Minnesota Sports Forum

The Warriors have a back-to-back coming up. They host Denver and then fly to Portland for a game the next night. That’s gonna be tough for their old guys…

60WinTim wrote: ↑Thu Oct 23, 2025 12:01 am The Warriors have a back-to-back coming up. They host Denver and then fly to Portland for a game the next night. That’s gonna be tough for their old guys…

The first "General Soreness" designation for Butler?

Firstly, great win. One of the keys to this team taking the next step is Ant taking the next step in the clutch. Absolutely cold blooded tonight when it counted. Also Jaden, Jalen and TJ played great tonight.

Secondly, I said to myself I wasn't going to bag the officials (as much) this season. But I'm sorry I just really struggle to hold my tongue. Yes the home team generally gets the 50/50 calls in their favour, it happens in all sports. But it's the inconsistency which really grinds my gears. The discrepancy in what was called a foul on us, and what wasn't called a foul of them was blatantly one sides. We were called for 29 personal fouls tonight. 29!!!!!!! Compared to their 17. The worst was TJ getting abolsutely mugged driving to the hoop at the end by Clinghan and not getting a foul call. Thankfully Rudy was there for the put back. Then a couple of plays later Rudy fouls out on marginal contact to Blazers players driving to hoop. Just be CONSISTENT officials. That's all we ask for as fans.

Thirdly, the DDV starting at PG might have run it's course already after one game. Sure it probably looked worse with Portland running full court press all night long, but we need stability at PG at least to start the game. As washed as Mike is he is probably still the best option to play the first 6 mins of the 1st and 3rd quarters. I thought Bones played ok in his limited minutes in the 4th quarter, but would like to see Rob play ahead of him.

A team trying to win a title needs a point guard. With Rob still not in the rotation it's clear we don't really have a suitable one. We have the assets to get one and I don't think we should wait too long while our window is open.

A few takeaways from the win:

- Despite the result, we are still a team very vulnerable to heavy ball pressure, as pointed out by Cool and others. 19 turnovers last night, including six in only 20 minutes by our newly promoted "point guard" Donte DiVencenzo. Mike Conley just doesn't have the juice to break down a press and Bones Hyland brings a host of other liabilities.

- TJ Shannon may have had the most composure with the ball in his hands last night and as a result he closed the game with Ant in the backcourt. I know I'm biased, but this may be the answer.

- Naz Reid was a total disaster on defense. It's almost hard to put into words how bad he was. Hat-tip to Kek.

- Julius and Ant did their usual ball-stopping and looking off of Rudy, but in the end it worked. Both had very efficient games, with a combined 7 assists, 4 turnovers, and 60 points on good shooting.

- If Clark ever regains his shooting form, he will be nearly as important as Shannon, as he is badly needed in that second unit to help buttress the defense with Rudy sitting.

- Love Jaden playing a bit more off the ball defensively. Very good all-around game for him last night.

- I didn't notice anything that different about clutch time other than Ant simply made his shots this time. I'll take it!

Phenom wrote: ↑Wed Oct 22, 2025 3:39 pm I am starting to think TJ will ultimately become Ant's backcourt running mate at some point. The coaching staff and front office seem to mention TJ and playmaking a lot in the same sentence.

I missed this, Phenom. Nice call!!!

Coolbreeze44 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 23, 2025 12:43 am A team trying to win a title needs a point guard. With Rob still not in the rotation it's clear we don't really have a suitable one. We have the assets to get one and I don't think we should wait too long while our window is open.

What does a combination of Rob and Donte get us?

This win feels even better this morning than it did last night. There are so many reasons we should have lost this game. Portland is nowhere near as good as OkC and the Pacers, but they play a style that we are not comfortable playing against...heck, they beat us twice last season despite not being as good as they appear to be this season. And yet we still beat them on their court,

Among the things we had to overcome was a terrible assist to turnover ratio...19 turnovers and 21 assists is not good, but maybe to be expected when we don't have a PG out there most of the game against a pressing defense. But our terrific defense in the 4th quarter and Ant's late game heroics won the game for us.

We also aren't going to win many games when Naz doesn't make a trey and is a turnstile on defense. Just a terrible 2-way game for Naz. I expect a bounce back game for him against the Lakers.

Portland made 10 more free throws than we did, and I agree there were some calls that were very unfavorable to us. It's difficult to overcome a FT disparity like that.

So many reasons we shouldn't have won this game, and yet we did...and we did it in crunch time, unlike our futility last season. We found a way to win, even without Kek exhorting us to "just find a way" (unless I missed it). The knee jerk reaction to Ant's late game heroics would be to say he has matured to the level we need to be a championship contender, so I'm not going to go there. But he has the talent to be that guy, so let's hope this is the first of many clutch wins.

I think we will beat a Laker team tomorrow that just doesn't seem very good despite Luka's brilliance, and then come home to win our home opener against an Indy team that we struggle against but is missing its two top PGs. I'm getting way ahead of myself, but Target Center will be rocking if we face the Nuggets Monday with a 3-0 record, even if it is the back half of a back to back. But let's take care of the Lakers first.

Coolbreeze44 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 23, 2025 12:43 am A team trying to win a title needs a point guard. With Rob still not in the rotation it's clear we don't really have a suitable one. We have the assets to get one and I don't think we should wait too long while our window is open.

I’d put it this way. We need a backcourt mate for Ant who has a good handle, can withstand ball pressure, effectively take some of the ball pressure off Ant and be a scoring threat. Donte’s 6 turnovers last night were a reminder that he’s not the answer but I never thought he was.

When you have a player like Ant, you don’t necessarily need a classic PG. Jordan had Paxon and then Kerr. Kobe had Fischer.
What’s clear is that Conley doesn’t have enough left in his tank to be the backcourt mate Ant needs. Donte simply doesn’t have the skill set or instincts for that role. Dilly is a 20 year old who is still developing and not quite ready although I think he’ll be the answer a year from now. I’m not ready to give up on Bones for that role. Again - because of Ant we don’t need a classic PG or a high end talent at that position. So I’m inclined to agree with several others that Shannon might be the answer — someone who can handle the ball, break down defenses, score and overall take defensive pressure and attention away from Ant.

So if it were up to me, I wouldn’t look to trade for a starting PG quite yet. If TC decides to trade for a PG, I think Donte is our best trade chip.

Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 23, 2025 10:00 am

Coolbreeze44 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 23, 2025 12:43 am A team trying to win a title needs a point guard. With Rob still not in the rotation it's clear we don't really have a suitable one. We have the assets to get one and I don't think we should wait too long while our window is open.

I’d put it this way. We need a backcourt mate for Ant who has a good handle, can withstand ball pressure, effectively take some of the ball pressure off Ant and be a scoring threat. Donte’s 6 turnovers last night were a reminder that he’s not the answer but I never thought he was.

When you have a player like Ant, you don’t necessarily need a classic PG. Jordan had Paxon and then Kerr. Kobe had Fischer.
What’s clear is that Conley doesn’t have enough left in his tank to be the backcourt mate Ant needs. Donte simply doesn’t have the skill set or instincts for that role. Dilly is a 20 year old who is still developing and not quite ready although I think he’ll be the answer a year from now. I’m not ready to give up on Bones for that role. Again - because of Ant we don’t need a classic PG or a high end talent at that position. So I’m inclined to agree with several others that Shannon might be the answer — someone who can handle the ball, break down defenses, score and overall take defensive pressure and attention away from Ant.

So if it were up to me, I wouldn’t look to trade for a starting PG quite yet. If TC decides to trade for a PG, I think Donte is our best trade chip.

Yeah, Donte might deserve his own thread, because how to handle him is critical to our success this season. Here are the options:

1) Continue to start him in the backcourt with Ant. But to be clear, he won't be the PG on offense...that was Ant (or Ju) at the start of the game, not DiVo. I'm convinced that Donte was the problem child on the team last year as Finchy said it wasn't fun to coach the team. Jon K predicted Donte would be in the starting lineup because his ego would demand it. He thrived starting at SG two years ago because he had a true PG next to him. He's a great shooter and could thrive in that role here too. The question is are we comfortable with Ant or Ju (or TJ?) being the primary ball handler. I'm skeptical.

2) Have him come off the bench as a high-scoring SG. Of course this would require starting someone else at PG...Mike, Rob, Bones or TJ. I still think Mike is our best option...we consistently outscore our opponent when he is on the court, and he will likely make 40% of this treys. But Finchy wants to reduce his minutes, and that is challenging if he starts.

3) Trade Donte for a starting PG. This is my favorite option. I would target a game manager and try to get a pick too. Donte is a high energy 40% three point shooter, and those guys will always be in demand. I think we could get a serviceable PG and a pick for him.

I think he will start again tomorrow night, but if it doesn't work again, options 2 or 3 need to be considered.