Warriors offseason musings: Commit to Jonathan Kuminga, or set him free
Is Jonathan Kuminga a bad fit for coach Steve Kerr's system, or has Kerr simply not shown enough faith in this young potential star? Fun debate, but it has gone on long enough. Time for Kerr, general manager Mike Dunleavy and team owner Joe Lacob either to fully commit to Kuminga or to set him free. The guess here: He's gone. 'He' being Kuminga.
A favorite sight during every game: Timeout, and guard Buddy Hield saunters onto the court, picks up the game ball and, as dancers and others cavort around him, takes some shots. Oops, here comes a ref, who takes the ball from Buddy, like a schoolteacher confiscating the comic book you were hiding inside your textbook.
Who will be the next Warriors' assistant coach stolen away? It's a long list, including Mike Brown and Kenny Atkinson, this season's Coach of the Year. Jerry Stackhouse is kind of old at 50, but a recognized defensive guru, and a lot of teams would like to get their hands on him.
You know you've been in a town too long when the barista at your go-to coffee shop remembers your name and your order.
Playoff Jimmy was impressive, but so was Driftoff Jimmy. Two hours after home games, Jimmy Butler's evening is just beginning. He blows out the scented candle at his dressing cubicle, chats amiably with the media, then drifts off into the night, looking for some serious dominoes action and a cup of gourmet coffee. Midnight coffee and dominoes?
Can't wait to watch Stephen Curry's quest for another title continue … at the American Century Golf Championship (July 9-13) at South Lake Tahoe. Golf will be a vital element in Curry's rehab of his injured right thumb and left hammy.
Yes, it is fun to be a writer on the playoff trail. One tough part: walking past the Warriors' buffet spread outside their locker room after road games. This ain't the old days of hot dogs and pizza. One night in Houston, the Warriors' spread was catered by Morton's, so Steph and the fellas are grabbing $69 wagyu filets while we ink-stained wretches are hoping we remembered to stash away a box of stale popcorn to inspire the prose.
How would Steven Adams look in a Warriors' uniform? He's got another season on his Rockets' contract, but there's a guy the Warriors could use for 20 minutes a night.
You kids want to copy the mannerisms of your NBA heroes? Forget the posturing, camera-mugging, head-snap flopping and crybabying. Watch Butler. When he's called for a foul, zero reaction. OK, on rare occasion. After one whistle, Butler gave a momentary look of disbelief, then quickly put his game face back on and held up an index finger as if to tell the ref, 'Cool, but you owe me one.'
There is nothing sillier than the pregame lineup intros at every NBA arena, including Chase Center. The visiting team starters are announced as if the PA hype man has just been handed a list of five men arrested for lewd behavior at the Greyhound station.
One more get-off-my-lawn complaint: Why do we need deafeningly loud 'music' while the game is under way? So cornball and annoying. Some fans have never heard the lovely screech of sneakers. … You may now resume trespassing on my lawn.
One reason Pat Spencer (restricted free agent) will probably be around next season: The Warriors believe he can play, and they kind of like his edge. In Game 2 of the Houston series, during a chippy exchange between the teams, Rockets' forward Tari Eason tossed a towel in Spencer's face, incurring a tech. Spencer walked by Eason and said, 'I'm going to (mess) you up.'
Keep hearing a buzz about Giannis Antetokounmpo winding up with the San Antonio Spurs, paired with Victor Wembanyama. Now that's some scary stuff.
Remember when the league was going to clean up the flopping? Remember when the league was going to eliminate the lean-in foul, where a shooter illegally lunges into his defender and is awarded free throws? Well, the league did eliminate those things, for about five minutes.
One thing the NBA didn't mess up: About five years ago the league floated the idea of modernizing its logo, ditching the silhouette of Jerry West. What a mistake that would have been. Nobody repped NBA basketball better, on a deeper level, than West, whose spirit — and logo — continues to hover over the league, and over the Warriors.
Poignant playoff moment: Butler grew up a short haul from Houston, and it's always fun to hear a local athlete talk about how as a kid he would go to the home team's games. After Game 2 in Houston, Butler was asked to recall his memories of Rockets' games as a youngster. Butler said quietly, 'We couldn't afford games when I was a kid.'
Nice work by Chronicle history-digger Peter Hartlaub, unearthing photos and quotes from Curry's first days as a Warrior, back in 2009. Said the smooth-cheeked and underfed Curry back then: 'I'm confident the Warriors are going to help me get bigger and stronger.' … Funny, it turned out to be the other way around.
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