Steve Kerr is a great coach, one of the best in the league. But the fun part about being a fan is that it lows the ignorant to criticize those way more knowledgeable, but as Socrates once said, a wise man can learn from a fool, so here goes.
Mr. Kerr doesn’t see what the rest of us see: that Moses Moody should start at the 2, with Stef, Kuminga, Dray and TJD the other starters. With Moody’s outside shooting, which is measurably better than Wiggins and has been for a couple of years and solid defense, he is a better fit at the 2 than Wiggins. Wiggins played great off the bench (and played better than when he started) and while overall Wiggins is a better defender, the 2 is not his natural position.
The numbers bear this out, but Kerr is too stubborn and just won’t start Moody because he still perceives Moody as a rookie. This happens a lot in the NBA, where perceptions change more slowly than reality. People still perceive Curry as the bad defender he used to be, not the average to good defender he is now. Moody is ready, but Kerr won’t see it.
There were articles the other day quoting Stef saying some players won’t be happy with their minutes, as there are 13 players worthy of being in the rotation, and that you can’t have a 13 player rotation, but history says otherwise. The 2015 Warriors came at their opponents in waves, and their closing 5 were well rested in the fourth quarter. This is a tremendous advantage in the closing minutes, particularly against teams with a thin bench who have to play their starters long minutes. Fatigue leads to mistakes, even in great players, and in a game where a slow step leads to a score, a deep bench provides a great advantage. The team also can afford to give players a rest. Melton will need rest days to preserve his back, and Stef and Dray will need rest and less minutes to preserve their health for the playoffs. With the physical way Poz plays, a day off will do him good.
With practice, the players will learn they don’t have to conserve energy. They can run, run, and run, full bore all the time, and play defense like their hair is on fire, knowing they will be able to catch their breath when the next guy comes in.
In defense of Kerr’s genius, putting Kyle Anderson at the 5 (or point 4) is in point. During the preseason, when Anderson ran the point from the 5, the offense was unlocked. Flow was achieved. It was really fun to watch.
Finally I was harsh on Dunleavy in a prior comment, because the preseason showed he picked up very good players. Post, in particular, was a surprise as one would expect a 7 footer picked up late in the second round to be a stiff. But Post has more fluidity to his game. And besides his outside shooting (his shots were not falling but most were very close), he has been able to get to his defensive spots in a timely manner, and his height makes a difference.
Lundy Waters also has impressed. He moves well without the ball and plays goid defense. Neither player will crack this rotation, but both can play minutes if the need arises.
it is hard to judge a team by a preseason win/loss record, especially with this team. Opponents are playing rookies and free agents to see what they have, and the Dubs have no scrubs to play. But this year, the Dubs are playing better team defense, with help coming at the right time, and better transition defense, unlike last year, when in preseason players were strolling down the court, resulting in 5 on 3’s (In a prior article, I pointed that out last preseason with the Splash Brothers strolling, no less. It came as no surprise that the Dubs had the 4th worst transition defense because how you practice is how you play). With scoring (Heid, Waters) playmaking (Anderson, Poz) and defense (Melton) off the bench, this team will surprise many during the regular season
