Sometimes the biggest story from a 51-point blowout has very little to do with the final score. The Warriors dismantled the New Orleans Pelicans, 138-87, for their eighth consecutive victory on November 9, but one of the night's most intriguing developments came afterward, when former Warrior Jordan Poole was asked whether he’d consider returning to Golden State next summer.
His answer? An immediate "Yes." Followed by another "Yes."
Even more interesting, Joseph Dycus of the Bay Area News Group and Danny Emerman of The SF Standard subsequently reported that one Wardell Stephen Curry II and Draymond Green were open to a potential reunion, too. Check this entry on our free Discord server or "searchable knowledge-base” for some quotes from Draymond.
That raises some fascinating questions about the Warriors’ Summer 2027 roster, available cap space, the declining market for certain veteran scoring guards and whether Poole’s game might flourish again alongside Curry.
We’re going to examine those possibilities in a separate, more detailed LGW article coming up, including the actual salary-cap mechanisms Golden State could use to bring Poole back. For now, it’s worth enjoying the exchanges that got us thinking about the possibility in the first place.
Below, we’ve collected our favorite quotes from six Warriors-Pelicans pregame and postgame Q&A sessions: Steve Kerr’s pregame press conference, followed by Yaxel Lendeborg, De’Anthony Melton, Brandin Podziemski and Poole, before closing with Kerr’s postgame availability. Curry himself was spared postgame media duties after playing just 21 minutes.
But also check out my new series: DETAIL recaps, where I go over specific plays and “hot takes” from our observations from each game — a particularly great way to relive all the memories of a resounding win that might just be a blur for you. Let me remind you of some of those moments in detail, such as Kerr giving love — not tough love, but extra love — to Lendeborg after a really, really bad missed weakside help assignment:
Incidentally, each DETAIL Recap is also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Each conversation below from pregame and postgame offers a different perspective on a team that has suddenly found considerable momentum. Full transcripts of all six sessions are available to paid subscribers below.
Steve Kerr Pregame
Perhaps the most revealing moment of Kerr’s pregame availability came when he was asked about the Warriors getting outrebounded 24-3 on the offensive glass against Orlando, despite ultimately winning in overtime. The question centered on whether Golden State could live with such a rebounding disadvantage when playing undersized lineups at the 4 and 5.
Steve didn’t dismiss the concern. Instead, he acknowledged that asking Draymond to battle bigger centers night after night is a difficult proposition, particularly with Kristaps Porzingis unavailable. He even floated the possibility of pairing Draymond with Al Horford in bigger lineups.
Well, I mean, it’s almost impossible to win a game when you lose the offensive boards 24-3. You have to have Steph Curry create a miracle to win that game which is what happened, so we’ve got to do better with that. We have to continue to experiment with lineups. I talked before the game the other night about Dray, without Kristaps, Dray’s become our full-time 5 with Al and (Charles) Bassey coming off the bench, so we probably have to look at some bigger lineups, maybe Al and Dray together because of the shooting with Al, but it’s definitely a concern. Watching that tape the other night was really alarming, the number of second chances they got and as tough and competitive as Dray is, it’s tough to ask him to guard the Wendell Carters of the world night after night and expect him to be able to keep all those guys off the glass, but that was really a group thing, group effort. We lost our way in that game. We got to find it again tonight because we’re gonna play another athletic team.
Yaxel postgame on Coach Jimmy
Our top quote from Yaxel’s postgame interview goes to his hilarious assessment of Jimmy Butler’s temporary coaching duties. With Butler wearing a coach’s sweater on the bench and holding up a clipboard that read “PASS TO STEPH,” Yaxel was asked what he learned from “Coach Jimmy.” His deadpan response was priceless, but what makes the moment even better is the contrast with his more serious comments later in the interview.
Yaxel explained how Butler has been teaching him the nuances of scoring, positioning and physicality, while also keeping the team’s energy high. Beneath the jokes is a genuine appreciation for Butler’s veteran leadership and a glimpse into the chemistry developing during Golden State’s seven-game winning streak, but first, Yaxel couldn’t resist giving his new coach a hard time:
I didn’t learn anything. All I learned was once you’re on the court with Steph, give Steph the ball. That’s all I learned. Bad coach by him, man.
Melt on B-Dub’s hamstring injury
The Warriors had just completed a six-game homestand with a 51-point blowout of the Pelicans, but Melton’s most memorable answer wasn’t about the winning streak. It was about Brandon Williams, who exited with a left hamstring injury.
Per Warriors PR, Williams will be re-evaluated in one week after an MRI revealed a mild hamstring strain, meaning B-Dub will miss at least the first three games of this upcoming five-game road trip. I would not expect him back by the end of the trip, though, as players typically have to scrimmage and build their conditioning back up before playing in an actual NBA game, based on my decade of being season-credentialed with the team and witnessing many a player coming bacl from injuries. Moreover, the Warriors end the trip with a back-to-back which might make it harder for the team to hold a scrimmage. Luca Evans of the SF Chronicle, though, did report that B-Dub would travel with the team.
Melton’s response postgame Pelicans stood out because he went beyond Williams’ on-court contributions to describe the enthusiasm and personality he brings to the locker room. Particularly revealing was Melton’s recollection of Williams saying, “I love this shit. Like, you gotta love this.”
For a team whose depth and chemistry have become defining characteristics of its recent success, the possibility of losing someone who embodies that enthusiasm adds a sobering dimension to an otherwise celebratory night.
Melton also described checking on Williams at halftime and speaking with him afterward, emphasizing that he intends to support his teammate mentally and physically. It’s a reminder that “Strength in Numbers” isn’t just about having enough healthy players to fill a rotation. It’s also about the relationships that make those players want to succeed together.
Man, it’s just tough. It’s just tough because, I mean, he was playing so well for us and it’s like I said, it’s just, he’s somebody that we need, you know what I mean? Just what he brings to the game and who he is as a person. Just no matter what, he’s before every game, whatever it is, he just, like, he just saying like, “I love this shit. Like, you gotta love this,” you know what I mean? So that type of stuff, I mean, it’s gonna hurt. I just I hate to see it happen to him, for sure, or to anybody really, but tried to find him right after at halftime and stuff like that, and got to chop it up with a little after the game. So I’m just gonna try to make sure I’m there for him mentally and physically. Hopefully it’s the shortest time possible and that’s all we can hope for, but it’s tough. It’s tough. And I mean, he was playing so well for us and it’s not over, but at the same time you just hate to see it happen like that.
Poole Party Part Deux?
The most consequential moment of JP’s emotional return to the Bay Area came when he was asked whether he’d consider playing for the Warriors again. Before the reporter could even finish the hypothetical question, Poole answered, “Yes.”
When pressed again, he repeated it without hesitation, but what followed was arguably even more revealing. Poole described Golden State as home, reflected on the championship he won alongside Curry and Green, and acknowledged that he’s approaching free agency after a difficult stretch involving multiple coaching and organizational changes. The significance goes beyond nostalgia, especially considering Dycus’s separate reporting in The Mercury News, excerpted on our Discord (of course!) that Green himself would welcome a reunion, calling the possibility “incredible.”
Given the complicated circumstances surrounding Poole’s 2023 departure, the apparent openness on both sides is noteworthy. None of this means a reunion is imminent or even being negotiated, but JP’s answer makes clear that the door, at least from his perspective, remains wide open.
It’s also clear from his words after answering the questions about possibly returning, that the last few years in Washington and New Orleans have been really tough.
Yes. I mean, this feels like home though, you know? Driving into the f—ing arena, crossing the Bay Bridge or wherever you’re coming from, it definitely feels natural and I think it’s pretty evident the way that I play is very fitting to how I used to play here. Nothing’s changed other than the system that I’m in. We won a championship so it works and it did work, and that’s what you ultimately want to do when you come out here and you play the game, so to answer your question, definitely. This is my last year on the deal and I’m a free agent at the end of the season, so you never really know what’s gonna happen. You gotta just figure out things as they go along, but if there’s any place that I’m comfortable, it’s probably where I started. So just gotta find ways to keep learning and try to make the best decisions for my future and figure out where that goes.”
Does JP's multiple use of the F word reveal his frustration with the last few years with bad teams? 🤔
Steve on Jimmy’s coaching debut
The Warriors have won eight straight games, swept their six-game homestand and suddenly have Kerr talking about becoming a legitimate championship contender, but perhaps nothing better captures the atmosphere around this team than Steve’s reaction to Jimmy’s impromptu coaching debut.
Kerr revealed that just five minutes before tipoff, he had suggested to assistant coach Khalid Robinson that they should convince Butler to dress like the coaching staff someday. Moments later, Butler emerged wearing a coach’s outfit without Robinson ever mentioning Kerr’s suggestion! Jimmy then proceeded to play the part, even writing “PASS TO STEPH” on his clipboard in blue marker.
The best part? Kerr recognized that Butler wasn’t merely pretending to coach. He was having a little fun at the coaches’ expense.
Here’s Kerr’s complete response when asked about Butler’s future coaching prospects:
I thought he looked great, really good-looking sweater. He said all the right things, team fouls, how many team fouls we had. Like, he was really acting the part, but I also realized he was mocking us, so it hurt a little bit.
The bigger question ahead
Taken together, these six conversations reveal a team that has built momentum through connected basketball, veteran leadership and a genuine sense of enjoyment.
They also leave us with an unexpected off-season storyline.
JP clearly remembers what it felt like to win in Golden State. Steph and Dray have publicly left the door open. And depending on the market for veteran scoring guards and how the Warriors manage their Summer 2027 cap sheet, bringing back a familiar contributor might be more financially realistic than it initially sounds.
That's the question we'll explore in our next LGW deep dive: Not merely whether DubNation wants another Poole Party, but what it would actually cost to make one happen.
In the meantime, our complete pregame and postgame transcripts follow below the embedded videos for paid subscribers. From Kerr’s lineup concerns to the coaching jokes and Poole’s emotional homecoming, there’s plenty here to revisit.
