#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

Thanks for joining us for the Golden State Warriors Press Conference. Last season was a rough, but successful season. We finished with the worst record in franchise history, but we accomplished a lot: we traded all our older players for picks and received good value, we traded Lavar Ball for Jayson Tatum to get younger and more athletic, and we finished with the #1 spot in the draft lottery, right where we wanted to be. We were heading into the offseason with Tatum, Tua, the #1 spot in the lottery, and a bevy of future picks. The arrow was pointed sky high.

Unfortunately, the lottery did not go our way. We knew Sean Garcia would be a dream: Garcia, Tua, and Tatum would wreak havoc on the league. We were also excited about the potential of the #2 pick, Eloy Fritts, as we thought his and Tatum's athleticism on the wing could be devastating, which could open the door to trading Tua for a bigger piece. We knew going into the draft lottery that we had a 50% chance of coming out extremely happy. Instead, we tumbled to the 4th spot, where we took what the draft left us, which is ultra-quick guard, Collin Sexton. I have no doubt Sexton will be a fine player in our league and will carve out a niche with a nice TC, but drafting him left me with a predicament: I don't like going into RFA with guys I don't plan on maxing. Plus, I then had 3 young wings in Sexton, Tua, and Tatum. At least one had to go.

I believe in being candid when it comes to this league and press conferences, so I want to explain a couple of things honestly about my decisions to win now this season and maybe answer a couple of the obvious questions first.

First, why trade now? I had a good young core, why move it for 30 year olds? Well that first goes back to the point where I don't like going into RFA with guys I don't want to max. I think it tends to overpay them a bit, and I really only want to be paying big money to stars. So that explains Sexton. But why move him now? Well, I'm of the opinion that with every passing year, rookie contracts lose a little bit of their luster. People see what they can do in the real NBA, and they get closer to getting paid in RFA. As for Tua, when I found out I could potentially get Paul George and another guy like Gordon Hayward, all while keeping Jayson Tatum, it set up a vision for me where we can compete for a championship for the next 2 years then, without much of a hiccup, pivot to Jayson Tatum after he gets paid as our superstar. I saw a scenario where we can be surefire contenders for the next 6 seasons, and, while it meant moving our young core and picks, we kept the most important future piece.

So with that, we shifted our attention to this season: we moved on from Stark and some supporting pieces to trade for Marcus Smart, and All-NBA-level defender at the point guard. We signed Greg Oden to anchor our defense and rebounding for the 20 minutes he'll actually play before he fouls out. We signed Tyson Chandler as a role player, and we return Jay Adkins from last season.

We anticipate the starting lineup being Smart, George, Hayward, Kuntz, and Oden with Tatum playing heavy minutes off the bench. Adkins and Chandler will split backup big minutes while Tatum will soak up almost all of the backup guard and forward minutes. The great part about this team is its versatility. We have guys who can play multiple positions and defend each of them well. We'll mix and match throughout the season, and we'll be tough to gameplan against in the playoffs.

Our goals are lofty, but not unreasonable: we want to have a chance to bring home a 4th championship to Golden State. We have the talent and versatility necessary, and I think overall, this will be an exciting season.

With that, we'll open the floor to questions.

Rumors coming from across the Bay are that the Warriors traded to win now so they wouldn't have to try and compete with the Kings down the road. CARE TO COMMENT?

GWR: Have you given any thought to starting Tatum and making Hayward a three-position super sub?

NOLa. wrote: Fri Apr 20, 2018 10:22 am Rumors coming from across the Bay are that the Warriors traded to win now so they wouldn't have to try and compete with the Kings down the road. CARE TO COMMENT?

I heard the Kings decided to stay young knowing what the Warriors had in store, but who am I to say?

JNR wrote: Fri Apr 20, 2018 10:25 am GWR: Have you given any thought to starting Tatum and making Hayward a three-position super sub?

I've considered a lot, including that. My initial thinking however is that Tatum can't defend well at all right now and can come in against backups and shoot as much as he'd like. I'd rather have Hayward guarding starters to begin the game, but we'll certainly be experimenting throughout the year.

Do you believe that this year's squad is capable of dethroning the Suns as the top team in the West?

Bowtothebill23 wrote: Fri Apr 20, 2018 10:38 am

NOLa. wrote: Fri Apr 20, 2018 10:22 am Rumors coming from across the Bay are that the Warriors traded to win now so they wouldn't have to try and compete with the Kings down the road. CARE TO COMMENT?

I heard the Kings decided to stay young knowing what the Warriors had in store, but who am I to say?

Jay Adkins was a surprise all-star last year and yet you brought in reinforcements in Chandler and Oden. Do you expect him to have another all-star showing now that he has more help?

Do you think Gordon Hayward could still work in the Point Guard spot in certain situations like he did with the 76ers?

Does not having a traditional, pass-first, point guard concern you at all with this roster? Will Charles Kuntz see the court at all with the mass of wings added onto the team this past offseason ahead?

Is there any worry that having two ball-dominant, win-now players in George and Hayward for the forseeable future could actually stunt Tatum's growth on the offensive end?

Wombataholic wrote: Fri Apr 20, 2018 10:54 am Do you believe that this year's squad is capable of dethroning the Suns as the top team in the West?

I think we are capable, but I’d have to coach my ass off. It’s really hard to beat the best the best player in the series, but I think we have the second and 3rd best.

WigNosy wrote: Fri Apr 20, 2018 11:18 am Jay Adkins was a surprise all-star last year and yet you brought in reinforcements in Chandler and Oden. Do you expect him to have another all-star showing now that he has more help?

Jay was a fantastic pickup for us last year. With more depth, I don’t expect him to play as much, but I think he’s the perfect backup big. He’s a great scorer and good defender, and his lack of rebounding hopefully won’t be as big an issue.

garbageman wrote: Fri Apr 20, 2018 11:43 am Do you think Gordon Hayward could still work in the Point Guard spot in certain situations like he did with the 76ers?

The goal was for Gordon to come in and play the 1-4. But with Gordon’s drop in quickness, I don’t think playing the point for significant minutes is a feasible option. He can still rotate sparingly, but not as much as we’d hoped.

NickMalone77 wrote: Sat Apr 21, 2018 10:23 am Does not having a traditional, pass-first, point guard concern you at all with this roster? Will Charles Kuntz see the court at all with the mass of wings added onto the team this past offseason ahead?

It doesn’t concern me because we have a lot of guys who can create their own shot. I think Marcus Smart will do a fine job in initiating the offense but not necessarily running the offense. As for Kuntz, I think he’ll start at the 4 at least at first. He might see a decrease in minutes with the amount of wing minutes we need to see, but he’ll have a rotation spot.

Xist2Inspire wrote: Mon Apr 23, 2018 7:20 am Is there any worry that having two ball-dominant, win-now players in George and Hayward for the forseeable future could actually stunt Tatum's growth on the offensive end?

I don’t think so. I don’t think Tatum is suited for a primary option just yet, but I think he can be an excellent 3rd option who will transition to a first option within the next couple of years.