Dub Hub: Andrew Wiggins says it feels good to be back with the team

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Wednesday, March 6th.

Warriors News:

Andrew Wiggins Comments on Return to Warriors | Golden State Warriors

Kerr explains how Wiggins’ return to Warriors impacts Moody’s role | NBC Sports Bay Area

The No. 14 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft averaged nearly 25 minutes of playing time during that stretch and probably won’t get that much run going forward, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he plans to keep Moody an integral part of the mix.

“He’s earned it,” Kerr said following practice Tuesday at Chase Center. “He’s really just been so professional about everything since the day he walked into this building 2 1/2 years ago. He’s a pro. I’m excited to continue to get him some minutes

Warriors’ Podziemski motivated by NBA rookie of the month slight | NBC Sports Bay Area

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama won the honors for a second consecutive month, while Keyonte George from the Utah Jazz, Chet Holmgren from the Oklahoma City Thunder and Amen Thompson from the Houston Rockets all were nominees.

Podziemski understandably felt he at least deserved some recognition and said he is motivated by the slight.

“One hundred percent,” Podziemski said Tuesday. “I played every game in February; we went 11-3. Led our team in plus-minus, led all the rookies in plus-minus. All the stats that look at helping your team win, I led in those categories. That’s what matters most to me, and I think that’s what matters most to a team in term of winning.”

Can Draymond Green Find Peace? | The Ringer

For Green, this discussion gets a little existential. As he tells it, there are effectively two Draymond Greens—and yes, he’s aware of how that sounds.

“The person that I am, sitting here talking to you, is not the person I am on the basketball court,” Green says, lounging in the visitors locker room at Madison Square Garden after a recent victory over the Knicks. “They’re not the same person. And it’s almost like”—and here Green stops and chuckles—”I know I probably sound crazy talking to you like this, like I got an alter ego or something, but when I’m competing on the court, when I’m doing my job, that’s not the same person you’re going to deal with on a daily basis. … And I’m totally fine with that.”

Draymond Green explains the Warriors’ controversial strategy against Jaylen Brown

NBA News:

Celtics lose 22-point lead in 4th, 11-game win streak ends | ESPN

For much of the game, it didn’t seem like any of those things were going to matter. Boston hit 50% of its triples through the first three quarters, It had a comfortable 16-point lead heading into the fourth — one that ballooned to 22 points when Tatum made a putback layup for a 93-71 lead with 9 minutes to go — and was playing a Cleveland team that entered the game missing Donovan Mitchell and Max Strus with knee issues and lost Evan Mobley to an ankle sprain late in the third.

Then the fourth quarter happened. Boston went 0-for-8 from deep, while Cavaliers forward Dean Wade went 5-for-5 from deep and 7-for-7 from the field — including a critical tip dunk with 19.1 seconds to go off a missed shot by Garland — as he outscored the Celtics 20-17 in the final frame.

Jusuf Nurkić gives Suns another motor for postseason: ‘We’re most definitely different’ | The Athletic

In the interim, a 117-107 overtime win over the Nuggets at Ball Arena is important for Phoenix. In the airtight Western Conference, it’s another win in the back pocket that allows the Suns to stay in the sixth spot, which would allow them to avoid the Play-In. It helps the Suns toward vanquishing the bad taste of consecutive losses to the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder, both of which Phoenix thought were winnable games. And any win without Booker in the lineup is a good one.

Pelicans Zion Williamson says he will participate in the dunk contest if voted an All-Star

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Moses Moody needs to play, and he will

Wiggins’ return is certainly a good thing. Not only does it hopefully mean that things are OK for Wiggins and his family (which should be the primary concern), but it also means the team’s starting lineup is back intact ... at a time when Wiggins was starting to play his best basketball of the season.

But it creates a logjam as well, especially with the recent returns of Chris Paul and Gary Payton II. And it certainly creates an interesting situation with Moses Moody.

Andrew Wiggins has returned to the Warriors

This also means that fans can stop complaining about Wiggins missing time to deal with a family emergency. The Warriors allow their players to take time to deal with personal and family matters. That’s a good thing! More jobs should be like this! It’s not a sign of coddling or organizational laxity that the team accommodates for what has been reported (though not by Wiggins or the team) to be a medical issue concerning Mitchell Wiggins, Andrew’s father and a former NBA player.

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