LOCK. GO TO OFFSEASON THREAD, THANKS!

So does anyone know yet, or heard any rumors, on what this Darren Erman dude did to get fired?
 
[h1]Draymond Green as the Warriors’ most important power forward? In some ways, it’s already probably happening[/h1]
Posted on April 7, 2014 by Tim Kawakami

Draymond Green is healthy, starting at power forward recently in David Lee’s absence, and Green is playing very, very well–setting great screens, moving the ball, playing exceptional on-ball and help defense.

Which brings up the question: Is Green the Warriors’ best option at power forward going into the playoffs, whether or not Lee is fully healthy or not by then?

At the very least, I think Green is proving that he deserves (and has deserved) at least as many minutes as a healthy Lee in a tandem PF rotation and Green absolutely deserves the main PF minutes if Lee is at all dinged up and not 100%.

But we also know that the Warriors have based much of their last several seasons on the quite questionable conclusion that Lee is an incredible ALL-STAR!!! player–it took Mark Jackson months into this season to admit that Stephen Curry had jumped ahead of Lee as the team’s best player, which was about two or three years behind actuality.

Lee has been a big part of the Warriors’ rise to relevance, he can do a lot of things on offense, and he is the GSW favorite son–that’s absolutely one thing Joe Lacob and Jackson have agreed upon from Day 1. He’s protected, he’s cherished, his status is unchallenged. However…

Now that Lee is out indefinitely and the Warriors are finally getting a look at Green in a major role–and alongside Andrew Bogut and Andre Iguodala in the starting line-up (when those two guys are healthy)…

Well, things might be changing, because in real life you make adjustments when things happen in front of your eyes.

You can’t make playoff decisions based on how much you like a guy or the things he did in the past, you make them based on what will work best in a rough postseason series or two.

Green can guard good power forwards, he can guard good wings, Jackson even likes playing Green on very good point guards.

That’s different than what Lee gives the Warriors. Just a little.

By the way, last night I asked Bogut about the Bogut/Iguodala/Draymond front line, which has been rarely used this season until last night, when that was the starting group.  “Oh yeah, that’s our killer line-up,” Bogut said with a big smile.

To be ultra-clear, this was part of a general discussion about defense and Bogut meant “killer line-up” in that context–as in killer defensive unit.

Which it is. Beyond doubt. And with Curry and Thompson criss-crossing through the wing areas and getting great screens, and with Green’s ability to challenge defenses with his passes and dives to the hoop… that is a very intriguing OFFENSIVE line-up, too.

Some questions there, but still intriguing on offense and great on defense.

–Last night I told Ethan Sherwood Strauss that maybe Boris Diaw’s pass-cut-pass-shoot work with the Spurs is a decent offensive comparison to what Green might do for the Warriors offensively… and ESS did not immediately shoot that down, so I might stick with it for a while.

And that grouping doesn’t include Lee, who is not a great defensive player or even a good one, especially on the rotations in the paint or out to the three-point line. Plus, Lee isn’t as great offensively as many of his fans seem to think.

He works very well with Curry in the pick-and-roll and can score sometimes on the post, but when his mid-range jumper isn’t there (and it hasn’t been there most of this season), he’s frequently a drag on the Warriors’ Curry/Thompson offensive exploits.

[I know, uh oh, here we go again.]

Yep, it’s impossible to deny that any period of game-time that includes Bogut, Green and Iguodala banging into opponents and making great rotations and defending the rim… well, that’s going to be a very good defensive unit for the Warriors.

But even after starting last night and playing many minutes together, the Bogut/Green/Iguodala trio is one of the least played of all the Warriors’ main-rotation combinations.

As Grantland’s Zach Lowe points out, this specific starting line-up–those three plus Curry and Thompson–has only played 54 minutes together and is a sterling +22 as a unit in the plus/minus.

They need to play more together. They will play more, if Lee stays out for a while longer or even if he is back immediately. If that severely cuts into Lee’s playing time in the minutes, really, that’s not a huge issue.

And then if Green isn’t producing, the Warriors can always go back to Lee playing 35 minutes a game.

* I don’t think Jackson will put Lee on the bench when he’s healthy–the Warriors just worry so much about Lee’s feelings and they rightfully respect his points/rebounds tallies throughout his career and his attitude in the locker room.

But there’s an easy compromise: When Lee’s healthy, put him back into the starting line-up, but have Green ready to come in quickly–maybe after 3 or 4 minutes if things start off poorly for the Warriors, at the latest at the under 6 timeout.

That will make sure Green gets good minutes with Bogut and Iguodala early, and that can freshen Lee up to play long minutes as a post-distributor for the second unit late in the first and into the second quarter.

Then you stick with whatever works into the second half and especially to close out the game–Green, Lee, Jermaine O’Neal, whoever.

* By the way, Bogut is currently No. 2 in the league in defensive rating, Green is No. 5. (Joakim Noah is #1.)

One of the most amazing things about Bogut’s D-rating is that he’s done it playing so much with Lee, which I think Jackson does intentionally to make sure Bogut’s always there to defend the toughest post player and that frees Lee to just score, pass and rebound and stand next to DeAndre Jordan instead of actually guarding anybody.

An under-discussed thing is Bogut’s ability, for a large center, to defend some of the really good power forwards, which is often necessary when Lee is out there with him.

But if you play Bogut with Green for long stretches, which allows Bogut to be a little more free lance on defense when Green is tying up a good PF… lights out, I’d presume.

* Lee has missed 11 games so far this season: Five on the road, six at home.

-The Warriors are 8-3 when Lee has been out.

-They are 4-3 when Lee and Bogut were both out.

-They are 4-0 without Lee but WITH  Bogut in the line-up. (One of these is the Memphis game when Bogut started but left after only 4 minutes and didn’t return.)

* The Warriors are 8-4 in games that Bogut has missed.

* In last season’s playoffs, the Warriors were 6-2 in games Lee did not play.  They were 2-4 in games he did play. In playoff games he played 5 minutes or more, the Warriors were 1-3.

* I could be wrong, but I’m beginning to hear a little wiggle room in Jackson’s approach to the power forward situation. I’m sure part of that is due to his uncertainty about Lee’s status and what Lee might produce even when he’s back.

But I’ve asked Jackson questions about this issue for years now, and this is the most he’s pointed to a possible future with Green getting major minutes at PF, whether or not Lee is playing, too.

—MARK JACKSON post-game last night/

-Q: You haven’t played the Bogut-Green-Iguodala front line very much this season, and it has been noted that it’s potentially a great defensive group.

-JACKSON: I have not?

-Q: Not together. You started them and played them together a lot tonight; do you think you’ll do it more? Do you like seeing those three together now that you’ve seen it a little more?

-JACKSON: Yeah, I know what I get those guys. I think it’s just a question of the rotation. A lot of the season maybe Bogues was not 100% or getting close to 100%. Obviously Andre wasn’t 100%, missed a bunch of games. So he was always… then there was a minute restriction with him.

I don’t need to see those guys, because they’re three big-time defenders, they’re three extremely high-IQ basketball players. So clearly we’re a very good basketball team with them on the floor.  And I’m sure we’re going to see a bunch of that.

-Q: Have you intentionally kept Bogut and Lee together on the floor, when they were healthy?

-JACKSON: No, I didn’t try to keep them together. I was just trying to stay healthy. If you think–Jermaine missed I don’t know how many games, close to 30 games, 20-something games… So you had to make a conscious effort of making sure how the rotation was going to be not having a back-up center for quite a while.  But that’s going to play itself out.  The thing I love about Draymond is he’s a big-time screen-setter. He creates openings because he constantly head hunts to get guys open, and then he dives to the hoop off of those screens.

And it makes us extremely difficult to defend. And then he’s unselfish. He’s a guy while he dives to the hoop or pops to the three-point line, he’s a play-maker out of that.  So it gives us a different weapon.

—Earlier, during pregame, I asked about Draymond Green maybe establishing himself as the main power forward whether or not Lee gets back soon…
-Q: Is it possible Draymond just becomes your starting power forward and you have to work David in around that?

-JACKSON: When David’s healthy?

-Q: If he’s out for much longer… does Draymond just become your starting power forward?

-JACKSON: David’s not playing, I’m fine with Draymond, I’m fine with Mo, I’m fine with Jermaine. We have options. We have versatility at that position.  Now obviously David is a proven guy that’s put together a body of work for a long time and he will be missed. But the show goes on. And we’ve got guys that have body of work themselves and they’ve been desperate for this type of situation and they embrace it.
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What's this about Lee missing playoff time...

Found it:


Warriors' David Lee (hamstring) out indefinitely, could miss playoffs
By Matt Moore | NBA writer


Golden State Warriors forward David Lee has been out for several weeks with a hamstring strain. On Sunday, Mark Jackson revealed that the injury has caused "nerve inflammation" and that Lee will be out for the forseeable future, which could include playoffs.

Jackson said he did not know when Lee, the team's second-leading scorer and rebounder, would be able to return and if he would be able to come back for the start of the playoffs."He's frustrated right now, and rightfully so," Jackson said. "We don't know how long, but I tell you what, he's doing everything he possibly can to get back on the floor for this basketball team."

via Warriors' Lee out indefinitely -- possibly for the start of the playoffs - San Jose Mercury News.

The news is not exactly devastating for the Warriors, though. If you'll remember, Lee was injured in the Warriors' Game 1 loss to the Nuggets in the first round. The insertion of Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes into the lineup as stretch fours and a small ball approach lead to the Warriors winning four of the next five from Denver, setting up the upset.

The lineup of Steph Curry- Klay Thompson - Andre Iguodala - Draymond Green - Andrew Bogut is plus-16.7 points per 100 possessions in just 15 games this season. That lineup should be used way more anyway. Green, despite being a terrible shooter, hits big shots in big situations, and Bogut can manage the interior on his own when healthy.

(The Warriors are plus-10.2 points per 100 possessions with David Lee on the court vs. off, but you could argue much of that is conflated with his play next to the starters.)

So there's an upside to this for the Warriors, as unfortunate as it is for Lee. Lee was incredibly excited to play in the postseason last year, and only got to contribute limited minutes. He's faced criticism for his defense and role in the Warriors' perimeter-heavy offense this season.

Lee is averaging 18.5 points and 9.4 rebounds per game this season shooting 52 percent from the field, so they are losing major production.


Via http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on...ith-nerve-inflammation-could-miss-playoff-time
 
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Remember how a couple of years ago it was kinda hard to decide who our best player was? And some, even me, had to say it was Lee despite his terrible defense.


It's great to see Curry exceed our expectations. But man...Lee lost me my fantasy basketball championships.
 
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Johnson1 said:
So does anyone know yet, or heard any rumors, on what this Darren Erman dude did to get fired?
Click to expand...


if it wasnt basketball related or having anything to do with sex, drugs, etc. what else could he have possibly done that was terrible?
did he leak info that he wasnt suppose to?
 
^That's terrible news if Lee is out for the postseason

Who would you guys prefer to see, matchup wise, in the 1st round?
Clips? Houston?
 
A lot of agree to disagree about David Lee, but it just sucks for what's happened to him last season and what may happen later.

He gets hurt during the wrong time of the year and he's not a big part of the team. I'm rooting for him to get healthy and actually contribute during the playoffs.
 
unrelated gsw news but the thread in general about 85 babies and where they are now got me feeling some sort of way towards yall. slight homo.

damn we're about to push 30. (disgard lazyj & dland-- yall are just old)

hope all is well
 
Red Is On NT said:
A lot of agree to disagree about David Lee, but it just sucks for what's happened to him last season and what may happen later.

He gets hurt during the wrong time of the year and he's not a big part of the team. I'm rooting for him to get healthy and actually contribute during the playoffs.
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He's not a big part of the team because his skillset is easily replaceable.  I, too, am rooting for him to get healthy and actually contribute.  I just have seen enough of David Lee to question whether or not his contributions are helpful or hurtful. 
NothingToL0se said:
damn we're about to push 30. (disgard lazyj & dland-- yall are just old)

hope all is well <3
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You are about to join the club, pal!! Lazy and I will welcome you with open arms!
 
NothingToL0se said:
unrelated gsw news but the thread in general about 85 babies and where they are now got me feeling some sort of way towards yall. slight homo.

damn we're about to push 30. (disgard lazyj & dland-- yall are just old)

hope all is well
Click to expand...
 
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I spent the weekend in NYC drinking tland having fun to take a 7:30am flight home on Mon (edt) only to go to work upon landing. Im still recovering. I am old. But damn, life is still good even if its a slower pace than my 20s.
 
just curious anyone of you use to post in the espn golden state warriors board back when espn message boards was still very active? i know there were a couple but that was back in the days (vonteego, antawn, mookie)
 
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We just lost a very winable game all because Mark Jackson can't make any in-game adjustments and you dudes are sharing your age with everyone?

Cool.
 
wooster said:
We just lost a very winable game all because Mark Jackson can't make any in-game adjustments and you dudes are sharing your age with everyone?

Cool.
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There's a long history with our Warrior season threads that goes way, way back to maybe even 2005-2006...this is normal for all of us old regulars
 
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