Are Dispirited Stephen Curry Comments Designed to Give Golden State Warriors Leverage? w/Damon Bruce

Wednesday, January 15th. Hold on, let's get each other on the right side of the logos. There we are. Damon Bruce with you here, as always, brought to you by Ike's Sandwiches and our good friends at the Dubliner West Portal. And that is my good friend Cyrus of the Golden Days Channel Podcast Network. And that's my good friend, Damon Bruce of Damon Bruce Plus. Look at the growing behemoth that is, Warriors Weekly. It's good to have you here again. And Cyrus, we keep on stacking Bad Warriors Week on top of Bad Warrior Weeks here. And they're all out of time to have a whole bunch of bad weeks remaining in this season and still go anywhere. Another very frustrating seven days of Warriors hoops for us to talk about before we even start looking ahead. And oh, by the way, it really doesn't get any easier when you play the look ahead game. So this is definitely an inflection point in the season for this basketball team. Yes, sir. Good stuff. Well, I thought we were doing ads. I thought we were doing ad reads. I'm like, okay. Yeah, you wanna hop right in? I know you do. Oh, I'm taking the lead? All right, let's do it. Today's episode. Good afternoon, good morning, depending on where in the world you are. I'm sorry, man. I apologize for that. I misread you. Where in the world are you? Look at this. Wait, wait, wait, wait, let me cue it up. Look at, let me cue this up right here. Oh, you got the data? Where in the world are you? Where is this? Where'd my guy go? I saw him on the stream. Basically, we got Poland in the house. That's my guy, Gregor's probably. That's how in touch I am with my audience, Damon. I actually know, when you say Poland, I think I know who you're talking about. Look, whenever you can get a Kololakowicz in the room, you do that, or that's a strange last name there. But Gregor's, wonderful to see you. Greetings from Poland. All this good stuff. And let us absolutely get into the fact that we are brought to you by some very important sponsors. As I said, there's my man, Ike. Ike's got a delicious sandwich waiting for you. Right there, being cradled by Cyrus. Ike's has got an unbelievable sandwich. Make sure you get one in your life soon. If you don't live near an Ike's, well, it's time to move then. Our good friends down at the Dublin. Real fast, just because I don't mind giving your sponsors extra love, because they deserve it, Damon. They deserve it. And that's one of the lucky things about us and our sponsors. We're actually peddling clients that we believe in and that we love. We have the luxury and the fortune of having sponsors that we can genuinely promote, and not just talk about because they're paying us money. Ike's is so damn good. The best sandwich in the Bay Area, at least. I know they're expanding. I don't even know where in the world they are these days. It wouldn't surprise me if you told me they're in New York City now. But my question to you, Damon, do they have breakfast sandwiches? Are they, do you know if they're that? You know, they don't really dabble in the breakfast sandwich arena. Most sandwich shops, they open around lunchtime. So I don't, you know, but that's. They get it. This is something that, again, when the global takeover becomes complete and there's an Ike's on every corner, like a Starbucks, they're open 24 hours a day. We're gonna need that breakfast sandwich. We're gonna need it. By the way, speaking of live, local, late breaking, get yourself to the Dublin or West portal. Yes. Community drops you off right there out front. We'll pick you up, take your drunk ass home. Our good friends at the Dublin or West portal are the best. Now, are we ready? Are we ready? Have a Guinness on me, please. Are we ready to flash the QR code? Do it, do it. Okay, because Golden Days, again, Warriors Weekly, every Wednesday at 11 a.m., Damon and I unite and we read our sponsors. And from last week to now, I got a new one. I got two new ones. That QR code is courtesy of our newest sponsor, Bet Any Sports. Aim your camera at that QR code on the screen or visit the link in the YouTube and podcast description of Golden Days to get 30% extra cash bonus on your initial deposit, Bet Any Sports. More ways to bet, more ways to win. Today's episode also brought to you by another new sponsor. Damon, you might be familiar with this. You might not need the services, given that beautiful coif on that head of yours, but today's episode of Golden Days and Damon Bruce Plus is brought to you by hair restoration specialist, Dr. Tom Rosinelli, with over 10,000 successful hair transplant procedures done. Tom Rosinelli, MD, has provided state-of-the-art surgical and medical hair restoration since 1986. Visit rosinelli.com or call 415-931-9881. Again, rosinelli.com or 415-931-9881. Men, go do it. If you notice it's thinning up there too much, ladies, if you want that facial treatment, reach out to Rosinelli, rosinelli.com. A beautiful head of hair awaits you. And last but not least, today's episode brought to you by Bet Online, who continues to be the world's most trusted betting platform and your number one source for online betting in 2025. Bet Online, the game starts here. You wanna hear something interesting gambling-wise? Well, I plugged not one, but two sports books there. Damon. This feels like a little bit of a conflict of interest, but go right ahead, go right ahead. They don't care, they don't care, that's the beauty of it. This is a crazy stat, and I don't know if this is gonna help people win money or maybe you should stay away, but the Golden State Warriors have now played 12 straight road games where they've hit the under. That's how anemic their offense has been, Damon. 12, it's been like since November that they've hit the over on a road game, and tonight's OU is 215.5. Take that information and do what you want with it, but back to the program, brother. Yeah, do what you will with that information. Do what you will with this information from Steph Curry, and we're just gonna go right to the videotape here, Cyrus. Steph talking about what was a terrible loss for the Warriors in Toronto, nothing worked out. That was a team that had eight wins before the Warriors got there, and here is Steph just not, not even attempting to hide his frustration with the situation the Warriors find themselves in. Desperate trades are desperate moves that deplete the future, like there is a responsibility on allowing or keeping the franchise in a good space and good spot when it comes to where we leave this thing when we're done. Doesn't mean that you're not trying to get better, doesn't mean that you're not active in any type of search to, if you have an opportunity where a trade makes sense or even in the summer, free agency makes sense, like you want to continue to get better. Nobody wants to be stale or be in a situation where you're passing up opportunities, but it doesn't mean that you're desperate, just flinging assets all around the place just because you want to do something. So there's a, you know, Mike understands, like we want to win, we want to be in that position where, you know, we've always said it, you want to be relevant in the championship type of. I'm sorry, I got to turn it off. I can't do it anymore. I honestly, I can't do it anymore. Steph, what you need to say is get me some help. Get me some help. What are we all just sitting here twiddling our thumbs? Steph, I love you. You are going to die because you're a company man. You are going to die on the company slab because you're such a company man. Turn the heat up on your own organization to do something that gets you a little help. I understand that they cannot trade for Scottie Pippen. You know, you're not going to bring in your Scottie Pippen, but do something. How about this? Even if the something is as simple as, hey, Jonathan Kaminga, we're going to extend the ---- out of you because you are so clearly now part of our future that we want you feeling really good, and you're a starter, and you're starter minutes, and you don't need to be dobbered down about what your role is going to be. You're the second most important Golden State Warrior behind Steph Curry himself. That's who you are now, Jonathan Kaminga. That would be a direction as opposed to the totally directionless Golden State Warriors that we've been watching. That's a, cut that off before six weeks, Cyrus, and that's a YouTube short right there, Damon. Congratulations, that's a beautiful speech, that was. That was a segment that you promote and you blast as a YouTube short. Here is also why you join us each week for Warriors Weekly, because, and again, I've been publishing this on social media for 24 hours, a sign of why all those platforms are worthless. This is the perspective that you're only getting on this show, and this is a very important perspective, and this wasn't provided by me. This was originally provided 24 hours ago by Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, who, side note, easily, the best coverage of the Warriors has come from her in terms of stories that breaks down what goes on behind the scenes. She nails it. She knows what she's doing. She's gonna be a guest of Golden Day soon, on a side note, because I reached out after seeing the segment yesterday. ESPN, as clumsy as they are, as inept as they are, having this incredible platform, the influence, it's insane to me how moronic the folks behind the scenes are. They blasted yesterday this clip of Windhorse talking about how he's never heard anything like this, from Stephen Curry, how LeBron James would say the total opposite and push the team to make moves. He'd be finagling behind the scenes, and then comes Ramona Shelburne, and of course ESPN doesn't promote this because they're schmucks. Ramona Shelburne comes on the broadcast and presents this perspective, Damon, that Stephen Curry, that Steve Kerr, that everyone is saying this verbiage, is providing this narrative, that we're prepared to sink, right, instead of sacrificing our assets, that in fact, this is Stephen Curry playing the media game. This is Stephen Curry sending a message to the other 29 NBA teams who seem to be acting as if the Warriors are desperate and trying to fleece them in any trade negotiation. His message is, we'd rather go down than let you try and rip us off. And if that's, and Ramona Shelburne added that Joel Lakov is never gonna be content with this, with the mediocre product. He himself, a year ago, it was almost a year ago around this time, when he was trying to trade for LeBron James. This is a man that has tried to not lead the Warriors in a state that the Lakers were when Kobe Bryant was playing the last two, three years of his career. Side note, we're there right now, so he better do something soon. But the fact that Stephen Curry could be potentially, and I believe her, I do think this is what's going on, is that Stephen Curry, someone who is a very highly intellectual individual, like very intellectually curious, right? He plays for an NBA franchise. Don't think for a second, he's also grown up around NBA franchises, is that he's not curious about how these things run and operate. And right now, he's using the pulpit to let other teams know do not try and rip us off. We know how desperate you are. Don't try and flip the tables on us and try to rip us off. Damon, what are your thoughts on that perspective? You know, look, I love Ramona. I think she's great at her job, and she might have an inkling that that's what's going on here. This doesn't seem to be, oh, it's chess, not checkers, and Curry's already three moves down the board on the rest of the NBA. This sounds like a team that's stuck in the ******* mud. That's what I'm hearing. They have moves to make by analysis. This is a team that I think, if they're being real with itself, they know that, you know, let's talk about Vucevic, right? Oh, Vucevic. You know what Vucevic is gonna do? He's gonna come on and win maybe three more games than they would without him. I'd still take that versus that, what we have now. This is not a team that is one stretch five away from winning it all. Get the **** out of here, man. But here's the thing. We've seen one move sometimes be a catalyst to wake a team up and light a fire under them. This team needs something, man. Like you said, even if it's just to announce a Cominga extension, even though they can't do that till the offseason, but at least announce they're gonna do it, right? You're right. Something, something, anything! Yeah, look, I mean, it's a team that is, they are going to twiddle themselves to death. They're gonna twiddle their own thumbs to death. I hope not. I really think so. Now, let me play for you a little something that Steve Kerr was talking about on 95-7, the game. Hold on, let me, I got another screen to share here. This is Steve with Willard and Dibbs. This used to be my weekly interview with Steve, but you know- That's when radio was relevant. That's all right. Hey, you know, you said it, not me. Here we go. This is Steve Kerr talking with, well, Willard asked the question and Steve gives the answer. Do you feel like this organization needs to do something at the deadline, either just to rejuvenate or refresh or anything on that end? I have 100% faith in our organization to do whatever the right thing is. And sometimes the right thing is to not do anything. So, you know, it always, of course, you know, it depends on what you're gonna do, what that means. And Mike is so good at his job. You know, I just feel, I feel in great hands with him and the whole organization. And they're looking at everything. And, you know, it's about not only looking at, you know, what's out there, but also looking at, you know, who we are, what is our identity and organizationally, where are we? And, you know, understanding our position within the landscape, and then figuring out what's next. And these are difficult questions for us because of the legacy that Steph and Draymond have and four championships in the last 10 years. You know, still plenty to play for, but we're clearly not in that top tier anymore. That's obvious. So it creates some really difficult questions. Damon, that infuriates me. I never once heard Greg Popovich or Phil Jackson echo the past as much as Steve Kerr does. Like, stop living on your past glory, dude. We know you won four titles. Everyone knows it. What is the point of bringing that up? Focus on the president now and do something. It is insane to me that he's acting like being complacent is the answer here. That infuriates me, Damon. I didn't hear that until just now. And all that does is piss me off. I'm sorry. So it sounds like there's an awful lot of white flag waving right there. I mean, it really does. And I'm just going to say, if that's what you really think about the situation, again, nobody wants to say this out loud. I've been crushed for saying out loud, and I want to let everyone know that I was the one who had, you know, enough guts to say it out loud. The real path out of this is trading Steph Curry. The unthinkable is probably the best available option. Because if you are as lost in the woods as Steve Kerr just basically admitted, this is who we are now. We're a team that is so directionless. We have no direction in which to travel. So we're not even thinking of going in a direction. We're going to stand pat with a formula that we're all looking at. Everyone thought this formula would work. It's not working, but we're comfortable with it's not working. That can't happen. The biggest problem, the single biggest problem with the Golden State Warriors is here they are in the year 2025, and the entire fortunes of this franchise are still directly attached to a player who's turning 37 in March, and another player who's turning 35 in March. And while those two guys remain defined, everything else around them is still undefined, including your most precious asset, Jonathan Kaminga, who you have allowed to remain undefined. The Golden State Warriors are without form, without shape, without identity, which means it's time to do something drastic, or you will be the 38 to 44 middling NBA team that is forever stuck. That's what this is. So if you really want to talk about how do you get out of it, you get out of it by skinning yourself alive and doing the unthinkable and taking a legitimate, while he's still got asset to him, Steph Curry, and making the Herschel Walker trade, the trade that delivers what will be the mechanisms to keep going forward this decade, because Steph Curry defined the last decade. If he's going to be defining the next one too, you're not going to like that definition at all. You know, I don't have much comment to say on that. I'm not going to go on that. I'm not going to take the position of trading Steph. I'm not there for a couple of reasons. One is that Tim Duncan was 37 when the Spurs won their last title. The Spurs show that you can continue a dynasty, that you don't have to wave the white flag when your best players are getting old. The Warriors did continue the dynasty with the win over the Boston Celtics. Bro, it's over. Use your eyes. It's over. Let me push back a little bit with this. The Warriors started the season 12 and three. They're the first- False data points. If you don't realize that now, that's all false data points. That is not the truth. But again, here's the problem, Dave, because your plan, which logically makes perfect sense, perfect sense, this is one of those moments where I will evoke emotion to add to the context here, because like an academic or someone doing research, you have qualitative research where the numbers are empirical, they make perfect sense, and that's what you're doing here. What you're saying makes perfect sense. But there's also qualitative research where you take into account the why and how of things, the emotional complexities of human nature. What you're proposing is the equivalent of the Bulls saying they're gonna trade Jordan after 98. Let's say the last dance was not a thing. Let's say Phil Jackson's coming back. Him and Kraus don't hate each other like what was going on, and they keep this thing going. And Jordan says he's coming back. Would you trade Jordan, even though they'd probably be in a similar situation like the Warriors are, where their players are aging and the best days are behind them? That's the equivalent of what you're saying here. That's why I personally am not ready to go down that route, because it makes sense. Steph Curry has earned the right to say, I've done enough for this franchise. I wanna wrap up my career with this franchise. And if the Warriors are cool with that, and there's a lot of reasons to be, because Steph is the golden goose, then you let him lay his career down the way that he wants to. Guy here, OMG, it's Manny, says do not trade Steph. He wants to redefine what loyalty is like. If you are in that camp, don't you say another word about the Warriors winning or losing another basketball game. But our basic, if you say never trade Steph, what you are saying is the winning is over. But again, Damon. Curry Bonds hitting home runs on a 77-win Giants team. But there are alternatives here to trading Steph, Damon. And what frustrates me is that the alternative. That's the thing, they don't do it. And again, that's the frustrating part, but it needs to be talked about because that is a huge reason why this is so frustrating. There are seven to eight teams in the NBA right now who will give up virtually anything for a second round pick, whether it's the Raptors, whether it's the Jazz. The Brooklyn Nets literally showed that it is a reality because of the Dennis Schroeder trade. The Warriors gave up Reese Beekman and two seconds in that trade. Expiring deals have value. Andrew Wiggins is, again, this is where I'm lost with the Warriors in this current narrative. They're perpetuating, if in fact they are waving a white flag. Why is Andrew Wiggins untouchable? Why is GP2, Kevon Looney, untouchable? That's nearly $45 million you can swap that if you just add a couple seconds gives you an injection that breathes life into this organization. Damon, the Warriors started 12-3. Did you know of all the teams in the history of the NBA that have started 12-3, the Warriors are on track to be the first one ever, ever to finish below 500, and only one of those teams ever missed the playoffs. They're entering very uncharted territories here with this, and I apologize for the grammatical error there. My point is they showed something at the beginning. I still do not believe that was entirely a fluke. They've clearly lost their way, but this surrender here, if that is what's going on, is absurd. There are other options on the table, and for them to just say, well, we're comfortable losing like this because at least we can be buddies and the families together. We're gonna go down a sinking ship where at least we can sing Kumbaya along the way. F that, I guarantee you this, Joe Lakob is not subscribing to this. I promise you that, and that is my one hope here that, again, Stephen Curry, I'm gonna subscribe to what Ramona Shelbers said, that Stephen Curry said this partly as a negotiating tactic to increase leverage for the Warriors. I also believe Joe Lakob will not subscribe to letting this thing sink, and with all that said, Steve Kerr drove me insane with those words because you can do things. There are options here. Do not pretend that it's just over. There is no sense of urgency at all with the Golden State Warriors. They have run out of games to just give away and not play well, and they're at the, it's time to do something right now part of their year. Let me just lay this out. So their next handful of games at Minnesota tonight, you're gonna lose that, right? So they're losing tonight to Minnesota. Well, they've won two of three, and Minnesota's a weird team. The Timberwolves are favored, I believe, by seven tonight. Yes, common sense would dictate the Warriors will likely lose, but you never know, and one thing that we didn't hear from Steph that he did say after the Raptors game is that all this panic talk, it's gone if the Warriors win a game or two. They're just a game below .500. This is part of the perspective that is lost here in the waving the white flag language is that the Warriors are not out of it. They're, I think, what, a half game, a game out of the play-in right now? Like, the Sacramento Kings have shown one winning streak can flip an entire season, and the Kings right now would be a play-in team, I think, today if the season ended. My point is, and someone in the chat said, I'm talking in circles here, the Warriors can and should do something. I don't think this season is lost, this is what I'm trying to say, and my hope is that the language here, the narrative here that Steve Kerr said in that interview, and again, Damon, one of the many things that pissed me off about that clip is if you were still in that position, instead of, I don't even wanna say their names, nothing against them personally, but it's just clearly the company men line, that applies there. I've never heard a single grilling of Steve Kerr on that segment. I've never heard follow-up questions. That is an absurd segment, man. That is just Warriors PR for like 15 minutes. You would not have let that fly, and that's where radio has died. That's why I think that medium is dead, is because what's left is focused on surviving, and for 95-7 the game, their survival is, let's make the Warriors, let's keep the Warriors happy so that we have a relationship with them because that's all we have left, and so I can't take that seriously. That pisses me off, but my point is, I'm not ready to wave the white flag. I don't think Joel Acob, do you think Joel Acob would do that? Do you think Joel Acob will just sit back and do nothing? When something happens other than Dennis Schroeder, let me know. Fair, that's fair, but I have a little faith in Joel. I do, I'm not ready. That's why, he's not gonna let Steph walk away. You're right, man. In theory, the Herschel Walker trade idea for people, for the younger folks out there who don't understand the reference, the Dallas Cowboys, when Jimmy Johnson took over. They got the internet, they can Google that ---- themselves. I know, but the premise is that you trade away your star player still in his prime, you get a ton of assets, and you build a new dynasty. That's what the Cowboys did. Curry's at the end of his career, and Curry is at the end of his real get value for return on his career too. I mean, he's about to make $60 million a year on bad knees, and good luck. I mean, again, the fact that the Warriors, in Steph's about to be 37 season, and Draymond's about to be 35 season, beyond the two of them, they have a roster that is made up exclusively of undefined, shapeless, formless players is insane. That's where the problem is. Damon, what is your take on the fact that Steve Kerr still has full faith and trust in Buddy Heald? Like, there's a lot of stuff going on here besides just the team play. Like, that's ridiculous. Like, again, I've been saying for two plus years. By the way, this is Truth Tellin'. Comes in for $2 on the Super Chat. Thank you very much, Truth Tellin'. Like and subscribe. Thoughts on Ty Jerome being better than Buddy Heald? It's insane. I mean, Buddy Heald has turned into a pumpkin. There's no doubt about it. HR says, if we can't have a championship, we should at least have entertaining basketball, and we don't, especially without Kaminga. This team is hard to watch. I think Joe Lacob agrees with that sentiment, and that's why I have a little faith here. I know a lot of people right now are turning on Joe Lacob. I don't know if you've seen that chatter on the social media circles. Look, say what you will about Joe in terms of the two timeline thing, and the Wiseman pick was a failure, obviously, but the dude wants to win. The dude's trying to win. Like, do not compare him to the Chicago Bulls situation, because when Jordan and that crew left, that team did not try to spend money. That team did not go all out. You know, that is the epitome of complacency. People bring up Jerry Jones as the metaphorical horrible owner that Joe Lacob could turn into. No, no, no, no, no, no. Look at the Bulls. That could be the worst case scenario, but I don't see Joe Lacob being that. Like, this guy wants to win. I love the fact that he has a big ego, because he's not gonna just stand pat and do nothing. His biggest feeling right now, Damon, I don't know if you agree with this or not, you probably don't, but that's okay. To me, my biggest feeling with Joe Lacob is his faith in Steve Kerr. He puts too much in there, man. Like, when Steve Kerr is publicly saying, I trust Buddy Heald, when he's scripting an ATO, his biggest strength, for a final Buddy Heald shot, that is a problem. Your thoughts, sir? Well, you know, I just, I, Steve, the biggest incomplete of Steve Kerr coaching the Golden State Warriors is his inability to have developed any young player. Ever, ever, yeah. It just is not happening. And right now, you know, if the Warriors aren't gonna lean into a trade, they need to lean into the young players that Steve has done a poor job developing and bringing along. So again, they're stuck. I understand why the Warriors feel a little directionless, because they, they haven't really picked their own direction either. Quentin Post, for example. Hold on a second. Sorry, sir, I'm sorry. Losing tonight in Minnesota, yes or no? Yes. Home to Washington. Oh, well, that'll be a win, right? Maybe, right? That's a win. Damien, can we explore that real fast? Okay, okay. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Follow the bouncing ball. I'm sorry. Boston, on Martin Luther King Day, they're gonna get slaughtered. They're gonna get slaughtered. The game after that, up in Sacramento, this team will absolutely get on a bus, go up to Arco and lose. Excuse me, Golden One, whatever. Like to ******* be. They're gonna go up there and lose. So now, it's Thursday, January 23rd against the Chicago Bulls. And I'm gonna tell you right now, if you are gonna make a trade for Vucevic, you make the trade for Vucevic before this game. The last thing you need is having Vucevic playing against you and then trading for him. There are so many options. If you're gonna do Vucevic, you better get it done before the 23rd of January, in which case, the Vucevic concept, to me, has sailed. It's not just, the problem, Damien, among many issues here is that Vucevic is not the only option out there. You can trade for Jeremy Grant. You can trade for Kyle Kuzma. And you can trade for Zion Williamson. And the biggest price tag is Andrew Wiggins. Why are they so stuck on Wiggins, man? Like, I don't get that. If Wiggins is so important, why was he not taking the final shot in that Raptors game? Why was Buddy healed? And here's another thing that drives me crazy. When we talk about the day-to-day operation, why is Quentin Post not with the team? You have tapped your microphone off. You've got some loose cord or something. Don't tap your own playing surface. You're not a hockey player tapping sticks. You just turned your mic off. Okay, for now, I'm gonna use this mic for the moment. Yeah, keep your hands to yourself. Look, this is where I kind of believe the Warriors when they say, we don't think that there is a move out there that's gonna change our fortunes. Therefore, we should not make a move. I don't think Vucevic changes their fortunes that much. Jeremy Grant, this team is not a Jeremy Grant away from being an NBA champion. Come on. It's more entertaining. All I'm saying is, if it ain't- Your mic's still not on. I can hear you a little, but you're coming through your computer, not your actual microphone. Well, yeah, I gotta fix this in just a second. My point is, doing nothing is not the answer either. Like sitting here doing absolutely nothing, just letting the sip sink, I'm sorry. Well, how is that logical? How does that make sense? Like, I don't get this. I don't get just the sand pat thing when you're quickly spiraling into irrelevancy. I don't get that, man. If you are gonna stand pat, what I want you to all do, here are the new rules. If you're a Golden State Warrior fan, here is the world that you now live in. Enjoy watching Steph shoot his threes while you don't go to the playoffs. Yeah. That's what you got left. You're right. You're absolutely right, man. Isn't that gonna be entertaining? How many threes can Steph Curry hit in a playoff-less season that will satisfy Warriors fans? I would suggest he could hit a million threes between now and the end of the year, and if they don't go to the playoffs, that's all anyone's gonna talk about, not how many threes Steph hit. Right. It's over, okay? I mean, this is the thing. What the Warriors don't wanna say out loud, what they are saying out loud a little, but they know it, and I know it, and I think they know it, and they're acting as if they know it, they know that they are sort of middled right now, and there's two ways out of it. Make the big trade that puts you back on top, or sort of all let it go and die, and good luck in the lottery. Yeah, again, I could be delusional, Damon, but that 12-and-three start is not something I'm gonna pretend didn't happen. I don't think that 15-game sample size is a fluke. The Warriors had a 20-game sample size. I would say the only way a 15-game sample size could be a fluke is if it were in the first 15 games of the year. Maybe. I mean, look, the Warriors were 18-and-two the first 20 games of that title season, and that wasn't a fluke either. I don't think that was a fluke. The Warriors were literally the hottest thing cooking on planet sports at that particular time. That start and this start are not mirror images of each other. No. The Warriors were on the cutting edge of a new way of playing basketball that the league had never even seen before. Right now, the Warriors can't even keep up to their own standards. Well, right now, this is ugly, and what's even uglier is the fact that they're pretending that the return of Gary Payton II tonight is gonna magically be an improvement. It won't be. He never did anything offensively to begin with. It might help a little bit. Look, they're in a tough spot. The Stephen Curry aging thing has clearly made things difficult. All I'm saying is, why are we okay with Buddy Heald being a prime player on this team, having a huge role like this? Why are we okay with? I'll tell you why. Because without him, they're really screwed. Well, but Moses Moody can get his minutes. They can't shake Buddy Heald out of his doldrums. This ain't going anywhere anyway. I know, but you have options in terms of a player like Buddy Heald. Some players, some positions, you're screwed, right? Like, let me ask you this. What were your thoughts when Bob Fitzgerald at the beginning of the Warriors-Raptors broadcast said, damn, that's a small team, referring to the Warriors' starting lineup where Wiggins was playing at the four? Like, why are we not focusing on these things that could be at least a part of the reason why the Warriors are playing so awful? Like, they have a coach who's butchering things, left and right, making nonsensical decisions, and we're talking about the end of this team, pretending like there's no hope when they have a coach who's completely screwing things up left and right. Like, I guess my thing is, the reason why I'm not just waving a white flag personally is because I feel like so many things can be corrected or at least adjusted to improve, and the fact that the team's not doing any of that is driving me insane, Damon. It's driving me insane. If you choose, Cyrus, we're going small tonight. Oh. Okay, so that works. That works. The Warriors, throughout their run of success, have been the best small ball team on the planet ever. They are Team Small Ball. So I understand why they like Team Small Ball, but part of being Team Small Ball means we are the more athletic, faster team on the court when we are small. As the Warriors are now small, they are not more athletic, nor are they faster or are they better leap. There is no athleticism that you attach with the concept of small ball to the Warriors right now, so therefore, you gotta shoot lights out. Well, they don't have a shooting lights out basketball team, so they're not athletic, they're not tall, they're not shooting the ball well, they have not committed to defense, they can't really score the basketball, they smoke more layups than either of us smoke ganja, and that is a mega prop. The Warriors have so many. That's a problem, that's a problem, that's a problem, that's a problem, that's a problem, that's a problem. I don't think Vucevic solves, what, maybe one of these problems? But he would solve a huge part of that. Having just him alone would flip things tremendously. They don't lose the Raptors game if they have a Vucevic, right? Well, again, they're an eight-win team trying to tank for Cooper Cup. I understand, but they lost. They lost to the Raptors. Vucevic would make a difference there. And Damon, the small ball Warriors that won titles, their average height was more along the lines of 6'7", 6'8", not 6'4", 6'5", like we're seeing now. Like, Andre Iguodala was a huge part of that. Oh, Otto Porter Jr. was a huge part of the 2022 team. He was 6'8". They didn't have a Dennis Schroeder. They didn't have, like, this is, what's happening now is absurd, man. It's, and I feel like I'm the only person calling this ---- out because, God forbid we criticize Steve Kerr. It's insanity, man, it sucks. The Warriors remain stuck. We'll see if they can unstuck themselves at Minnesota this evening, and then Washington this weekend, back home Monday, Martin Luther King Day, a matinee 2 p.m. tip against Boston, Wednesday, January 22nd at Sacramento. I am sniffing one and three over those four games right there. And if they are, again, they're officially out of, they are all out of games to just throw away, which is why, if you're gonna do something for Vucevic, you do it before the Bulls game on the 23rd, because you do not want him shooting baskets at Chase Center unless he's wearing a Warriors uniform. Real quick, Damon, highlight this schmuck HR in your chat who says this, he's saying that I'm the only person criticizing Kerr because I live in my own world. Respond to your insane comment with this. Justify Kerr's trust in Buddy Heald at this point in time. Justify Wiggins starting at power forward. Justify Dennis Schroeder being the ultimate trade target when you had players like Dorian Finney-Smith, Cam Johnson, Vucevic, Jeremy Grant, Kyle Kuzma. You had a million better options out there. Dennis Schroeder was a Steve Kerr pick. Tell me why I'm living in my own world when Steve Kerr decides Quinton Post, who's outgrown the G League, is still in the G League. This team needs size, and you're gonna sit here and say that Steve Kerr's not the problem? F you, man. Come back and tell me how any of those decisions are justified. It's ridiculous. I think Steve Kerr's been dealt kind of a lousy hand, and he certainly hasn't played a lousy hand well sitting at the poker table. Absolutely. I'm not here to say that he's bad at what he does, but this is a team. I don't think Red Auerbach would have come up with the right combination for this team right now. I don't think Phil Jackson or Eric Spolstra is having much more luck with a team that is just A, old, B, small, C, unskilled, and a little apathetic. I have never seen the dauber down as hard as it is on Steph right now. Steve Kerr is getting snippy and punchy with the media, and they're feeling it. And last week, we were talking about Lakob and Dunleavy Jr. having words, not arguing with each other, but they were having what is normally a private conversation in a public hallway. Again, it feels like the Warriors are sort of coming apart at the strings right now. It has been a challenging couple of weeks for this team. And I think that they all know enough about basketball to know that there's really no way out of this maze. And this clown HR, again, I love that he's setting me up, because I know on one hand I'm taking the bait, but this is also a bit, just to go along, this asshole is now saying that I can't get a real job. I'm a professor in my day job, A, so F you on that. B, no, no, no, no, Damien, let me go with this. B, you just heard the sponsors at the beginning of the show, so don't pretend that the program Golden Days is not achieving success and growing by the day. C, actually respond with answers pertaining to Steve Kerr and not personal attacks at me. Justify the trust in Buddy Heald, justify the Dennis Schroeder trade, justify the infatuation with Wiggins, justify the Hobbit ball, justify the, I mean, justify any of that, justify Corey Joseph getting minutes a year ago, justify Ty Jerome and Anthony Lamb stealing minutes from Kaminga and Moody two years ago, justify any of that, and then maybe have a conversation with me, asshole, instead of these shots that you're taking. I'm sorry, Damien, I'm done. You need the audience. Even if they don't like you. You do. But then you have trolls. And you need the haters, again, so don't go to them. I know, but it does produce great content. You shouldn't let the guy who's not even identifying himself by name get under your skin too much. I will say this. If you're looking for the respect that you damn well should have earned, here you go. You got Otis Byrd saying Professor Cyrus. Yes, absolute Professor Cy. I like it. In all honesty, I could care less. It's a good bit. It riles me up, and that usually produces decent content. I mean everything I say, though. It's like, the amount of grace that Kerr has earned, the four titles thing. Look at his record the last five years. The Warriors are on the verge of missing the playoffs for the fourth time in six years. And people will bring up that one title. Budenholzer won a title the last five years. Frank Vogel won a title the last five years. I saw a stat the other day where people are bringing up Kerr and the fact that he's a Hall of Famer, top 15 all-time coach. Doc Rivers is a top 15 all-time coach. Do not pretend these little accolades mean he's a genius. Look at the actions on the court, man. For the first time ever, he has a team where he has to coach, and he's failing miserably at it. Like you said, Damon, develop one young player, then maybe I will respect the coaching part of it. But until then. Pick Podjemski, pick Trace Jackson Davis, pick somebody, and just say, we are gonna go forward with this. They have, I mean, again, Jonathan Kaminga is volunteering to be the guy, and they still can't pick him. They're so wishy-washy about their commitment to any direction, it is not a surprise to me that they remain directionless. Yeah, absolutely right. That's it right now, man. Good stuff. Cyrus, tell us what's else. I'm guessing you're doing a little post-game tonight? Yeah, we'll be back tonight real fast before we wrap up, unless you gotta go. If you have to go, I understand. But I wanted to ask you, Damon, because I think this is a pertinent question. You bring up that Wizards game, right? The absolute joke of a franchise in the NBA. If the Warriors lose that game, and you don't do anything, let's say the Warriors lose that game, and we hear these same kinds of speeches. Do we just have to sit here and take it? Is that all anyone can do? The fans just have to take that? Yeah, I mean, if you lose at home, if you lose at home to a six-win Washington Wizards team, there's nothing left to stand on. Oh my God, that's where we're at. There is no there there to a single thing coming out of anybody's mouth anymore. You are defined by your dreadful basketball team that can't beat the worst basketball team in basketball at home. How are the Niners fans feeling, by the way? I mean, four days out of the week, at least, you're covering the Niners. It's not all five days. Are they as discontent and pissed off as Dubnation is? Is it a different mood? Well, what's going on there, man? It's, yeah, I mean, I'd say that there's a similar level of frustration where you feel that you're just stuck. Yeah. You're stuck in a rut that you can't, you know, the 49ers can't unstuck themselves from second best team in football because of the Kansas City Chiefs, and then this year, they unstuck themselves right out of the postseason, so everyone's real angry. And, you know, the Warriors are just, again, they're stuck in the middle, and the middle is where every good basketball team has gone to die. If you're lucky enough. It's such a bad place. You know how the Spurs did it two in a row? Because the Spurs went from, we're the best team in the world to, oh, ----, no, we're not. We got the number one pick in the draft again, and that's how they reunited that. They got out of the middle, and with a trade of Steph and bottoming out and having future assets to build on and your own really good, really high-valued pick, again, it's going to hurt. There's no way out of this that doesn't hurt. You're either going to watch Steph play meaningless basketball, or you're going to say goodbye to Steph. He, look at it this way. I don't think there's an awful lot of winning remaining for the Golden State Warriors as they are currently constructed, and so it's either make the trade that no one wants to make or watch it die on the vine. That's where I really think those are the two options for the Warriors. Now, if they can cook up something like, oh, they did the deal for Zion Williamson, and then Zion stayed healthy for the next decade, and all your dreams come true, sure, go ahead. Take it, you know, do that, but I think that there's a much better chance of trading for Zion, watching him vanish in 15 games, and then you're just done. Well, here's the good, let's say they do that, right? I'm glad you brought that up, Damon. I'm glad you brought that up, because let's say they do that. Let's say they trade for Zion, because that trade would require Wiggins, GP2, Looney. You probably have to include a pair of second-rounders. The Warriors will not give up a first-round pick, rightfully so, and I think that's a huge reason why Stephen Curry said what he said, was to help the leverage aspect of the Warriors in trade negotiations. With that said, let's say you trade for Zion, and it doesn't work out. It's not a guaranteed deal. You can leave after those 15 games, never worry about them again. Yeah, but your assets are gone. But then your assets are gone, and you are so back to square one. But let me finish, though. You're right, you're right, they lose those second-round picks. You're right, second-rounders. You still have all your first-rounders, and you also are off Wiggins' contract. So you suddenly have the cap space this off-season to sign Miles Turner, who's an unrestricted free agent. There's a few other names out there. My point is, why not give yourself that flexibility this off-season? Worst-case scenario, you trade for Zion, you can sign another free agent. You have options. HR dropped two bucks, by the way, in the chat. So we have to acknowledge that or recognize that. If you're dropping ducats, we will be. There we are, super HR, there you go. And thank you for the content, thank you. But look, he's just repeating what Steve Kerr said, which was that Buddy Hill provides spacing. What good does that do if he's not hitting his shots? Lindy Waters III can also provide spacing. You trade for Vucevich, that's, but if you trade for Vucevich, that's the best spacing of all. You're now dragging the other teams big out, and you're leaving the bottom wide open for your players to penetrate. I know Steve Kerr said that as well, but the spacing is worthless if you can't make your goddamn shots, and he's not making them. I do, I got a little something coming up in a little bit, Cyrus, so I do have to run, but this was a great show. This was a spicy show, and- I love it. There's absolutely no doubt. We freaking care. You know, we care about what the team has done. They have provided us with so much joy and entertainment throughout the years, but watching it come to a screeching halt has been a little rough this year. There's no doubt about it, and you can feel the frustration. It's bubbling over, and team plays it cool, can't even play it cool in the postgame presser anymore, and the frustration is real, and I do. I think that the Warriors know that there's really no way out of this. Father time is undefeated, and you ain't gonna tie. You know, I mean, it's just- I can agree to disagree on that. I'm gonna take the position of this ain't over. I still think there is a path here where a month from now, Damon, we're talking about the Warriors. Give it to me. Cyrus, your microphone has vanished once again. I know you gotta work on some cords or some plugs, but that's it. That's all we got today. Very good. Tonight, well, I got the computer mic, but we're done. Tonight, Larry Krueger and Paulie Mack, we're doing a threesome. Not the fun kind, but we're talking Warriors-T-Wolves postgame, so stay tuned for that. And, Damon, thank you, brother. The Palouse, you're exploding as you should. You played that radio clip. I imagine it must be gratifying, and rightfully so, to be beating Terrestrial Radio with your numbers. Keep it going, brother. We're doing okay, man. I think we're doing good. Moving on from that outdated medium, sir, and always a pleasure doing this, brother. What choice do we have? We're- Thank you so much for watching, everyone. Like and subscribe on your way out to both channels. Make sure you're following Golden Days. Make sure you're on the Palouse, and please do remember that sports don't build character. They reveal it, and like that, they're gone.