Before the Warriors got worked by the Brooklyn Nets in Kevin Durant’s return to the Bay Area, the Santa Cruz Warriors topped the Westchester Knicks 124-116 in the Orlando G League bubble on Saturday.
The Sea Dubs were led by a trio of guards that Warriors fans might be familiar with: Jeremy Lin, Nico Mannion and Jordan Poole.
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Luckily for Brad Wanamaker, Warriors coach Steve Kerr has more patience than #NBATwitter. If you look at the replies to the previous tweet from NBC Sports Bay Area’s Drew Shiller, you’ll see plenty of calls from Warriors fans for Wanamaker’s removal from the Warriors' rotation, or worse.
Wanamaker’s production has dipped a bit this year with the Warriors, as he’s averaging 4.3 points on 33.4 percent shooting in 16.1 minutes per game.
While Poole’s roster spot is guaranteed and Mannion is on a two-way contract, promoting Lin to the Golden State squad would require cutting a current player from the roster. Would the Warriors be willing to cut someone -- say Wanamaker or a project like Alen Smailagic -- to make room for the veteran Lin?
Golden State Warriors
If nothing else, Lin would certainly bring more attention to a Warriors team that’s packed full of personality. The intriguing 32-year-old Bay Area native is well past the days of Linsanity but can still clearly shoot the rock. He’s averaging 18 points in three games with Santa Cruz after playing with the Beijing Ducks in China last season.
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Before Mannion and Poole departed for Orlando, Warriors coach Steve Kerr discussed the organization's goals for the youngsters. The Warriors would like to see Mannion shoot 12 to 15 times a game, and he went 8-for-20, including 3-for-7 from 3-point range. The second-year Poole went 8-for-15 from the floor as Kerr is looking for more urgency and a quicker release on his shot.
As impressive as it was to see all three guards score at least 22 points, Lin and Mannion’s assist totals are also good news for the Warriors.