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Tag: Warriors

  • Wiggins hopeful of Warriors return

    Wiggins hopeful of Warriors return

    After rejoining the Golden State Warriors after a period away for personal reasons, Andrew Wiggins believes his return to the court is only a matter of time.

    Since taking a short break from the squad to attend to a family issue, the small forward has missed 22 games for the Warriors.

    Wiggins has refrained from going into much detail, although he was present for Tuesday’s 136-125 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder alongside Steve Kerr’s team.

    The 28-year-old has now set his eyes on playing once more following his comeback to the team, having last appeared in a game against the Washington Wizards in February.

    “I don’t think it will be too long before I am out there,” he said. “I felt really good right before I left. I felt like I was in a rhythm, was making shots, moving well.

    “Hopefully, I’ll be right back where I left off. [But] when you’re in a certain situation and your family needs you and requires your attention and love, that’s my first priority.

    “My career, everything, family is always first for me. When I felt like I was in a safe space to come back, we got everything settled in a safe place.”

    Coach Steve Kerr effectively ruled out a role for Wiggins in Friday’s trip to the Sacramento Kings, noting they would assess him over the coming week.

    “We’ll have a better idea in the next couple of days,” he added. “There’s no way he’s playing in the next few days, I can tell you that.

    “But I think once we have an assessment over the next couple of days, we’ll have a better idea of when he might be able to play.”

    The Warriors follow their trip to Sacramento with their last regular season fixture, against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.

  • Curry may return on Sunday in game against Lakers

    Curry may return on Sunday in game against Lakers

    Stephen Curry is expected to return to the Golden State Warriors lineup for their matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

    Curry, who sustained a lower leg injury on February 4, has taken part in numerous team scrimmages, including one on Thursday.

    Reporters questioned Warriors coach Steve Kerr about whether Curry may be available on Sunday in Los Angeles following Thursday’s shootaround.

    “I suppose,” Kerr replied.

    Curry has already been ruled out for Golden State’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.

    Entering play Thursday, the Warriors are 12-12 this season without the two-time league MVP, but his return will be welcome news for a team in the thick of the jumbled Western Conference playoff picture.

    Before Thursday’s games against the Los Angeles Clippers, the defending champion Warriors sat in fifth place in the West at 32-30, just 2.5 games up on the 11th-place Lakers.

    Despite dealing with shoulder and leg injuries in his 14th NBA season, Curry is having one of his best individual campaigns, scoring 29.4 points per game on 42.7-percent shooting from beyond the arc.

    The Warriors’ season has been a rocky one – especially given the team’s 7-23 road record – but they remain contenders when healthy.

    One development of note has been the reemergence of Curry’s ‘Splash Brothers’ running-mate Klay Thompson, who has averaged 26.2 points in 21 games since January 2.

  • Warriors ‘not where we need to be’ but Kerr thrilled to begin with a win

    Steve Kerr was “thrilled” with the Golden State Warriors’ opening night win over the Los Angeles Lakers as the coach recognised his defending champions are “not where we need to be”.

    The Warriors received their championship rings and unveiled their seventh banner on Tuesday following last season’s NBA Finals defeat of the Boston Celtics.

    A night of celebration was then capped with a first victory of the new campaign as the Warriors defeated the Lakers 123-109.

    With so much else going on outside the game, coach Kerr was wary of the potential for an upset.

    But even with the Warriors still looking to improve over the course of the season, he said, they “took care of business”.

    “I’m thrilled with the win,” said Kerr. “Ring night is never an easy game, and the first game of the season is usually filled with some nerves early on.

    “We’re not where we need to be, but we took care of business.”

    Reigning Finals MVP Stephen Curry led the Warriors in scoring 33 points and was already thinking of a title defence.

    “After tonight, the journey really begins in terms of everybody’s best shot,” Curry said. “You’ve got some really talented teams that are going to be gunning for you. You have to be ready for it all.

    “It’s going to be a really long journey, but this is why we play. We’re competitive. This is why we work as hard as we do. We can’t just sit there and look at that ring.”

    Source: Livescore

     

  • NBA: Warriors and Celtics shine in season opener

    Stephen Curry and his Golden State teammates are ready to defend their NBA title.

    The Warriors received their championship rings in a ceremony Tuesday (Oct 18).

    Among the players honoured during the evening was Congolese Jonathan Kuminga, who is one of 16 Africans (around 30 when counting binationals) to take part in the prestigious professional basketball league in North America, this year.

    During the season opener, the Warriors enjoyed an extra celebration time as they beat the Los Angeles Lakers 123-109 with 33 points scored by shooter Stephen Curry.

    In Boston, the Celtics paid tribute to the mythical N6 of the franchise Bill Russell, who died in July.

    “Bill Russell was a great man for what and who he stood for”, Jaylen Brown noted.

    “During the peak of racial tension in our society, he represented a type of nobility and honour that transcended sports”, the Celtics Guard concluded.

    Against the Sixers of Joel Embiid and James Harden, the defending Eastern Conference champions, started their season on the right foot, thanks to Jaylen Brown/Jayson Tatum duo, each scoring 35 points.

    Boston finally won 126-117 against one of its main contenders in the race for the Eastern Conference’s top 4.

    Source: Africanews

  • Draymond dismisses notion of rebuilding Warriors trust following Poole altercation

    Draymond Green dismissed the necessity to rebuild trust within the Golden State Warriors following his altercation last week with team-mate Jordan Poole.

    Green returned to practice on Thursday and will play in the Warriors’ preseason game against the Denver Nuggets on Friday after stepping away following last Wednesday’s incident where he punched Poole.

    Team-mate Kevon Looney has spoken about Green needing to regain the group’s trust, while head coach Steve Kerr has danced around the subject publicly, but the Warriors power forward was dismissive on Thursday.

    “Everyone says, build trust as a team,” Green said. “I don’t really quite understand what’s trust? Is it trust that you’re going to make the right play?

    “I always make the right play to be the best of my ability, so what is that? We do have to make sure we’re together, make sure we’re doing the necessary things that it takes to win a championship and have everyone’s back.

    “I think there’s so many different things when I hear the word trust, that I’m not always certain that that is the most fitting word for what people are trying to say.

    “I think it always sounds good. Everyone kind of has this idea of what that means. But yet what does that truly mean?”

    Green insisted that he and Poole would be professional enough to maintain a working relationship at the Warriors this season.

    “Jordan is a professional, and I’m a professional,” Green said. “We have a job to do. We both have experienced a lot of winning over the course of our lives and we know what that takes, and so we want to do just that. What it takes to win. And I think that’s the most important thing.”

    Four-time NBA champion Green was in a combative mood, adding that he did not care about how people perceived him.

    And Green, 32, spoke about his desire to win another NBA title this season with the defending champions.

    “I’m going to prove a lot of people wrong this year,” Green said. “I’ve been proving people wrong my whole life, so there’s some added motivation.

    “Not quite proving people wrong because the same people that are talking now are the same people who have been talking forever, and they’ve been wrong the entire time.

    “They just give new hot takes about how, ‘You can’t do it this time’, but never acknowledge the million times that they said I couldn’t do it and were wrong. I’m not quite motivated by those people.

    “But there are definitely some motivations that have been sparked by some people and I’m going to use that, and I’m going to do exactly what I do when I’m motivated. In a major way.”

    Green was a key part of Golden State’s title-winning 2021-22 side, averaging 7.3 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 7.0 assists per game and having a big impact defensively.

    The Warriors are due to open their 2022-23 NBA campaign on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Chase Center.

    Source: Livescore

     

     

  • Why Steve Kerr believes Warriors can adapt as opponents add bigs to roster

    The Warriors have been at the forefront of schematic changes occurring in the NBA over the last decade, which has resulted in four championships in eight years.

    Draymond Green recently revealed what Golden State’s reaction was when coach Steve Kerr introduced his ball movement style and wanted the Warriors to move away from the pick-and-roll offense that dominated the NBA in the early 2010s.

    Now, the Warriors are changing the game again as Kerr mixes in two versatile big men on the floor, which allows their offense to flow better when the opposition respect Green’s shot. Many teams noticed, and this offseason made moves to keep up with Golden State.

    “I like when teams zig when everybody else is zagging,” Kerr told reporters. “I think it’s smart. I think our advantage has always been Draymond Green. He gives us the flexibility to play big or small. And sometimes we accomplish the small part even playing big because he’s so smart. And I think [Kevon Looney] has now entered that conversation, too.”

    What the Warriors want in having versatile big men is the ability to defend when teams decide to play them small or when the opposition goes big.

    Green has proven that he can stay on the floor while defending away from the paint when teams decide to play small ball. Additionally, the 32-year-old has shown that he can guard while having his back to the basket,

    “You think back to the Finals, we played Loon and Draymond together a lot,” Kerr said. “What we lost in terms of spacing we more than made up for in terms of intelligence, hand backs, screening. We were able to generate plenty of offense, and then at the other end, put our best defensive lineup on the floor.

    “… As other teams play bigger, or really stretch you out and go smaller, we always feel like we can adapt either way because of Draymond mainly. But like I said, I think Loon is part of that, too. Not to mention [Andrew Wiggins] who can guard multiple spots; Klay Thompson. We have been blessed to have a great, flexible roster.”

    Source: Yahoo.com

  • Draymond Green not expecting Warriors contract extension soon

    Draymond Green is ready to bet on himself this season, which should warm the hearts of everyone associated with the Warriors.

    Entering the final firm year of his contract – he has a player option for the 2023-24 NBA season – Green would like to have gotten the security of an extension but realizes it’s unlikely.

    “At this point, you know, whether I’d like to or not – I don’t think it will happen,” Green said Sunday.

    It’s what he said next that surely sent a smile across the faces of the coaching staff and front office:

    “I’m just focused on this season and being as great as I can be – and as I know I’m capable of being,” Green said. “And winning another championship and reaching my individual goals that I have as well.”

    Draymond will earn $25.8 million this season and, if he opts in, $27.6 million in 2023-24, after which he would become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.

    He turns 33 next season and realizes this might be his last chance to earn another large contract that could take him into his late 30s. So, there is more than sufficient incentive.

    “Some people are motivated by contract years, and some people are nervous and struggle during contract years,” Green said. “I think it’s all based on the player. For me personally … anytime it’s a contract year is motivation. And that’s kind of how I approach it and how I view it. And it’s always been the way I’ve viewed it.

    “I’ve historically been the guy to bet on myself even when others didn’t believe. I’ve always felt confident betting on myself, and nothing changes for me now.”

    Which puts those individual goals sharply in focus. At the top of that list is another Defensive Player of the Year award. He wanted that honor last season and was among several contenders before being sidelined with a back injury that forced him to miss nine weeks in the middle of the season.

    The DPOY award went to Celtics guard Marcus Smart. There is little doubt that watching Smart get abused by Stephen Curry as the Warriors rolled to an NBA Finals victory enlarged the chip already on Draymond’s shoulder.

    Though the collective chip on the shoulder of the Warriors, created by occasional dismissal of their accomplishments, might be fading, Draymond always finds another from which to gain inspiration.

    “I don’t think it’s the same chip,” Green said. “I’d be lying to you if I told you it was.

    “But there are chips. There are chips. There’s no shortage of chips, I can tell you that.”

    Source: Yahoo