As a source of aggravation, the NBA salary cap never fails to provide. Its rules and regulations are so intricate that even the most dedicated experts feel compelled to consult so-called “capologists” to ensure an accurate shot.
Now this deeply flawed system is about to deal a crippling blow to the Golden State Warriors. For no other reason than they are too good they are about to lose
Andrew Wiggins
.
If you have followed this sordid story, you understand the dilemma: with a lot of money invested in
Stephen Curry
,
Dramond Green
Y
klay thompson
and long overdue commitments
jordan poole
Y
Kevin Looney
a particularly stifling “luxury tax” (in quotes because it’s so ridiculous) will force Golden State to cut wages, and as our Connor Letourneau reported, “the most logical way is to trade Wiggins before he hits unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2023.”
This is outrageous, inexcusable, and a shining example of how corporate America should not being executed Imagine your workplace soaring to success behind a three-person executive-level effort, with nothing but good times ahead. But wait a minute; some higher power decides this isn’t fair. Let’s eliminate one of those people, maybe we’ll give the struggling competition a chance.
The general idea of a salary cap is to level the playing field, preventing rich clubs from spending lavishly to get to the top. The Warriors are firmly lodged among the upper class, but they earned that status through sheer smarts: They drafted all five of the players mentioned above and made some life-changing trades for them, most notably for
Andre Iguodala
(the first time) and Wiggins (sending D’Angelo Russell to Minnesota for Wiggins and a first-round pick that turned out to be
jonathan kuminga
– one of the best deals in franchise history).
If the Warriors find it necessary to carve out an obscenely large payroll to keep this group together — a price tag of more than $400 million for 2023-24 due to the luxury tax — they’ve earned that right. Only a very twisted world finds that they possibly have to split the team; casualties could also include
Gary Payton II
Y
Otto Porter Jr.
— because they’ve outsmarted the competition for years.
Being traded would be a discouraging development for Wiggins, who has unlocked his true potential in the Warriors’ system and owes it all to “the culture, the people, the organization, most importantly, just being surrounded by winners,” as he put it. Recently. The Warriors can only marvel at his rise, with Thompson noting that “you can’t teach that athleticism. You can’t teach that length. You can’t show him his time. I am happy that the world can see who he really is.”
Enjoy it while you can, before the NBA storms in with The Big Book of Nonsense.
Warrior Draft
As the nba.com staff put together mock drafts from 12 trusted outlets, two players stood out on the Warriors winger. Four of those organizations have Golden State using their No. 28 pick in bryce mcgowens, the 6-foot-7 Nebraska freshman guard known for his clean shot and quick shots to the basket. Three others left with Christian Kolok, the 7-1 Arizona center who made a big impression in the NCAA Tournament with his mobility and defense. … In the long history of NBA drafts and the first overall pick, there has never been a player who didn’t look good. by Gonzaga Chet Holmgren — magnificently talented but alarmingly thin — would be the first, if Orlando makes that decision. Holmgren looks tough enough to handle some aggressive NBA hitting, he’ll be relentless, but several scouts think Auburn Jabari Smith or duke paolo banchero it would be a safer call. … Warriors have no regrets about losing youth centers marchioness chriss, Willie Cauley-Stein Y Damian Jones in recent years. chris boucher, waived in 2018 after playing just one game for Golden State, could be another story. Running the floor with great purpose and protecting the rim, he was big for Toronto in its first-round playoff loss to Philadelphia, blocking seven shots and averaging 11.2 points and 5.8 rebounds in 21.6 minutes.
Announcer for the San Francisco Giants duane küiper took a rare road trip to Denver this week, with David Fleming working for ESPN at the PGA Championship, but “loss of voice, sore throat and general filth,” as he put it, occurred to him after Monday night’s opener and had to fly home. “I’m sure it’s from holding, hugging and kissing two granddaughters with runny noses,” he said with a laugh. “I would not change anything. Also, the altitude and the planes don’t help!” Kuiper took Friday night off, but he’s supposed to be back in the booth for Saturday’s home game against San Diego. … Major League Baseball has the power to unilaterally implement shot clocks next season, and it seems like a great possibility. At the Triple-A level of the minor leagues, the clock is reduced from 14 seconds with no base and 19 seconds with runners, and it has been common to see game times reduced by about 20 minutes with the clocks in place. Effective change can only come through enforcement by umpires, who in the past have been reluctant to penalize time-wasting pitchers and batters, but it looks pretty strict in Sacramento. Luis Gonzalez, recently shipped by the Giants before being called up Friday, was assessed as automatic strikes in two separate at-bats Wednesday while remaining out of the box. … It’s good to hear that the Pac-12 has ditched divisions for the upcoming football season, securing the best possible conference title game. Even better, and I know this falls under the “Dream On” category, send schools in Colorado, Utah, and Arizona into a separate geographic alignment and restore the old Pac-8, Pacific Coast landscape. How perfect: play each of the other seven teams each season and fill the schedule with non-conference games against Power Five level teams.
A lot of hard work paid off this week when the US women’s soccer team achieved equal pay with the men. What a shame that it took about 25 years. Equality was evident from the moment mia hamm, kristine lily, michelle akers, Brandy Chastain and so many others captured the nation’s attention in the late 1990s. They were twice as attractive and popular as American men, and that hasn’t changed. … Speaking of endearing athletes, many Giants fans were bummed to learn that mauritius dubon was negotiated. He has made it clear that he is happy to be in Houston with coach dusty baker (a family friend for years in the Sacramento area), but the Astros’ infield is loaded: props Jose Altuve Y Alex Bregman and now a rookie shortstop, Jeremy Pena, labeled by several teammates as a “future superstar”. Dubon will have a better chance of getting an occasional start in the outfield. … Here’s to the retirement of joe panic, who etched his name in Giants lore as a World Series champion, All-Star, Gold Glove winner and .300 hitter (.305 and .312 in his first two seasons). There’s a classic photo in a hallway at the Giants’ spring training stadium in Scottsdale, showing Panik in the air as he threw the ball to shortstop. Brandon Crawford in that epic World Series double play in 2014. He also made a lot of friends along the way. Several years ago, a high school prospect from my area (Half Moon Bay) made a recruiting visit to St. John’s. Strictly by accident, he ran into Panik, who played for the New York school before being drafted by the Giants. But he wasn’t just “nice to meet you.” Panik spent an entire afternoon showing her around. The boy ended up somewhere else, but with memories for a lifetime.
Bruce Jenkins writes 3-Dot Lounge for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected]. Twitter: @Bruce_Jenkins1
Reference-www.sfchronicle.com