That's why James was interviewed and said he wanted to join the Warriors?
In los Angeles before the season, the venue known as staples center at the time, a night that seemed ordinary to others. However, this is crucial for the Warriors' 2021-22 roster for the 15th man position. The final decision was between Avery Bradley and Gary Payton II. The team's heroes favor Bradley as a famous player. The top wants Payton more, and they feel it's a treasure they've found. Another option is to don't want either, and keeping that free slot would help the team have millions of luxury taxes left. There was a heated discussion within the team.
A month before camp, Payton suffered a hernia injury and was unable to play, tilting the balance in Bradley's side. He was running out of time to get a place. To make sure he has a job in the NBA, Payton has to show his attitude. He persuaded the training team to tell them he was recovering well enough to play that night in Los Angeles, and it didn't matter how short it was.
He appeared at the end of the first quarter. In the 121 seconds he made this appearance, he completed a layup, a dunk and a layup. After a while, he deducted two more times, as well as a cover and a steal. His appearance that night — and his interview opportunity throughout the preseason — lasted only 11 minutes. He didn't even make a final appearance in the preseason. But the influence he played was talked about by people in the team. His style is so distinct.
During Payton's brief playing time, Stephen Curry once got up from his bench and turned to the crowd to look at Bob Myers, the chairman of basketball operations. He sat five rows behind the bench, flanked by a smiling Joe Lacob.
"Stephen turned around and gave me a 'okay, okay' look..." Miles shared the story this week, nodding his head and shrugging his shoulders and waving his hands to mimic curry's appearance at the time. I gave him a look like he was saying, 'Look, we're not fools. We understand that too. ’”
The Warriors are back in the Finals against the Celtics. Their revival means a lot to everyone up and down the team. Jobs are saved, future income is gained, inheritance is left, reputation is earned, and careers are guaranteed. The team's victory played a role in every way. This also includes their restructured and improved senior management.
For the Warriors' basketball operations team, this season is the season to prove itself. Ever since the Warriors lost to the Raptors in the 2019 Finals, the team's top brass has been questioned, provoked and ridiculed. Reaching the finals this time proves the clarity of their operational process, the success of new signings, the results of recent drafts, the rationality of the change in the personnel list, and the correctness of their work. Most importantly, it demonstrates the ambitions of their previously harshly treated double-timeline program , which they plan to draft, protect and nurture their future while chasing the championship in the present. Even their star players were originally skeptical of the plan.
'If it's a veteran, we would have loved to see the team add a lot of experience. Draymond Green recently spoke on his podcast Green Show. "But they think the complete opposite. Eventually, we came according to their plan. They are 100% correct. So you trust them, get them to take the highest salary in the NBA and say, 'No, we think we can do it this way, this is our route.' ’”
The excavation of Payton was initially due to Kent Lacob. The youngest son of the team CEO started out as scouting in the development league. The Warriors see Santa Cruz as a testing ground for their top brass. Ryan Atkinson used to be the manager there. He was later promoted to a more important position at the top of the Warriors, and Santa Cruz's manager was succeeded by another rising David Fatoki.
Kent and Atkinson nominated Payton to Nick Ullion, head of basketball operations. With the squad roster available, Miles always wanted to keep a few players from the development league as an alternative. He relies on the team of experts from these development alliances. When the Warriors sent away Markis Chris and Brad Warnamek before the 2021 trade deadline, their 14th man was left with no one to fill. So For the first time, Payton's name came into Myers' eyes.
"What kind of player is he? What do you think he's best about? Basic of these. Miles said. Then eventually I would agree to this recommendation. I can't pretend to see more Payton games than Kent. That's stupid. And it's arrogant and wrong. ”
For everyone at the expanded top, signing Payton is a win. From the trust Santa Cruz gave him, to San Francisco's top Ullion, to coach Steve Cole, who was persuaded by his former special assistant Ullion, they knew Payton was worth staying.
"They can question it." Miles said this about his players. "I also want to hear them question. But to say that they are unhappy because of it, or that we didn't give them what they wanted... It's a funny thing, but it's never been uncomfortable for anyone. In the last 10 years, no one in my memory has ever had an uncomfortable conversation. They will deliver on their promises. But so are we. I don't want to say that I'm justifying myself. We don't do everything right, but we do things that make questioning work some good. ”
On the day of the 2020 draft, Klay Thompson suffered a torn Achilles tendon. The Warriors stuck to their draft plan, picking James Wiseman with the second pick. But as a center forward, Wiseman couldn't immediately make up for the injured losses of their star defender. This led to drastic personnel changes in them. The Warriors have a trade exception worth 17.2 million that is about to expire in a few days. They still have vacancies in the flanks and a fleeting opportunity to give it a go. Use it up, or just lose it.
Joe Lacob spends money aggressively. As a boss, this trait of his is different from many other bosses and also provides more options for his upper echelons. Not only did he agree, but he even personally pushed for a trade exception in exchange for Kelly Oubre. After a 15-50 season, Lacob doesn't want to go through another losing season. Despite the huge luxury tax that would result in exchange for Oubre, Lacob was willing to fill the gap in their outer line. Oubre's talent and defensive prowess were the closest to Thompson in their opinion. But Warriors management will realize that not all problems can be solved with burning money.
"Running-in has always been an important factor." Steve Cole said. "Bill Bilic has a quote he used to use: 'You're not building a roster, you're building a team.'" ”
Oubre and the Warriors don't fit very well. Some people inside the team think maybe a better way to use him. Oubre always played well as the small fourth in the small and fast lineup. Just look at his season at Charlotte. Kerr most of the time lets him start as a shooting guard. But with Wiseman in The hands of Kerr, the rookie center is equally important. So playing small all the time is not an option.
"The hardest problem with Oubre is that there isn't enough time to make a decision." Miles said. "Preparation is important. The decision was made in a hurry due to Clay's Achilles tendon injury. I think if I want to criticize anything, it should be too instinctive. But this can also be seen on the positive side, because it shows that Joe is always willing to try. ”
The bigger problem is that both Oubre and Wiseman are playing with Coach Kerr, and it is also curry and Green's preference for a system of strong mobility, more passes, and smoother systems that do not match. The top has been looking for some talent, but they haven't been able to find the elements that made the Warriors so successful five years ago — David West's pass, Ian Clark's empty cut, Zaza Pachulia's toughness and Javier McKee's aerial work, these are the Warriors' style.
"We were never on the edge of a cliff." Miles said. "We have a lower tolerance rate than ever before, even though we're in the finals. When we had Kevin Durant, our fault tolerance was extremely high. And now it's not. So how do we create an advantage? Theoretically you can find an advantage. By developing players. ”
Switch perspectives and go back to the bad 2019-20 season. In the time away from the spotlight after this period of dynastic time, the Warriors' top brass was finally able to always look at all their operations and examine how best to complete the reorganization and modernization.
One of the reasons for the Oubre problem is the lack of data analysis. He rarely passes the ball and doesn't run much on the offensive end. The data already says it all, suggesting that he is unlikely to adapt to the system. But this warning was not taken too seriously, and the original intention of the eager transaction prevailed.
"In those five years, the main thing is to be consistent." Miles said. "I put a lot of effort into maintaining our wholeness. Kevin leaves, and Klay and Stephen are injured to break all that. The goal of that season wasn't to make the playoffs. So let's spend some time and effort on the process. That is to do analysis, coaching team, player development. I would say we're starting to think more deeply. ”
They found that not only did they lose weight as old-school-style management to two weighty old-school executives, Jerry West and Travis Schlenk, nor did they inject into the league's increasingly popular new-school analysis-focused approach.
On the recommendation of the prestigious Spurs president R.C. Buford, they hired Onis Saleh from San Antonio. Saleh is now the Warriors' new salary expert. In the past, the team's salary expert was concurrently the general counsel.
"Spurs are much more standardized in meetings and more intensive in handling affairs." Miles said. "So it's fantastic to have Onis. In terms of salary, he's just perfect. He strategizes. All of our employees love him. He was very smart and had a law degree. ”
The refurbished analytical division is led by Babel-Sidhu. Mike Dunllivi Jr. and Cork Lacob jr. are responsible for providing sidu with a platform to better integrate the results of his work into the team's decision-making. Senior management has asked Sidhu to hire a larger analysis team with plans to further expand the division.
Sidhu has created a formula of his own, which is currently used in multiple departments. It helped the Warriors plan out their free agent goals for last offseason. This new approach to analysis places particular emphasis on the targeting of Nemania-Bjelica and Otto Porter Jr.
'A lot of people don't think our off-season was a success because we only signed with a base salary. Miles said. "Actually we felt like we had what we wanted. This is mainly derived from data analysis and fit. It's new for us. ”
Assistant coach Mike Brown used Situ's formula to generate a defensive metric that measures each player. If they play a bad week, that metric goes down and Brown makes it public to the whole team. Many players believe that this strategy has increased the sense of responsibility within the team, which in turn has increased the efforts of the players on the defensive end.
Coach Kerr, who is known not to like doing data analysis, has also begun to fall in love with the expected shooting percentage as a pre-match indicator. Sidhu's analysis system predicts the chance of a shot to hit a shot based on the player's shooting area, recent defender, and other variables, thus measuring a player's consistent shooting percentage.
The resulting data, unlike traditional shooting percentages, is a more accurate representation of the type of shooting opportunity created and the quality of the offense on a given night. Kerr once referenced this figure in the media before a game against the Jazz. A Utah reporter asked Cole what data tracking system he was using. SportVU or Synergy? Or what other more complex system?
Cole looked a little puzzled.
"Uh-huh..." he said. Babel. ”
The warriors coaching team that works most closely with Sidu is Atkinson. Top brass gave Cole a list of assistant coach candidates who like data analytics last summer, and Atkinson was one of them.
"One of the reasons I brought Kenny in was his feelings about data analytics." Cole said. His previous data analysis assistant was Sammy Gellfind until he was poached by Detroit in 2018. "It's great to have Kenny connecting the coaching team and the data analytics department. He's really well-versed in these things. He's a data believer. I think this year is the first time we've reached a balance in that regard. ”
Jordan Poole breaks through the layup against Dallas (Jack Arent /NBAE via Getty Images)
Initially, in late 2018, the Warriors hired Mike Dunlliver Jr. as a professional scout. He lives in New York. As a veteran of 15 years and the son of an NBA coach, he played a reputation throughout the league that will be remembered for a lifetime. He happens to live in a place full of Alliance intelligence, where the Warriors lack insiders.
Miles used to be Dunllivi's agent. Apparently, their close friendship was crucial to hiring him and allowing him to quickly advance his status.
"To do this job, you really need a confidant." Cole said. He was once the general manager of Phoenix. "You really need someone you can talk to and rely on them. I know Mike is such a role for Bob. Mike is also smart, he used to play well and is familiar with the NBA. ”
After playing a few East Side games, Dunllivi immediately got a feel for his new profession. He began to seek to take on more responsibilities. He worked hard to finish his college basketball season and was sent out as scouting. The Warriors have sent high-level players across the country to watch various league games. Dunllivi was assigned the 2019 Big Ten Championship. Since that weekend, he has been a staunch supporter of Jordan Poole. He firmly believes that with the right training, Poole's technology, projection feel and creativity can be played out in the NBA.
He is not alone. Lamont Piterson and Reggie Rankin, the warriors' top scouts, also supported him, while Larry Harris, assistant general manager in charge of the Warriors draft, became a fan of Poole.
It's not that no one questions Poole. His college coach, John Bellein, was less vocal about Poole before the draft. Belein was already the Cavaliers' head coach by then, and they had the No. 26 pick. They skipped Poole and chose Dylan Wendler. This gave the Warriors' draft team a long test. But in the end, the top management agreed to choose Poole with the highest pick they had, the 28th pick.
Joe Lacob is probably involved in more drafts than any other boss. He attends trials, participates in interviews, and expresses his strong opinions. He has the right to dictate the decision. But everyone involved thought he was happy to listen and give his employees enough power.
For example, Lacob was originally interested in signing Corey Keyspert with the Warriors' No. 14 pick in 2021. He's even ready to dismiss the consensus of scouts and draft teams, both of whom argue that Trey Murphy is the better option. But in the end, none of this mattered, because Moses Moody dropped the 14th pick, and he was in the top ten in the Eyes of the Warriors.
Miles works in a similar way. Both he and Lacob will eventually make very personal decisions, shouldering all the praise and accusations of the public. But they also still make decisions in a very team way.
"The truth is that I've always 'talked the least, but finally.'" Miles said. "I don't want to influence your decisions, I don't want to intimidate others. I'll give you a complete platform to show you all the things you want to say. If I say at the beginning of the meeting which player I like the most, it will undoubtedly affect what others will say. ”
It's too early to judge the standards of Wiseman, Moody and Jonathan Cumminga in these three drafts. Cumminga and Moody look like they're already showing signs early. Wiseman has not been very healthy. His rookie season didn't play well. For the coach's part, Kerr admitted he "couldn't do better to put James in a more comfortable environment."
Next season, Wiseman's third season, will be crucial. The Warriors' top brass will always give their rookies three seasons to jump to conclusions. That's their strength, too, because Poole didn't break out until the third season.
Poole's rise was a key factor in the revival of the Warrior Dynasty. He was selected with 28 overall picks to be a decisive victory for the top brass, and Dun levy now holds prominent positions at the top. Even during the early struggles of Poole's career, Dunlliway was a staunch behind-the-scenes supporter, believing he deserved to be given enough patience.
His outburst also changed the evaluation of the Warriors' draft in recent years. The final leg of the first round, which has included center Damian Jones and flanker Jacob Evans, now looks much more successful after Poole and Kevin Looney grow up.
"It probably wasn't a popular choice at the time." Miles spoke about Poole's signing. "We have to have enough faith. Some people say we shouldn't do that because he's not very high in the mock draft. To be honest, these voices are very powerful. Just after completing the operation, I was rated AF, which is not good at all. We have heard these criticisms. ”
Dunllivi left New York in 2019 and moved to the Bay Area to devote himself to the warriors' top brass. He was always with the team. He went a lot of away games with the team. In some of the day-to-day real-time decisions, he is often dominant. In contrast, Harris, who lives in Dallas and works as a scout at the top. Dunllivi's promotion means the Warriors now need to find a new scout in the East. Scouting in the West is handled by Jonny West, a professional HR director based in Los Angeles.
Compared with the top personnel before the reorganization, Dunlivi's role is similar to Schlenk's. He is only lower in personnel decision-making than Miles, similar to Cork Lacob, who has his involvement in basketball and business. He looks more likely to inherit his father and take control of an entire team.
Dunllivi is not the only retired player hired by the Warriors in recent years. In 2020, the Warriors persuaded Sean Livingston to join the top. He is now in a higher position, on par with Cork Lacob, Dunlliver and Harris.
Livingston's position was crucial. He is the core veteran, the focal point between the coaching team and the administration. No one in the whole building was as seamless as he was.
"Sean could say to Bob, 'Hey, if you do that, Stephen will feel that way, and Draymond will think that way.'" Cole said. "This may not affect the actual operation, but it will affect the process. This will determine whether you do something or not. ”
Miles said they asked Livingston's opinion while weighing whether to choose three teenage lotto shows. Livingston was 19 when he boarded the Clippers and had played after Marco Jarric and Sam Kassel in previous seasons. Livingston's advice is to give a go for talent and believe that their culture can lead players through those bumpy roads. Livingston himself is an important part of this culture.
"His value is reflected in his presence, his maturity, his experience." Miles said. "We'll rely on him for everything. We talk about player development. How best to cultivate Cuminga? That meant he would talk to Cumminga. But he would also talk to Jamal (Jamal Maleella, head of player development), talk to Steve and say, 'That's how I used him.' That's how I prepared for him. That's what I told him. If Cumminga, Wiseman or Moody have been great in the first three years, he'll applaud them. ”
That's usually how the top works. Evaluations of all operations will wait weeks, months or years before they arrive, depending on the impact and results of the operation. But the end of the season is usually a valuable time to check.
And now the Warriors are back in the Finals. Many people may not believe they will come back, and the top is often singled out as one of the reasons why they can't come back. But now they are within reach of a fourth title, their vibrant core is still elite, and there are plenty of young talents to secure their future.
It looks like Miles was right. They are not fools. They know it.
"This team is obviously bigger." Joe Lacob said. "We added a lot of depth along the way. People are becoming more and more experienced and more mature. These people are also growing. They'll get positions elsewhere. Just like our coaches. You'll expect that. But our principles remain the same and have always operated according to them. I'm still here. Bob has been around for ten years. Eight years for Steve. Cork and I have been together for 12 years. It's still the same team. We're just constantly adding strength, just like any good team. ”