- 13 minutes ago
Willard and Dibs discuss what Yaxel Lendeborg has changed for the Warriors franchise just five games into his NBA career.
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00:00LaMelo ball, drives down the lane, throws the ball away, turnover, Curry's got it, feeds Yaxel to the rack with
00:06a right-hand hammer!
00:08Oh my goodness!
00:11Steph Curry with the pass off the ball, turnover, and then Yaxel emphatically threw that down.
00:19Dub Nation, it's Yaxel on the board.
00:21My head coach, Steve Kerr, joins Willard and Dibbs every week on 95.7 The Game.
00:2922.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal.
00:37Those are the averages through 5 games.
00:39Okay, and so is that the bar that you're looking at as far as the Hall of Famers?
00:44No.
00:44Because I've seen a number of different tweets and measurements as far as this group has done this and this
00:51group has done that.
00:51I'm just wondering what you're basing your definitive statement off of.
00:55Like, what are those numbers?
00:57Okay, so, again, I don't, I don't, I'm sort of uncomfortable, like I don't want this painted as I'm saying
01:04he's going to be a Hall of Famer.
01:05I'm not saying that you're saying this.
01:06I just want to say that out loud so that people get it.
01:08What you're saying is that only 5 other players have done this.
01:11No, I didn't say a number.
01:13I didn't say 5 other players.
01:14You took that from somewhere else.
01:15You said every other player who's done this has been a Hall of Famer.
01:19What is this?
01:19That's what I want to know.
01:20It's a bunch of different things.
01:21Nobody has averaged this many points in rebounds.
01:24If you add up.
01:2522 and 9 or?
01:26Over 100 points.
01:28Okay.
01:29Over, let's see, over, let's see, 9.2 rebounds in 5 games.
01:34It's over 40 rebounds.
01:37It is 20 assists.
01:39So it is in 5 games, and I shouldn't say 100 points because, no, it is over 100 points.
01:44So it's 100 points.
01:46It is 40 rebounds.
01:48It is 20 assists.
01:50Okay, so there.
01:51Everyone who's done that has gone on to the Hall of Famer.
01:53I think if you just do that, I think it's actually just him and Larry Bird.
01:58That's it.
01:59Just him and Larry Bird.
02:00We've done that through 5 games.
02:01Correct.
02:01Their first 5.
02:02Correct.
02:02But if you want to, like, twist the numbers in different ways, just points and rebounds,
02:09just points, whatever you want to do, you're going to come up with a very short list,
02:13and it's all Hall of Famers.
02:16And so, you know, what does that mean?
02:18It means he's had 5 good games.
02:21No doubt.
02:22I bring that up because they are statistical facts, not because I'm making a Hall of Fame
02:28projection, but I am completely comfortable with a couple of statements.
02:32He's changed the franchise.
02:34He's changed the season.
02:35He's not a bust.
02:37He's a special athlete.
02:38He saved Dunleavy's job?
02:41Not that his job was in jeopardy.
02:43I'm over-dramatizing it.
02:44He just signed an extension.
02:45Yes, but he's made it so that the Chris Tapps-Porzingis debacle is not as big a thing because
02:52Yaxl goes to Denver, and then he goes to Minnesota, and does that, and you win both games.
02:57And so, none of us are thinking right now about how, oh, my God, you need a center.
03:00Or, Walker Kessler's coming here, and you've got no one to guard him.
03:03Well, we're talking about Yaxl instead.
03:06Yeah.
03:06So, Dunleavy is in his office somewhere, smiling with his feet up, and his chair is probably
03:11really far from the desk because he's 6'10".
03:14That thing still needs to be figured out.
03:16That's not, I don't, I don't think, do you agree with that, that Yaxl has made everyone
03:20forget about Chris Tapps?
03:22It's put Chris Tapps to the back burner.
03:24Absolutely.
03:24It's fair, but it's still burning because I think there is another segment of the fan
03:29base that's going to say, well, wait a minute.
03:31You actually have Steph, and Yaxl's going to produce, and all of that is filtered.
03:36It makes the other players, and this is my favorite thing, it changes the perspective on
03:42the other players on the roster.
03:44Now you see pods through a different lens, and you go, oh, well, yeah, he can be your
03:49fourth or fifth best player, and you look at Guy Santos, and you go, okay, that's, right,
03:55like, that's a nice role player who can score.
03:58What if you had a center on this team?
04:01What if, as Dunleavy talked in the offseason about, hey, it was talent versus availability,
04:08and we leaned talent?
04:09Remember when he said that?
04:10Well, what if you had leaned availability?
04:13What if you did just have a serviceable center that you could put out there?
04:18Because they don't love Draymond at the five, and let's be real, Draymond has been one of
04:23the things in these first five games that's not gone well at all.
04:28He's not playing great basketball.
04:31Did I hear that he's got more turnovers than points?
04:33Is that a stat?
04:35Easy, Kurt.
04:36Is that a stat?
04:39Probably, but Draymond Green right now is averaging 3.3 points a game and 4.3 turnovers per game.
04:48That's a disaster.
04:50He's got 20 of each.
04:52Well, I don't know how his average is.
04:54I'm looking at his game log right now, and he's scored 20 points in five games, and he's
05:01got 20 points, 20 turnovers in five games.
05:04Okay, well, I don't think he's played five games.
05:06I think he's played four games.
05:08Is that not accurate?
05:09I guess I'm looking at a preseason game, yeah.
05:11So he's got 13, and he's got 17 turns, so there you go.
05:15I've got him at 17 turnovers in three games, and yeah, I've got...
05:2027 assists, if that matters to you.
05:22No, and it does.
05:23It does.
05:24But let's, like, Draymond, that's not your center.
05:27That's not the ideal way to play, I don't think, and they've been saying that for a few
05:32years, right?
05:33Right, he's not your center, but Draymond Green's always been a different person on
05:37offense than he was on defense, and on offense, he's been mostly your point guard, and these
05:42numbers would kind of meet that out, where he's the guy who has the ball a lot, he passes
05:47it, he gets turnovers and assists, but on defense, he could be your five.
05:50You don't want him to be all the time.
05:52But, I mean, has his defense stood out to you this year?
05:54I would argue he...
05:56It's been fine.
05:57It's been better than fine.
05:58Yeah, but I mean, like, you're looking at Draymond to be elite on defense.
06:01That's what's made his career.
06:03That's made him who he is.
06:04And again, you're not wrong.
06:06You're not looking to Draymond for points.
06:08I don't want Draymond shooting a bunch of shots.
06:10I know a lot of people, like, oh, Draymond, I need more points from you.
06:14Yeah, that'd be great, but, like, I'd rather somebody else shoots the basketball for the
06:19most part.
06:19So I'm not measuring him by his points.
06:22I'll just say it this way.
06:234.3 turnovers a game?
06:25That's too many.
06:28That's way too many.
06:29Especially from, like, the front office, that's the only thing they talked about all
06:33summer.
06:34Turnovers.
06:35We've got to tell Draymond and staff to stop turning the ball over so much.
06:39Well, so far, he's not.
06:40So far, he's not.
06:42But I do think that he's had the ball in his hands a lot more.
06:44And look at me as the guy who's defending Draymond Green, and I will do it to the extent
06:48that what he's done in terms of passing the ball, he's had 27 assists, which is almost
06:53seven a game.
06:54And he's shot the ball a grand total of 13 times.
06:57So will he shoot the ball more?
06:59Probably.
07:00But right now, I do think, watching these games, and I've watched every one, a lot more of
07:05it is Draymond Green getting rid of it to Yaxel and saying, all right, young buck, go out
07:09there and cook.
07:10And that's fine.
07:11That's fine.
07:11I do think, and we'll get another look at this tomorrow night, on the defensive end,
07:16the Warriors are currently at a deficit at stopping the big person on the other side.
07:22Walker Kessler had a dunk fest last week.
07:26Will he do it again?
07:26Let's take a look.
07:27Let's take a look.
07:28But the point I guess I'm making is if the Warriors had someone a little bit more dynamic
07:34and large as a center, don't you think this would stand to potentially be a better basketball
07:41team?
07:42So, like, the Kristaps point that you've brought up the last two days is correct.
07:47Like, in this moment, and I don't know if everybody would agree with this, but in this
07:53moment as we sit here today, if you asked me, what has been Mike Dunleavy's biggest mistake
07:58so far as general manager, I think some people would answer that question in, like, a broad
08:05sense.
08:05Well, he didn't help Steph.
08:07Okay, you can answer it that way if you want.
08:10I don't really agree.
08:11Jimmy Butler got hurt.
08:13In this moment, it feels like that.
08:16He signed Kristaps as his center for $20 million this year.
08:22And Kristaps didn't even show.
08:24Right.
08:24And now he probably won't play.
08:26Right.
08:26And he was the guy who was going to fill the one number one void you have.
08:29And you're talking about Walker Kessler again tomorrow.
08:31We saw it the first time, which was, I think, 10 dunks and two layups.
08:35And one of the layups might have been a dunk, depending on how you call it.
08:38But he went 12 for 12, and he's coming to town now on Friday.
08:42And so how are you going to try to stop that?
08:44Not with Draymond, not with Bassey, not with EK.
08:47I don't know how you'll do it.
08:49It's going to be tough.
08:50I don't know.
08:51I don't know.
08:52Maybe put Yaxl on him instead of putting Yaxl on Luka.
08:55Maybe.
08:55That'd be less fun.
08:56Less fun.
08:57Way less fun.
08:58Might calm everything down a little bit.
09:00And I don't remember last night seeing a lot of the Kaminga V. Yaxl, like, I'm going to cook, you're
09:05going to cook.
09:06There wasn't a ton of it.
09:07No, but they were.
09:07I mean, they were matched up at times.
09:09But, yes, I don't think either one of them.
09:11And this makes sense.
09:12They don't have any history together.
09:13I don't know why they would.
09:15You know what I did see is Kaminga got into it with George Niang.
09:18Yep.
09:19I mean, of course.
09:20Why wouldn't he?
09:21Like, there was the Internet's like, oh, he's pointing at the Warriors bench.
09:25And I'm like, who's he yelling at?
09:26Is it Steve Kerr?
09:28Is he yelling, you hate young people?
09:31No, he's yelling at George Niang.
09:34And Niang is giving it back to him.
09:36Of all the fights that I didn't know that I needed and I was right, it was that one.
09:41George Niang and Jonathan Kaminga.
09:44And Niang actually played really well, especially in that first quarter as a starter.
09:48So, Guy out with a little bit of an injury.
09:51Hopefully, he's back tomorrow.
09:53We'll ask Steve Kerr coming up at 5 o'clock.
09:54But all of a sudden, George Niang, welcome to the team.
09:57And you start and you had a good first quarter.
09:59Yeah.
09:59So, like, you know, a little tangent there, but I think it's a healthy one.
10:03Like, yeah, this did make everybody remove the Kristaps thing from being the lead story.
10:09But I think it's still a story.
10:11And it's not like now at 2 and 3, the Warriors don't potentially still have that problem.
10:16I think it's a great sign that they played Rudy Gobert last night and Jokic on Monday and they didn't
10:23take over the game.
10:25Like, that's great.
10:26That's great.
10:27Like, they're rebounding well and all that.
10:29So, maybe they have figured something out that will, you know, lessen Walker Kessler.
10:35But also, the Lakers look, at least early on, like a better team than these two teams, especially without Anthony
10:41Edwards.
10:42So, I still see that as, that's an issue.
10:45That's an issue.
10:45And I think the Warriors feel bamboozled and that's not good.
10:48No, it's terrible.
10:49And also, the issue is one that is usually not that fixable at the deadline because when you're looking for
10:55a center who's actually good, and I think Stiney said that during the crossover, like, you know, do you want
11:00Sabonis?
11:00And, I mean, Sabonis would help, but that contract is monster and I don't think that he actually fits with
11:06what you're trying to do.
11:07So, no, I don't want Sabonis, but I would love to get somebody who is 7 feet or 7 foot
11:121 who can actually prevent the Walker Kesslers of the world to rim run.
11:17So, 888-957-9570 is the number.
11:20Love to hear from you, Warrior fans.
11:22Let's go to Father Time in Napa.
11:23Hey, Father Time, what you doing?
11:26Hey, what up?
11:27Doing a little cooking.
11:29So, how about that start time?
11:32Yeah.
11:32Amazing.
11:32So, I had to listen to the game.
11:34All props, for real, to Kevin Dana.
11:36Like, amazing way to paint the picture.
11:39Isn't he great?
11:39I got most of that.
11:41Yeah.
11:41I mean, truly amazing.
11:43Yeah.
11:43So, you know, to touch on that a little bit, like, selfishly, there's only two great words in the state
11:52of sports that are better than this.
11:54There's no great words.
11:55Excuse me.
11:56Game 7.
11:57Right?
11:58Game 7.
11:59And here you go.
12:01And it's, you know, it's Halloween night and whatever you want to read into that.
12:05But, I mean.
12:05Yeah.
12:06Father Time, real quick.
12:07Can I say that, like, even though I absolutely, with every fiber in my being, I wanted the Valkyries to
12:14win today because that means they win a championship.
12:16But I am glad, for the sake of the WNBA, that the start time thing will just end up being
12:23an interesting historical footnote.
12:26Not something that actually played out, you know, into a weird celebration or anything like that.
12:32Now, what will be remembered is Game 7 at Valhalla and who wins.
12:37That's all that will be remembered.
12:39Yeah.
12:39And if there's a win, I mean, you can talk about a party, you know, on Saturday night.
12:43That would be great.
12:44Big time.
12:44That's what you really want, anyway, is that opportunity to celebrate.
12:48I think that would be special.
12:49It's not given, though.
12:51I mean, they've got to play better.
12:53Speaking of playing better, Yaxle.
12:55Everybody loves Yaxle.
12:57What are we five games in?
12:59I am not trying to schmit on Yaxle's parade.
13:03I am telling you that I've been in relationships that started out really, really well, and they didn't end up
13:09so well.
13:09And my point is this, is that, you know, the Warriors are still a super flawed team.
13:16Super, super flawed.
13:17And they have real challenges.
13:19You know, Curry's not going to go to 44 every five nights.
13:22That's just not going to happen.
13:24So, Yaxle's sky is incredible.
13:27Like, you know, it could be amazing.
13:29But the reality is he's going to play a lot of games where his points are hollow.
13:33Like, he's going to score some points and some rebounds and some assists.
13:36He's already done that a couple times.
13:38So, again, let me be clear.
13:41Not trying to make it horrible.
13:42Not making it horrible at all.
13:43Hoping for the best.
13:44Really, really hoping for the best.
13:46But I think everybody has to temper their enthusiasm just a little bit.
13:50Can you temper your enthusiasm a little bit, Will?
13:52Yeah.
13:52Anyway, that's my deal.
13:53Yeah, Father Time, thanks.
13:55Here's what I would say to that.
13:56I disagree that your enthusiasm needs to be tempered.
14:00Because what's wrong with enthusiasm?
14:02You're not saying we should pump the brakes?
14:04You're not big on pumping the brakes.
14:06I hate tapping the brakes.
14:07I know you do.
14:08Or you should pump the brakes.
14:08You should see me drive.
14:10I don't pump the brakes.
14:11I can see that.
14:12I mean, multiple accidents this year.
14:14No, those people hit me.
14:16Maybe you should tap the brakes.
14:17No, actually, the person behind me needed to tap the brakes.
14:19That's fair.
14:20And they didn't.
14:20But, no, that's not the way I'm wired.
14:24And I like enthusiasm.
14:26And there's no penalty for enthusiasm.
14:29Maybe we'll be wrong someday.
14:31Okay.
14:32We're wrong.
14:33That's fine.
14:34But, no, I don't want to pump the brakes.
14:37And I don't think that there is a very high chance at all that Yaxel doesn't end up being a
14:45really good NBA player.
14:46I'm not going to call him a one on a championship team.
14:48I'm not going to call him a Hall of Famer.
14:50I won't even call him an all-star.
14:52Yes, it's too soon for that kind of talk.
14:55But I also, I'm going to lean back on, I believe it means something when I say nobody in the
15:03history of the league has had these kind of numbers in their first five games and not ended up being
15:09a name that we remember.
15:10I think that means something.
15:12It doesn't mean Yaxel will follow suit exactly, but I do think it means something.
15:17I think the floor is pretty high.
15:19The floor's been high.
15:20How about that?
15:20How about your floor is higher?
15:21I'll give you the high floor.
15:22Higher than it was.
15:23I think that for me, it means next to nothing when it comes to a five-game sample and looking
15:29at other people who've gone on to have thousand-game samples and through five games actually did really special things.
15:36For me, that means almost nothing.
15:38And you could look at any other NBA player who sustained some sort of an injury, and I don't want
15:45to put that out for Yaxel Lendeborg because it can happen.
15:48And hopefully it doesn't happen, but five games in, yes.
15:51Is he on a track?
15:53And we do this with the Niners all the time.
15:55Like, ooh, is he on a Hall of Fame track?
15:57Is so-and-so on a Hall of Fame track?
15:59Like, well, yeah, he's played like a season and a half.
16:02So, yeah, they're on a Hall of Fame track.
16:03Go out there and do it for eight more years.
16:05Yeah, no doubt about that.
16:07He's averaging 23 points a game.
16:09It's awesome.
16:10I mean, 23 points and almost 10 boards.
16:15This is big-time stuff.
16:17I mean, 10 rebounds, honestly, like NBA players are lazy.
16:20So, if he's not averaging 10 rebounds, then what are you doing?
16:24I got to give it to him.
16:25He said that, and Steve Kerr's like he's going to find out something different in the regular games, and he's
16:29kind of like, not really.
16:30So far, so good.
16:31I mean, he went up against Jokic and Gobert, and he's pulling down rebounds.
16:35So, like, I'm into it.
16:38And here's the other thing.
16:39To the point, you know, Father Times is still a super flawed team.
16:42I'm not going to disagree with that.
16:44But how good does it feel as a Warrior fan when Steph Curry leaves the game or if Steph Curry
16:52has a quarter where his shot is not falling
16:54and it doesn't feel like you're in quicksand?
16:57There is now another way to play offense in Golden State.
17:02And I think that that's significant.
17:04Big time.
17:05It doesn't mean it's going to work every time.
17:08But, Warrior fans, you all know this.
17:10As soon as Jimmy Butler got hurt and prior to Jimmy Butler's arrival, there were all these moments tucked into
17:17a season where if Steph was either on the bench or Steph was out that night or Steph was a
17:22little bit cold that night,
17:24it felt, sorry to do this, but it felt a little bit like watching the Valkyries sometimes where you're like,
17:30wow.
17:30No, for real.
17:31Where are we finding the offense?
17:34You're not.
17:35You're not.
17:36And now I've got a different answer for you.
17:38And that's wonderful.
17:40And you always talk about the here you do it guy when the shot clock gets to five seconds or
17:45four or whatever.
17:46And so now you've got a guy who in that spot, he doesn't do it perfectly every time.
17:50And a couple of his turnovers last night where he was trying to like cross somebody over, you know, do
17:55a spin move and whatnot.
17:56And he got the ball poked away from him.
17:58But he's got the body and the skill set to where even if Steph is in there and you need
18:03somebody to go out there and try and do something, he's got the body and the skill set.
18:08Yeah.
18:09I mean, watching him take the ball at Jokic and Gordon the other night, I don't know how that doesn't
18:16get your attention.
18:16Do you know what I mean?
18:18Totally.
18:18I don't know how from just a physical standpoint, you're like, hold on a second.
18:22I'm not saying that he is as good as LeBron or ever will be, but when he gets the ball
18:27at the elbow extended and does a jab step and a dribble, he gives me LeBron vibes in that, like,
18:34nobody wants to get in his way.
18:35The dude's a monster.
18:36I think Jimmy Butler said it best after doing, and obviously Jimmy's only doing his own side work and whatnot,
18:43but he's at training camp with him for a few weeks.
18:46And they asked Jimmy about him and they're like, you guys, he's huge.
18:52He's huge.
18:53And he can shoot.
18:55He's got a buttery shot.
18:57He's huge.
18:59And he can just, the athleticism that he has.
19:04So, you know, I mean, Goose says it all the time.
19:06Thundercats, if you listen to the show for two seconds, you know what he means by that.
19:11And this city, I think this is another part of the conversation.
19:14This city, because of the success that the organizations have had over the last couple of decades, right, the San
19:25Francisco Giants won three rings, the Warriors won four, and the 49ers are the ultimate flirtation.
19:31But in the Kyle Shanahan era, lots of playoff runs.
19:34When your team is that good, there has been, I think, a Bay Area-wide, you know, outside of the
19:42Sharks and what they've got going the last couple of years, there's been a Bay Area-wide sort of like,
19:47where are our young players?
19:50And even, and then the failures of the young players, whether it be Wiseman and Kamingo or Marco Luciano.
19:57Patrick Bailey.
19:57Kyle Harrison, whatever.
19:59Like, these people come up.
20:00Kyle Harrison got a ring last night, by the way.
20:02And Patrick Bailey hit a home run in the playoffs.
20:04He did.
20:05Sorry about that, Buster.
20:06Harrison was not on the roster, but.
20:08Didn't pitch since September, but whatever.
20:10Score one for Kyle.
20:11Hit some hard times.
20:12But he and Luis Matos both got rings last night.
20:14Matos.
20:15Whoa.
20:16I didn't even think about the Matos angle.
20:19Ring, brother.
20:20Wow.
20:21Kiss my ring, Buster.
20:23Harrison was on the roster.
20:24He just never pitched.
20:25Sorry.
20:26Okay.
20:26And shut up Patrick McCaw, who's got three, by the way.
20:30Yeah, he sure does.
20:31So, anyway.
20:32McCaw.
20:33Yeah, you can do it, Grandy.
20:34Anyway, my point is, is I think there's been a big void there for a long time, where we're like,
20:39where is the young player that's going to make us get really freaking charged up?
20:46And all at once, starting with Macklin Celebrini, and then Bryce Eldridge with the Giants,
20:52and then Yaxel has made his statement.
20:55We're hoping for Dajon Stribling to get another shot at this at some point.
20:59I was waiting for you to either Pearsall or Stribling.
21:01Well, I mean, like, it was headed that way, and then he got hurt.
21:05So, like, it's on hold.
21:06I'm not out on it.
21:07I'm not in on it.
21:08It's on hold.
21:10Right now, it's Kalon Black, who has the, I mean, the best young person resume.
21:14I mean, for the Niners?
21:17Offensively, sure.
21:18Right.
21:18Sure.
21:19So, anyway, we've been waiting for that.
21:23And I think all at once, all of a sudden, we've kind of got a little bit of an abundance
21:28of it,
21:29and he has absolutely taken the lead role in it in just five games.
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