws up some plays for him early on
02:59where he gets him down in the post, get him some touches on the mid-block, let him get
03:02comfortable in the game, kind of like they do with Andrew Wiggins here, and then he starts
03:06rolling.
03:08But right now, Kibica, he's pressing a little bit.
03:11You can just see it.
03:12Defensively, I think he's fine.
03:13He's been guarding very, very well.
03:16His individual defense has been solid.
03:19But right now, you know, when you think about the scoring load that's missing without Stephen
03:24Curry and now without Andrew Wiggins, who may not go tonight, it's Jonathan Kibica.
03:29I can make the argument for Jermon Green as well, but I'm going to go with Jonathan Kibica.
03:33Well, sticking on Kibica, I don't think they're running stuff that he's going to thrive in.
03:40Where's the high pick and roll?
03:42Where's getting this guy downhill?
03:45Am I wrong on that?
03:47To me, I get frustrated because I know Steph has to play a certain way.
03:51I understand that.
03:52And this is where I know he wants to start.
03:54I'm talking about Jonathan Kibica.
03:56But it's almost counterintuitive that he starts alongside Steph Curry because the best path
04:02for him to succeed most efficiently is through...
04:05Now, I'm not saying every single possession has to be high pick and roll, but isn't he
04:09just an absolute menace when it comes to a pick and roll threat?
04:13It feels like it, but this is not the Warriors' way, right?
04:16It's ball movement.
04:17It's moving around here.
04:18I think the starting lineup, we just look at the starting lineup.
04:21Trace Jackson-Davis, Draymond, Wiggins, Kaminga, it's a very good defensive lineup.
04:30But defenses are going to dare the Warriors to shoot when it's not Stephen Curry.
04:35They're going to shadow Curry.
04:36They're going to bump him.
04:37They're going to try to trap him, get the ball out of his hands.
04:39They're going to say, Wiggins, we'll live with you shooting.
04:41Kaminga, we'll live with you shooting.
04:44Draymond, we'll live with you shooting.
04:46T.J.D., you want to shoot to Midy?
04:48Go ahead.
04:49So the spacing in that half court, I don't think is conducive to a guy like Jonathan
04:54Kibica.
04:55You know, it's a lot of congestion in that lane.
04:57So if he does want to run a high pick and roll, there's going to be two bodies and a
05:00wall right there when he does try to go to the lane.
05:02So it's almost as if Steve Kerr may have to tinker with the starting lineup at one
05:07point to break this up.
05:09Is Kaminga a four?
05:10Is he a three?
05:11Kerr thinks he's a four.
05:12Draymond thinks he's a three.
05:14What is Kaminga?
05:15I think Kaminga, ideally, in a one big lineup, would thrive next to a five.
05:21Right now, I think Kaminga does need to play the four, but you're not going to put him
05:24ahead of Draymond Green because Draymond Green has earned that equity here as a defender
05:28and whatnot, and as a facilitator in the half court.
05:31Because now when you think about the starting lineup as well, Steph's not playing point
05:35guard, he's playing off the basketball, and he's playing off the basketball for the most
05:38part of the season.
05:39Draymond, with that starting union, is the de facto point guard.
05:42He's going to play point forward, he's going to facilitate in the half court.
05:46So where does that leave Kaminga?
05:49I think it's a tough spot for him at that starting five.
05:51So you think he should go to the bench?
05:53I don't know if he should go to the bench.
05:57I think the starting five is going to need to be tinkered with.
05:59Ideally, I would love for Draymond to be at the five, Kaminga at the four, Wiggins
06:05at the three, and you figure out the two, whether it's De'Anthony Melton, Buddy Hill,
06:10or Brandon Podjieski.
06:12Maybe it's Buddy Hill because of the spacing that he can provide, but on the flip side,
06:17you don't want to wear Draymond Green out at the five.
06:19So Steve Curry, I don't know who's going to come off the bench.
06:22I don't really care about that stuff, to be honest with you, Shasky, but when you look
06:25at that starting five, I don't think it benefits Jonathan Kaminga.
06:29Now he's got to earn his way.
06:30He's got to earn his way, and right now he's not playing well.
06:34He's not playing point five basketball.
06:36He's not decisive enough.
06:37Now it's three games in, but when we're talking about guys who do step up and pick up the
06:41slack here with these injuries, we're all going to look at Jonathan Kaminga.
06:45Okay, so, and I don't want to get too boggled down in the weeds here, but why do you always
06:51say that it doesn't matter about, like you don't care about starting?
06:54Because it clearly is, it is a sticking point for this team over the last couple of years.
07:00It's like getting off to good starts.
07:02No doubt.
07:03And I think last year they got off to good starts.
07:04I mean, at times the bench has picked up the slack.
07:08I personally always look at the entire game because I think so much emphasis is put on
07:12starters and they may not play more than four minutes together.
07:16They may not play more than five minutes together to start the basketball game.
07:19And against the LA Clippers, I thought they got off to a decent start.
07:24That was their best start of the season.
07:25Now, mentally, a lot of individuals do care about starting, right?
07:29They want to get started because money goes along with starting.
07:32And when you come off the bench, you don't know when you're going to come off the bench.
07:35You don't know when you're going to play.
07:36You don't know who you're going to play with.
07:38You don't know if your rhythm is going to be there.
07:40All of a sudden you're pressing, you're making mistakes.
07:42And all of a sudden you're saying to yourself, oh damn, I'm back on the bench here.
07:45So look, I just don't put as big of an emphasis on starting as a lot of people do because
07:51I've seen Steve Kerr work this lineup for over 10 years now where he'll start a lineup
07:56for four minutes and never go back to him again.
07:59But obviously with Jonathan Kaminga, he wants to be in that starting lineup.
08:02I just don't know if it's going to work for him if you're going to have this lineup around
08:07him with TJD, Draymond, and Andrew Wickett.
08:10So Steve Kerr has got to figure this out because the spacing there is not conducive.
08:15It's not conducive for Kaminga, but it's definitely not conducive for Stephen Curry.
08:18Think about Stephen Curry running around here and he's the only knockdown shooter.
08:23Because again, no matter how hot Andrew Wickett is, the Posse teams are going to say, Wickett,
08:27we'll live with you shooting, Draymond, we'll live with you shooting, Kaminga, we'll live
08:32with you shooting.
08:33He's got to get downhill.
08:34And so how do you get them downhill?
08:36I think you've got to get them on the mid-block a lot more.
08:39Well, so like, let's go to the other end of the spectrum.
08:42Real quick, real quick, mid-block though, real quick, half-court now that I'm thinking
08:45about it though.
08:47If you get Kaminga on that mid-block with the starting unit, you got to have shooters
08:50around.
08:51You got to have shooters around them.
08:52And what are shooters going to, what are defenses going to do when Draymond Green's at the
08:55top of the key?
08:56They're going to sack off of him and they're going to dare him to shoot.
09:00So now all of a sudden you don't have that room in the paint.
09:03You get what I'm saying?
09:04No, I do.
09:05But like, we've had this kind of Draymond Green conundrum.
09:07He brings so many good things to the table, but also to build out the rest of your team,
09:12you need very specific players to play alongside of him.
09:15And it just feels like, to me, the organization last year needed to have made, going into
09:19the offseason, a decision very simply, are we rolling with Draymond for the next couple
09:24of years or are we rolling with Kaminga?
09:26I don't know if they can coexist simultaneously.
09:29People keep going Wiggins and Kaminga.
09:31Can they coexist?
09:32I think it's more Draymond, and the reason being is it's not because of just playing
09:36the four.
09:37It's the spacing that you're talking about and then minutes and allocation.
09:42Which brings me to, Draymond's clearly very important.
09:46Sunday was the first close game of the year.
09:48They only played three games.
09:49It's a close game.
09:50And so the Warriors are trying to close the gap and get back in that game, and Draymond's
09:55nowhere to be found in the fourth quarter.
09:58Was that a one-off?
09:59No.
10:00I didn't see Steve Kerr address that in the postgame.
10:04No, he addressed it.
10:05He got asked, was it an injury?
10:08Steve Kerr said, no, Kavon Looney was rolling.
10:13That's what Steve Kerr said.
10:14So in the fourth quarter, they're looking at Draymond to be a five.
10:18No.
10:19In the fourth quarter, Draymond didn't have it rolling.
10:23He didn't have it rolling.
10:24He was having a rough game.
10:26Zubac was having his way.
10:28Draymond offensively just didn't have it that night.
10:31His body language wasn't great.
10:33It wasn't the greatest body language.
10:34And so Steve Kerr, with that lineup, you've got to think, Steve, so Steph Curry leaves
10:38the game with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.
10:41Warriors second-least at 755.
10:43He hobbles off the floor in the fourth quarter.
10:45And so they're down at that point, they're down at that point 10.
10:49Down 10.
10:50Were they going like a 12-3 run?
10:5212-3 run with Kavon Looney, Pons, and Steve Kerr just stuck with the lineup.
10:55He stuck with the lineup that got him back into the game.
10:58And that's how he's going to coach this team.
10:59So I didn't make a big deal out of it.
11:02I don't know if a lot of people made a big deal about it.
11:04I was surprised.
11:05No, they were down 95-85.
11:0695-85.
11:07And so Wiggins starts rolling.
11:08Pardon me.
11:09And then there's about six minutes left, and they're down 10.
11:10And all of a sudden, Wiggins makes a three.
11:11And then Looney makes a shot.
11:12And it's like, oh, we're down six.
11:13We have some life.
11:14We have some energy.
11:15And this lineup is working.
11:16And I think Looney deserved those minutes down the stretch.
11:17Looney's off to a great start.
11:18He's got 15 offensive rebounds in his first three games.
11:19He's rebounded the ball well.
11:20He's moving well.
11:21He's got a lot of momentum.
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