I watched the Golden State Warriors play the Denver Nuggets last night and worried through the first half that my belief that the Dubs would be the Dubs again this season was premature. You give up 80 points in a half and something is wrong. Right? Then came the second half and the Warriors almost came back to beat the Nuggets. That second half was the real Warriors, which must still be all about their vets. (that includes Divincenzo and JaMychal. That is, until the young players turn the corner and play like vets.
Who are these youngsters? Wiseman, Moody and Poole (I have intentionally left Jonathan Kuminga out to be explained later) I need to explain about the addition of Jordan Poole. Poole is almost there. I say this knowing that people will refer me back to last season when Poole played like an All Star. Granted. But one season does not a Veteran make. To be aVet in the NBA, it's all about one's mental game. How to adjust on the fly. How you make your teammates better. How you innovate. How you balance D with O. And when to know which of the two is most important at the time of play. Real Vets know when to geive up their offense to become the best defenders on the court. Jordan has not learned this yet. He will. I have no doubt. But until then, I place him with the Warrior yougster.
The rest of the youngsters have until All Star break to learn the basics of Veteranship. Wiseman is well on his way. I'm fine with him. Warrior fans will see many years of James Wisman. Moses Moody is also on his way. He's got a little longer path to travel than Wiseman. His growth will come with playing time and defense. The more he learns to be a stopper, the more playing time he'll get and the more playing time he'll get, the better his offense will be. Time will test him.
Jonathan Kuminga. What about this young talent? I'm afraid JK is not on his way. It may be that he'll need another year of growth before he reaches his potential as an NBA vet. I will leave it to Kuminga to decide if he plans to grow or simply rely on his super athleticism for the rest of his career, in which case he will never achieve VET status. That said, if Poole, Wiseman and Moody become vets by the All Star break, the Warriors win the West.
Here's why: Two teams stand in the way of the Warriors as I see it. The LA Clippers and the Denver Nuggets. In the case of the Clippers - let's assume Kawhi and Paul George stay reasonably healthy - I'll take our young fresh legs off the bench over the Clips banch. I actuallly worry more about the Nuggets than the Clippers. But I like the Warriors off last night's second half performance over the Nuggets' first half. Last night, the Warriors would have won with points to spare if they'd played the first half the way they played the second. I was watching the body language of the Nuggets as the Warriors began their come back. Had they not had the 20 point head start to help them, Denver was a beaten team.
So what about the Eastern Conference? I'll deal with that in a seperate blog.
ETC: The 49ers trade beaucoup draft choices for running back, Christian McCaffrey. If McCaffrey stays healthy, terrific. However, here's the risk that has not been stated clearly so far that I've read. McCaffrey has been injured 23 out of 33 games he's played for his previous team the Carolina Panthers. He has had six disableing injuries since leaving college. The Injury Predictable Tool, whatever that may be, but it sounds official, states that McCaffrey has an 84% chance of being injured this season. Beign a 49er fand, I hope that's not true.
SO FAR: McCaffery is paying off big time. A burst of speed guy, I haven't seen in the NFL for a long time.
ETC. Keegan Murry, the Kings prize rookie stretch power forward, was sorely missing by the Sacramento Kings that were beaten by one of the worst teams in the NBA, the Portland Trailblazers. They shouldn't have needed him. It's a worry I wasn't expecting.
SO FAR: the Blazers are proving me wrong.
SO FAR: Moody and Wiseman are proving me right, and so is JK unfortunately proving me right.
SO FAR: It's a tough call about Kuminga. He needs lots of game time and not in the G League, but more time on the court right now doesn't help the Warriors. The young man must learn in sceducled practices of which there are few once the season starts and on his own.
Snow in the Sierra yesterday and more on the way. Here's a poem for the skiers:
SKIER by Robert Francis
He swings down like the flourish of a pen
signing a signature in white on white
The silence of his skies reciprocates
The silence of the world around him.
Wind is his one competitor
In the cool winding and unwinding down.
On incandescent feet he falls
Unfalling, trailing white foam, white fire.
