Words of Wiseman; Poole says “James is going to be A-okay”

[+more from Kerr/Looney/Klay, Spurs/Suns notes/quotes/video]

Ten days ago the Golden State Warriors had their first practice back home after the 0-5 road trip and one day off. Since then they have beaten the Sacramento Kings at home, taken three days off, beaten the Cleveland Cavaliers, lost to the same Kings but in Sacramento, and beaten the San Antonio Spurs.

That Sunday, November 6, 2022 was the same press conference where Klay Thompson kicked back in his chair during the interview from the 9th Floor “Sky Bar” at Chase Center. After practice Steve Kerr, Kevon Looney and then Klay all talked about James Wiseman and his struggles. Pay particular attention to Looney’s anecdotes of coming up as a big, see below.

Below these Wiseman-related quotes (transcribed by me), are all the other notes and quotes since the Spurs game, listed in reverse chronological order to catch you up through this morning’s shootaround at the Phoenix Suns:

STEVE, LOON & KLAY ON WISE

• Steve Kerr on Wiseman: “It’s gonna take a lot of reps and time but I see a really talented young guy who’s eager to learn, who is committed to the team who has overcome an awful lot to get to this point, dealing with his injury for over a year...we have to help him because modern life is unforgiving. People don’t take account into organic growth, everyone wants results right now. It’s not gonna be that way especially for a big guy with little experience. It takes a little bit longer for big guys to adjust to the NBA game and if you play three college games then you got a lot more to learn. He’s got plenty to learn but he’s a willing learner. We’re gonna take our time and I have no doubt long-term he’s gonna be a very good player.”

• Kerr on Wiseman hanging his head sometimes after a bad play: “That’s a focus of ours, with everybody, next play mentality. But it’s especially so with a young guy struggling, taking flak. That’s where the support really comes into play. The players, coaches, we’re all in his corner. Everybody has so much respect for James given how he carries himself, how badly he wants this but there’s not short-cutting the process of development so he’s gotta keep going.”

• Kerr on why it takes big men longer to adapt to the NBA: “When you’re a big guy you’re anchoring true defense and there’s a lot to (that). Guards’ responsibilities are more focused on the guy that you’re guarding…as a big guy you’re sort of the middle linebacker, you’re behind the play, you’re calling out coverages, you’re covering up for the guards’ mistakes. You gotta do all that quickly and if you don’t do it quickly you’re gonna foul somebody. You’re also trying to grow into a new body…the game is happening so quickly below you that the speed can be overwhelming, even for a guy who’s a great athlete like James, who’s very mobile and one of the fastest big guys in the league. So the experience leads to anticipation. Anticipation leads to being in a spot early. If you’re in a spot early, now you’re gonna make the right play. But that can only come with lots of reps.”

• On being excited by Wiseman’s putback dunk at New Orleans: “It’s exciting because he’s had the tendency to push off on offensive rebounds and just a little push, the refs are looking at that. That’s another part of James and all the young players is just to understand how NBA refs are taught. They’re taught to call certain things and that’s one of them. For James, he has to understand he can get leverage with his hip on the offensive board, but as soon as you extend your arms and shove the guy in front of you who’s boxing you out. It’s an automatic foul. So on that play he used his leverage…got the rebound, he went right back and emphatically slammed it, beautiful play. We’re gonna see that a lot in his future but, again, it’s just gonna take time.”

• Kerr on how hard it is being an anchor at the 5 for Wiseman: “It’s a tough job, but he’s getting better each game. He’s seeing the pictures, learning where to be at, learning the calls, learning his teammates, knowing what to expect from each guy, what they like to do on that side of the ball. So it takes a lot. It’s only been ten games. We’re still learning as a group, so it makes it tougher as a big when you got a lot of things going on. It’s been tough for everybody overall. I think we gotta do a better job of communication as a group, starting with me, Draymond, Wise, the bigs, setting that tone. But there’s gonna be growing pains, we’ve been struggling as a team (with) talking, so it ain’t just him. We all gotta get better in that area.”

• Kevon Looney on his own growing pains as the anchor of the defense: “It was tough. I was kind of in the right spot but I never used to say anything. I kinda didn’t know what to say (laughs). I knew where to be at, but I didn’t know what to say. As a big, you can’t be like that. You’ll get your guards killed on the screens and you put your guards in a tough spot. I remember every game I would be in a pick-and-roll with Andre (Iguodala). He would look at the screens coming and I wouldn’t say nothing and he would hit the screen on purpose and stare at me and say, “You gotta say something.” And so I had to learn through the fire just how James is. You need that experience. You get told to talk, but once it’s at game speed and everything’s going on, it gets real chaotic and you have to learn by experience.”

• Looney on the one or two things Wiseman should focus on: “For him and everybody else, it’s just our defense and rebounding. That’s something that we were really elite at last year and I think we took a step back to start this year off. That’s something we’ve been talking about as a group and that starts with the bigs. Me, him, Draymond and JaMychal, we have to set the tone in that area. That’s something that as a group of bigs we’ve really been talking about we’ve got to get better in and improve in that area.”

• On the young guys communicating better: “I think it starts in practice. You gotta get comfortable talking and being loud and being kind of obnoxious, especially at the big because there’s a lot of people at the rim, you’ve got to kind of like tell everything…get used to talking in front of groups and people, and being confident in what you’re saying. A lot of times, as a young guy, you’re not kinda confident in what’s going on because you don’t really know if you’re saying the right thing or if you’re in the right spot, if you’re doing it right. But you gotta be confident…even if you’re not making the right call you gotta say something so if you’re doing it wrong, at least you’re all doing it wrong together, you’re not on separate pages. That’s something at we need to improve on. We’re making steps each game, talking better, but we’re still a long ways from where we want to be at. We had a great practice today. We did a lot of talking. We had a shell drill, getting after it on that end. We’re taking the right step.”

• Klay Thompson on how much Wiseman cares: “It’s so hard to stay patient as a young player…you’re already ahead of where Draymond, Steph and I were just being a 21-year-old in your third year…it’s easy to get discouraged but he hasn’t let that affect his work ethic and I think that’s what’s gonna make him special is, he shows up every day and is willing to get better. You love to see that maturity.”

MORNING SHOOTAROUND IN PHOENIX

NOTE: The Warriors honored the recent passing of rapper Takeoff by playing the track “To The Bone” by Quavo, Takeoff, and YoungBoy Never Broke Again.

DRAY & LOON IN PHOENIX

DISCLAIMER: These are all just notes for my main workflow of YouTube videos, tweeted by beatwriters, as listed, or transcribed by me. I used to transcribe every interview but it became too tedious and not worth the investment for the small amount of views we got on the soundbites on YouTube. The links to the tweets are not available because sometimes I don’t use the full tweet and just having a ton of tweets on this website imo isn’t aesthetically pleasing and gets away from the main goal: transferring information (not so much entertainment) to the brains of DubNation asap.

• Kevon Looney said he talked to James Wiseman about G-League stint and Wiseman was “good spirits” and added his message to Wiseman is, “go have fun, go dominate, show ‘em who you are.” Looney mainly wanted to keep Wiseman’s confidence up after losing spot in rotation and being sent down. (95.7 The Game)

• Draymond Green on tonight’s game: “It’s just a regular season game. We need wins so for that reason we’re excited about this game…I feel like there’s been a lot of talk about some rivalry or something… it’s a regular season game that we need to win because we haven’t won on road.” (95.7 The Game)

• On the 6-8 start: “We’ve lost some games that we should have won…games that we’ve historically won in situations we’ve historically won and we’ve given them away…you look at those games we gave away and all of a sudden you’re 8-6 at top of West in a logjam and it’s a totally different tone.” (95.7 The Game)

• Draymond likes what he’s seen from Jordan Poole in last three games: “He’s being a lot more aggressive and decisive with his decisions, not second guessing, taking that extra pause with the ball allowing the defense to get set on him. When he’s making quick decisions he’s tough to guard.” (95.7 The Game)

FILM: 64 THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

WISEMAN POSTGAME FROM LOCKER ROOM

• Wiseman politely declined comment in the locker room just now. (Tim Kawakami)

• Wiseman just talked to us for a bit … brief answers but did reconsider and talked. (Tim Kawakami)

• Couldn’t hear all of what he said, but Jordan Poole just gave James Wiseman what looked like a helluva pep talk. (Marcus Thompson)

Via Tim Kawakami of The Athletic:

Does he consider this another step backward in his career?

“No, it’s just basketball,” Wiseman said. “I’m just ready to go down there and hoop.”

Then later:

“I don’t look at it as a demotion or nothing. Going down there and just hoop.”

JP POSTGAME ON WISEMAN

• On the league cracking down on carrying and traveling violations: “All I ask for is consistency.” Does JP think they’re consistent? “No. But you just got to play through it.” (95.7 The Game)

• On Wiseman: “James is going to be A-OK. He’s talented. He’s curious. He’s hungry. He’s gifted. He’s humble. All the pieces you need to be successful…I told him it's not a demotion, it's not a punishment. He’s going to go down there and shoot as many shots as he wants, get as many touches as he wants, work on as many moves as he wants…He's talented, he's curious, he's hungry, he's gifted, he's humble and has all the pieces you need to be successful.” (KNBR, Madeline Kenney, Anthony Slater)

STEVE (ON WISE), LAMB, JK POSTGAME

• Wiseman will be assigned to Santa Cruz tomorrow, per Kerr, and will do an extended period to get some reps, for 10 days consecutively or longer: “He’s going to go to Santa Cruz (G League) tomorrow and we’ll keep him there for an extended period to get really good practice time…We want to give him maybe 10 straight days, something like that, and come back. We all know things happen in this league and he's gonna find his way back to the rotation at some point…What I love about James is he’s got incredible character and work ethic… I’m a huge believer long term he’s going to be a really good player but he needs reps.” (CJ Holmes, Marcus Thompson, Kendra Andrews, Dalton Johnson, Anthony Slater, 95.7 The Game, Kerith Burke)

• Anthony Lamb says he’s a player who’s always looking to create advantages for teammates. That’s how he sees his role: “I really view myself as a connector. When I’m at my best I know who’s on the floor with me, and I’m thinking about what I can to do get them open.” (Kylen Mills)

• Jonathan Kuminga on the uncertainty of a fringe rotation role: “The thing that makes it tough is the days you’re not playing. As much as you’re not playing, if you get thrown out there you have to catch up with the rest of the guys that have been playing.” (Anthony Slater, NBCSBA)

JP POSTGAME (START OF INTERVIEW)

• Jordan Poole on JaMychal Green at the 5: “good screener.” (me)

• On being more tentative or pass-first on the road: “You gotta just take what the defense gives you…luckily when have 82.” (me)

• On his bobblehead and having a good shooting night: “D’Lo had a bobblehead and Klay had a bobblehead…placed around the facility…the details, the shoes, the trophy, the diving board, flamingo, hair, mustache, everything was amazing. I’m blessed (to have a bobblehead).” (me)

• On a game like this and playing more with Steph: “Just go out there and play my game. Opportunities either present themselves or they don’t.” (me)

• On if the bench talks among each other: “Yeah we have discussions all the time…we got a new group…slowly but surely we’ll start to put it together.” (me)

MOSES POSTGAME

• Moses Moody: “I don’t really got a football team. I’ll rock with the Niners rn since I’m here.”

• On staying ready: “The number one thing is identifying the situation…(not) victimizing yourself.”

• On where that came from: “basketball can relate to life sometimes.”

• On his bounce: “Loon be messing with me, he said he could beat me in a dunk contest.”

• On advice from vets on his role: “Really just being solid…limiting mistakes.”

• On playing with Steph as a guard: “he opens up so much on the floor and he’s such an unselfish player…pay attention to the cuts that he makes…and average 32? That’s unbelievable.”

• On Wiseman: “he wants it…I don’t wanna talk like I got it figured out..,we’re all together in this.”

• On where his old soul vibe comes from: “just Southern…I be around with family and friends, we all kinda similar.”

STEVE POSTGAME (BEGINNING OF INTERVIEW)

• Steve Kerr recap of win vs Spurs: “It was an excellent performance by the team. We did a lot of the things we’ve been talking about. We defended without fouling, we moved the ball, took care of it for the most part and a lot of guys got rolling.” (Janie McCauley)

• Kerr says he has not thought about starting Jordan Poole permanently. He can play off of Curry, usually has a weaker defender on him and can play off Green and Looney’s screens. He's more concerned with finding the right combinations. “No, it’s not something I’m thinking about. Our starting five with Klay has been really really good this year. The bigger thing is finding the right combinations off the bench…The game is easier for (Jordan) when he starts, for sure.” (Jason Dumas, Kerith Burke, Dalton Johnson, Shayna Rubin, Kendra Andrews)

• On JaMychal Green: has to be part of the rotation moving forward, playing more at the five than a four, and he could help get Poole going with the second unit. “I don't feel I put JaMychal in a good position to succeed in the early going…I need to play him. I haven’t done him any favors.” Said he's more of a 5 and needs shooting around him to be the most effective. (Madeline Kenney, CJ Holmes, Anthony Slater)

PREGAME, IN-GAME, POSTGAME TOPICS

0:00 Steve Kerr pregame notes/audio

9:30 Gregg Popovich pregame on Run TMC

14:00 why are we so judgmental on Kuminga when he's only averaging 13 mpg? Imagine if you were on an AAU team (5-minute diatribe)

27:00 JD John Dickson of 95.7 is doing 6 games in a row

29:30 Donte hit 7 straight in pregame at SAC from the left corner then he splashed one in the game from the exact location

48:00 5min30 17(19)-13 Wiggins and Poole play good defense, JP scores easy layup

53:30 1min50 21(24)-20 extra pass Lamb via JK (Moody splash)

1:09:00 Donte's nifty move, JK part of this movement offense, pretty good defense (inspired)

1:13:00 Steph mad at himself for missing a three (?), idk it's cool to me when he demands his own perfection

1:34:30 analyzing JP's defense: it's a bit easier when you're playing with the first unit

1:36:00 sometimes you get kinda lucky with your environment (JP's defense)

1:44:15 JP wanted to go between the legs after the steal on the outlet from Poeltl

1:47:15 me trying to teach everyone that there's no such as rejection (Mitch Richmond?!)

1:50:30 KLAY AUDIO

2:00:50 Lamb was still talking to Steph about strategy at 3min09 Q3

2:05:00 I tried to start a "We Want James!" chant via Bruce Maro who is at Chase

2:26:00 recap: JP playing with first team has so many advantages

2:39:00 Lamb is now shooting 11/21 on threes this year wow

2:56:15 actually Lamb was 5/6 tonight so he's 12/22 on the year (55%)

3:06:00 KERR POSTGAME

3:12:00 Wiseman to go to G League (my bad, I felt that wasn't gonna happen due to lack of 5s in the G, but maybe there are some quality 5s to play against coming up, or maybe that doesn't matter)

3:19:00 JK POSTGAME

3:28:45 JP POSTGAME

3:39:30 MOODY POSTGAME

3:50:00 I don't like the take that "Steph can't do this every night", he'll be the first one to tell you that he's more than happy to try and do that but only if he needs to, and of course the team comes first, he's hoping for team wins ofc

4:03:00 MORE KERR POSTGAME, maybe also Lamb

4:24:00 replay Moody postgame so I can jot down notes and quotes

4:31:00 let's take a look at Wiseman's G League matchups coming up

4:39:00 SIX STRAIGHT LIVESTREAMS COMING UP BETWEEN GSW AND SCW FOR WISEMAN

STEVE PREGAME SPURS

• Steve Kerr on overall state of the team: “all these losses are a possession or two away from being wins. You can’t get too carried away with every decision and every lineup combination…what can we do to take care of the easy stuff…how do you take away the 15 or 20 points that are hanging in the balance…transition defense, not fouling. Watching the tape, we’re making so many mistakes defensively, but we’re right there…we need our vets to be more solid…that’ll allow some different combinations…not sharp enough to earn these close losses.”

• On Steph talking about the “meat of the game: “To be fair, the non-Steph minutes have been an issue for us every year…what we’ve had is our defense to hold down the fort (in previous years)…I think what’s happening right now is our defense isn’t good no matter who’s out on the floor. (KNBR, me)

• Kerr on player availability vs Spurs: “No Klay. Everybody else is ready to go.” Jordan Poole will start in Thompson's place. (KNBR, CJ Holmes)

• On if Poole is more comfortable with Steph: “he doesn’t have the best guy on him (when JP plays with Curry)…I think he’s pressing a little bit…I’ve got to do a better job as coach…helping him.” (me)

• On Twitter and talk radio: “I’m able to listen to the advice of my assistant coaches and players and that’s good enough…mean tweets? (Chuckles)” (me)

• On if this start is a surprise: “I don’t think we knew what to expect…it’s just gonna take some time. It’s a mistake to sort of issue any proclamations at this point.” (me)

• On Livingston helping JP with the second unit: (yes). (me)

• On the impact of the Spurs (50th anniversary) on his career.

• On lineups with Draymond at center being less successful: “Traditionally he’s been amazing in that role but nothing is as it should be yet for us. Even our small ball lineup…we’re plugging away…keep encouraging our guys…we’re not connected yet, we haven’t found traction and that momentum that comes when we’re connected.”

• The Warriors are pausing all FTX-related promotional assets after tonight’s Jordan Poole bobblehead, which was planned far in advance to last week’s news, team says. (Madeline Kenney)

POPOVICH & SEAN ELLIOTT PREGAME

SPURS PREGAME WITH RUN TMC

• “What drew you guys to each other when you first met?” Mitch Richmond: “Good looks.” Mitch said they had chemistry right away, & they’d play full-court one-on-one for fun until Nelly kicked them off the court. (Kerith Burke)

• News item from Run TMC pregame press conference: Chris Mullin’s ringtone is Hotel California by the Eagles. (Danny Emerman)

👍👍💛💙