The Missing Piece: David Lee

[Left*My*Heart]

I agree, that Speights will play the 5, with Lee at PF. I think Lee can make a significant impact with the bench mob, by running the offense through him. He is the only backup big than can facilitate Kerr's offensive even similar to what Bogut can.

You will have 4 guys off the bench that were starters at one time.

[Kuya]

The Missing Piece is back at practice, I think he suits up for the Pels. He should eat them alive if AD is out.

[hamncheese]

The Missing Piece is back at practice, I think he suits up for the Pels. He should eat them alive if AD is out.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Rusty_SFChron/status/543886189506211840[/tweet]

[Kuya]

Hurry up Lee. Our 2nd unit needs offense BADLY.

[timlin500]

ANy word on when he'll be back yet?

[ChuckDurn]

ANy word on when he'll be back yet?

Saw that he's running both 3-on-3's and 4-on-4's at full speed, and that they think it'll be Monday's game with Sacramento. I don't remember the source, I've read a ton of different things this morning.....

[Mylie10]

We've now lost, so he'll be back shortly.

[Onus]

http://basketball.realgm.com/blog/23590 ... Steve-Kerr

I think the most interesting part is

2) Can someone beat Golden State at their own game?

Over the last three seasons, the Thunder and the Spurs have been the class of the West. They played in the 2012 WCF and the 2014 WCF and the only reason they didn’t play in the 2013 WCF is that Russell Westbrook got injured. Odds are, a team that wins the West this season is going to have to beat Oklahoma City and San Antonio. What makes those teams so dangerous in the playoffs is their versatility - they can play either 4-out or 2-in and still win.

The Thunder start Steven Adams and Serge Ibaka, but their most dangerous line-up is Ibaka at C and Kevin Durant at PF. This is what I mean by Golden State playing “pure” 4-out basketball - Oklahoma City could start Durant at PF all season and score all the points. Instead, they go with a more conservative defensive-minded line-up, with the idea that they can always go 4-out when they need to in the playoffs. The Ibaka/Durant tandem is an absolute nightmare match-up for the Warriors defense, since they don’t want Bogut on the three-point line.

The Spurs start Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter, but they can play 4-out with Boris Diaw at PF and Duncan at C. Two years ago, Diaw was one of the keys to the Spurs getting past the Warriors in the second round, as he had the quickness to play their perimeter game on defense and the skill to punish their lack of size on offense.

[Onus]

we need our own version of Ibaka/Duncan

[Kuya]

Hope he starts at C on Monday

[East Bay Sports]

Hope he starts at C on Monday

I doubt he plays more than 10 minutes or so, not that that means he won't start.

[BW32]

Against Demarcus? that's kind of mean. Throw him some Derrick Williams, make him feel good about himself.

[ChuckDurn]

Kerr how indicated that against the Kings, the expect Lee to come off the bench and play some short stints, probably at the end of the 1st / beginning of the 2nd quarter, and similarly in the 3rd/4th quarter. I'll guess he'll get 10-14 minutes, but he'll need to build up his wind after being out.

Definitely need Ezeli to start against Cousins, and hope he stays out of foul trouble. I don't like the prospect of Speights trying to match up with Cousins.

[Kuya]

dude is still rusty. made quite a few bone-headed plays in the first half last night

[svart]

Yes, but in the second half he recovered and reminded me of the last season's Lee.

In a few games he should be at his normal level.

[old rem]

The #1 team in the league is about to get a significant upgrade...

Gotta ask a question that I absolutely did not expect to be asking.

With Speights playing as well as he has been..... how do we integrate Lee into the lineup while making it a true upgrade?

Do we basically expect Lee to take minutes away from Draymond and Barnes..... and Speights?

Whose minutes will he take away, and approximately how many minutes do you think they'll be?

I do not see ANY liability to a guy who'd been twice an All Star and is not yet" over the hill". The injuries to Lee and Bogut were a stroke of luck... we got big gains with Dray and Mo.. but.. that does not mean we do not have assets in Bogut + Lee. No... we just are DEEP. We have a star G duo..AND a deep front. At C-PF-SF.. the #2 guy is starter quality. That is GOOD stuff when you have a very tough G group. GSW can go 10-12 deep. Who else has that? Will GSW be champs this year? Maybe...but GSW is set up as a top team for awhile. They can miss THIS year.. then still be in it the next few years. My view is you do EXACTLY what GSW does. Be DEEP. Build a core..thing about a window of 5+ years... and have a TOTAL package where you do well in EVERY thing. Lee has a history as a consistant PF who will score and rebound. You'd WANT a PF who can get 20 pt.10 boards..a benchmark for any PF. GSW has the luxury of that as "plan B" since Dray has been so special. When you are really good AND you have lee...Iggy..Speights..Livingston as DEPTH... that's just friggin UNIQUE.

[old rem]

Kerr how indicated that against the Kings, the expect Lee to come off the bench and play some short stints, probably at the end of the 1st / beginning of the 2nd quarter, and similarly in the 3rd/4th quarter. I'll guess he'll get 10-14 minutes, but he'll need to build up his wind after being out.

Definitely need Ezeli to start against Cousins, and hope he stays out of foul trouble. I don't like the prospect of Speights trying to match up with Cousins.

Obviously....GSW won't have a better C than Cuz.. but GSW has a lot better talent at other positions and better depth too. It's about GSW as the King Of The West while the Kings are a longshot to even make 8 seed. I ain't scared of a team who has ONE.....real stud player. SEVERAL teams have someone real good..but not much else.

[itsagreatimeout]

The #1 team in the league is about to get a significant upgrade...

GSW not so long ago, had games where half the roster was injured, or when they had 3 + guys brought up from D League.. then STILL were running out of bodies. ONLY game I saw in 50+ yrs where a team ran out of players because a guy fouled out---so the fouled out guy had to PLAY.....was GSW just a few years ago.

Here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-M1YeLorco

Apparently it also happened to the Lakers last year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnthxoHKUmQ

[JimmyTD3]

Lee's performance last game should have reminded you all the following:

1) He is the best pick-and-roll compliment to Steph on the team.

2) If Curry/Klay/Speights jumpers aren't falling, it's a REALLY big luxury to be able to feed it down low to Lee and know he has a high change to convert in the post.

3) He's a REALLY good offensive player

#fullsquad

[cj03]

Lee's performance last game should have reminded you all the following:

1) He is the best pick-and-roll compliment to Steph on the team.

2) If Curry/Klay/Speights jumpers aren't falling, it's a REALLY big luxury to be able to feed it down low to Lee and know he has a high change to convert in the post.

3) He's a REALLY good offensive player

#fullsquad

Not sure if you wanna call his 2 man game "pick and roll"...the guy barely sets a pick. I get slipping picks esp if the big man hedges hard/doubles the ball handler, but Lee (and for that matter Speights) will slip every pick they set, regardless of what the big is doing.

As for Lee in the post...he can post up smaller guys, but it's not a luxury we have against bigger teams. He's so much better at rolling to the basket with a head of steam and finishing with either hand. Not sure why he isn't used more in the high post as Bogut is used.