The Warriors CANNOT Stand Pat!

The Warriors CANNOT Stand Pat!

out kind of the uh the concept and the premise launched by Bob Fitzgerald on with steiny and goo and basically the idea was uh he would feel completely confident if the Warriors stayed the same we haven’t played this one for you yet the NBA now this year proved it other than Boston any team on any night in any series can get rolling and that’s just where we are in the league the days of oh you’re going to win 67 games or 73 games and you’re just going to postage stamp everybody all the way through the playoffs like those days are over and I think that’s good I think it’s exciting for the league but it does make people nervous because they were accustomed to six straight finals and four titles and all that kind of stuff and that’s all fair too so but to think the Warriors won’t be interesting won’t be in the mix won’t be worth watching won’t be worth paying attention to no no we’re we’re many years from from that happening that ain’t happening anytime soon many years we’re many years we’re not even close not only we’re not there we’re not even close many years from that happening I don’t know man we got to split the difference here again I find this that I find his takes today to be both reasonable and terrifying because I I just think they violate a concept that that I’ve used as something I sort of believe as a standby no matter what we’re talking about year overy year no matter your business no matter what if you are not improving you are getting worse I I I would say that even after the Warriors win a title you have to go into an off season and get better and and and I firmly believe it is not enough to say if someone said well how are the Warriors going to get better and you say well the growth of the young players Jonathan kaminga Brandon pky Trace Jackson Davis and Moses Moody will be a year older and that is how they will get better there’s no way that can be enough there’s no way I just don’t see it and and and I would love for the evidence to be presented that teams with great cores all in their mid-30s are are able to effectively do things in the NBA like compete as as we’re being told here by listening to this it hasn’t happened and you’re you know looking at guys who are in their mid to late 30s not even guys who are still in their Peak maybe 31 32 and the amount of tread off the tires for Steph clay and Draymond and for this conversation we can assume that Klay Thompson is still a Golden State Warrior although I don’t really think that he will be Bob is making it sound like you know at least in that earlier answer like Klay still going to be a part of it and they can still win with Klay Thompson and I just don’t I don’t see it and I look at the the trajectory of how this team has done over the last couple of seasons and they’re trending in the other direction and if you’re asking for Moses and Trace and Brandon and Jonathan to all get better they’re going to all have to get a lot better and it’s all going to have to happen between now and October for that to really matter enough for this team to be a contender you and I have been very firm especially the last few days um with regard to the idea that we now believe Klay Thompson is not going to end up on the Warriors I just don’t see the two needs and desires blending right now as it stands but I I I freely admit like boy we could be wrong y I mean this is Klay Thompson and the Warriors so even if he is furious unfollowed on IG all of that stuff even if he’s Furious does that mean that in the next two weeks they can’t have a a come to Jesus moment a coming back together um clay doesn’t find what he wants on the open market or clay gets cold feet at the end of the idea of launching a press conference in Orlando like I find all of these things totally believable I I I really do I think the hardest part for me to believe with the the premise that Bob is launching here is that Joe lob would sign off on it that just doesn’t sound like Joe to me the Joe that we’ve come to know and I’m not going to act like he’s a friend I don’t know the man well but Joe lob at different points of this last year was was very frustrated and upset with what he was seeing and for him to watch his team get the 10 seed get blown off the floor by a very mediocre Sacramento Kings basketball team nine weeks ago today so you talked about how how it feels like it’s been four years it’s actually been 63 days since the Warriors played basketball this yeah this stinks this stink this is way too long of a wait and I got to imagine that Joe lob is sitting here watching all these days off going we’re not doing this so how are you going to convince Joe like think about it a different way how are you going to convince Joe that that’s the right thing to do we should pay millions of dollars to Klay Thompson and just kind of based on Bob’s words I guess like I I’m not saying he said this but leaving Andrew Wiggins out of his list of good players tells me that the Warriors are are are looking to move on from him and there’s not going to be some great return on that it’s especially when you’re keeping kaminga and Moody and tjd and Brandon psky it’s just clearing away for kaminga to be a bigger part of whatever they’re doing and maybe Moody too so if that how are you going to convince Joe that that’s what we’re doing your salary is still going to be high you can get under the apron but you bring clay back we’ll dump Andrew for a song and we’ll just you know we’ll be healthy this time and we won’t get suspended yeah I don’t how does Joe buy that I don’t think he does buy it the only way he buys it is on the premise of them being still very entertaining because you still have Steph clay and Draymond together and there’s value in that people want to still see that that would be the sales pitch I don’t know if you can knock on his door and rightly say yeah we’re going to subtract Andrew Wiggins and we’re going to get another player in here who makes about that much money somebody who’s probably even if they’re as good as Andrew Wiggins and maybe they’re just a little bit better or not I still don’t think you can sell that as we got better if that’s your only move you know yeah I I agree with you 888 957 9570 John and bonisha uh here on Willard and dibs hi John what’s up hey you know what I just wanted just to say one quick thing I mean if you’re gonna sell that to lob all you have to do is say hey don’t you want Buster posie Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt to be your you know the stalwarts to the end of the 201s look at the Giants now that’s the Warriors in five years if they do not keep improving so what would you do John because the other thing is is two of the three people that you’re you’re comping here Buster posy brand and the Brandon with with Steph clay and Dre I mean two of them still have multiple years left on their contract I I clay is gone I mean through the majority of the year I mean there’s 30 teames in the NBA he was no higher than 135th in field goal percentage I mean that is you could take Five Guys on every team and he is not better than 15 of people in the in the entire of the NBA of the starting five no way he is he’s gone you know I would if I were if I were the wor I would delete him from the Instagram thanks John uh reminding me of uh of a a Rob Parker take that got uh that got texted to me yesterday uh Rob I think was was either proud of it or thought it was funny but they spent some time on their show yesterday on Fox Sports Radio uh saying that the Warriors should block Klay Thompson got they should respond to the unfollow by blocking Klay Thompson on Instagram there you have it uh clay finished 121st in field goal percentage 43.2 from the floor which is bottom 20 among qualified players but ahead of uh Jordan PA Jordan PA I knew you g say everybody was a ahead of Jordan paol and uh Fred Van vet the highly paid Fred Van vet look I we’ve said this 100 yeah Klay Thompson was not awful last year the the the narrative has gotten a little bit out of hand I think because and there’s no way around this we’re Warrior fans we’ve watched for over a decade now and and that’s the bottom line we know Klay Thompson to be a certain player he’s not that player anymore so we think he’s terrible he’s not terrible he’s just not who he used to be and um I’m not 100% sure that he’s willing to buy that yet and I don’t blame him for that I don’t know how you can be a great professional athlete if like you wake up in the morning and your first thought is well I’m not what I used to be let’s get to work he knows I think he knows but you can’t acknowledge it you can’t make it part of your makeup you have to you have to believe that you’re still able to get better and he’s still in some way shape or form even though it’s been years he’s still kind of ramping back up from injury look at the way they’ve played him let’s do no backto backs and then now let’s do it this way and only last year did it become like no just go play but maybe a few less minutes maybe we’ll bring y Off the Bench that kind of thing I think he’s got to feel like and and based on his words he does he achieved something last year by proving he could go through a whole season healthy he was very proud of that I have to think that he thinks it goes upward from here even though conventional wisdom says that’s wrong yeah and age and the fact that he’s had the two injuries that he’s had and you know I think he can still go out there and play as many games as he did what he played 77 games last year which was pretty good that’s great yeah only a couple of dozen players played more games than that I’m just looking at the list and Buddy hee inexplicably played 84 games in an 82 Game season I i’ have to think that’s a record I know guys have played 83 before but he found a way to play in 84 games I totally get it that’s because of that’s because of inseason tournament getting all the way to the end and play in tournament the inseason tournament those games don’t count he was on two teams well but no but you get an there’s the chance of playing an extra game if you go all the way to the end right of the inseason tournament I wonder if those actually count in regular season stats or if those are Standalone games I’ll look that up yeah I don’t know I know the regular inseason tournament games that you played in the pool play those were regular season yeah those were actual games but you play the extra game does that statistically count does it count on on your resume yeah and there was two extra games if you made it to the final as you were mentioning semi and the final so feels to me like if those don’t count they should call it the outseason tournament not the inseason tournament am I right I don’t know though well the play in we know are not playoff games those are Standalone in the stats and it’s hard to even find those stats anywhere if you go on the internet but that’s neither here season or playoffs correct they’re just their own little thing stand alone yeah which I hate but ridiculous another reason why I hate the uh the play in tournament but you still do huh yeah yeah I mean I think it’s been a wild success don’t you it’s been a success among you know the teams in the west but if I asked you your memories of the Eastern Conference playin this year the playin tournament I remember the Hawks were in it what were they 32 and 46 this year awful regular not worthy of a of a birth Miami was in it again right I I mean you’re the expert you’re the guy who loves this thing no well that’s the Eastern Conference I don’t follow them clearly as much as the Western Conference oh that’s right the Sixers were in it the Sixers the Heat the Bulls and the Hawks there you go it was great oh the memories yeah whatever yeah whatever no it’s been a success it uh for one week out of the year you get games that feel like March mad games loser goes home yeah okay I’m in that’s fine you know what I mean like the only reason it it doesn’t offend me any because this idea of sort of like the the joke you just made Atlanta’s terrible and they got in they were 36 and 46 by the way okay you’re right yeah it’s a bad basketball team however when it was just a straight eight seed thing the eight seed was often not a very good basketball team maybe not 36 and 46 but it might be 38 and 44 and you’re in the playoff and you get a whole series out of it you’re allowed to go beat someone warriors did it once yeah so handful of teams have done it small handful yeah so anyway doesn’t really offend me it’s just I don’t I don’t love it that’s for sure I I think uh it’s better than not is I guess the way that I would I would sort of describe it yeah it’s not like amazing it’s certainly not as stupid as the inseason tournament that I thought was a complete waste of time those are some of the better games that the Warriors played this year some real compelling games the Oklahoma City game 141 139 that was an instant IST classic but that had nothing to do with the fact that it was the inseason tournament it was it had everything to do with it they but they got up for it because it was an inseason Tournament game agree with you yeah I mean I they brought their a game and you know City gave them their best shot why why didn’t they play defense then if they showed up for it because they didn’t have tjd and Draymond starting together as Bob pointed out to you and what what Bob left out of his answer was uh the defensive effort that they gave in the playin game in Sacramento where they got absolutely motorboated 118 to 94 yes they did all right well back to his premise do it and uh and here’s another thing I’d like to add because I think that we’re we we’ve gotten dangerously close to this so for instance even John and bonisha who just called Clay’s got to be gone klay’s got to be gone all right and then plenty of you share that opinion Clay’s got to be gone clay being gone doesn’t automatically make you better like here’s the only area where I will fully back uh Bob Bob is saying they can compete if they stay the same I’ve always thought there is absolutely a scenario where that is the best thing that they could do I don’t know what this big move is that everyone’s predicting I have no idea what it is what is it is it is it Butler is it Deonte Murray I don’t know what this move is so sometimes I do feel like we we slip and fall into this conversation simply the idea of letting clay walk walk makes you better well no it doesn’t the corresponding move would potentially make you better and I have no idea what that is and if that thing is not available well then letting clay walk make worse can we all agree on just this okay roster stays exactly the same no changes whatsoever except for I’d propose one Clay’s either on the team or he’s off the team that’s it which team’s better the one with Klay Thompson on it I agree but does it it doesn’t make you any better in my opinion to where next year is going to be anything other than a quest for the the playin spot no and and that’s fine I can accept that I’m just saying I think that a lot like voices I hear I hear a lot of people speaking as if just letting clay walk automatically makes you better we got to get better we got to let clay walk the thinking there would be more minutes for Moody more minutes for pods and you know according to Bob Fitzgerald those guys are all getting better yeah they are but’s getting better pods is getting better trace and kaminga they’re all getting better so you get clay out of the way and now these younger guys who are instantly going to improve Pro more minutes for him he’s probably not wrong but that doesn’t make you a championship Contender or even a playoff Contender because you have 23y old players who are getting better but that would be the Devil’s Advocate response to how do you get better without Klay Thompson and I don’t necessarily believe it but that would be if you know to your scenario if you just lose clay and you don’t add anyone else that’s how you would get better those guys would play better let me describe in two words the Golden State Warriors who just remove clay and don’t add anyone to it ready can’t shoot I thought you going to go Lottery bound no can’t shoot you don’t have any good Shooters not named Steph Curry if you don’t have Klay Thompson that sounds like an awful three-point shooting team in a league that requires three-point shooting um Draymond had one of his better years shooting the ball this year yes he did put some respect on that man’s shot for those of you just joining us uh Bob Fitzgerald uh TV voice of the Golden State Warriors joined steiny and goo earlier today the conversation broke out with regard to the idea of the Warriors pretty much staying the same uh this is uh part one of what Fitz had to say Draymond Green missed 27 games and the Warriors still won 46 games and won 25 games on the road you’re not going to tell me that this wasn’t a 53 or 54 win team if Draymond played you know some of those 27 games so where would 52 wins got you it would have got you the four seed you would had a home court advantage in round one D Dallas won 50 games they went to the finals so Boston was better than everybody this year okay they won 64 they were the best team all year they deserved it they won the title but you could throw a dart on seven other teams starting next year could Minnesota get hot I did the the Western Conference Finals with ESPN Radio saw Minnesota up close with Dallas like could Minnesota get hot shirt could Oklahoma City get hot shirt did Denver blow a 20 point lead at home in game seven that shocker to me cuz I think Denver’s amazing could Milwaukee get everything going again with Giannis of course they could but so could the Warriors you know what the hard part about that answer with regard to uh the Warriors are just like any of these other teams and they could get hot like there’s a piece to me that goes I I I get it because those teams weren’t dominant either and had moments where they look great and then moments where they looked awful but if the if this the excuse or or maybe the Kinder word is the reasoning behind why the Warriors weren’t one of those teams is because Draymond missed 27 games okay go to the games where Draymond did play and you said what the warriors were 33 and 22 correct okay go to those 55 games and tell me what the Warriors record was against the Western Conference playoff teams in those 55 games I understand that I’m asking you to I’m not I’m like sort of throwing that out there I’m not saying you need to just do it right now I think it’s a fun exercise to at least poke through cuz I’m looking at the first six games he played you played against uh OKC and you got the win okay that’s the only one then he was inactive you played three straight games twice against Minnesota and I’m going to count the game where he played a minute 43 and he was ejected because that counts so you lost back-to-back games to Minnesota now you’re one and two he only got suspended for five games for the go be choke he came back they split with a Clipper so now they’re they’re two and three and they lost to OKC and Phoenix so now they’re two and five in games that Draymond played and in that game against Phoenix he lost his balance Mark and he flail punched Yousef nurkic in the face and then he missed a month then he comes back and I can continue to poke through but you kind of get the bit where with Draymond without Draymond against the good teams in the West you didn’t do very good I had him at two and five right now with Draymond against playoff teams that’s the problem for me the problem for me is Lakers were a playoff team right uh they eventually they were yes came out of the play in yeah now you’re two and six CU you lost when Draymond came back okay and I you kind of see where we’re going here I I I see exactly where you’re going and it’s why I asked because my hunch was is that’s what it would be so when you were supposedly full strength and the team that that that were being told can compete you didn’t you didn’t you didn’t compete with the best teams you might have gotten a few wins but you did not play well enough to show that you were one of those teams I got him as a loose Loosely calculated seven and 11 when Draymond played against the Western Conference playoff teams okay so they were was that make them 26 and 11 against the the other teams including some of the teams in the East I mean to be honest with you that’s better than I thought it would be it’s still not good enough right it’s still not good enough so that that that’s my sort of response in in in poking holes in this idea as we sort of massage it and talk it out a little bit I I I just think that that um Draymond missing 27 games was absolutely a factor I don’t think we can make it the only only factor which is if I were to be if Bob were to be sitting here talking with us right now that’s probably what I’d say to him is he kind of made Draymond missing 27 the only factor in why the Warriors ended up where they are and I I I think there were clearly more right and for me the biggest Factor was you just you weren’t good enough early in the year you squandered so many winnable games and remember the early narrative Mark was how many 15-point leads they had blown and how many late game scenarios they blew and you know Oklahoma City got them twice on the should you foul should you not foul they did it wrong twice and they lost both of those games Chad holgren hitting the three when you should have fouled and then you fouled him when you didn’t have to and he hit all three free throws and so I think more things went arai than just Draymond Green’s inability to stay on

Willard and Dibs continue to react to Bob Fitzgerald’s confidence in the Warriors roster and explain why the Warriors CANNOT head into next season with the same — or at least a very similar — roster as last season.

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