Monte Poole: “Jonathan Kuminga wants to be a One-Team Guy.”

Monte Poole: “Jonathan Kuminga wants to be a One-Team Guy.”

Let’s go out and talk to Monty pool NBC Sports Bay Area uh Hey Monty how you doing man thank you so much for joining us great seeing you out at the uh Chase Center a week ago yes sir yes sir I’m doing all right how you guys doing uh

I’m doing well let me let me just let me just get your overall philosophy I’m I’m watching last night’s game where the Warriors are and I know they’re a 10 seed and this a lot of PA can make a run and they maybe still get title this that

And the other thing I actually looked at like last night’s game and was thinking you know the the veterans you know they didn’t play with Steph they didn’t play with Draymond and Clay struggled and Chris Paul struggled and Wiggins was Wiggins man if they don’t have their

Young guys in that game last night like how bad would that have looked if they don’t have a kaminga trace Jackson Davis so where are you kind of on the the the balance between the young kids the veterans where this team can realistically go well I mean the Run

This team has made last month uh wouldn’t have happened without the young guys you know I mean Steph had his moments when he was good he had his moments when he wasn’t so good clay had his moments when he was good moments when he wasn’t so good kaminga has been

The most consistent player for this team over the last six weeks or so so without him I mean you don’t want to know where they would have been last night and or any of the last few weeks so um I just I I think they’re a good enough team when

They’re healthy to still um to to get to to win more games and they’ll lose over the stretch the stretch run the question is whether they’ll win enough games um you know they got 17 left and I mean they got to win like at least 13 14 of those games

Uh I mean I think it’s going to take probably 48 maybe to get to into the top six so yeah that’s going to be a tough run for them to make the way they’ve been playing it I mean those two losses last week H to the to the Spurs and to

The Bulls at home those are killer losses I mean if if they win those two games they go into Dallas a half game behind the Mavericks instead now now they can barely see them they’re so far in front of them so um that’s the challenge before them um they’re at 34

Wins now yeah they gota I mean I think 48 should do it but it’s hard to see that happen the way they’ve been playing because they were playing so well and now they’ve lost four the last six that’s the wrong direction yeah Monty I need basketball therapy so bear with me brother last

After the Milwaukee game I was cheesing I was like there it is here we go and you’re right that lost to Chicago Steph got hurt but Saturday really really hurt my soul just the effort from that game at home okay they Avenged that Monday and then that we see what happens no

Draymond last night mty what we’ve been throwing around and I’m curious to get your answer we’ve been arguing stany and I what’s new what would you define a successful season for this team Monty where we’re at right now it does that even exist what would have to happen for Monty P to

Say you know what that was a successful Warrior season all in all uh for them to get into the playoffs and win a first round series I mean that to me that’s that’s a rousing success um because the way they’ve played over the course of this season you know getting to the second

Round the conference semi-finals for this team uh it seemed like such a long shot right now so uh if they’re able to somehow do that that’s a successful season and go beyond that that’s a highly highly successful season that’s extraordinary so um I think if they end

Up you know in the nine or some eight8 nine 10 somewhere in there and can’t get into the playoffs you can only say it’s a failure that’s there’s no other way to look at it you know they have to at least get into the playoffs to be able

To say that okay at least we got there uh and to me that’s still unsatisfactory if they get there if they get there and they push the first round opponent to seven games um I guess there is something to be said for that but when you look at the Warriors record against

The big four it ain’t good you know right Minnesota OKC the Clippers and and the Nuggets it ain’t they’ve only won two games against those teams they’ve lost I think it’s like 13 or 14 you know maybe 13 something like that so um it’s just just a tough tough way for them to

Try and get get out and uh unless they win more games against in the in the in the uh conference uh they’re going to have a tough time and right now uh their conference record they’re 10th but their conference record is like 11th or 12 so when it comes to tiebreakers they’re

They’re in trouble Monty P joining us on 957 the game he works for NBC Sports Bay Area covers the Golden State Warriors hypothetically if if if this team stays in 10 and they get beat in the play in what are what’s on the table I guess at that

Point I think it depends somewhat on how they get beat um you know obviously Steph and Draymond are locked in playay is not um and you know I clay turned down a deal in the uh in the over summer just before the season started and you know the Warriors decided to stand Pat

And the way it’s looking like you know on a business decision side it was a smart move I mean you know klay’s not going to go out there and get 30 million from somebody the way he’s playing it’s not going to happen so um you know I

Know they’d like to for a lot of reasons have Clay I know Steph would like to keep him around I know Dr would like to keep him around they’ve done some things and there’s a chemistry there and there’s a certain amount of sentimentality when you have the three

Of them together for a couple more years with Coach Steve Kerr but you know to me there’s got to be some wiggle room there and um the one thing I know that they don’t want to do is they definitely want to keep kaminga right they made they

Made that clear during at the trade deadline and I know Joe lob loves him uh and kaming has come on so strong I mean he’s a guy now you look at him and say he’s got All-Star potential the way he’s playing he’s not there yet but he has

That potential you know a few little nuances and he can get there so after that I mean Wiggins you know what can you say about Wiggins you know he has games where uh moments when he plays really really well and he has moments where he’s practically invisible

Out there so uh that that sort of inconsistency has to be on some level um maddening to to anybody in that building and so uh the one thing that they can say about Wiggins this year is that for the most part defensively on on ball he’s been pretty good his off ball

Defense comes and goes his offense comes and goes um so I mean he’s not making $40 million but still you want more from than what you’re getting from him right now and you know we don’t all know what’s going on inside uh in his personal life but we know there’s

Something going on and uh maybe that’s a factor here but yeah you definitely want more from him Monty I catch you on the pre- impulse with Bon the dubs talk live when you’re on and I also just caught your latest uh podcast with kaminga and

I got to tell you mty I know he’s 21 he’s not perfect but his ability I told stany to get to the free throw line he’s living there made nine out of 10 last night but in that podcast he told you he wanted to be a warrior for life did that

Did that shock you at all no I mean not not really I mean it was good to hear if you’re a Warriors fan um but I had to ask him because we know there’s been some tension there at times and um you know he says that’s fine and you know

See I look at Steph and clay and Draymond you know in the fac in the facility I look at their pictures and stuff and I want to go up there too um that’s great and like he said you know my favorite player Kobe Bryant was a

Laker for life you know he was a one team guy and he wants to do that same thing he wants to be a warrior a one team guy uh and the question is whether he can do that over the Long Haul obviously the Warriors will be paying

Him whatever market value uh when time comes he’s got one more year coming up theyve already um accepted the next the next season so that’s the final year of his rookie contract but they got a pay him I mean they pay Jordan p and so how

That worked out I think JK is looking better than Jordan did at this stage yes especially this year that he’s having compared to the last year that Jordan P had with the Warriors Monty P joining us on 957 the game um what’s the first thought that ran

Through your head last night when you heard Draymond Green wasn’t playing and neither was Steph boy my first my first thought was that okay that means Kay and Wiggins you guys are up you guys got Rings you guys are the Vets um you know when when

Steph’s out playay needs to step up when draymond’s out Williams needs to step up that means I just scoring defending rebounding doing all those things and you watch the game it didn’t it didn’t materialize and so you know if those guys have even average games they have a

Chance they have a chance you know they lose by 10 uh I mean granted the Mavericks pulled away in the third quarter they behind KY they did a great job on Luka LCA I mean that was Wiggins mostly you know wig L Luka did not hurt them very much um and

So if you play the the Mavericks and you hold Luca and Kyrie combin to 44 points you’re thinking okay we got a shot but you know they got beat up a little bit on the inside with Gafford and and Lively uh but Kyrie in the end there

Kind of took over and when he did nobody stepped up to that challenge and they they ended up losing by 10 but yeah if if if clay and Wiggins can give them 44 points it’s a different game it’s a different game Monty I’m always bragging to steiny and anybody that’ll listen

About my remote control game and Monday I’m watching The Warriors at the Spurs there’s a fast break Wiggins doesn’t pass it to pods and and Mar I love both aspects of this I love PS for getting at him and then Wiggins bark back and I’m texting starty like that a lot of

Firecracker under Wiggins but how did you read that cuz I’m like well maybe pods knows what’s going on in the locker room so he felt that was the vet he could pick on but I love Wiggins barking back but how did the Great Mony pool see that

Exchange I thought was I thought it was hilarious first of all I’m not surprised U by by BP I mean that’s that’s who he is but Wiggins you know any sign of any spark you see from wig you like welcome that don’t you you want that I mean

Here’s a guy who you know a couple years ago Steph was saying that you know to get him going he’s going to show him video of his dunk over cat oh wow okay years ago I’m G to show it to him every game to get him going you got you got to

Fire this guy up so any sign of fire from him you want you take that but you know I’m always surprised by how many guys in the NBA not just the worst how many guys in the NBA just somehow don’t realize and don’t make the move when you’re on a

Break who has the best chance you with the ball that’s being chased or the trailer wow you shouldn’t have to you shouldn’t have to ask that question you’re right I got you yeah I mean usually you know how many guys are going and the chase down

Block is inv vog now too so make that guy commit and then dump it off yeah dump it off and let instead guys are going in and getting blocked and you got a fast break that goes nowhere so and that there’s Wiggins last night kind of sauntering down by himself not realizing

That the defense is catching up to him and you got an empty fast break so you got to be better yes they do m thank you so much for joining us as always really appreciate it we’ll see what happens Saturday uh in La big game we’ll see you guys all right

That’s Monty pool NBC Sports Bay Area

NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole joins Steiny & Guru to relay his expectiations for the Warriors, what constitutes a successful season, and why Jonathan Kuminga believes he can be “Kobe-esque.”

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