Dub Hub: Klay Thompson ‘excited’ to run the second unit with Chris Paul

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Tuesday, February 27th.

Warriors News:

Klay Thompson discusses his expectations for Chris Paul’s return

Kawakami: How Chris Paul’s return can really help the Warriors, and how it probably can’t | The Athletic

Paul got heavy minutes to start the season because he was needed, because everything else was so scattered and he was an oasis of calm offensive leadership, especially in the hurly-burly of Draymond’s early injury and two suspensions, Wiggins and Klay’s staggering starts and Kuminga’s climb into the rotation after some iffy moments. But … those things have all changed in a very positive direction while CP3 has been out.

For now, the Warriors know that Paul will lead the second unit in the 14 or so minutes when Curry rests. And Kerr traditionally plays his backup point guard alongside Curry for a few stints a half, the way Lester Quiñones has been deployed recently. But that’s still only a maximum of 20 minutes or so per game, if CP3 isn’t closing regularly. And at the moment, he’s not guaranteed a spot in the finishing group.

Warriors are rising, but they’re not yet ready for West’s elite | NBC Sports Bay Area

Denver has a belief that comes from winning games with high consistency – the kind of belief the Warriors once had, for the same reason.

But being walked down is a feeling the Warriors are experiencing with remarkable frequency within the conference, particularly among the elite. They have lost leads of 15 and 22 points against the Los Angeles Clippers, an 18-point lead against the Oklahoma City Thunder and a 12-point lead against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Warriors are 2-12 against the top four in the West – Minnesota, OKC, Denver and the Clippers. They’re still in 10th place in the West, but their 16-21 conference record is considerably worse than all nine teams in front of them.

Jonathan Kuminga’s big improvement unlocked Warriors’ new Death Lineup | SB Nation

In a lot of ways, Kuminga plays basketball like a lite version of Zion Williamson (both in terms of production and weight). Kuminga uses the power, size, and speed he was blessed with to be a menace in the paint.

Since Jan. 30, Kuminga is fifth in the entire NBA in points in the paint (162 total points), behind only the best of the best in this practice. For Kuminga, most of these opportunities come through drives (first clip in the montage below), rolls (second clip), cuts (third), putbacks (fourth), transition forays (fifth), and quick-hitting post-ups (sixth).

Warriors To Offer No Ticket Fees For Final 10 Home Games of the 2023-24 Regular Season | NBA

The Golden State Warriors announced today that online service fees will be waived for single-game ticket purchases for the final 10 home games of the 2023-24 regular season beginning tomorrow, February 27, through Friday, March 1. The no fees offer does not include resale tickets.

Beginning tomorrow at 10 a.m., Chase cardholders will have exclusive access to the no ticket fees offer before becoming available to the general public at 2 p.m. The offer ends on Friday, March 1 at 10 p.m.

NBA News:

Pistons’ Monty Williams blasts officiating after late non-foul vs. Knicks: ‘The absolute worst call of the season’ | The Athletic

“We had a chance to win the game and the guy [DiVincenzo] dove into Ausar’s legs and there was a no call,” Williams said. “That’s an abomination.”

Crew chief James Williams, in the pool report after the game, said a loose ball foul should’ve been called on DiVincenzo.

“Upon postgame review, we determined that Thompson gets to the ball first, and then was deprived of the opportunity to gain possession of the ball,” Williams said to pool reporter Brian Mahoney of the AP. “Therefore, a loose ball foul should have been whistled on New York’s Donte DiVincenzo.”

Lowe: Why the LA Clippers decided it was time for a massive rebrand | ESPN

The color scheme is mostly classic Clippers, though with a new emphasis on navy blue. The ship is the centerpiece. There might be some snark about its semblance to a swimming shark, but the team is probably OK with that. The Clippers wanted the ship to look menacing — as if it were coming straight at you, officials said.

Knicks’ Jacob Toppin reveals what would have been his NBA Dunk Contest grand finale

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Chris Paul to return Tuesday vs. Wizards

Now the script has flipped. The starters have excelled, but the bench, missing the steady hand of CP3, has wavered.

Hopefully no more. Paul will stabilize the unit, which will now have two future Hall of Famers with Thompson moving — and thriving — in his new role. Steve Kerr has already asserted that Paul will play every meaningful minute that Curry is on the bench for (and presumably a good number of shared minutes, too), and you can’t overstate just how important that will be for the team.

Steve Kerr signs record-breaking 2-year extension

Despite the calls from a bizarrely pessimistic side of the internet, Steve Kerr is not going anywhere. While some rumors arose when the Golden State Warriors head coach entered the final year of his contract without a new deal lined up, those rumors will now be put to rest. On Friday, shortly before the team’s game against the Charlotte Hornets tipped off, Kerr’s agents told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the Warriors’ leader had signed a two-year, $35 million extension.

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