8/4 Warriors Hot Stove: Unprotected pick?!

8/4 Warriors Hot Stove: Unprotected pick?!

later. I presented by Prize Picks. Get $50 instantly when you play your first $5 and use the promo code. Welcome to Lightyears. Andy Lou, things heating up in the Bay right now. It’s been kind of a It’s been kind of a mild summer in my opinion. I don’t I don’t know if you agree with me. It hasn’t really been that hot a summer out here, right? I thought I thought you were talking about the Warriors, but yes, it is literally the coldest summer so far. Drawing I’m drawing an analogy. Okay. Oh, you were going to do it. I ruined it. But now, uh, now we’re finally getting, you know, it’s August. We’re getting some of that summer weather. Honestly, stuff I expected a month ago, the beginning of July. Uh, and that dovetales perfectly to the Kuminga free agency saga. Things heating up, brother. Things are heating up finally. I I It is It is fascinating how we didn’t hear a single rumor for weeks on end and then all of a sudden I don’t think there’s a deadline. It’s August 4th today. I don’t I still don’t doesn’t seem like he’s playing in the Afro Basket. We we technically still got to October and all of a sudden like four different stories come out from reputable sources, right, from from people that definitely know people. Uh TK, I know you get to Sam, TK, all these guys coming out and reporting on what the offers are, reporting on, you know, where the signing trade talks are, blah blah blah. And I’m like, oo, I wonder why. I wonder why. But we’re here. Yeah. I mean, we kept wondering like what is going to force action? The Warriors are like the most extreme example in the league, but like you know, the Bulls still haven’t signed Giddy. Brooklyn hasn’t signed Cam Thomas and there’s other players out there who are waiting. Uh, seems like there have been no trades. I’m wondering if that stuff’s going to come. It just feels like everything got put on hold. Everyone’s talking about this is going to be the greatest free agency ever and it’s been kind of non-existent. like really non-ex bunch of players signed extensions right before it started and then it’s just been a weird holding patterns. Can can can by the way I really I really hated cuz I I’m mad because I believed it when we were getting pitched that this offseason will be crazy by Shams. Well, dude, after the trade after the trade deadline, I was I was so ready to believe it because like Luca and Jimmy at the trade deadline like I was expecting some we were pitched it like is part of the NBA PR like like stuff like he like was telling us over don’t sleep. I didn’t Sam I didn’t sleep. I was waiting. I needed I we got what what is it? I we got I felt like we got the MLB trade dead. Like that was what we needed dude. Like I was up for 36 straight hours. Every pitcher got traded in baseball and I feel like this basketball offseason has just been I mean this Kaminga stuff has really been kind of the I mean like I mean I mean you know what it is. It’s the LeBron situation and the Giannis situation. And there was belief that, you know, those are going to cause some some seismic moves. Obviously, two of the biggest names in the sport if there were really going to be traded. Like, that’s huge. That’s a Luca. That’s Luca to the Lakers. Huge, right? But to date, nothing’s happened other than some cryptic LeBron posts. You see how one of him on Instagram for the Clippers facility. It’s just like I don’t know. I don’t know what’s happening there. And long story short, we’re all in the chair. That’s really what’s going on here. We’re all just sitting in the chair. But let’s get to the Kuminga stuff because you you referenced it earlier. Um I’m going to summarize it. It seems like there’s two different perspectives right now. And I think this is somewhat interesting. Uh if you’ve been following along, and I know everyone listening has, it seems like the Kings and Suns are the only ones who’ve presented offers. And really, the Kings are the only ones who’ve presented a semidecent offer. The Suns offer is pretty terrible right now. Um, and Sam Amik is saying, you know, Malik Monk and a protected 2030 first round pick. So, like lottery protected, which we’ll never convey because the you Kings will never get out of the lottery. Um, but you know, he he said that apparently they never discussed Keegan or Keon Ellis, which kind of disappointing to me, but also not surprised. I wouldn’t expect that. The uh it was kind of alluded to that, you know, if they lower the protections, the Warriors want no protections on that pick. They want like a clean first round pick and they’ll take Malik Monk potentially. That’s that’s the way Sam is understanding it. Um then you got our guy TK out here and this has been consistent with a lot of Warriors. People just saying like just they don’t like anything being offered to him. They’re just going to resign him. They’re going to resign him. They got a two-year $45 million offer to him. Secondyear non-G guaranteed. Want him to wave a no trade clause. Honestly, they’re trying to put him in the chair. Just that’s crazy. That’s insane. Yeah. Just do this. We’ll trade you mid-season. You have no say. Like I’m I’m not shocked he’s not accepting it. Which of those two do you find more believable? The first one. Without a doubt. The first one. I’m not even going to hesitate. Without a doubt, the first one, I believe. Um because if you if you look at the second scenario and TK mentions like hey this could just be posturing but just take what you said at face value that that offer is ridiculous. Not ridiculous because it’s not market value but that’s not an offer you offer someone that you want to be part of the team. And I I just think when you go through a ne everyone all of us everyone listening definitely has gone through negotiations of some sort to to to present an offer like that is such a slap in the face. We’re looking at Micah Parsons for example, right? Uh and seeing what happened with uh with the NFL’s version of Joe Lacob, Jerry Jones over Jara Jerry Jones over there and and the way that Dave [ __ ] those negotiations up. Scenile, man. He’s getting scenile. Yeah. I don’t I’m not saying that about you know, you know, but it’s like the the one of the reasons why Michael Parsons saying like, “Hey, trade me is because the negotiations went so poorly where they felt like they just now not comparing Kaminga to Michael Parsons is definitely not. Michael Parsons is one of the best in biz, but I just think when you when you offer something like that, Sam, like that’s just you really going to offer him a one-year deal with a secondyear team option like there’s you just don’t offer someone that type of contract while also saying, “Hey, we see you as the future.” And I I just think it doesn’t make sense for them to go continue going down that path, which is why I just at some point the Kings are going to say, “Hey, just take the pick, top five protected, and then the Warriors would just keep it moving at some point.” Yeah, I there I I I hadn’t thought about it, but there is some validity to what you’re saying. Like if the Warriors wanted to keep Kuminga, they’d probably make a more attractive offer to him. They kind of want what’s the expression about the cake and eat it too or whatever? Like they wanna they want to keep him but they want to keep him on a deal that’s so team friendly they could trade him as soon as they want to and he’s and his camp is rightfully being like well if you just want to trade me take what Sacramento’s offering y because I’ll go there. They’re g me they’re not even offering him more money per year but they’re giving him three years. They are just they are like showing a commitment. They’re saying hey we want you to start. I want to do this stuff. You know, we we we love dudes who shoot and don’t play defense. You’re going to fit right in, bro. We get we get 150. Three and 63, right, is what the Kings offered Kaminga. Like they’re willing to Sure. And and like and like who knows? Maybe maybe it’s maybe it’s 370, you know? It’s it sounds like it’s low 20s, right? Something like that, right? It’s not like they’re offering him 30 million. Like it’s not even It’s not even crazy. It’s It’s the same It’s the same AAV that the Warriors are offering just with more security and more ears, right? So yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, I mean it it doesn’t to be honest it doesn’t even sound like money is the biggest motivator for Kuminga here and it sounds like he just wants a fresh start. I get it, you know. Mhm. Yep. They should have I mean honestly the Warriors should have moved him a year and a half ago. We all know this like two years ago whatever like there it was never going to work but whatever. We’re here. Let’s talk about this offer though. Okay. Okay. Yep. Malik Monk. All right. On the one hand, he is exactly the type of player they could use, which is just instant offense off the bench. Uh he’s not as explosive as Jordan Pool, but he’s a little more consistent as a playmaker than Jordan Pool was, but he could fill that same type of role. You know, Steph takes a game off here or there, or someone doesn’t have it, he can get 30, could play him at points. He could do could do a bunch of stuff like that. On the other hand, with him, it’s the contract that’s considered a negative at this point. You know, they gave him they gave him a precba contract. It’s not as bad as the Jordan Pool contract, but it’s uh he’s he’s getting essentially 20 a year for the next three years. It’s like 19 next year, then 20 then 21. So, we’ll call it, you know, three years almost 60 million owed to him. And I I doesn’t sound like the Warriors want to take that because they want optionality because did you hear Giannis is unsure about his future? Did you hear? Can’t take Can’t take a bad contract. Need good contracts for optionality, buddy. Oh, okay. All right. I I was I was going to try to be silent as long as possible. Uh as long as possible without losing my mind. Uh I’m going to go backwards and not talk about Giannis yet. I think Malik Monk would be a great fit on this team. Um, you have a lot of Kings fans. I have some Kings fans friends. Um, and I think Malik Monk looks a lot better against the Warriors than he does against other teams. I think that’s clear because Malik Monk feels like he kills the Warriors. Sounds like he’s had two game winners off top of my head against the Warriors. It just doesn’t make any sense the way he plays. Yeah. Ridiculous. But, um, I I did hear they were telling me like, “Hey, he he did struggle shooting the ball last year. He is very bad defensively, but I I think I’ve brought this up multiple times. We have all brought this up multiple times. They just need somebody that can score and they need him to score in the regular season so that they can get through a regular season without Steph dying off the court. It it’s just that simple. Now the question becomes and I think this part um in in uh Sam Amik’s report he made sure to point out that if the Warriors are going to trade make a signin trade they get hardcapped right at the first apron which means that they’re going to have to move a contract which is probably going to be buddy healed or Moses Moody. So now you’re talking about trading away Kuminga and like Moses Moody for Malik Muff and people are like, “Well, you can’t do that.” And I I I like what do you think? Like I I do kind of get that part. I I do kind of get that. That’s my That’s actually my only issue with this move because I think if you get the protections lowered, you’re not going to get it fully unprotected. But let’s say you get a top let’s say it’s let’s say it’s top five. So if it’s like the ninth pick, you get it right. Let’s say it’s top seven, something like that. I think that’s attractive. I think they just didn’t want something that’s like top 15 protected because like the pick’s 18th or 19th, it’s like all right, who who really cares at this point, you know, like that sort of thing. I think they’re hoping for a shot at something that like, oh, this could potentially be like the seventh pick overall, so we can get the next Kuminga, you know, something like that, right? Uh I mean, because that’s what they did with the the DL Wiggins thing, you know? The the Wiggins the pick they got from Minnesota was lightly protected. It was protected. There was a chance three top three. Top three. Yeah. So, Minnesota like, hey, if they won the lottery, the Warriors would have been [ __ ] out of luck. Um, but, you know, they got the seventh overall pick. It’s a good pick. You know, if I I’m sure if they end up with a Kings pick, if they could get a top three to five protection on it, I think they take it, right? I actually think the reason I don’t do it is the Malik Monk contract. And my issue here is, and look, I don’t care how much he makes. I don’t care how much anyone makes. I only care about like what does it do for the Warriors ability to complete the roster. And to me, I have a player like Malik Monk as my third most important thing for them to sign, not my And so for for me, I think it’s more important that they get two three and D guys. one who’s like a four or five in the Warriors system, kind of like what Otto Porter and Harrison Barnes were, and then um a three and D uh point of attack defender, kind of like what they were hoping Dean Meltton would be pre-injjury. Kind of like, by the way, they got they got they got two of those. They they already got those two guys, by the way. Al Horford and Deonte Bento. They’re signed, by the way. Did you hear? Those guys are signed. Just just, you know, they got them. Well, I was hoping I was hoping to get a couple more. one who is not 39 and one who is not off of a ACL. You know what I’m saying? So my whole thing is I would I view guys like Malik Monk as a nice to have. And I’m sure in January when if I’m watching a team that has no ability to score without Steph. I’m going to have my patience very tested and I’m going to probably come back to this and you’re probably going to say in my face like you sure you sure you didn’t want Malik Monk that bad? You sure? you know, like I’m sure that’s how it’s going to come across, but I’m still viewing this through the lens of I want I watched them in the playoffs and to me the reason they did not go farther was not injur was injuries. But why did Steph get hurt? Well, Steph got hurt because they had he had to shoot the ball a million times and play really hard because they didn’t have enough scoring next to him. I got a secondary theory. I said that because I disagree with you. So, yeah, they were up 3-1. Yeah, they couldn’t close. They couldn’t close because their fourth best player was Brandon Pachki. And I like pods, but like all I’m saying is they take care of the Rockets in five games. If they have if they have a uh let’s say Pod’s year six and Yep. another front court player and it’s not just Steph, Jimmy, and Draymond trying to will a team like maybe the Warriors could have done when those guys were in their late 20s, right? So, to me, I actually like I just want them to lean into playoff players more than regular season players. That’s the way I look at it. I’m willing I’m willing to deal with them having disgusting months in the regular season if I feel like I see seven dogs I can trust in the playoffs. They’re not going to get to the gonna get season. They’re not. I just I disagree with you. That’s how that’s how I feel. That’s how they’ll play half a season like they always do. They’ll go on a 25 and five run and then they’ll be 500 the rest of the year. That’s what I want. That’s I I mean to to be honest with you, I want both. But if you’re asking me to choose between one or the other, I’m going with the playoff guys because I don’t think they will win in the playoffs if they don’t get, this sounds insane, they don’t get a Keon Ellis. He’s he’s not the beall end all, but like you know what I mean? if they don’t get a couple of those three and D guys kind of like what the Thunder just surrounded their core guys with. Like the Thunder really just had a bunch of goons who could defend their Thunder 24 years old. Like that that just it’s just it doesn’t work. It just doesn’t work like that for the Warriors anymore. which which is why I’m I’m so I can’t believe I’m gung-ho about Malik Monk cuz for those have listened to me for through all these years like I’ve never been a I don’t like watching players like Malik Monk or or like Jordan P when he was coming up like I don’t like empty volume shot it’s just not my type of guys but as I get older and I’m watching this team get older I just they’re just Steph played 70 games last season and they he barely made it like I think he’s probably going to play 60 this season and so they’re going to have a worse record if they don’t have another score 148. If he misses 15 more games, do they win 39? And then now we’re talking about they’re not even in the postseason. They’re in the playing game again. Like I can absolutely see that. Does Malik Monk solve all that? No. No. Like that’s not he’s not a five game win difference for this team. But I do think like if you’re sitting there saying like, “Hey man, like we can’t get rid of Moses Moody.” It’s like, hey, Moses Moody, I like him, but you can just go sign Amir Coffee and he’s probably just as good as Modis Moody for the length of regular season. You can’t just go out there and sign a Malik Monk right now. There are no as much as that contract is bad, and it is. You can’t just sign a Malik Monk. You can just go get something akin to a at least like 80% of a Moses Moody somewhere or like I guess you don’t think this team can win games with pods and buddy? I don’t I don’t I don’t really want to find out. I I would prefer to have a guy that could actually score 25 points a game in instead of like cuz Buddy He like he had a great game seven but like we we watched the season, man. Like there would be months where he could make statue. He’s getting he’s going to statue for that game seven. Like he’s Monk’s and and I think Monk’s probably the same, right? Like as as Buddy where it’s like Yeah, he could just do it off [ __ ] Yeah, exactly. But like he’s not going to play no defense. He’s going to shoot really poorly a lot. He’s going to be streaky like Buddy is. But like this team has so like this team has such a good defensive infrastructure that I’m just like if we want to get through a regular season like they they’ve got Draymond, they’ve got they’ve got Jimmy, they’ve got Al Horford, they’ve got guys that can play such good defense, man. And like they just need scoring. They they really do. They’ll get another big. They’ll they got the Anthony. They got all these guys that pods can defend. All these guys that can defend. You just you just I don’t want to watch Steph have to score 34 points to beat the freaking like Indiana Pacers because the Pacers are you know the Pacers are not going to be good because how it burns out. But by the way, the Warriors have never beat the Warriors have never beat the Pacers at Chase Center. It’s like that. I don’t know. But that’s the only team that’s like J Center. They don’t have Malik Monk, man. To be to be honest, every one of those Pacer L’s is kind of a classic. Warriors look tired and Nemhart goes [ __ ] nuts on them or something. So, it is kind of funny. I don’t know. I think I I I hear you. I don’t It’s still a nice to have for me. I genuinely think if they just keep adding good players who fit into a playoff scenario, they will have enough for deficits. They will have enough. They will Okay, let me put it this way. If they got Keon Ellis, okay, and I’m fixated on him, even though there’s zero chance they’re getting him, apparently, um, which is the three the three and D wing 40% three-point shooter. I You’re telling me I’m gonna put this way. You’re telling me they can’t beat a team on a random night with Jimmy Buddy Heields Pods starting with like Horford and another wing. I I think that team could lose to anybody on a random night. Like I I genuinely like if they go in Atlanta with that team like I can see them losing by 15 points. Like it just it just would not surprise me cuz cuz Jimmy’s Jimmy’s also not playing hard. Like he’s also playing at 60% in that game. Like he’s not he’s not doing playoff Jimmy [ __ ] Like he’s probably just he’s passing the ball to Horford who passes the ball to Pal who passes the ball back to Horford who runs around a screen pass the ball to some point you need at some point you need a little more out of Jimmy and and Steph when they get f when they get that much money all year. But but they’re 37. That’s that’s the point. Like yes they are getting that much money but you also can’t get younger. You can’t get younger. Another way to get younger is by adding guys who can actually use their athleticism in a functional way, which is the Warriors issue with their two timeline plan. Like, yeah, they got younger. They just they didn’t know how to play basketball. But like, youth can also help you on defense. It can force Yeah. trans it can force turnovers. It can force stuff in transition. You can get a buddy healed transition three out of it. You can get layups out of it. So, I I don’t know. I I hate the idea of getting hardcapped with Malik Monk’s huge contract and having an incomplete roster. That’s that’s where I’m at with this. And then the pick the pick I feel like we’re just going to get gaslighted to hell because on the one hand cuz on the one hand a Kings draft pick that’s lighter protection that is an attractive trade chip. I understand why they want it. They want it so that they can go make the next move. But here’s what’s going to happen. They’re gonna hold on to that one for Giannis all day. All day for for Mr. Giannis. Never use it as Steph slowly dies on the court. I I So, this is where I’m with you 100%. I I actually think the worst part of this package just to like when I saw the pick and the Warriors fight over the pick uh protection. I was just like, dude, oh my god, dude. I don’t care, bro. I I do not care. You guys get get it top five protected. You guys get the seventh pick. You just said it, dude. What are you guys going to do? You guys going draft into the Kaminga? I don’t care. And then let’s spin it the other way. You think you guys are going to have this little one measly little [ __ ] pick and you guys are going to beat out the Thunder when Giannis comes available. You think you guys are going to beat out the Spurs? Spurs, just drop it. Just drop in Dylan Harper. It’s better than anything you’ve got, dude. Like, [ __ ] off. And Sixers, drop in Jarrett McCain or whatever. Like, what are we doing here? A complete complete waste of time. that it’s actually slap in the face to the fans that that we have to hear this [ __ ] It’s it’s it’s pathetic. It’s embarrassing. Um it’s completely unacceptable. I I don’t know why we have to hear this [ __ ] You guys aren’t getting Giannis. You guys don’t have the You guys don’t have the picks to get Giannis. You guys don’t have the players to get Giannis. You guys don’t You guys don’t have the creativity to get Giannis. You guys aren’t smart enough to get Giannis. This isn’t 2016, buddies. Right. Just just just go build your team, dude. Stop worrying about like that like that type of stuff. That’s not you guys anymore. You guys already made that move. you got Jimmy Butler and um go go go like you said go find some winning players dude stop trying to I don’t like it’s frustrating obvious it’s frustrating because obviously I would love Giannis on the Warriors like I I don’t need to like sell you on like oh it’d be really cool to see them play with Steph and like you know that they like each other and they’re friendly and they both understand how cool it would be but it’s just to your point you’re not you’re not the 2016 Warriors. You don’t have Bob Myers, Jerry West, Travis Schlank, the best front office with a young core with all your future picks, you know, like you’re not that organization. And this whole like wanting to be the smartest guy in the room at all. And this is actually the part that annoys me the most because I would not care if they acquired a pick except for the fact I don’t trust them with it. I don’t trust them to be able to recognize that, oh [ __ ] if we throw in two or three picks right now, we could get Trey Murphy. They’re not going to do that. They’re gonna just like, oh well, there’s too many. Our spreadsheet says we can only we can’t give up the Kings pick. Kings pick could be even better than Trey Murphy. We’re only giving up the Kings pick. We’re only giving up the Kings pick if we get Giannis. That That’s the one. Like they wouldn’t use the picks to get a player like Trey Murphy because Trey Murphy is quote unquote just a 3 and D guy, right? Like look at what the Denver Nuggets did. I It might be stupid like they gave away a a 2030 pick Johnson. Did you hear that? Did you? No, no, no, no, no, no, no. That’s not what I’m saying. Did you hear that? They This came out the Warriors thought the price was too high. I didn’t see for Cam Johnson. It made me want to throw my fun phone through the window. Like you see see that window behind me. I was they it was they gave up Michael Porter Jr’s contract. He makes twice he makes it’s a bad contract. Good player, but bad contract. He’s not I’m not even sure he’s better than Cam Johnson to be honest, but he makes twice as much as him. So from a they’re probably about the same player-wise, you know, I could understand. But my point is Cam making 20 and MPJ making 38. Obviously one of those is a more attractive trade chip. You know, news flash, the one that makes less. And they gave up the a 2032 first round pick. Just one pick. One pick when Jokic will be 36 or 37. So like you’re betting you’re betting if you’re the if you’re the Nets, you’re like that’s a lot of time. Jokic might retire, might be washed. He might he might, you know, he might look like a [ __ ] offensive lineman, you know? He might be super obese by then. Who knows, right? Like something like that, right? Like I understand. But that’s it. It was just a gamble of one pick. That’s it. It’s that’s what that’s what I’m saying. Like that I 100% agree. That’s the worst part of this is like look, the pick is five years away. The pick that the team if they’re going to win a championship is at least 10 years away. Like you’re not given the whole farm. Like AJ Prowler, we we talked about this I felt like all week last week and I was in love and you know Mason Miller, that’s your guy, right? He’s awesome. And he trades his top prospects like the number one prospect in baseball. Just trades him away. It’s like whatever. Don’t care. Kid’s probably not going to be in the majors for another three plus years. He’s probably not going to be in a winning major at least a couple more years. So it’s like whatever. You can argue it’s crazy, right? But at least he want he’s trying to win. He has a good team in San Diego. Just put some more players around and trying to win. It’s the same thing with the Nuggets. I loved it. You got Jokic right now in your prime. Steph’s not in his prime. But Steph and Jimmy, you’re paying $120 million for Why the hell are you playing them so much money if you’re not trying to win? Like, who cares about You’re not developing. It’s not like you’re developing players either, you know? So, what are we doing here? Um, what I was going to say is I I want to talk about the Prowler thing real quick. All right. Pller is actually an amazing example of what the Warriors lack, which is for all this bravado about how smart they are. They don’t believe in themselves at all. You want to know why Prell was so comfortable trading some 18-year-old who’s currently the third best prospect in baseball? because he had the previous best prospect in baseball and the you he has proven over and over again his scouts will find the next top prospect within 12 months. He’s sold his farm three times in the last five years. Yep. And every time everyone’s like they have nothing. And 12 months later, wow, AJ found some kid in Venezuela who might be the next big thing, you know? So, he made a swing on a pitcher he believes is going to be a stud and he’s like, “You know what? I know the guy we gave up is going to be good, but I can find another one.” Whereas the Warriors are so scared, so scared to make a move because they have no faith that they know how to draft. They have no faith that they know how to develop anything. That’s a that’s a hell of a point. I I thought about that. It’s so true. And and I also think like maybe it’s a market efficiency, too. like the the nobody in either sport wants to take risks, right? Like even OKC, who just won a championship, I feel like they didn’t really take risks. They didn’t put any of their picks together to get anyone. If they lost in these finals, you could probably argue that Sam Prey did not make enough of a risk to trade for more rotation players, right? And so, but they won the championship, so it’s fine. But I think just a lot of these teams, they just don’t take risks, and the Warriors are right at the top of it. So, if the Warriors put some of those post picks on the table, like, do you think they could get Trey Murphy if they put one of them on the table, two of them on the table? Like, do you think they could do it? Maybe it’s four of them. Maybe that’s too much. Okay. But I don’t think they even want to put one of them down. And I think that’s the problem with this team. Yeah. And if it’s not Trey Murphy, it’s someone of that caliber, which I think what what you’re really saying is someone who’s objectively good, who could make an all-star team or two, but isn’t a franchise guy, you know? Like, will Trey Murphy make an all-star team? Probably. But he might not. But he might not. You know, he’s a very good player, though, right? But I I I think we both agree it’s not like he’s going to turn into Shay, you know? He’s not going to be the franchise. He’s just a very very good player who might, you know, who who you can win games with, right? So those type of players, the Warriors have shown an aversion. They can only they only get those players on the cheap and pray that they turn into Otto Porter that one year. You know, that’s what they do. That’s what that’s it. They’re not willing to they’re not willing to pay for those guys. They could have had Caruso. They weren’t willing to pay for that, you know. Not not for our top prospect. That sort of thing, right? Like, so I don’t know. But the way the summer is going, it’s frustrating because I do believe that what they have with Steph and Jimmy could win a title if they’re smart around it. And they’re they’re doing that thing where they want to play for a home run swing instead of just fill out the roster. And I don’t What is even the home run swing? You know what I mean? Like what is even a home run? Giannis. Yeah, that’s why I I was thinking of like is Kiana. See, this this is how out of Giannis I am where I thought when you said home run swing, I thought you meant uh Keon Ellis because like I just the Giannis stuff just it honestly just pisses me off at this point. It it just it’s just completely ridiculous. We’re an organization we were potting we were proddding about Giannis the Warriors before the pandemic. Yeah, think about think about that, dude. We had an entire global pandemic. Neither of us had kids. Yeah, it’s true. We It’s like a completely different person when the Giannis stuff started. You know, they got to put our face. How many jobs have you changed? Like like how how many how much weight did I gain in my cheeks in in the last like five years since we had those? How many different How many different jobs have you had since the first Giannis pod? I got no comment. I I got no I got no comment, dude. How many like you know what I mean? How much white hair do I have? God damn. Was DFS mobile DFS? Was it even a thing when the Giannis rumor started? No, it was not. Guys, prize picks is the best way to get in on the action this summer. Guys, I know basketball season’s over, but as you can tell, Andy and I are big baseball guys. Some say the two greatest minds in content with regards to the MLB. Yeah, I didn’t say that. That’s just what other people are saying, guys. Step up to the plate with prize picks and add your favorite baseball players to your lineup. Whether it’s strikeouts, RBI’s, first inning runs, make your call more or less on plays for your shot to win 2,000x your cash. My adopted Padres’s. By the way, I’m going out to San Diego next weekend. I’m going to have to bring my microphone because if the Kuminga thing goes down, there’s no way in hell I’m not potting. I don’t want to do it when I’m in San Diego, but I have to be prepared for it. But going down there going to check my pods in person among other things. 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Run your business smarter with Square. So, I’m actually stealing this idea from from my guy Kirk over at uh at Pod Maverick. Uh he covers the uh Dallas Mavericks. Um but he’s been doing a random Maverick of the day on the pods. I’m like, that’s a great idea for offseason content. So, we’re going to do random Warriors player of the day. This is kind of a fun idea. Who we got? I I kind of I didn’t know where to start. So, I want to start with For some reason, this guy was on my mind. Maybe you can guess why he’s on my mind. I want to start with the one and only Monte Alice. Have it all, buddy. Mississippi missile. This city bullet. Yeah. Oh, by the way, do you realize he hasn’t turned 40 yet? Kind of wild. Really? He’ll turn 40 this year, but technically he’s 39. Yeah. I mean, it’s it’s like sometimes it’s easy to forget because like to me there was two Montes. There was We Believe Monte, then there was I Want to Be the Man Monte. And it’s easy to forget how young he was on the Warriors when he was good. You know what I mean? Like I was thinking about, you know, he was only 21 on We Believe. Wow. Well, he was drafted out of high school. That’s why second round out of out of high school. Yeah. Yeah. It was good. Like I I just could pull up the numbers right now. I mean I I had to refresh like a lot of it, you know, you go off memory and then you you somewhat forget some of the numbers. Second year in the league is when we believe happened. So he was a secondyear player. This is kind of some of the stuff I often thought about the two timeline plan by the way where people are like they’re only 21. It’s like Monte Juan most improved player at 21. He was averaging nearly 17 points per game. He was a huge part of we believe that year putting up good. I mean he was he just so electric getting to the he could clearly play from day one. Like it was like now the question was is he going to be more than just kind of a scorer and you know probably not probably didn’t but like it was very clear he could play in the NBA from day one. Well I remember him being one of the quickest players I’ I’d ever seen. like he just moved so much faster than everyone else, which is why the Mississippi missile was was such a cool nickname. Um, but I just I just remember him super athletic, super quick, had a really good handle. Um, and and he couldn’t really shoot body and body control, dude. Like he’s not Yeah. Not Kyrie in terms of like the flashiness, but like I mean little guys like him finishing inside like you don’t see many guys who could. Can you can you imagine Monte like off the bench for the Warriors today, right? Like any version of Monte off the bench for the Warriors today is a perfect fit cuz just just go out there and just do one thing like Steve Ker would love that type of player off the bench. Like just go out there and just just go get 18 points in in like 22 minutes and he can get that. He he was I I think one of the more underrated players in the league just because like he was actually an efficient scoreer but he was just on a really bad team. Um, but it was one of those things, man, like for us Warriors fans playing on teams that were really bad after that we believe team like he was our guy. Like it’s kind of like it’s kind of like, you know what I mean? Like this this is it, man. Like he was our allstar quote unquote. Like we would always talk about Monte Ellis being like an quote unquote allstar snub, right? Because it’s like because because nobody cares about him because the team sucks, but we know he was really good. He thought he was really good. And and that’s the other thing like I just think about this in context of all the dumb arguments about Warriors young players we have today. He was able to contribute on a playoff team when in his second year. He was able to contribute in his second and third year in a role and then when the team fell apart he was able to take a bigger role. There was no like oh he he can’t play in this system. He could play in any system because he’s a good player. He knows how to play. You know, you know what I’m saying? Like he my favorite Monte was year three, the the we believe one. He was playing off ball. He was cutting like a psychopath because Baron Davis was I Baron’s like a point guard’s point guard, you know, like great ball handler, setting him up, doing everything there. And Monte was so, to your point, so efficient year three, 53% from the field as a small guard. Like how many small guards shoot over 50% from the field? He was just such a dynamic cutter and finisher on that team. And then, you know, Baron leaves, his role changes, and then he got to play kind of where everything revolves around him and pick and roll for a while. Yeah. But my point is like it wasn’t an issue fitting him around Baron and Stephen Jackson, these guys who, you know, he wasn’t going to be the man. He was going to have to play off of them. He he excelled in that role. I still think that was his best role. He almost averaged 26 points a game looking at this. That’s crazy. I mean I remember a quote of him saying like and man like and this is kind of crazy how how much was for a guy that was so confident in himself even he would say like hey Kobe’s the best in the world right this is how that’s how much players love Kobe and then he’s like well then there would be me and then there there’d be LeBron and Monte would you know Monte would would just that’s how confident he would be in himself. his career on the Warriors, it felt like it was as as fast as he was, his his career felt like it was really fast. Sam, I kind of don’t remember that that Monte was gone and only played six seasons with the Warriors. Like that that kind of blows my mind. I I know you know the feel it did feel longer. Yeah, I thought it was longer. It felt like a decade, but look at these numbers. Look who look who he’s next to. Danny Granger. Danny Granger was underrated. Good play. Probably his best individual year was 200910. Uh that was his highest scoring year. Sixth leading scoreer in the NBA. I mean every player above him. Durant. Okay. LeBron. Okay. Carmelo. Okay. Kobe. Okay. D Wayade. Okay. Then Monte number six right there. Like say what you want. Not a great team. He had to take a ton of shots. It is what it is. But like you still have to be pretty talented to throw up 25 and a half points a game. I mean averaged 25 and five. So yeah. Yeah, I mean he was the quick thing works in two two ways for him, right? Like it felt like his he’s one of the quickest players I’ve ever seen, period. Right? Like that goes without saying. But also his Warriors career was so quick. Like he went from being like the young guy where it’s like, “Oh my god, where did he come from on We Believe to next thing you know all of We Believe’s gone and he’s the man and he has to be the man and then next thing you know he’s gone again, you So, it’s just it shortlived lightning lightning in a bottle player. Pun intended. I do remember I mean I was looking at some stuff up yesterday. I mean it kind of blows my mind now, but the it was remember the moped incident that that that one kind of I wouldn’t say it ended his career on the Warriors, but um I think that was Yeah, it kind of reminds me of like Bumgardner when Bumgardner like like tore his shoulder or something in like a like like driving a truck or something crazy. Yeah, it’s just insane stuff. But fun bum garner fact. He’s he was never able to get the same spin on the ball after he did that. Shocker. Kind of made him a worse pitcher. I mean, just wow. I didn’t know that actually. Um and I’m the Giants fan on this part. Um look, he still averaged a bunch of points after. I will say like like this is not a memory of Monte for for me because I think he’s had a lot of highscoring games. I was looking up like some of his great quotes which were great. But I do think one of the the the crazy memory after all the the highs of him on this team averaging all these points is that it wasn’t a popular decision for them to trade Montes for an injured center. It was not a popular decision. I don’t think fans were that happy. I personally Joe Lacob got booed off the the floor at Oracle. that I think that’s you know I’m thinking about Joe Lacup today as I’m tweeting stuff and I’m just thinking like man like that I want I think I was over the Monte and Steph stuff because I they played together for a few years and you can kind of see like Monte didn’t really want to give the team over to Steph and I think the Warriors kind of were like hey like like let’s just pick one of these guys and let’s just let’s just move forward. They traded him for Andrew Bogat who like broke his arm, broke his elbow. Like it wasn’t this was and had like a ser it had like a series of injury like Bogat my thought at the time of the trade was okay they needed to move him but this is the best they could do. Yep. Cuz in my head I just remember Bogat was that guy who every year missed half the season with an injury. You know, no dis like it just I I thought he was like kind of like one of those w you know injuryprone guys. So it it amazes me. He stayed healthy long enough sort of one year 2014 15. I mean if he was healthy 2016 I mean I think that’s one of the most underrated injuries that the Warriors had if he was healthy 156. Oh Jarro Smith dirtily that was that never gets mentioned. That was a dirty ass play by Jar Smith. Jarro Smith took him out of that game. They were up. Jar Smith rolled through his knee on purpose. Then Kyrie had his best game of the the the [ __ ] finals. Anyway, how do we get here? How do we get This one’s my fault. I brought up the bogus stuff. Monte’s career as a Warrior is uh we talk about fan favorite like role players. I I guess he wasn’t really a role player only for like a year or two of his career, but if Monte Ellis came to the Warriors seven years later, he would have been 10 years later, he would have been a one of the greatest role players I think in this franchise. Yeah. I mean, he’s he was he was good. I feel like uh it’s been a minute since I’ve thought about him up until we we decided to do this segment. Uh and it’s easy to kind of like [ __ ] on him because trading him kickstarted the dynasty, but you do somewhat forget like how good he was for a period of time. So, good player. I miss Monte. I miss Monte. I think I saw a video of him still hooping somewhere. So, good for him. His son is uh in high school. His son His son’s good. So, uh I want to say I saw something about his son with uh Mont Me Monte Jr. He’s 16. Uh he’s he’s definitely like has a chance to go pro as with apparently every player that era son. Dude, NBA is turning into such a legacy league is it’s just wild. Well, I I I I mean, it’s just I feel like at some point it’s it’s it’s hard to find people who have certain physical tools that are necessary to play that way. I was I didn’t know how to say it the way like that because it it does kind of feel like a football is kind of different because I guess there’s each team has like 50ome people, right? So, I guess it’s but still, but it’s like Yeah, man. It feels like the NBA like when we’re like do you think when we’re like 45 years old we’re just going to be watching like a bunch of Steph like Canon Curry’s running around like all these kids of these guys like how how many like how many of these people are going to have parents that aren’t like professional players like it’d be a miracle if their parents were like just D1 maybe like quote unquote just D1 you know people that are like D1 they’re just so much more athletic than us right it’s like it’s like like those guys probably won’t even have a chance it’s like no your parents have to be actual ual professional NBA. I mean, even like Cooper Flag’s parents won, they’re both they were both D1 like basketball and volleyball. So, like obviously like Yeah, he’s not coming from like a 5 foot seven dad and a 5’4 mom. Like, sorry, he’s like 6’9 and athletic. Like his parents were probably athletes, too. Um, yeah. know it’s like like Trevor Riza’s son is really good and on the one hand I was like Ariza was like fine in the NBA but on the other hand 69 69 and coordinated there’s not a lot of 6ix9ine and coordinated dudes out there you know so if your dad if if you made it to the NBA wing size you know like your if your kid has passion for the game he he has the he at least has the physical tools to play at a higher level than you or I ever did you know what I’m saying like who who’s the best players I mean I Shay Shay’s parents are are what are like Olympian athletes. Steph’s dad obviously won the league, but like LeBron and KD like like is how how many LeBron’s and KDs are we going to see here in the next like 30 years? Like LeBron felt like he just came out of nowhere, right? Like KD same thing. I don’t think you know as far as we know. Like so anyway. Yeah. I don’t know. It’s uh I actually kind of I hope I hope the Warriors end up drafting Monte Jr. That’d actually be really fun. But I think he’s what what did I say? 16. Let’s double check. Yeah, he’s 16. So, don’t trade that king pick. Don’t trade that king pick. That king need that king’s pick. [ __ ] Might be I mean might be his draft to be honest. God, I’m not I’m not I’m not even go down this rabbit hole. Let’s get out of here. All right. Precept run.

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Andy and Sam return to break down

– the latest round of Kuminga rumors: Sam Amick’s report of the upgraded Kings offer and Tim Kawakami’s report of halted sign-and-trade discussions

– whether we would want Malik Monk at the risk of losing Moses Moody or Buddy Hield

– why the Warriors can learn from the Denver Nuggets trading a pick for Cam Johnson

– random Warrior of the day. Monta Ellis’ Career in Review

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