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Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for October 30th, 2024.Coming up, we get our first look at the Warriors without Steph Curry.John Krasinski comes on and talks to us about the Wolves after their loss to the Mavs.
And then Zena and I dip into a little bit of a mailbag. Good morning, everybody.Good morning, Zena.Welcome back to the NBA Daily.Hope you guys are doing well.
We got our first chance to see the Warriors after Steph Curry's injury, and lucky for us, Zena, you were in the building.How was it?
I was expecting this to be some kind of a blowout, because the Pelicans, you know, this isn't a bad basketball team, and yet the Warriors, just stifling defense.I'm assuming the fans were pleasantly surprised.
Oh, everyone was pleasantly surprised.I don't know if anyone really had any expectations going into this game beyond Steph Curry not being in.
Well, you're speaking for everyone.I had expectations.I still think this is a top high level defense.No, Steph Curry.No, it's for the Warriors. Well, I think, no, no, for the Warriors, I still wanted to see a high-level defense out there.
So I had expectations of them.Now, I didn't think they were going to score those.So to that point, maybe my expectations were too low.
Well, the expectations of the defensive end definitely lived up.Warriors forcing 24 turnovers for 34 points.I'm actually looking at the box score.I just shut down the arena, literally just leaving a few minutes ago.
It was an unreal game, especially when you consider the fact that the Warriors were down 34-17 in the first quarter.Everything in terms of like
questions or concerns that people had without a Steph Curry, without the Anthony Melton, without an Andrew Wiggins, people that provided spacing, people that provided a point of attack defense, people that provided ball handling.
When you consider the turnovers that the Warriors had last game against the Clippers, these were all valid concerns.And the first quarter did not help to assuade any of those.And then second quarter, guess what happens?
A Lindy Waters the third, folks.This is not familiar with his game.He lets you know tonight.Favorite quote, Dave.Favorite quote from the night.Lindy Waters saying he's always got that strap on him.He wakes up
capable of shooting whether he plays or not.This man knows his talent, and he put it on display tonight.I mean, he was the reason that, in my opinion, that things shifted in the second quarter.
First play, he comes out, shoots a three, doesn't make it.But I like the confidence with which he took it, and I knew he was going to take more.He ends up getting a charge, and then on the very next play, takes a three in transition.Boom.Watershed.
And I say that with water.
Is that what we're saying?Okay, it was a watershed moment.He was Lindy bridge over troubled waters in this game for the Warriors.Look, 21 off the bench.He was plus 26, three of seven from three, eight rebounds, four assists.
Every single time you looked up, Lindy Waters was doing something, making something happen.I mean, this guy looks great.I can't wait for Steph Curry to get back to get to play with Lindy Waters now.
I mean, this is like a real guard option for them off the bench.He's got like a handle like he can really shoot it.We got to talk about Jonathan Kumingo a little bit.We do.Steve Kerr electing to bring him off the bench.
You know, I think, you know, look, this is a lineup change, not a benching.Number one, you know, no Wiggins, no Steph.They had to get some shooting out there.They move healed into the starting lineup. That's exactly what Steve said.
That's exactly what Steve Kerr said, that it wasn't a relegation of any sort.He just needed a lineup with more spacing.And that's exactly what Buddy Heald could provide.Now, Buddy Heald was one for four in the first half.
He's also someone we should talk about beyond Jonathan Kaminga.But Jonathan Kaminga really tonight played with patience, played with poise.He's one of those people that if you looked at the box score and you'd be like,
How can you say he had a great game?He had 15 points, no big deal.Absolutely not.
When you think about someone that needed to slow down in the way that he approached the basket, needed to be able to make the right decision in that .5 basketball that Steve Kerr always talks about, these are the types of things that he did tonight.
He played with the level of poise that the Warriors really needed, and he did that off the bench.Now, the question for Jonathan Kaminga going forward is, you were benched, right?God, I still cannot get over that graphic out of ESPN.
Since when do we do that?Anywho, the point is, he's brought to the bench.He gets a fire lit under him.
Now, this is something we've seen with Jonathan Kaminga, but can he continue this level of poise, this level of patience to the game of basketball and this level of professionalism?Let's keep the three Ps, patience, poise, professionalism.
Um, to the game that he showcased tonight throughout this period of time, uh, when Steph Curry is not playing and Andrew Wiggins is also out.So we'll see, but buddy healed.Let's, let's put a little bit of a marker on that because
This man shot lights out in the second half of the game.Had Steph Curry scaring me.
Don't reinjure Steph Curry from how much he was jumping up and down on the bench, just so excited to see his teammate go off, especially when he struggled in the first half and struggled last game when the Clippers put lockdown D on him.
He was another a big bright spot in the way that the Warriors showcased their depth tonight.
A lot of people had questions about this step.Is it real?Is there quality to the quantity?And it was absolutely on display today.
Yeah.And I believe in the depth, but I didn't know if I could believe in it without Steph.And then, you know, you throw in no DeAnthony Melton, no Wiggins.And man, that's that's pretty tough.
Speaking of lacking depth, the Denver Nuggets had to play a back to back after they had their overtime game Monday night.So Tuesday night they get another overtime game because that's just what they do now.
So they're in Brooklyn, Brooklyn already beat Milwaukee on the season.And I'm thinking, okay. We got Cam Thomas.Is he the giant killer now?
And look, it was close, but this is yet another game that I think if you didn't have tanking teams down the stretch, that the Nuggets likely lose.Now, part of this is also the Nuggets have Jokic.Jokic takes over down the stretch.
He just walks the ball into the paint and puts it in the basket to force overtime.And then they, you know, they take over.Jamal Murray wound up getting, you know, like 24 points.I do think that the Nuggets starters looked better in this game, Zena.
But again, the lack of depth, it shouldn't be a struggle against a team like Brooklyn.
Here's the thing.This narrative is going to continue throughout the season.Denver needs a bench.Denver needs a bench.We know, of course, their number one bench player from last year, Christian Brown, is now a starter.
So there is a vacancy to be filled.But the thing about it is, how many times have we seen a team that is supposed to win these type of games not pull it out in the end? And say what you want, Denver shouldn't be in these situations.True.
But there is something to be said about the caliber of a team that is able to get in these situations, had to come back against the Brooklyn Nets and still pull out the win.And you know what the difference is?
You just said it in the reference of Cam Thomas, the giant The giant Nikola Jokic is a person that will not take, he won't take no for an answer and he will not take a loss easily.
And this is a person that his resilience is the thing that keeps Denver Nuggets in this conversation as a championship contending team.
I don't look, I don't know if we're going to be able to talk about him as a championship contender, but I am with you that Jokic, if ever one guy was going to be able to raise a team up, it would be him.
I just think with the parody and with the way that some of the teams in the West are stacked, it's going to be tough.Also, Russell Westbrook, you know, he really got them through this game and Jokic gave him a shout out after.
So the vibes maybe are improving.I'm worried because, you know, it's a struggle for them.
I'm still looking at Julian Strother.I still have faith in my man to expand his game on defense and also be able to put the three ball up.So I'm keeping an eye on him.
Yeah.Well, coming up after the break, I sit down with John Krasinski and talk a little bit about the Wolves loss to the Mavericks.Well, we got a rematch from last year's playoffs and
It did not go the way that I think the Minnesota Timberwolves expected.We did get a crazy Kyrie Irving performance.We got another clutch Luka shot.We did not get a massive Anthony Edwards game, in my opinion.John Krasinski, you were at the game.
You talked to everyone after.Do you disagree with me on this Anthony Edwards thing? Um, well, I mean, you know, hell of a start.
It was just an interesting way, the way it played out because he has 24 in the first quarter and you're thinking, holy cow, um, here comes ant and here, you know, this is the ant they were missing in the Western conference finals last year.
And then he kind of really went on ice for a while.And I think part of that was maybe Dallas trying to force it out of his hand.Part of it was Julius Randall started to hit some shots, you know, Nas Reed got going and, and, and I think
deferred a little bit too much at points.But I think really, ultimately, what it comes down to is the larger theme of these first four games for the Timberwolves is that they're still getting to know each other.And you can just feel that
the synergy isn't quite there, that that chemistry isn't there on both ends of the floor.And I do think that a team that is more connected probably finds a way to extend the ant heater better than they did in the in the first quarter.
And so I just think that it's still a group that's searching for the overall feel for the game, just with the changes that were made to this team and trying to figure that out.
Yeah, I mean, he went 19 game minutes without scoring.
I mean, I don't even know if he took a shot in the second quarter like it was.
Yeah, it was.And it was noticeable.I mean, he was gone and it wasn't like they had an offense to go back to.You know, this isn't a team that is reliant on some sort of motion.They don't run a whole lot.It's a lot of spread, pick and roll.
It's a lot of beating your man off the dribble. You know, is this something that you feel like they just haven't had time to install for this season yet because of the trade or what's going on with the offense?
Yeah, I think that, you know, they've installed some things, but I think that it really does come down to you can see that Julius Randall and Anthony Edwards don't know quite how to play off of each other yet.
They're still trying to figure out where each other's spots are and not trip over each other.You're seeing Mike Conley is really struggling and he was such
an important part of their offense last year, just a super quarterback that got everyone in the right positions.And when he had open shots, he knocked them down.And he has been frankly terrible in the first four games of this season.
And so they're trying to adjust to that and not having their safety blanket of Mike Conley right now.And then you look at, I think Rudy Gobert and Julius are still trying to figure out how to space
around one another, how to how to really play off of one another, and and kind of keep the ball moving without, they're just slowing down so much.And what we've seen a lot of dribbling, we've seen a lot of searching.
And so nothing that I didn't expect Dave, you know, in the in the in the first portion of this season, because it is a pretty seismic trade that they made their identity went from super big,
you know, unconventional, cat, go bear, ant like that to now a more conventional roster construction.
But when you remove a player that was such a focal point and bring in two new guys, I think it's predictable that they would kind of look disjointed through portions of the game as they did tonight.
Yeah.How do you feel about the increase in three point volume for them?I mean, they are getting up more threes, at least with those guys out there.
Yeah, I think that that is definitely by design.You know, they shot 39 threes tonight.I think coming into this game, 50% of their shots overall were three pointers.And I think that's third most in the NBA.
And so that is something that they had been behind the curve on for a lot of years, quite frankly.
And one of the things that they figured out coming out of the Dallas series in the Western Conference Finals last year was, look, we have this number one defense and it's great, but we have to find a way to score with teams that just
can figure out our defense.That's what Luca and Kyrie did to them in the Western Conference finals.And in some ways they did that tonight, Dave.
I mean, they, they, they, they hit 19 threes, they shot 51% overall, but it was transition defense and it was turnovers, 20 turnovers that really kind of killed them.
And nine missed free throws in a game you lose by six, you're kicking yourself for that.
Yeah, it's rough and especially, I mean, Luca, you know, had a little calf thing or something in this game and you think maybe this is an opportunity to get a win that, you know, would maybe be a big boost to the chemistry of the team.
I will say for Randall, you know, offensively, he's being productive.I mean, he's getting guys involved.He's always making, you know, he looks like he's looking to pass.He had a moment in the game last night where
You know, he had a post-up, and you're so used to seeing him just try to bully up a shot, but he finds DiVincenzo in the corner for a three.
So, you know, there are things, there are positive signs there, but I'm glad you brought up the defense, because the defense is what they, you know, hang their hat on.
That's the thing that got them, you know, as far as they went last year, but the defense has fallen off some this year, and a lot of that is the bench.The Nasri, Julius Randle minutes with those two, it's double big, that's rough, but
The other thing is... Mike Conley and Joe Ingles are old.Now, Joe Ingles only played four minutes in the game, but Mike Conley's up there over 20 minutes a night, and I think that his lack of foot speed, lack of size on defense really shows up.
And for the Wolves, you know, they closed with Nikhil Alexander-Walker in this game.
I mean, is that a sign that maybe they're, you know, I'm not saying they're gonna bench Mike Conley, but it does feel like there's a little bit of a shift as far as the rotation goes to sort of feature Nikhil Alexander-Walker a little bit more.
Yeah, I think so.And credit to Chris Finch for that, because Mike is so important, or has been so important.And that's a hard thing to do.You're never going to hear Chris Finch say he doesn't believe in Mike Conley or doesn't trust him.
He's got too much credibility that he's built up here since he came in the trade a year and a half ago, from Utah, and he's done so many good things for this team.But right now, they are trying to go about this season with
by limiting his minutes, keeping him fresh for the playoffs, and what that could mean in addition to if he's struggling as he is right now.But there could just be natural times where they're going to rest him more.He played 76 games last year.
He's not going to play that many this year.And so they have to find out ways to get by without him, especially when he's not as best.And I think Nikhil Alexander-Walker has played really well all season long, especially on the defensive side.
You said it like Dave.I mean, they were hunting Mike Conley tonight as they should.I mean, Luca and Kyrie are merciless when it comes to finding mismatches and exploiting them.
And so when you have Mike struggling the way that he is, Joe angles only played four minutes.They were, they lost those minutes by seven points and in a six point loss.Like these are, these are decisions
that Chris Finch is going to have to make kind of as this thing goes forward.I think he's going to give them more time.He's going to, he wants to be able to trust these veterans, but you have Nikhil over there.You have Rob Dillingham over there.
You have, um, Terrence Shannon, you have Josh Minot, you have young options.So if If Mike Conley and Joe Ingles are playing poorly, like, you can throw the young guys in and see if they can at least be a rebound.That's easy to say.
That's easy to say, John.But it's really hard to do.You're right.That's right.
It's really hard to do when you're the coach of the team.Quickly before, you know, I know you got to go.It's been a week since the season started.Just put a grade on how you feel like the first week of the season went for the Timberwolves. Yeah.
I mean, I, I think, I think I would say a B minus just in terms of, I expected it to be a little jagged, um, to start this.
And it has, they had a great win in Sacramento, beat Toronto, um, you know, uh, the zombie Raptors at home and did fine with that.Um, but then the Lakers loss was a bad loss because they just didn't play well.
Um, and then tonight or, you know, the, the, the, the game against Dallas, Um, I thought it was there to be had for them, if not for all the mistakes and if not for kind of these defensive struggles.
And so, um, you know, I, I, I think that everyone around here expected sort of a, a, a sluggish start.And the anticipation is that eventually these things will click into place and they'll get on a roll.
And I haven't seen anything to give me any concern.I don't think this is like Denver or, or like a few other teams that look like there's, there's some real issues. Maybe New York.Maybe New York.I mean, maybe New York, right?Yeah.
I think this is just going to take a little time.And I really believe that they have the pieces here that will fall into place.But right now they're going through it and they're searching for it and they're trying to figure it out.
Yeah.And they were in this game.I mean, you know, again, I'm being a little hard on Ant for the game he had, but he can't disappear for 20 minutes of the game.I mean, he's just too important.
John Krasinski, too important for us at the athletic, by the way, second appearance, you're leading the league right now in appearances on the NBA daily. so thank you for showing back up.
After the break, Xena and I are going to answer some mailbag questions.
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Okay, we've been telling you guys to shoot us emails over at NBADailyAtTheAthletic.com, but we also set up a post at TheAthletic.com asking for questions.So we grabbed a few for tonight's show from there.
Going to our first mailbag, Zena, I'm excited.Dan S. asks us, will the Pacific Division be the best division this year?And I wonder if he means most competitive, most entertaining.The West is just stacked.I mean, every division's pretty tough.
I can't say that a division that doesn't have Dallas or Minnesota or the OKC Thunder can be the best division, but I absolutely believe the Pacific Division will be the most entertaining.These are going to be scrappy teams.
These are teams that are going to be counted out playing with a chip on their shoulder.And so every single time they battle, it's going to be to the death.
Yeah, it's gonna be pretty competitive.And the Northwest Division, while you do have those three teams at the top, you still got Portland and Utah, and Utah is just awful, awful, miserable.
Next question, and probably the last one, Sam M. asks us about the Cavs.The Cavs have started 4-0.The off-season narrative was that they didn't make any changes, and stagnancy gets you nowhere in the NBA.
However, their young core seemed to be improving, and they made a head coaching change. Are they legitimate contenders?What does a good season look like for them?
Yes, yes, they're legitimate contenders.They have done exactly what all teams need to do, which is rounded themselves out.They've got a great backcourt in terms of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Dave, you and I have talked about this.
Karis LeVert, I think Brooklyn Nets are probably crying their hearts out knowing they let him go.Absolutely killer off the bench.And then they've got size.Evan Mobley, Jaren Allen.I mean, this is exactly what you want.
Not only offensively, but they can play defense too.I kind of call them my Dallas Mavericks with defense of the East.I think, you know, if they make it further than they did last year, that's definitely a win.
And really, if they find themselves in the top three of the East, I think I'm happy with them for it with that for the season.
Yeah for me I think a conference finals run would be great for them It's all about Evan Mobley if he's actually making a leap and he's been incredible to start the season But if he's actually making a leap, yeah, this team is up there and can beat anybody They look really good against the Knicks that a lot of people were picking the Knicks to come out of the East and I think maybe that's just a little bit of Boston boredom because Boston is a juggernaut
That's going to do it for today's show, folks.Thank you guys for joining us.Zina, thank you for hanging out.Don't forget, you can send us those emails at NBAdailyattheathletic.com.Subscribe to The Bounce.Shout out to my guy, Zach Harper.
And leave us a five-star review over on iTunes, Spotify, wherever you listen to podcasts.For Zina Kada, I'm Dave DeFora, and this has been the NBA Daily.Thanks for waking up with us.
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